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deathtomartyrs's review against another edition
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
3.75
tbr_the_unconquered's review against another edition
4.0
Imagine a person : highly articulate, well informed on almost every topic, fiercely intelligent and capable of deal making under the most pressing of scenarios. No, he is not a diplomat and neither is he a human being and in fact I am not entirely certain if I can refer to this person as a ‘he’. The person in question is an angel and the name is Lucifer Morningstar. We know him as the Devil. That’s right : no fire and brimstone, no cloven hooves, no horns and forky tail and none of the theatrics that the role asks for in popular mythology. Lucifer is introduced as more of a has-been for he has resigned his role as the lord of Hell (utter boredom with the monotony) and now runs a piano bar on earth. He is still not someone to be trifled with for all the things that made him formidable once still lurk under the surface. This collection is a series of short stories in which Lucifer travels all over Earth and his former dominion to find resolution for multiple crises. There is a whiff of nostalgia when he remarks approaching the gates of hell : Home again, home again. Jiggety jig.
There arrives a missive to Lucifer from the throne high above the clouds with a pass attached that wants to recruit him for a particular job. With nothing better on his list of appointments, he accepts and is then hurled headlong into an adventure filled with ancient gods, clairvoyant teenagers, his former minions and all powerful shamans. I liked Morningstar for his poetic turn of phrase even when it is about describing absolutely terrifying things :
Understand me. Whatever lived there then lives there still, though your kind abandoned this place half a million years ago. There are forests of black oaks, a hundred feet tall, standing invisible in the dark. There are creatures…predators..that have not eaten in geological ages. You have forgotten the voiceless, but they have not forgotten you. They want you to come home. Want the feel of your fear and your worship. But while the darkness is a home for them, for you it was only a womb.
Lucifer does not come across as a hero or a villain but he has his own agendas to fulfil. His next move is to a version of the Japanese hell where he goes in search of his wings and which he reclaims even while he is in mortal form (utterly powerless and without defences). This is where Lucifer becomes a personification of hard, cold intellect and it suits the character the most. He is dismissive of wasteful excess and also of trivial conversation and is guilty as charged of being a ‘devilishly’ charming and manipulative bugger. The last sequence of stories ‘Children and monsters’ is a prolonged confrontation between the hosts of heaven and Lucifer. But then he trumps them all with a move which is in itself a classic. Mike Carey does not make the character either good or evil but all head. There might be machinations that Lucifer is planning to set in motion but none of those are revealed in detail here.
I did happen to see a couple of episodes of the TV series and the Lucifer of the book does not have any resemblance to the beefcake in the series ! The book is far more interesting (isn’t it so almost always ? ). Recommended.
All stories are lies. But good stories are lies made from light and fire. And they lift our hearts out of the dust, and out of the grave.
When the Devil wants you to do something, he doesn’t lie at all. He tells you the exact, literal truth. And he lets you find your own way to Hell.
There arrives a missive to Lucifer from the throne high above the clouds with a pass attached that wants to recruit him for a particular job. With nothing better on his list of appointments, he accepts and is then hurled headlong into an adventure filled with ancient gods, clairvoyant teenagers, his former minions and all powerful shamans. I liked Morningstar for his poetic turn of phrase even when it is about describing absolutely terrifying things :
Understand me. Whatever lived there then lives there still, though your kind abandoned this place half a million years ago. There are forests of black oaks, a hundred feet tall, standing invisible in the dark. There are creatures…predators..that have not eaten in geological ages. You have forgotten the voiceless, but they have not forgotten you. They want you to come home. Want the feel of your fear and your worship. But while the darkness is a home for them, for you it was only a womb.
Lucifer does not come across as a hero or a villain but he has his own agendas to fulfil. His next move is to a version of the Japanese hell where he goes in search of his wings and which he reclaims even while he is in mortal form (utterly powerless and without defences). This is where Lucifer becomes a personification of hard, cold intellect and it suits the character the most. He is dismissive of wasteful excess and also of trivial conversation and is guilty as charged of being a ‘devilishly’ charming and manipulative bugger. The last sequence of stories ‘Children and monsters’ is a prolonged confrontation between the hosts of heaven and Lucifer. But then he trumps them all with a move which is in itself a classic. Mike Carey does not make the character either good or evil but all head. There might be machinations that Lucifer is planning to set in motion but none of those are revealed in detail here.
I did happen to see a couple of episodes of the TV series and the Lucifer of the book does not have any resemblance to the beefcake in the series ! The book is far more interesting (isn’t it so almost always ? ). Recommended.
All stories are lies. But good stories are lies made from light and fire. And they lift our hearts out of the dust, and out of the grave.
When the Devil wants you to do something, he doesn’t lie at all. He tells you the exact, literal truth. And he lets you find your own way to Hell.
crowyhead's review against another edition
5.0
I'm going to commit sacrilege and say that I like this run of Lucifer better than whole huge swathes of Sandman.
I'm also realizing that this volume comprises of the entirety of the Lucifer I've read, and there are apparently two more volumes, which is making me go "SQUEE!"
I'm also realizing that this volume comprises of the entirety of the Lucifer I've read, and there are apparently two more volumes, which is making me go "SQUEE!"
chwaters's review against another edition
3.0
Fans of Neil Gaiman's Sandman will remember Lucifer as the devil who retired from Hell and locked the door behind him. Now Lucifer Morningstar is back and starring in his own comic. He's out of retirement and major plans. It's going to take a bit of trickery, magic and obfuscation, but when Lucifer sets his mind to something, there's really very little one can do to change his mind.
I love the world of Sandman, so it's really no surprise that this comic would appeal to me. Many of the players that we know and love are present in this story. I didn't love it quite as much as Sandman, but for those who just can't get enough (and can't wait for more of the new Sandman prequels), Lucifer should tide them over nicely.
I love the world of Sandman, so it's really no surprise that this comic would appeal to me. Many of the players that we know and love are present in this story. I didn't love it quite as much as Sandman, but for those who just can't get enough (and can't wait for more of the new Sandman prequels), Lucifer should tide them over nicely.
vermilious's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
virginiaduan's review against another edition
3.0
Took awhile for me to get into but now I am intrigued.
tayzza6966's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bowienerd_82's review against another edition
3.0
I remember reading the first couple volumes of Lucifer many years ago (when I was reading Sandman and everything related to it for the first time), but I wasn't that into it then, and it's still pretty meh on re-read.