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In the Company of Sherlock Holmes: Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon by Leslie S. Klinger
lem119's review against another edition
3.0
So apparently the editor of this story collection writes a series in which a fifteen-year-old girl impresses Sherlock Holmes's so much that she becomes his protégé, and some years later they get married. That's... okay, I'm pretty sure I could read that same thing on fanfiction.net. But credentials of the editor aside, let's talk about the stories, which range from awful to excellent. I'll start with the ones I liked: my favourite was probably "The Case of the Purloined Paget" by Phillip and Jerry Margolin. While several of the stories focus on non-Holmes characters performing Sherlock Holmes-esque detective work, this one was the best at connecting their work with the spirit of the Sherlock Holmes stories. I also loved Neil Gaiman's "The Case of Death and Honey," maybe even more than his previous Holmes-story (the Lovecraft mashup "A Study in Emerald.") Also, "The Adventure of the Concert Pianist" by Margaret Maron, in which Watson and Mrs. Hudson solve a case just before "The Adventure of the Empty House," and "The Case that Holmes Lost," which connects author and character into an interesting mystery with a surprising conclusion.
On the other hand, some of the stories were downright terrible. One seemed to demonstrate less of the author's writing skills and more of his ability to use IMDB; a commentary on all of the actors who have played Holmes over the years is neither a mystery nor a story. Additionally, there were several stories that seemed to have no relation to Holmes at all beyond a vague "this is deduction" type of plot resolution, and one or two of the stories that do feature Holmes don't really seem to relate to him as a character but simply as a name (the story about Holmes saving President McKinley from assassination is an interesting one, but doesn't feature any of the traits for which Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's detective is famous). As a whole, I would say that this collection is worth checking out for any die-hard Sherlockian, but don't be afraid to skim or skip through any story that rubs you the wrong way (and definitely don't bother to read the bizarre twitter-RP transcript between one of the editors and the aforementioned Holmes-wife-Mary-Sue-whatever).
I would probably rate this lower than three stars overall, but I'm marking it up slightly for the stories I mentioned in paragraph one, because I really did love them a lot, and several others were fairly decent at least.
On the other hand, some of the stories were downright terrible. One seemed to demonstrate less of the author's writing skills and more of his ability to use IMDB; a commentary on all of the actors who have played Holmes over the years is neither a mystery nor a story. Additionally, there were several stories that seemed to have no relation to Holmes at all beyond a vague "this is deduction" type of plot resolution, and one or two of the stories that do feature Holmes don't really seem to relate to him as a character but simply as a name (the story about Holmes saving President McKinley from assassination is an interesting one, but doesn't feature any of the traits for which Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's detective is famous). As a whole, I would say that this collection is worth checking out for any die-hard Sherlockian, but don't be afraid to skim or skip through any story that rubs you the wrong way (and definitely don't bother to read the bizarre twitter-RP transcript between one of the editors and the aforementioned Holmes-wife-Mary-Sue-whatever).
I would probably rate this lower than three stars overall, but I'm marking it up slightly for the stories I mentioned in paragraph one, because I really did love them a lot, and several others were fairly decent at least.
choicelight's review against another edition
3.0
I really wanted to love this book, but the only story a truly loved was Neil Gaiman's story. It felt like he understood Holmes, even after he retired and decided to keep bees. Gaiman's story was beautifully paced and really captured the essence that is Sherlock Holmes.
moveslikewind's review against another edition
1.0
Unfortunately, many of the stories included in this book reminded me of poorly-written fan-fiction. I would not suggest this to anyone.
holtfan's review against another edition
3.0
Being something of a Sherlockian, Janeite, and Tutor-era purist, I tend to avoid anthologies like A Study in Sherlock. In fact, I tend to avoid fan fiction or spin-offs in general. With some exceptions, the Enola Holmes series by Nancy Springer being an excellent example, they never quite meet my expectations. It is like the old saying ‘the movie is never as good as the book’, but in this case, ‘the re-telling is never as good as the cannon.’
A Study in Sherlock edited by Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger is a collection of short stories inspired by Sherlock Holmes and written by “some of the greatest mystery writers of our time…” Actually, I’ve never heard of any of them so I’m slightly skeptical. That might be more of my fault as a reader than the authors.
Anyway! As far as anthologies go, A Study in Sherlock was rather interesting. Or at least, it had some good stories. “As to ‘An Exact Knowledge of London’” and “The Case of Death and Honey” were my personal favorites. “The Eyak Interpreter” and “The Case That Holmes Lost” were interesting. “The Adventures of the Concert Pianist” was interesting but oh-so-predictable. It was an interesting mix, really. Some of the stories were good and I plan on finding more by the authors. Others were dumb. “The Mysterious Case of the Unwritten Short Story” really wasn’t to my taste.
