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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
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.
I was hugely disappointed with this book. I enjoyed its predecessor 'The Vesuvius Club' so much that I raced through it in a day and went straight onto the second in the series. Unfortunately it suffers by comparison. A lot.
What made the first book such a good read was the dry humour of the narrative style and the characterisation of the delightfully bad Lucifer Box, but both of these key features were decidedly patchy in 'The Devil in Amber'. It has moments of brilliance (who could fail to be drawn in by the fantastic opening line, 'He was an American, so it seemed only fair to shoot him'?) but these are well-hidden among standard dross. Mark Gatiss seems to do a lot more telling the reader what was happening than letting us see it coloured through Lucifer's disdainful perspective. It was like reading a book written to be made into a film rather than read and appreciated as a novel. It remains a fun read, but I sincerely hope that the third installment lives up to the standards of the first book and not the second.
What made the first book such a good read was the dry humour of the narrative style and the characterisation of the delightfully bad Lucifer Box, but both of these key features were decidedly patchy in 'The Devil in Amber'. It has moments of brilliance (who could fail to be drawn in by the fantastic opening line, 'He was an American, so it seemed only fair to shoot him'?) but these are well-hidden among standard dross. Mark Gatiss seems to do a lot more telling the reader what was happening than letting us see it coloured through Lucifer's disdainful perspective. It was like reading a book written to be made into a film rather than read and appreciated as a novel. It remains a fun read, but I sincerely hope that the third installment lives up to the standards of the first book and not the second.
Pretty meh... the plot was there but didn’t keep me wanting more, all in all okay but not anything I’m dying to read again.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was really a lot of fun to read. An old school style spy novel, with occult plotlines, and a loveable main character. I was surprised throughout the book and found I had a smile on my face most of the time. It's not life changing literature but well written and highly entertaining. I'll find some more in the series to read, as I haven't read the first.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Great fun, and a really easy read. Lucifer Box is a likable scoundrel, and the plot, while not especially inventive, showed him off well. I may have togo back and read number one now, having purchased the books without realising it was the second in a series.
Fun period pastiche of half a hundred things—from the pulp novels of the 20s and 30s, to James Bond, to the Da Vinci Code—which doesn't have quite the energy and verve of its predecessor, but which compensates for that with better pacing. This is not a life-changing book by any means, but as two hours of bonkers bisexual spy caper escapism (Lucifer Box "rides the number 38 bus as well as the number 19", as he puts it), it's well worth the read.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
After reading a very serious, though undeniable brilliant, book I fancied something lighter and more fun. This was both!