Lecherous Lucifer

Advantages: thrilling, funny, tongue-in-cheek
Disadvantages: none for me

...Imagine an author shredding Oscar Wilde?s Dorian Gray and Ian Fleming?s James Bond and moulding a new character out of the pulp - let me introduce you to Mark Gatiss and his protagonist Lucifer Box! Lucifer lives in London, Downing St No 9 (?I know, ostentatious, isn?t it? But somebody has to live there.?) at the beginning of the twentieth century, he?s got fine features and a beautiful body, has exquisite taste, is well behaved in societal circles, defiles maidens, loves men and women (whoever is available), is vain and vicious. ??The fêted artist, the dashing dandy. But by night ? philanderer, sodomite and assassin!? As a thumbnail sketch of me that wasn?t half bad.?? He?s a painter to the world at large but really a hired assassin, yet - and here Dorian Grey recedes in the background and James Bond comes to the front - he doesn...

MALU 23.06.2009 · Read review
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Review of The Vesuvius Club - Mark Gatiss

Absurdly Devilish

Advantages: Some great oneliners, a quick mostly enjoyable read
Disadvantages: It doesn't live up to the original by a long shot

...uncovers a deep and devilish plot. My Thoughts = = The first Lucifer Box novel, "The Vesuvius Club", was so enjoyable, I was really looking forward to tucking in to this one. The beginning of the novel shows Lucifer once again confiding in his readers, reminding those who know his past adventures how brilliant he is, and scolding those new readers who have just joined him on his adventures "dear me, where have you been?" and the first few chapters promised a return to his old humour, a mixture of quick witted sarcasm, arrogance and camp playfulness. However, as the book wore on, I saw less and less of his distinctive personality and (perhaps due to age?!) less assertiveness and confidence in his job. The quick one liners were few and far between and I rarely found myself chuckling out loud. Gatiss' natural...

burtybookworm 19.02.2009 · Read review
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Review of The Devil In Amber - Mark Gatiss

The Satan Pit

Advantages: Readable, giddy adventure
Disadvantages: None

...Lucifer Box is a debauched painter and assassin working for the British secret service - which is of course based at the Royal Academy of Arts. In this second volume of his memoirs, some years after the events of The Vesuvius Club, we find our hero gently succumbing to the rigours of middle age. Is he a match for the dark forces of Fascism that are rising across Western Europe? Mark Gatiss is slowly conquering every medium available to him. Since the League of Gentlemen were catapulted to fame in 1999, Gatiss has been arguably the most successful of its members - performing across radio, film, theatre and TV (most recently in Doctor Who), script editing Little Britain and writing for TV (mostly Doctor Who again). He's branched out into novels for Lucifer Box, although it's worth noting that he wrote several original Doctor Who novels...

Olly_Plimsoll 29.10.2007 · Read review
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Review of The Devil In Amber - Mark Gatiss

Excellent, witty Edwardian Murder Mystery!

Advantages: fantastic characters and writing
Disadvantages: none at all for me

...About a month ago I read a review on here that made me want to go out and buy that particular book immediately. That book was "The Vesuvius Club" by Mark Gatiss. When I picked up this book in the book shop, even the endorsement on the front from Stephen Fry made me want to read it immediately: "The most delicious, depraved, inventive, macabre and hilarious literary debut I can think of?More, I want more!" About the Author & The Story "The Vesuvius Club" is the first in the series of books on the main character, Lucifer Box. Mark Gatiss the author, although new to the novel writing business, is not a total unknown in show business. Fans of the show "The League of Gentleman" will know him and not only has he acted in this show, but he has dabbled in screenwriting, and (according to Wikipedia) is one of only three...

burtybookworm 28.12.2008 · Read review
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Review of The Vesuvius Club - Mark Gatiss

THE DEVIL IS BACK

Advantages: A great read, funny and entertaining
Disadvantages: None

...Many of you might know Mark Gatiss from the darkly surreal comedy ?The League of Gentleman? or more recently from his appearance and scriptwriting for the new Doctor Who but a few years ago he also gained a reputation as a novelist with his successful debut book ?The Vesuvius Club? in which he introduced the world to Lucifer Box the rakish Edwardian secret agent and royal academy artist. ?The Vesuvius Club? was an enjoyable read and I was pleased to find that Gatiss had written a sequel called ?The Devil In Amber?. Lucifer Box is an intriguing literary creation a James Bond figure with the moral depravity that would make Harry Flashman look like a country vicar; Box swings both sides of the gender divide. Lucifer Box like Flashman is the ultimate anti hero, he is selfish, immoral and egoistic but unlike Flashman he is courageous...

Mauri 09.08.2007 · Read review
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Review of The Devil In Amber - Mark Gatiss

FALLEN ANGEL?

