The Vesuvius Club

I added the Lucifer Box series because it was listed on the ISFDB and because I love Mark Gatiss as an actor and screenwriter (Sherlock and Doctor Who). I had never read any of his novels, but I know he started writing Doctor Who continuations in the 1990s. Halfway through The Vesuvius Club, the first book in the series, I was afraid that I had made a mistake in adding the book. I liked the book--please don't mistake me--but to that point I had seen no fantasy, science fiction or supernatural elements. Instead, it is a spy spoof, set in the Edwardian period. Finally, a few supernatural and steampunk elements made their way into the narrative, but if you are not looking for something similar to a period mystery, this is not the book for you.

This book is certain written in the British idiom. Its humor and style reminds me a bit of Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett or Jasper Fforde although Gatiss is not as strong a writer as these luminaries. Gatiss's strength lies in his character, Lucifer Box, who is the narrator of the book. Box's tone is decidedly snide and egocentric. He is part James Bond, part Aubrey Beardsley, and part Oscar Wilde. As I read, I could hear Mark Gatiss--in his character of Mycroft Holmes--saying the words. The reader's appreciation for Box seems to be a very important determining factor in whether he or she likes the book According to the reviews I've read on Amazon, many people hated Box and thus the novel. However, I will say there are many more positive reviews there than negative ones.

The book is fun--not at all thought provoking. Gatiss subtitles it "a bit of fluff." I'd call it witty pulp because you can see the influences of Arsene Lupin, Fu Manchu, and Alan Quartermain. That's the problem with pastiche: you'll notice I began with a list of memorable characters (real and fictional) and ended with a list of quite different fictional characters: How can Lucifer Box's story be all of these contradictory things? I don't know, but it is.