fletchie's review against another edition
4.0
I'm going for three and a half stars for this. Was a fun read but didn't grab me like the first. Perhaps the lack of a tantalising hunky gay love interest is what knocked it down for me.
jerefi's review against another edition
2.0
It was a dollar bin book. It was "meh." Some parts made me think of Bond, other parts of Indiana Jones, but mostly it was dealing with a character that was a real scoundrel and cad. I did not find him to be as likable as would make this book more fun, but it wasn't as if I thoroughly hated him either. I just found his self-centered protension to be rather boring instead of entertaining. I blame the years I lived in Los Angeles.
soupy_twist's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
annasirius's review against another edition
2.0
I quite enjoyed the first installment in the Lucifer Box series, but I could not warm up to this. Maybe the novelty has worn off, maybe I was just not in the right mood.
The language was once more very engaging, but there was little to enamor me to the protagonist. He's self-absorbed (nothing new there) and incompetent, strutting through the world fancying himself a super-spy (er, THE super-spy) without, however, ever bothering to come up with a strategy or (dare I be so bold as to suggest?) paying attention to his surroundings to make sure his secret meetings are not watched/violently disrupted. Lucifer Box in all his dandy arrogance worked so well because despite his flaws, I trusted him to guide me through an interesting story. Here, he does not guide but stumble and follow blindly, and the antagonist left me half yawning, half annoyed to see yet again another Fascist/Satanist action adventure unfold.
Having seen (and disliked) series 3 of Sherlock, I feel a tendency to over-the-top plots and hilariousness to the detriment of plausibility is becoming a dominant streak in Gatiss' work.
The language was once more very engaging, but there was little to enamor me to the protagonist. He's self-absorbed (nothing new there) and incompetent, strutting through the world fancying himself a super-spy (er, THE super-spy) without, however, ever bothering to come up with a strategy or (dare I be so bold as to suggest?) paying attention to his surroundings to make sure his secret meetings are not watched/violently disrupted. Lucifer Box in all his dandy arrogance worked so well because despite his flaws, I trusted him to guide me through an interesting story. Here, he does not guide but stumble and follow blindly, and the antagonist left me half yawning, half annoyed to see yet again another Fascist/Satanist action adventure unfold.
Having seen (and disliked) series 3 of Sherlock, I feel a tendency to over-the-top plots and hilariousness to the detriment of plausibility is becoming a dominant streak in Gatiss' work.
mxd's review against another edition
4.0
I was completely prepared to continue disliking Lucifer Box and putting up with the novel for the sake of having spent money on the box set, but to my surprise, just a few pages in and I was enjoying it much more than the previous novel. I found the level of tongue-in-cheek humour just right. Box is dry and ridiculous, but not as smug and annoying as I found him in The Vesuvius Club. Having it set in America and giving it that noirish twist also made it very enjoyable, despite the fact that I'm not a huge fan of noir. And then there was the tail end of the book which threw up all kinds of unexpected surprises. I don't think the mish mash of genres would appeal to everyone, but I really enjoyed what Gatiss did here, mixing up mystery and the macabre with a slice of humour and just a drop of barely noticeable smut. I could read much more about this era of Box.
ajraffles's review against another edition
5.0
Wow.
I don't often go around and tout that sequels (or following books in a series) are better than the first volume, but wow...
I really enjoyed the Vesuvius Club, but I was able to put it down for months and then return to it whereas for THIS novel I had to finish it one sitting. And did.
It's the same spy-thriller with all the punny-goodness that I so enjoy (and names that are actual words, which I also adore) only this time there is a healthy coating of the Occult. At first I balked at this, but Gatiss wound it in so lovely that I bought into it completely and was perched on the edge of my proverbial seat for what seemed the whole reading.
It's splendid and I recommend it to anyone else who sees this. Now I just hope that Black Butterfly is as splendid as The Devil in Amber was...!
I don't often go around and tout that sequels (or following books in a series) are better than the first volume, but wow...
I really enjoyed the Vesuvius Club, but I was able to put it down for months and then return to it whereas for THIS novel I had to finish it one sitting. And did.
It's the same spy-thriller with all the punny-goodness that I so enjoy (and names that are actual words, which I also adore) only this time there is a healthy coating of the Occult. At first I balked at this, but Gatiss wound it in so lovely that I bought into it completely and was perched on the edge of my proverbial seat for what seemed the whole reading.
It's splendid and I recommend it to anyone else who sees this. Now I just hope that Black Butterfly is as splendid as The Devil in Amber was...!
nomiddlename's review against another edition
3.0
http://nomiddlename.blogspot.com/2008/05/clearing-my-backlog.html
jejemaatita's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
It is a very cracky take of espionage genre. Lucifer is a prick but you can't help but love him. He is a mixed of James Bond and Austin Power.
The writing mimics that of ACD but with more modern take. There are many interesting lines that make you go: "oh god, that is genius!" Or "i can't believe that happen".
The twist and turn of the story can be guessed from the start but there is one or two aspects (or characters) that I was surprised for the twist until it about to happen. It is a very fun read
The writing mimics that of ACD but with more modern take. There are many interesting lines that make you go: "oh god, that is genius!" Or "i can't believe that happen".
The twist and turn of the story can be guessed from the start but there is one or two aspects (or characters) that I was surprised for the twist until it about to happen. It is a very fun read
slipperbunny's review against another edition
4.0
All the mystery novels I read seem to be really serious so it's nice to read something from Mark Gatiss who has such a funny way to write. For me this wasn't as good as the first volume but it was almost as good. Too many betrayals maybe? But it's interesting to read a mystery novel whose main character is bi. That happens rarely.