The Vesuvius Club
Encyclopedia
The Vesuvius Club is a historical spy story by Mark Gatiss
. It is the first novel in a series featuring the spy, Lucifer Box
. The second novel, The Devil in Amber
, was initially published in October 2006 and became more widely available from 6 November 2006.
, of the British Secret Service, briefs Lucifer Box
to pick up the threads of an investigation started by the recently murdered Jocelyn Utterson Poop of the Diplomatic Service. The only surviving clues were the names of two scientists who died with in a day of each other.
The investigation leads to the "Superior Funerals" undertakers run by Tom Bowler. Mr Bowler seems more interested in shipping boxes to and from Naples than burying the dead. An attempt on Box's life soon follows.
A painter and friend of Box supplies a new lead into the deaths of the scientist, which leads to the curious Mrs. Midsomer Knight, who has been replaced by a soon to be murdered maidservant. Lucifer's friend, Christopher Miracle, is implicated in the murder.
In Naples
Lucifer interviews one of the survivors of the "Cambridge four" group of scientists and fears for his life. Soon after he meets Charlie Jackpot, who invites him to a house of ill-repute and offers a way into the Vesuvius Club. There, Lucifer meets the alluring Venus, who is not who she seems, and falls victim to sleeping gas. At that point, we learn that Lucifer is bisexual, as Charlie is gay
, and has sex with him. Or rather, would have, had the sleeping gas not knocked them both out.
Lucifer awakens in a cell and learns from a fellow prisoner that relics are being sold from excavation sites to finance a larger operation and that the "Superior Funerals" undertakers are part of a smuggling racket.
Lucifer escapes and discovers Charlie in a death trap, from which Box rescues him before being discovered. Lucifer and Charlie escape via the sewer system.
The following morning, Lucifer discovers that the professor he interviewed has disappeared. Examining the scene, Lucifer discovers a detailed schematic of Mount Vesuvius
.
Box's investigation then leads him to an opium den, then to a supposedly haunted house where he discovers the three supposed dead professors and Mrs. Knight in a drugged stupor. The house leads to a passageway into the ancient ruin of Pompeii and the villain's base. Box confronts Venus and Unman, a traitor who has been assisting the enemy. Box attempts to do a deal for testimony against Victor. Unfortunately Venus turns out to in fact be Victor.
Victor seeks revenge against those who wronged his father. Victor has completed the work of his father, as scientist who was driven mad and died some time ago. His intent is to trigger a massive volcanic eruption, which will spark a chain reaction that will ultimately destroy Italy
.
Lucifer's companions are imprisoned in the volcano. The intent is for them to be incinerated in the eruption. Lucifer himself is taken to a volcanic vent and to be steamed to death but escapes and manages to rescue his companions after capturing Bowler.
Venus/Victor has no intention of anybody leaving the volcano before the eruption. When Box reveals this to Bowler, Bowler turns against Venus/Victor and attempts to prevent the device being detonated. This fails and the device is released. The device is only stopped when Bowler uses the steam vent to prevent the bomb being delivered to the right part of the volcano, but the detonation triggers a minor eruption and everyone must flee for their lives.
Unman tries to prevent the heroes escaping, killing Bowler and wounding Lucifer, before he himself is killed. Lucifer and the others escape and the remaining unclear points of the mystery are cleared up while Lucifer convalesces under the care of Charlie.
Lucifer's heterosexual love interest, Bella, appears and reveals she is the daughter of a man he killed in the early chapters of the book as part of a routine assignment. Charlie intercedes at the last moment to save Lucifer and Bella is killed.
: A decadent Edwardian gentleman, resident and owner of No. 9 Downing Street
. In addition to being a portrait painter, wit, dandy and indiscriminate rake, Lucifer Box is an agent of His Majesty's Secret Service, reporting to Sir Joshua Reynolds. He is young, handsome, charming with a pronouncedly sardonic sense of humour.
Delilah (No last name): Indispensable domestic servant of His Majesty's Secret Service. She is physically strong and very discreet. Delilah has an unseen daughter, Ida, and overuses the letter "H" in her speech, indicating a Cockney accent.
