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A review by the_cheerful_necromancer
The Vesuvius Club by Mark Gatiss
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Partially ported over from my now-abandoned Goodreads:
I picked this book up at random after I found it in the "LGBTQ+" section of a charity shop, and I have to say, it's pretty solid shlocky fun, moreso than I expected.
It's not high art, and nor does it claim to be. The main character, Lucifer Box, is inarguably a "rotter" (to use his own words), at times there are gaping holes in the narrative, and the protagonist has plot armour to the nth degree, to the point that I think it was deliberate. A lot of the characters and places have downright ridiculous names, although it is a comedic book, after all.
All that being said, I think that the book understands most of its own faults and is playing up to them. It's also set in the Edwardian period, and unfortunately, a lot of the characters belonging to minority groups are not sensitively handled- this includes a Chinese man, and a gender-queer character.
For all its problems, I had a great time with this book. The pacing was quick and carried me along well. The protagonist's inner monologue is witty, unique and at times genre-aware, the world is surprisingly richly constructed considering how quickly the plot moves, and the build-up of tension is pretty well-handled. And it's got a good handful of queer characters to boot. I'd call it a parody of the spy genre.
If you're looking for a modern classic, definitely skip this one. But if you're looking for a quick, quite fun story without too many strings attached, it's well worth a read.
I picked this book up at random after I found it in the "LGBTQ+" section of a charity shop, and I have to say, it's pretty solid shlocky fun, moreso than I expected.
It's not high art, and nor does it claim to be. The main character, Lucifer Box, is inarguably a "rotter" (to use his own words), at times there are gaping holes in the narrative, and the protagonist has plot armour to the nth degree, to the point that I think it was deliberate. A lot of the characters and places have downright ridiculous names, although it is a comedic book, after all.
All that being said, I think that the book understands most of its own faults and is playing up to them. It's also set in the Edwardian period, and unfortunately, a lot of the characters belonging to minority groups are not sensitively handled- this includes a Chinese man, and a gender-queer character.
For all its problems, I had a great time with this book. The pacing was quick and carried me along well. The protagonist's inner monologue is witty, unique and at times genre-aware, the world is surprisingly richly constructed considering how quickly the plot moves, and the build-up of tension is pretty well-handled. And it's got a good handful of queer characters to boot. I'd call it a parody of the spy genre.
If you're looking for a modern classic, definitely skip this one. But if you're looking for a quick, quite fun story without too many strings attached, it's well worth a read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Gore, and Sexism
Moderate: Sexual content, Transphobia, and Xenophobia
Several characters, including Black and Chinese minor characters, are described at points using outdated language and outright slurs. This is because the book is set in the Edwardian period, but it doesn't make it less gross to read. The main character is implied by this, and other dialogue, to hold racist and xenophobic views, although he never dwells on them in the narrative itself and they aren't a main theme by any means.
Sexual content is not graphically described, per se, but there are several scenes ENTIRELY focused on it.