Shadows Over Baker Street edited by Michael Reaves and John Pelan

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

This wonderful collection of short stories imagines the worlds of Sherlock Holmes and H.P. Lovecraft colliding to deliciously chilling effect.  There’s a good mix of authors, from Poppy Z. Brite to Brian Stableford to Barbara Hambly, and as far as I’m concerned, there wasn’t a bad story in the bunch. I’ll confess outright while I have read a number of Lovecraft’s tales such as The Dunwich Horror, Rats in the Walls, and Pickman’s Model, I’m not well-versed in the world.  I’m sure I missed a lot of subtle touches, but even so I thoroughly enjoyed these tales.

I picked the book up to re-read a favorite story:  Neil Gaiman’s A Study in Emerald. I had read it in another collection some years ago, and then inspired by the graphic novel version of the story, decided I wanted to read the original and ended up working my way through the whole book. Gaiman’s story is set in a universe where, we gradually realize, the Earth is ruled by the Great Old Ones as royal families and the Great Detective and his Bosworth are called upon to solve the mystery of a murder of the Queen’s nephew. The writing is superb and the surprises are many.  I especially liked the advertisements that appeared from time to time.

 Some authors made more of the Victorian setting than others; The Curious Case of Miss Violet Stone by Brite and Ferguson which has Holmes and Watson investigating the case of a young woman who, it is claimed, has not eaten in three years is a reflection of the “fasting girls” of that era. 

Another uses Watson’s service in Afghanistan as a backdrop.  The Adventure of the Arab’s Manuscript by Michael Reaves had Watson encountering a woman who had once saved his life and who now is on the trail of a copy of a forbidden book. 

Usually in such a collection I’ll find a story or two that I consider a complete clunker, but not in this one. While I liked some stories better than others, there wasn’t a one I disliked.

If you like Holmes with a bit of a supernatural edge, this may be a collection for you. I think Lovecraft fans would also enjoy it.

Observations by Gaslight: Stories from the World of Sherlock Holmes by Lyndsay Faye

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Faye uses the now near-standard Sherlockian premise of a box of papers tucked away and newly discovered that contain new tales of the Great Detective.  The twist this time is that, instead of a trove of Watson’s writings, this collection has been written by a number of people who knew Holmes and give their own impressions of the man as they relate their tales.  This has the novelty of presenting several different views of Holmes all under the same cover.  Most of the stories are told by minor characters from the canon: Irene Adler, Wiggins of the Baker Street Irregulars, Mrs. Hudson, etc.

I was very much taken with this collection. The stories have a very strong sense of place, that place being the London of the Victorian era. There’s elegance and grime, fog and chill. The stories are in some ways character studies of their narrators, with Holmes playing a greater or lesser role depending on the individual.  In “The Song of a Want,” for example, a young solicitor named Wiggins looks back on his days eking out a living with his best friend Meggie. Cold, starving, and always in danger, Wiggins meets an extraordinary man who comes to their rescue.  An irate Inspector Lestrade grouses and grumbles but when a young woman entreats his aid to look for her missing sister, he may just have to get a little help from a vexing, know-it-all consulting detective. Of course, a certain Irene Adler makes an appearance as well. . . .

The writing is excellent, and I enjoyed seeing Holmes through the perception of a number of different people, not just the admiring Watson.  I confess some pastiches of Doyle’s work have left me unsatisfied, either being too worshipful or clichéd, but these six stories seemed fresh and alive to me.

Faye has written several historical novels, including a Sherlock Holmes, but also a series set in New York City in the mid-1800s. She is also the author of Jane Steele, a darkly humorous take on Jane Eyre. Faye has been nominated for several awards, including an Edgar.

Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche by Nancy Springer

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Enola Holmes, the much younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft, returns for another adventure in Victorian England. Fifteen year old Enola has set up her own business in London, having won grudging respect from her brothers in her previous adventures. Independent, extremely intelligent, and determined, Enola is set to blaze trails for females in a time when restrictions abounded.

As this adventure opens, Enola receives word from Dr. Watson that her brother Sherlock is not doing well. Having no cases at hand, and therefore nothing to occupy his mind he has fallen into depression. When Enola pays him a call, she finds a young woman, Letitia, who is desperate to find news of her twin sister. The sister, Felicity, married the Earl of Dunhench but he has sent word that Felicity is dead. Letitia strongly believes that her sister is alive but in some sort of dire straits.

