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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
Disappointing. It was just fantasy Sherlock Holmes. The writing was great, but the story was boring. There wasn’t anything to hook you in.
Unabashedly a queer steampunk Sherlock wingfic, and easily the most fun I've had reading in years
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
I have very conflicting feelings about this book.
On one hand, I loved the world - a clever wingfic-inspired twist on the traditional Sherlock Holmes -- and the narrative's episodic structure that enabled the author to touch on many of the Sherlock favourites. I thoroughly enjoyed the prose and really loved both Doyle and Crow as characters.
My problem with this book is the queer rep, specifically the trans rep.
As a reader, and a trans one at that, I'm left feeling confused about Doyle's identity. If this character is a trans man, which is how I initially read him, to say he's 'actually' a 'woman' doesn't seem right in a way that makes me wonder if this is less an issue within the character and more a problem of representation as written by the author.
The second issue is Crow, or all angels in general really, who are female but come to be defined by external expectations. They seem to assume a gender based on others naming them despite how they might identify within themselves, or the fact that they never actually identify as anything other than female. At one point Doyle and Crow discuss this and it seems clear to me that Crow accepts others might see him as male but that he identifies as female, or a woman perhaps (not necessarily the same thing). Doyle then has a moment of indecision about pronouns but says he just can't bring himself to see Crow as female so defaults to male pronouns without asking Crow what he might actually want or how he feels about it. This idea that a person's gender identity depends on how others perceive you is deeply problematic for me, especially when Doyle disregards how Crow identifies because of what Doyle thinks is easier, better, more correct.
So, both characters are ostensibly trans and yet their agency and identity seems to get muddled to the point where I don't actually know how Doyle saw his own identity. Despite this being in first person, we are never privy to Doyle's own thoughts about his gender identity outside of a few comments about not missing skirts and needing to keep his anatomy a secret, something he even later uses as blackmail material. Actually the more I reflect on this, the less I like the trans rep in this book. As for Crow, it seems he (she) is misgendered throughout the book but this is never challenged or corrected. It just feels weird.
There is also an odd take on consent and asexuality where Crow offers Doyle sex and Doyle considers that any sex with a person who doesn't feel sexual attraction would be akin to rape and that is... quite a statement considering the diversity of feelings towards sex and intimacy across the ace spectrum.
So yeah, there was a lot to like about this book, but I did not love the queer rep at all and I'm struggling to give this any sort of star review because of that.
On one hand, I loved the world - a clever wingfic-inspired twist on the traditional Sherlock Holmes -- and the narrative's episodic structure that enabled the author to touch on many of the Sherlock favourites. I thoroughly enjoyed the prose and really loved both Doyle and Crow as characters.
My problem with this book is the queer rep, specifically the trans rep.
Spoiler
Doyle is outed as actually being a 'woman'. He describes himself as a woman in one conversation but later says he feels like he's not a man or woman. Given the time period I completely understand not using modern terminology like non-binary, but the assertion that Doyle is a woman despite presenting like a man and seemingly self-identifying as a man didn't sit well with me. There is also the matter of Crow, his closest friend, deadnaming Doyle in a moment of crisis and this isn't presented as problematic and is never questioned or emotionally responded to by Doyle. Did this upset Doyle? Does Doyle prefer being called Joanna? No idea.As a reader, and a trans one at that, I'm left feeling confused about Doyle's identity. If this character is a trans man, which is how I initially read him, to say he's 'actually' a 'woman' doesn't seem right in a way that makes me wonder if this is less an issue within the character and more a problem of representation as written by the author.
The second issue is Crow, or all angels in general really, who are female but come to be defined by external expectations. They seem to assume a gender based on others naming them despite how they might identify within themselves, or the fact that they never actually identify as anything other than female. At one point Doyle and Crow discuss this and it seems clear to me that Crow accepts others might see him as male but that he identifies as female, or a woman perhaps (not necessarily the same thing). Doyle then has a moment of indecision about pronouns but says he just can't bring himself to see Crow as female so defaults to male pronouns without asking Crow what he might actually want or how he feels about it. This idea that a person's gender identity depends on how others perceive you is deeply problematic for me, especially when Doyle disregards how Crow identifies because of what Doyle thinks is easier, better, more correct.
So, both characters are ostensibly trans and yet their agency and identity seems to get muddled to the point where I don't actually know how Doyle saw his own identity. Despite this being in first person, we are never privy to Doyle's own thoughts about his gender identity outside of a few comments about not missing skirts and needing to keep his anatomy a secret, something he even later uses as blackmail material. Actually the more I reflect on this, the less I like the trans rep in this book. As for Crow, it seems he (she) is misgendered throughout the book but this is never challenged or corrected. It just feels weird.
There is also an odd take on consent and asexuality where Crow offers Doyle sex and Doyle considers that any sex with a person who doesn't feel sexual attraction would be akin to rape and that is... quite a statement considering the diversity of feelings towards sex and intimacy across the ace spectrum.
So yeah, there was a lot to like about this book, but I did not love the queer rep at all and I'm struggling to give this any sort of star review because of that.
Just wow! Imogen Church brings the characters to life in this fabulous book that can only be described as Sherlock Holmes meets Jack the Ripper in a steam punk London where dark creatures abound. Sounds like a crazy mishmash, but the result was simply fantastical! I am really hoping that the author will write more chapters for this amazing storyline.
It’s Sherlock Holmes, but not as you know it. Some of the names are the same, some are different. Some of the characters with those names are the same, some are different. And the two most important characters are simulataneously the same and different. You will recognise the stories here, but they are all viewed though a distorting lens. It’s the canon retold with a huge supernatural element (although, interestingly given ACD’s interests, there’s no spiritualism). It’s not hard to discern the book’s origins in fanfic, but it’s still fun, if inessential. Katherine Addison’s previous novel was the superlative The Goblin Emperor. This is nothing near that in terms of worldbuilding or characterisation, but it is an amusing diversion.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wasn’t expecting a near verbatim Sherlock Holmes retelling with fantasy elements, but I wasn’t against it
4.5? 5? Idk, I just enjoyed this a whole lot and wish there was more of it.