Christopher Miracle: Fellow painter and friend of Lucifer Box who assists his investigation and later becomes a murder suspect.
Charlie Jackpot : Handsome gay youth who provides useful information, access to the Vesuvius Club and valet
services and sexual distraction for Lucifer Box. Entered the service of Lucifer after his previous servant, Poplar, was shot in the back on a Serbian railway station.
Venus/Victor: Sinister but alluring leader of the Vesuvius Club, who has a secret.
in 2005, with art by Ian Bass. It is officially named The Vesuvius Club: Graphic Edition.
reports that the BBC
will be adapting the book for television.
Mark Gatiss
Mark Gatiss is an English actor, screenwriter and novelist. He is best known as a member of the comedy team The League of Gentlemen, and has both written for and acted in the TV series Doctor Who and Sherlock....
. It is the first novel in a series featuring the spy, Lucifer Box
Lucifer Box
Lucifer Box is a fictional character created by Mark Gatiss. He appears in the novels The Vesuvius Club, The Devil in Amber and Black Butterfly. A "lucifer box" is the same as a match box, lucifer being the old name for matches.- Persona :...
. The second novel, The Devil in Amber
The Devil in Amber
The Devil in Amber is the second novel in a series featuring the fictional spy, Lucifer Box. It was initially published in October 2006 and became more widely available from 6 November 2006.-Plot introduction:...
, was initially published in October 2006 and became more widely available from 6 November 2006.
Plot summary
Joshua ReynoldsJoshua Reynolds
Sir Joshua Reynolds RA FRS FRSA was an influential 18th-century English painter, specialising in portraits and promoting the "Grand Style" in painting which depended on idealization of the imperfect. He was one of the founders and first President of the Royal Academy...
, of the British Secret Service, briefs Lucifer Box
Lucifer Box
Lucifer Box is a fictional character created by Mark Gatiss. He appears in the novels The Vesuvius Club, The Devil in Amber and Black Butterfly. A "lucifer box" is the same as a match box, lucifer being the old name for matches.- Persona :...
to pick up the threads of an investigation started by the recently murdered Jocelyn Utterson Poop of the Diplomatic Service. The only surviving clues were the names of two scientists who died with in a day of each other.
The investigation leads to the "Superior Funerals" undertakers run by Tom Bowler. Mr Bowler seems more interested in shipping boxes to and from Naples than burying the dead. An attempt on Box's life soon follows.
A painter and friend of Box supplies a new lead into the deaths of the scientist, which leads to the curious Mrs. Midsomer Knight, who has been replaced by a soon to be murdered maidservant. Lucifer's friend, Christopher Miracle, is implicated in the murder.
In Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
Lucifer interviews one of the survivors of the "Cambridge four" group of scientists and fears for his life. Soon after he meets Charlie Jackpot, who invites him to a house of ill-repute and offers a way into the Vesuvius Club. There, Lucifer meets the alluring Venus, who is not who she seems, and falls victim to sleeping gas. At that point, we learn that Lucifer is bisexual, as Charlie is gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
, and has sex with him. Or rather, would have, had the sleeping gas not knocked them both out.
Lucifer awakens in a cell and learns from a fellow prisoner that relics are being sold from excavation sites to finance a larger operation and that the "Superior Funerals" undertakers are part of a smuggling racket.
Lucifer escapes and discovers Charlie in a death trap, from which Box rescues him before being discovered. Lucifer and Charlie escape via the sewer system.
The following morning, Lucifer discovers that the professor he interviewed has disappeared. Examining the scene, Lucifer discovers a detailed schematic of Mount Vesuvius
Mount Vesuvius
Mount Vesuvius is a stratovolcano in the Gulf of Naples, Italy, about east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted within the last hundred years, although it is not currently erupting...
.
Box's investigation then leads him to an opium den, then to a supposedly haunted house where he discovers the three supposed dead professors and Mrs. Knight in a drugged stupor. The house leads to a passageway into the ancient ruin of Pompeii and the villain's base. Box confronts Venus and Unman, a traitor who has been assisting the enemy. Box attempts to do a deal for testimony against Victor. Unfortunately Venus turns out to in fact be Victor.