Soon, both Sherlock and Enola are on the case, each pursuing leads in their own fashion.  Indeed, the game is afoot!

I thoroughly enjoyed the first books in the Enola Holmes series:

The Case of the Missing Marquess

The Case of the Left-Handed Lady

The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets

The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan

The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline

The Cast of the Gypsy Goodbye

While these are individual cases, there is an overriding story arc concerning Mrs. Holmes, mother of Enola, Sherlock, and Mycroft, that continues through all six volumes. And yes, these are considered either Children's or Young Adult books, but a good book is a good book as far as I'm concerned.

Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche is a self-contained mystery with an introduction by Sherlock who explains the set up: Enola’s past, how she came to be in London, and so forth. It can be read as a standalone if the reader isn’t already familiar with Enola.

The depiction of Victorian society can be eye-opening.  How Enola manages to circumvent (or not!) some of the conventions of the day provides a good bit of the entertainment as far as I am concerned. She’s clever, and her feminine perspectives sometimes provide valuable clues that elude her brother.

All in all, another fine adventure!

(Note: there's another book in the series already out, Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escapade,  and there's another due out in 2023.)

A Study in Crimson by Robert J. Harris

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

I do like a good Sherlock Holmes novel—emphasis on “good,” though I admit that is a very subjective rating. My attention was drawn to this one because the author had a specific vision in mind.  Instead of following the Conan Doyle canon, he wanted to do a book in the style of the Basil Rathbone Holmes adventures set during World War II.

I was intrigued.

The setting is 1942 and the bombs aren’t falling on London as they once did.  Although the Blitz seems over, London is still under blackout conditions at night.  The cover of darkness may help keep the Germans at bay, but it also allows other bad actors to operate freely. Lestrade finds himself investigating a ghastly murder that bears the hallmarks of none other than Jack the Ripper.  This is obviously a case above his pay grade, so he enlists the aid of Holmes and, of course, his faithful chronicler Dr. Watson.

Watson is recently widowed, and still grieving the loss of his wife so he is throwing himself into the war effort by putting in shifts at the hospital.  He’s also back in his familiar role assisting Holmes as he investigates cases that may have national security implications, such as locating a scientist who vanished from a locked room.

Populated with a cast of colorful characters, most notably an American woman journalist whose over the top utterances help lighten the tone.  There are lots of clues, but Holmes is never fooled for a moment. The ending is satisfying, and I would enjoy a return visit some time.

I think the reason I liked it as much as I did is that I really could see it as one of those black and white films with the calm and likeable Rathbone. I was relieved that Watson, while suitably astounded at Holmes’ deductions, wasn’t portrayed as the buffoon he sometimes appeared in those same movies.  I never liked that aspect; I think that’s why I didn’t enjoy Rathbone’s portrayal as much because of Nigel Bruce’s bumbling Watson, on whose behalf I was often embarrassed. Gail Preston, the aforementioned journalist, takes over some of the humor duties in much the way any smart-talking American dame would do in films of that era.

In short, this is fun and somewhat nostalgic look at one version of Holmes. It worked well for me; I hope it will for you.

A Study in Emerald by Neil Gaiman and Rafael Albuquerque

 

Reviewed by Ambrea

Defined as a cross between the world of Sherlock Holmes and the mythos of Lovecraft’s Cthulhu, A Study in Emerald follows the story of a man known only as “The Major.”  He meets London’s most brilliant detective and finds himself embroiled in solving a horrific murder – one with consequences that will ripple across the entire country and bring the full power of the throne to bear.

I’ve heard of A Study in Emerald.  I recall first hearing about it – or hearing of it, at least – a few years ago when Neil Gaiman responded to a Twitter thread about fanfiction.  The original poster, of course, didn’t like it; Gaiman, on the other hand, defended it.  “I won the Hugo Award for a piece of Sherlock Holmes/H.P. Lovecraft fanfiction, so I’m in favour,” he wrote.

 

So, I’ve known about A Study in Emerald for a few years without ever really knowing its title or its plot.  Mostly, I just knew that it existed, out there in the ether, maybe on the Internet or on a bookshelf.  It was somewhere – and then I stumbled across it on my library website and thought, “Oh, there it is.”

