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starthelostgirl's review
3.0
This is an interesting alternate idea of what happened with Professor Moriarty and Holmes’s “death.” It lowers the dramatic stakes considerably, but explores the human side of Holmes and Watson more than ACD chose to. I’m going to try another of Meyer’s pastiches and hope that the mystery is more engaging.
randybaggins's review
4.0
Seven percent solution feels almost like the real deal, leading up to an investigation in the classic canonical style whilst exploring the personal history of the uncrackable Sherlock Holmes himself. Meyers conjures up an interesting ending for the book that shatters a critical point in the canon which I found rather ingenious and original.
_lilbey_'s review against another edition
3.0
Well that was a ride. I think my favorite moment of non sequitur was the tennis match between Freud and the antisemitic guy. That should tell you a lot about this book all on its own.
dantastic's review against another edition
4.0
Sigmund Freud cures Sherlock Holmes of his cocaine addiction, forces him to deal with his issues regarding Professor Moriarty, and gets involved in Holmes' case, complete with battle on the roof of a train. What more could you ask for?
jfkaess's review
3.0
3 Stars - I confess to a mixed opinion of this book.
In its favor, the story is interesting, even a page turner. I had no problem generating interest to finish the book. Holmes and Watson are, of course, interesting characters, but i suspect that this is mostly a result of being thoroughly familiar with all of their adventures written by their creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and not because of this author. As an example, the character and personality of Sigmund Freud is very one dimensional and not well fleshed out at all. There are enough twists and discoveries to hold the interest of the reader.
As negatives: Holmes says "elementary" far too often compared to the original stories. The writing is adequate, but not as well crafted as that of Doyle. Worst of all, there are some twists involving Moriarty that just don't sit well with me. I see their appeal in retrospect, but found them disconcerting in the story itself.
If you are not well familiar with the original canon of stories about Sherlock Holmes, and are more familiar with him based on movies and TV shows, you will likely find this story very enjoyable. If you are more deeply shaped by the original stories, you will find this book enjoyable, but also wanting.
In its favor, the story is interesting, even a page turner. I had no problem generating interest to finish the book. Holmes and Watson are, of course, interesting characters, but i suspect that this is mostly a result of being thoroughly familiar with all of their adventures written by their creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and not because of this author. As an example, the character and personality of Sigmund Freud is very one dimensional and not well fleshed out at all. There are enough twists and discoveries to hold the interest of the reader.
As negatives: Holmes says "elementary" far too often compared to the original stories. The writing is adequate, but not as well crafted as that of Doyle. Worst of all, there are some twists involving Moriarty that just don't sit well with me. I see their appeal in retrospect, but found them disconcerting in the story itself.
If you are not well familiar with the original canon of stories about Sherlock Holmes, and are more familiar with him based on movies and TV shows, you will likely find this story very enjoyable. If you are more deeply shaped by the original stories, you will find this book enjoyable, but also wanting.
ericbuscemi's review
3.0
While no one can replace Arthur Conan Doyle, this homage by Nicholas Meyer is a fairly good attempt. It hits all the right notes -- with guest spots by favorites such as Professor Moriarty, Mycroft Holmes and Tobey the tracking dog -- as well as raises the stakes by adding the celebrity Dr. Sigmund Freud to the mix, which despite seeming to be inspired by television teams-ups like Scooby Doo Meets Batman, actually works fairly well in the story.
bookherd's review
2.0
This Sherlock Holmes pastiche is mildly enjoyable, but I thought it was pretty thin in places. The premise of the story is that Holmes' cocaine addiction is spiraling out of control, so Dr. Watson and Mycroft Holmes cook up a scheme to get SH to Vienna and into the care of Dr. Sigmund Freud. I liked the explanation this story provides for SH's obsession with Professor Moriarty (he IS a villain, just a different type of villain than we've been led to believe). I even liked the meeting with Freud and the suggestion that the mystery Holmes is asked to look into as he is recovering from his cure has worldwide significance. However, that mystery turns out to be pretty lame, and the train chase that ends it was just boring. The good news is that it doesn't take long to read this book, and then you can move on to better ones.
petealdin's review
5.0
An absolutely brilliant extension of Holmesian canon. Meyer is a worthy successor to Conan Doyle and I find I enjoyed this story (and the sequel) better than Doyle's originals!!