Overall, an interesting collection that I mostly enjoyed as a good yarn. It re-peaked my interest in that fabulous detective, Sherlock Holmes. It was interesting to see the various authors and the differences in their ideas, interpretation of how a short story should deal with Sherlock Holmes, and writing styles. It also introduced me to a wealth of new authors with a great deal , hopefully, of potential. Thus, while I don’t necessarily recommend this book, I don’t not recommend it. Some of the short stories were down-right clever. Others were depressing or dumb. Some were predictable. When you get this many authors together, you certainly can’t expect every story to be fabulous. Thus, interesting but not fantabulous.
A Study in Sherlock edited by Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger is a collection of short stories inspired by Sherlock Holmes and written by “some of the greatest mystery writers of our time…” Actually, I’ve never heard of any of them so I’m slightly skeptical. That might be more of my fault as a reader than the authors.
Anyway! As far as anthologies go, A Study in Sherlock was rather interesting. Or at least, it had some good stories. “As to ‘An Exact Knowledge of London’” and “The Case of Death and Honey” were my personal favorites. “The Eyak Interpreter” and “The Case That Holmes Lost” were interesting. “The Adventures of the Concert Pianist” was interesting but oh-so-predictable. It was an interesting mix, really. Some of the stories were good and I plan on finding more by the authors. Others were dumb. “The Mysterious Case of the Unwritten Short Story” really wasn’t to my taste.
Overall, an interesting collection that I mostly enjoyed as a good yarn. It re-peaked my interest in that fabulous detective, Sherlock Holmes. It was interesting to see the various authors and the differences in their ideas, interpretation of how a short story should deal with Sherlock Holmes, and writing styles. It also introduced me to a wealth of new authors with a great deal , hopefully, of potential. Thus, while I don’t necessarily recommend this book, I don’t not recommend it. Some of the short stories were down-right clever. Others were depressing or dumb. Some were predictable. When you get this many authors together, you certainly can’t expect every story to be fabulous. Thus, interesting but not fantabulous.
psalmcat's review against another edition
4.0
Wildly uneven, with a couple of stories I just didn't understand at all. However the one with "Holmes" manning a boat during the rescue at Dunkirk in 1941 was amazing. Just fascinating.
psalmcat's review against another edition
4.0
Uneven, but generally a nice collection of homages from a wide variety of mystery and thriller authors.
carolanncdematos's review against another edition
4.0
I only read the Alan Bradley tale, but that one story is the whole reason I checked out the book - and gladly so as it was quite enjoyable.
catherine_t's review against another edition
3.0
A collection of stories inspired by Sherlock Holmes and his creator, this anthology is edited by Laurie R. King, author of the Mary Russell mysteries, and Leslie S. Klinger, a noted Holmes enthusiast and editor of the New Annotated Sherlock Holmes. The stories are overall pretty good, with one or two really outstanding entries, but some seem to have little or no connection to Holmes at all. The first story in the collection, by Alan Bradley, is a direct pastiche, setting Holmes and Watson in their later years, but prior to the events of "His Last Bow." The second, "As to 'An Exact Knowledge of London'" by Tony Broadbent, is really quite clever, positing Holmes and Watson, as well as Moriarty, as immortals for all intents and purposes, and references much of the pop culture surrounding Holmes. SJ Rozen's entry is particularly good, taking "The Man with the Twisted Lip" and retelling the story from another perspective. And of course one cannot overlook Neil Gaiman's contribution, "The Case of Death and Honey," in which Holmes discovers a fountain of youth in China.
But then there are stories like "The Shadow Not Cast" by Lionel Chetwynd, which is so tangentially concerned with Holmes that it might as well not be in this collection. The same goes for Dana Stabenow's otherwise excellent entry, "The Eyak Interpreter," which takes a basic idea from a Holmes story but has little else to do with Doyle's creation.
I understand that all of these authors claim Doyle as an inspiration, and that's fine. But I was led to believe that the book was more concerned with Holmes and Watson than it is.
But then there are stories like "The Shadow Not Cast" by Lionel Chetwynd, which is so tangentially concerned with Holmes that it might as well not be in this collection. The same goes for Dana Stabenow's otherwise excellent entry, "The Eyak Interpreter," which takes a basic idea from a Holmes story but has little else to do with Doyle's creation.
I understand that all of these authors claim Doyle as an inspiration, and that's fine. But I was led to believe that the book was more concerned with Holmes and Watson than it is.
frances_ab's review against another edition
3.0
An enjoyable collection of short stories inspired by Sherlock Holmes, this book is a pleasant diversion for any Holmes fan. Some stories feature Holmes and Watson, some have detecting duos inspired by them, and one I particularly enjoyed by Margaret Maron features Mrs. Hudson working with Dr. Watson to prevent a crime. Two other favourites were by Neil Gaiman and Jacqueline Winspear.