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jenvile's review
5.0
What strange tales and astonishing mysteries had led them like hounds through these streets and alleys, into dingy boarding houses and smoky dens, or into handsomely furnished offices, grand halls, homes with a history of great or faded fortunes?
All those wondrous exploits and their dazzling conclusions were at an end now.
This was an absolute delight to read! Jumping into the story, you can immediately tell the author did a lot of research and there is such a deep founded respect for the ACD canon and his characters. Even if you aren’t well versed in the cases from canon, you will no doubt enjoy this story. I couldn’t help but adore the adventures we experienced through late 1800’s London, Melbourne and the Australian outback! Not only were the plot and characters absolutely fantastic, the writing and voice of narration resonated with me so profoundly.
One of the best SH pastiches I’ve read in a while and as an Australian, I’m so glad I have this book in my collection!
All those wondrous exploits and their dazzling conclusions were at an end now.
This was an absolute delight to read! Jumping into the story, you can immediately tell the author did a lot of research and there is such a deep founded respect for the ACD canon and his characters. Even if you aren’t well versed in the cases from canon, you will no doubt enjoy this story. I couldn’t help but adore the adventures we experienced through late 1800’s London, Melbourne and the Australian outback! Not only were the plot and characters absolutely fantastic, the writing and voice of narration resonated with me so profoundly.
One of the best SH pastiches I’ve read in a while and as an Australian, I’m so glad I have this book in my collection!
claudia_violamoon's review
5.0
I have loved this book from start to finish!
I throughly enjoyed the references to canon, the always great insight the author provides on the characters and their feelings, the great taste she gives the reader of their relationship, their courage, their wit and their sweetness.
I could not be happier that this book saw the light: it is a great representative of Improbable Press and I am looking forward to see what else they have in store.
I throughly enjoyed the references to canon, the always great insight the author provides on the characters and their feelings, the great taste she gives the reader of their relationship, their courage, their wit and their sweetness.
I could not be happier that this book saw the light: it is a great representative of Improbable Press and I am looking forward to see what else they have in store.
leanner's review
4.0
I was given this book for an honest review.
Well this was certainly different to my normal books and I possibly wouldn't have bought it myself.
I don't know anything about Sherlock, never read it or watched it so any references or innuendos went over my head. Aside from that the story was solid, I got to know the characters and their background.
Being a Melbourne girl myself I enjoyed the references to my town from over 100 years ago as well as the country towns of Victoria.
An interesting tale of adventure and probably a different spin on Sherlock and Watson.
Well this was certainly different to my normal books and I possibly wouldn't have bought it myself.
I don't know anything about Sherlock, never read it or watched it so any references or innuendos went over my head. Aside from that the story was solid, I got to know the characters and their background.
Being a Melbourne girl myself I enjoyed the references to my town from over 100 years ago as well as the country towns of Victoria.
An interesting tale of adventure and probably a different spin on Sherlock and Watson.
sarah_thornback's review
4.0
At first I thought this wouldn't be my thing, I love Sherlock and Watson but there are way to many spin offs and new takes out there but I was happily surprised with this story. I loved the inclusion of Australia's early Chinese community too.
claudia_is_reading's review
5.0
I love this so much! It has all that I love in the original Sherlock Holmes stories: the adventures, the mystery, the danger. And it makes explicit what I saw implicit since the first time I read those stories: the love between these two men.
The story is happening just before 'The Empty House', in Australia! and the reunion... oh, the reunion makes so much sense. As Holmes' reasons to stay away does (although this may be a biased opinion, as I always thought the same :P)
The writing is perfect, the sense of the era, the characters (the ones we know and the originals), the settings, all is laid in a way that transports you with them, and when you finally arrive at the end of the story, you do it with your heart warm and a smile in your face. A beautiful, thrilling, wonderful story.
The story is happening just before 'The Empty House', in Australia! and the reunion... oh, the reunion makes so much sense. As Holmes' reasons to stay away does (although this may be a biased opinion, as I always thought the same :P)
The writing is perfect, the sense of the era, the characters (the ones we know and the originals), the settings, all is laid in a way that transports you with them, and when you finally arrive at the end of the story, you do it with your heart warm and a smile in your face. A beautiful, thrilling, wonderful story.
cleverbaggins's review
5.0
This is a brand new Sherlock Holmes story that takes place after Sherlock's death. My poor John Watson ( I have such a weakness for Watson) is in mourning for wife, baby and his best friend when he gets a telegraph calling him to Australia signed with Sherlock's initials. It's all adventure from there.
This one was a ton of fun. It's interesting to see John with a background of having grown up in both India and Australia as he is in this book, but it totally works and he's still true to character just like his relationship to Sherlock is spot and wonderful. I bought the ebook of this one because I couldn't wait another month for the print version but it's good enough I'll have to buy it, too. :)
This one was a ton of fun. It's interesting to see John with a background of having grown up in both India and Australia as he is in this book, but it totally works and he's still true to character just like his relationship to Sherlock is spot and wonderful. I bought the ebook of this one because I couldn't wait another month for the print version but it's good enough I'll have to buy it, too. :)
adrinthesky's review
3.0
I have a weak spot for Sherlock Holmes pastiches, fanfiction, etc. Usually I’m more drawn to the… fantastical side of things (such as the stories in [b:The Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes|6390031|The Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes|John Joseph Adams|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1391343317s/6390031.jpg|6578427], some of which are outstanding), but lately I’ve been getting more into retellings exploring a potential romantic relationship between the detective and his doctor, as well as the consequences of that kind of bond in Victorian times. The Adventure of the Colonial Boy doesn’t technically ignore the canon, but instead gives it a twist in order to make space for a version in which both characters can reasonably start and maintain a romantic partnership. The tale takes place during the Great Hiatus and takes Watson to Australia, summoned by Holmes in order to catch Colonel Sebastian Moran before he catches them. There is also a large subplot involving a former member of Moriarty’s gang and a stolen diamond, and it was so well thought out that it could have been expanded as its own main adventure. All in all I found the story pretty solid and the characters true to the original material, although at times the narration got a bit too much into the starry-eyed type of style that annoys me in conventional romance books.
I was also impressed by the attention to detailed employed by Harris when talking about life in England and Australia in the late 19th Century, as well as by the care taken to address canon discrepancies (such as the location of Watson’s gunshot wound) and to ground these characters in an actual historical location, so that when they become aware of each other’s feelings the thing comes across as feasible instead of absurd. I’m not interested in determining whether there was a queer aspect to their relationship in canon stories, but I like how books like this show that hey, even if that wasn’t the original intent, there is certainly room for alternative interpretations, and the core of what makes Holmes’ adventures legendary to begin with is not harmed in the least by him potentially having romantic feelings towards another human being.
I was also impressed by the attention to detailed employed by Harris when talking about life in England and Australia in the late 19th Century, as well as by the care taken to address canon discrepancies (such as the location of Watson’s gunshot wound) and to ground these characters in an actual historical location, so that when they become aware of each other’s feelings the thing comes across as feasible instead of absurd. I’m not interested in determining whether there was a queer aspect to their relationship in canon stories, but I like how books like this show that hey, even if that wasn’t the original intent, there is certainly room for alternative interpretations, and the core of what makes Holmes’ adventures legendary to begin with is not harmed in the least by him potentially having romantic feelings towards another human being.
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