Advantages: Well written, great fun
Disadvantages: poor illustrations

..."My name is Lucifer Box, but I imagine you know that. Whether these scribblings eventually form the core of my memoirs or are found secreted in oilskin wrappers at the bottom of a lavatory cistern years after my demise, I have no doubt that, by the time you read this, I will be most terribly famous." Many readers will know Mark Gatiss as one of the people behind the macabre and surreal TV comedy 'The League of Gentlemen'. He is also an avid fan of sci-fi and graphic novels so it is no surprise that his literary debut should be steeped in those traditions. 'The Vesuvius Club' is the first outing for the Edwardian Artist/Scoundrel/Socialite/Secret agent the aptly named Lucifer Box. Lucifer is a colourful character to say the least. A society painter by profession his other line of work on 'Her Majesty's Secret Service' was forced...

Mauri 09.05.2006 · Read review
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Review of The Vesuvius Club - Mark Gatiss

FREE DVDs

Advantages: Free trial, large choice, post included,new realeases
Disadvantages: see review

...I like movies and I like freebies, so when you get offered both in one swoop you?re bound to accept! I used my two week free trial with this company and remained with them for a couple of monthsbefore moving on to try many other companies free trials (and winning a new DVD player on Tesco DVD rental site on their free trial offer). I then had an email from DVDs 365 asking me to go back, and offering me a free DVD if I did so. I had just left Tesco (with my new DVD player) so I chose to go back with them. ∆◊◊ THE SERVICE THEY OFFER ∆◊◊ Basically it?s like going to a video shop and hiring films on DVD, except you don?t pay for each film you chose ? rather a monthly fee for which you can watch as many movies as you can fit in, for us this is usually around 8 a month (2 a week usually weekends...

dabmim 15.11.2004 · Read review
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Review of dvds365.com

The New Sherlock Holmes... Not Quite

Advantages: It plays like a melodramatic comical Sherlock Holmes
Disadvantages: None can think of...

...WHY DID I BUY IT? Mark Gatiss is one ofthe extremely talented and extremely funny League Of Gentlemen. Now I like this show but I wouldn't rush to buy a DVD, bu family mambers only remember certain things don't they? So my much loved Aunt got me this (and the excellent Kath & Kim DVD - so shes cool) for a belated birthday. Having said that without her having bought it I probably wold have gotten it. Murder and mystery in the Upper Classes circa the late 18th Century what more could you want... plus I love Sherlock Holmes. Not that this is anywhere like. THE PLOT Lucifer Box is an artist and scoundrel, he is also one of Her Majesty's Secret Service. The book indeed starts with a rather violent death after a lovely gossip and dinner. With missing scientists a dodgy undertakers and missing bodies, plus the murder of an elite...

simoon69 17.09.2005 · Read review
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Review of The Vesuvius Club - Mark Gatiss

Top Marks!

Advantages: Eat in for £10 for 2 people
Disadvantages: May not have full selection

...Marks and Spencer Dine in for two at £10 offer has been running for sometime now, but I hadn't seen it in the new shop that opened nearly a year ago in Livingston, until quite recently - probably because I went at the beginning of the week and it is only on Thursday to Sunday inclusive. I think it has become so popular at Marks that other supermarkets have followed and copied the idea but I have never been tempted in Tesco, as the selection was quite poor, the wine had run out etc. We have tried this a few times now and only once have been disappointed with one product. Marks and Spencer are renowned for good quality food although they do tend to be quite expensive, but in a world where people want to cook quickly they certainly provide easy to cook and tasty prepared food. Saving on the washing up too as they tend to be in foil...

jo145 24.07.2009 · Read review
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Review of Marks and Spencers Meal Deal

Surprising Picture Quality - Panasonic DVD-S54

Advantages: Incredible picture quality when compared to my old non-upscaling player with a scart lead
Disadvantages: Sometimes disc drive can be really noisy when DVD's initially load.

...At first I wasn't convinced by up-scaling DVD player technology but was persuaded after reading an article in "What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision" magazine. Unable to afford a Blu-Ray player my sister and I bought the Panasonic DVD-S54 to match our parents brand new Panasonic TX-32LZD80 LCD television as their Christmas 2008 present. Admittedly it was a slightly selfish purchase as we both live at home and wanted to watch DVDs on the big new TV ourselves! We bought the player from the electrical retailer Comet for about £100 just before Christmas so there were no discounts applied. On Christmas day when opened we found a relatively small box tightly packed with the player in polystyrene packaging. All the components such as cables, remote and manuals were well presented in their own protective plastic bags, to keep them protected. The player...

bobbacon985 12.02.2009 · Read review
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Review of Panasonic DVD-S54