Reviews - The Moriarty Papers: The Schemes and Adventures of the Great Nemesis of Sherlock Holmes

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18 reviews for:

The Moriarty Papers: The Schemes and Adventures of the Great Nemesis of Sherlock Holmes

Viv Croot

3.7 AVERAGE

minerva_code's review

4.5

informative mysterious relaxing fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

katieb94's review

5.0

This is such a clever book - using Moriarty's diary entries to say that he was behind every case that Holmes ever had. We find out what he did after the Reichenbach Falls (it was interesting to say the least). Photos, diagrams, maps and more make up a truly unique book that can make you believe that Professor James Moriarty could very well have been real.

Full review at: https:// sherlockianbooklover.wordpress.com

chickenmanman's review

3.0

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

This book is an interesting one. In terms of the continuity of the Sherlock Holmes franchise, I think it gives some much needed insight into the possible involvement of James Moriarty. In Doyle’s original works, the supposed “Napoleon of crime” who commands an empire of iniquity is relegated to a single story to end the series. I feel as if this book provides a decent story for the involvement of Moriarty behind the scenes of the original Sherlock stories. However, I do take issue with the manner by which Moriarty’s involvement is presented.

Whether it is due to the unreliability and arrogance of Moriarty as a character, who constantly praises himself and belittles everyone around him or done unintentionally, I feel as if this book goes too far in involving Moriarty. His participation in the stories makes sense to develop him as a character, but I feel as if they wrote it in such a manner that it often results in Holmes’ achievements being belittled and undermined. This, again, may be because Moriarty is an unreliable narrator who is enchanted by his own machinations, but I do feel like they took away too much of Holmes’ ability and competence here, thereby shifting the balance too far in Moriarty’s favour.

I did enjoy the art and the letters involved in this, though. It was an enjoyable new perspective into the world of Sherlock Holmes, but I do feel like the narrative it presents could have been more tightly written.

Another thing I found strange was the inclusion of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as a character. Moriarty acknowledging the continuity of the stories felt a bit jarring, and I found the invalidation of the entirety of his primary story “The Final Problem” quite strange. I feel as if there should have been a stronger, more direct and interactive rivalry between Holmes and Moriarty with more intellectual challenges and conflicts. As it appears here, Moriarty is often behind these scenes and Holmes is presented as blindly wandering into his schemes or coerced into them. I do feel like there should have been a bit more agency given to Holmes himself in this book.

Fun characterisation of Moriarty. I enjoyed how they presented him so differently to how Doyle originally did so. I do wish we got more variation in the format apart from journal entries, and more commentary by Moran, as well.

Overall, though, I think that this was a much-needed expansion into Moriarty’s character and involvement in the narrative of Sherlock Holmes and was an entertaining suggestion. However, the manner by which it was presented was just a bit bizarre to me, and could have written more tightly. I loved the references and the rich connections to the original franchise, just would have preferred done in a slightly different manner, but perhaps it is my fault for reading this short volume with different expectations.

max1701's review

4.0

Nice short book. Funny at times. It really gives you insight into the bright mind of Moriarty.
Not like all the other books. I found it unique.
Would recommend to people who are fans of the original works of Conan Doyle and to those who like any tv show or movie of Sherlock Holmes (except for maybe elementary considering that in that show moriarty is female and in the originals he's male).

maroon_seastar's review

4.0

funny lighthearted

This is a very amusing look into the mind of Prof. Moriarty. A series of case files, diagrams, maps, and diary entries set completely in the world of Sherlock Holmes, the Moriarty papers offer insights into his villainous schemes. It is sure to entertain Holmes fans to see the classic mysteries taken from Moriarty's perspective. There are also plenty of tongue-in-cheek insults flung at Hokmes, Watson, and even Arthur Conan Doyle himself.