Lucifer Box
Encyclopedia
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.
painter
to the rich and influential, he uses this as cover for his activities as a secret agent
(in the world of the novels, the Royal Academy
is the front for Britain's secret services). Box is a charming but ruthless figure, who combines a sardonic sense of humour with a cold determination to kill when necessary.
He lives at Number 9 Downing Street
(next door to the Prime Minister, famously at Number 10), and presumbably two doors down from the Chancellor of the Exchequer. (Historical note: No. 9 Downing Street is behind the Cabinet Office building at 70 Whitehall and has now been absorbed into that office complex.)
Box is also openly bisexual, and is equally comfortable seducing both male and female partners.
He has a sister called Pandora
and a servant called Delilah, and in the third Novel, The Black Butterfly, has a son called Christmas.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
created by Mark Gatiss
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....
. He appears in the novels The Vesuvius Club
The Vesuvius Club
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.-Plot summary:Joshua Reynolds, of the...
, 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:...
and Black Butterfly
Black Butterfly (novel)
Black Butterfly is the third and final novel in Mark Gatiss' Lucifer Box trilogy, which deals with the exploits of a bisexual British detective and secret agent. The previous volumes were The Vesuvius Club and The Devil in Amber.-Plot summary:...
. A "lucifer box" is the same as a match box, lucifer being the old name for matches.
Persona
Box is a flamboyant, dashing and elegant figure who displays a prominent sense of fashion. A portraitPortrait
thumb|250px|right|Portrait of [[Thomas Jefferson]] by [[Rembrandt Peale]], 1805. [[New-York Historical Society]].A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness,...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
to the rich and influential, he uses this as cover for his activities as a secret agent
Secret Agent
Secret Agent is a British film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, loosely based on two stories in Ashenden: Or the British Agent by W. Somerset Maugham. The film starred John Gielgud, Peter Lorre, Madeleine Carroll, and Robert Young...
(in the world of the novels, the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
is the front for Britain's secret services). Box is a charming but ruthless figure, who combines a sardonic sense of humour with a cold determination to kill when necessary.
He lives at Number 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...
(next door to the Prime Minister, famously at Number 10), and presumbably two doors down from the Chancellor of the Exchequer. (Historical note: No. 9 Downing Street is behind the Cabinet Office building at 70 Whitehall and has now been absorbed into that office complex.)
Box is also openly bisexual, and is equally comfortable seducing both male and female partners.
He has a sister called Pandora
Pandora
In Greek mythology, Pandora was the first woman. As Hesiod related it, each god helped create her by giving her unique gifts...
and a servant called Delilah, and in the third Novel, The Black Butterfly, has a son called Christmas.