 

And then I promptly borrowed it.

 

A Study in Emerald was, truthfully, not what I anticipated.  It’s a mixture of mystery, horror, and weirdness that I can’t even begin to describe, but it’s beautifully illustrated and it’s very well-written and it’s absolutely fascinating.  If features characters known only as “The Detective” and “The Major” – a Sherlock and Watson substitute – who share a curiously similar dynamic to the original duo; however, they are individuals who have lived under the thumb of Cthulhu-esque rulers and so their demeanor is decidedly different.

 

A Study in Emerald features all the twists and turns one expects from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but with the flair – and curiously twisted imagination – one also expects from Neil Gaiman.  The Cthulhu mythos was an interesting element in the story.  I know only a little about Lovecraft and his writing, but, luckily for me, I didn’t have to know much to enjoy reading.

 

One of my favorite aspects from the illustrated version of A Study in Emerald were the chapter dividers.  It was a simple page between each section of the book that featured advertisements for Victorian era cures, treatments, and commodities, but given a slight twist.  For example, you have shoes from Spring Heel Jack or powders from Henry Jekyll or alternative medical treatments from V. Tepes.  I thought they were neatly done and very clever.

 

Overall, A Study in Emerald is an interesting – and, let’s be honest, weird – graphic novel.  Truthfully, I’m still processing my feelings about it, but I find that’s usually the way I feel about most books by Gaiman.  My initial feelings are always conflicted:  clear confusion – I’m not certain I like this, but I kind of do?  I mean, do I really like it? – followed by a deep, abiding appreciation for his work.

 

It usually takes me a few moments to collect my thoughts and realize how much I actually enjoyed the experience, because, truly, reading a novel by Gaiman is a completely unique experience.  His work, A Study in Emerald included, needs to be savored and chewed on, before one can really appreciate the twists and the weirdness and the sheer originality.

The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols by Nicholas Meyer

Note:  In Honor of National Library Week, we will be posting a new review every day, Monday to Friday.

Reviewed by Jeanne

When I heard that Nicholas Meyer had penned another Sherlock Holmes adventure, I was excited.  His first Holmes novel, The Seven Per Cent Solution, was a favorite of mine, and it came out at a time when I was reading a LOT of Holmes pastiches, many of which were not so good.  Meyer did a good job of capturing the era and the characters. As with a number of these works, the premise is that the author stumbles upon/is given a dusty old manuscript of dubious origin that purports to be the writings of one Dr. John Watson and the author is transcribing these writings for his audience.

This time around, Sherlock and Watson are approached by Mycroft Holmes about a possibly incendiary document found on the body of an agent.  The document, written in French, purports to describe a secret meeting of Jews intent on taking over the world—“The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion”— but Mycroft suspects a forgery.  Proving it to be one may be difficult, but Sherlock, Watson, and a female translator set out for continental Europe to try to find the document’s origin.

As with Meyer’s other Sherlock Holmes books, I relished the fully developed supporting characters, even those based on real people.  (I harbor prejudices about fictional versions of real people. In this case, the book did spur me to read up on some names with which I was unfamiliar.) The document in question also exists as a known fraud since 1921 when Philip Graves of The Times investigated the document’s origin. (This adventure is set in 1905.)

The writing itself was good.  I especially liked that women played important roles throughout, such as Watson's sister-in-law who is a scholar and translator. There are vivid descriptions of train travel, and the way the problem of the document—the potential for devastation—was well-done, with both a detached description and an emotional one. I suspect the author’s objective to be to acquaint more people with the history of the Protocols and nefarious ways they have been used. While this is admirable and timely, I don’t think he quite succeeded. Early on I had misgivings as to the outcome of the assignment and the results were as I had feared. I can’t say more without venturing into spoiler territory.

With that caveat, I enjoyed the narrative overall.  I admired the way Meyer used the “found manuscript” to his advantage; for example, it gave him leeway to give detailed descriptions via Watson but when it was time to speed up the narrative, some pages were missing or illegible, thus sparing us many tedious pages of description/minor incident/travel.  Some will find Holmes to be out of character at times, but having read a number of non-Conan Doyle stories that is not an unusual charge.  Everyone seems to have his or her own view of The Great Detective, which is probably one reason the character has continued to attract fans into the twenty-first century.