Victor seeks revenge against those who wronged his father. Victor has completed the work of his father, as scientist who was driven mad and died some time ago. His intent is to trigger a massive volcanic eruption, which will spark a chain reaction that will ultimately destroy Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Lucifer's companions are imprisoned in the volcano. The intent is for them to be incinerated in the eruption. Lucifer himself is taken to a volcanic vent and to be steamed to death but escapes and manages to rescue his companions after capturing Bowler.
Venus/Victor has no intention of anybody leaving the volcano before the eruption. When Box reveals this to Bowler, Bowler turns against Venus/Victor and attempts to prevent the device being detonated. This fails and the device is released. The device is only stopped when Bowler uses the steam vent to prevent the bomb being delivered to the right part of the volcano, but the detonation triggers a minor eruption and everyone must flee for their lives.
Unman tries to prevent the heroes escaping, killing Bowler and wounding Lucifer, before he himself is killed. Lucifer and the others escape and the remaining unclear points of the mystery are cleared up while Lucifer convalesces under the care of Charlie.
Lucifer's heterosexual love interest, Bella, appears and reveals she is the daughter of a man he killed in the early chapters of the book as part of a routine assignment. Charlie intercedes at the last moment to save Lucifer and Bella is killed.
Characters
Lucifer BoxLucifer Box
Lucifer Box is a fictional character created by Mark Gatiss. He appears in the novels The Vesuvius Club, The Devil in Amber and Black Butterfly. A "lucifer box" is the same as a match box, lucifer being the old name for matches.- Persona :...
: A decadent Edwardian gentleman, resident and owner of No. 9 Downing Street
Downing Street
Downing Street in London, England has for over two hundred years housed the official residences of two of the most senior British cabinet ministers: the First Lord of the Treasury, an office now synonymous with that of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and the Second Lord of the Treasury, an...
. In addition to being a portrait painter, wit, dandy and indiscriminate rake, Lucifer Box is an agent of His Majesty's Secret Service, reporting to Sir Joshua Reynolds. He is young, handsome, charming with a pronouncedly sardonic sense of humour.
Delilah (No last name): Indispensable domestic servant of His Majesty's Secret Service. She is physically strong and very discreet. Delilah has an unseen daughter, Ida, and overuses the letter "H" in her speech, indicating a Cockney accent.
Christopher Miracle: Fellow painter and friend of Lucifer Box who assists his investigation and later becomes a murder suspect.
Charlie Jackpot : Handsome gay youth who provides useful information, access to the Vesuvius Club and valet
Valet
Valet and varlet are terms for male servants who serve as personal attendants to their employer.- Word origins :In the Middle Ages, the valet de chambre to a ruler was a prestigious appointment for young men...
services and sexual distraction for Lucifer Box. Entered the service of Lucifer after his previous servant, Poplar, was shot in the back on a Serbian railway station.
Venus/Victor: Sinister but alluring leader of the Vesuvius Club, who has a secret.
Graphic novel
It was adapted into a graphic novelGraphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
in 2005, with art by Ian Bass. It is officially named The Vesuvius Club: Graphic Edition.
Television
The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
reports that the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
will be adapting the book for television.
Release details
- 2004, United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Simon & SchusterSimon & SchusterSimon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
, ISBN 0739463462, Pub date November 1, 2004, Hardback - 2004, United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, BBC Audio Books, ISBN 0-563-52751-X, Pub date November 1, 2004 Audio playRadio dramaRadio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story... - 2005, United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Pocket Books, ISBN 0743483790, Pub date July 21, 2005, PaperbackPaperbackPaperback, softback or softcover describe and refer to a book by the nature of its binding. The covers of such books are usually made of paper or paperboard, and are usually held together with glue rather than stitches or staples... - 2005, United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Simon & Schuster, ISBN 0-7432-7600-0, Pub date November 7, 2005, Graphic NovelGraphic novelA graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
External links
- The Vesuvius Club Some Japanese website