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hoboken's review against another edition
3.0
A good read, imaginative, well plotted. I didn't see the bombshell coming. Good juxtaposition of historical and modern. Could use an editor to rein in some of the stretched or inappropriate similes and tighten up on the vocabulary here and there--words just incorrectly used. But lots of fun for mystery--esp Holmes--lovers. In his acknowledgements the author recommends Arthur and George by Julian Barnes for another fictional take on Conan Doyle's real life mystery solving. I second that--a really good read.
lcoverosey's review against another edition
4.0
Makes me want to read all the Sherlock Holmes novels:)
heidenkind's review against another edition
2.0
It started to lose me in the 2nd 3rd.
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Read the review on Truth Beauty Freedom and Books>>>
gbliss's review against another edition
4.0
An incredible debut by a very young and very talented writer. The story alternates between a present-day mystery be sleuthed out by a Sherlockian and a period mystery where Conan Doyle and Bram Stoker take the lead. The period piece is filled with great historical details, interesting tidbits about Conan Doyle and his friendship with the man who gave us Dracula and the present story has charm and opens up the world of today's hard core Holmesiophiles. As opposed to what could easily happen, BOTH stories are intriguing and appealing and Moore balances the two stories and their ultimately intertwined plotting with real ability. While the plot -- the game(s) that is/are afoot -- captures your attention, and their is a wealth of Holmes trivia and detail to satisfy devotees, I found the occasional musings on the nature of mystery stories, their elemental and enduring appeal to be the most interesting part of this story. Moore is clearly a very bright and well educated writer. His love of mysteries goes back to childhood (alluded to with a charming dedication!) and he is, through writing this story, thinking about the power of mysteries.
And now, back to the cannon for me.
And now, back to the cannon for me.
littletaiko's review against another edition
4.0
What a fun and interesting book to start the year with - The Sherlockian. It is the story of Arthur Conan Doyle and a missing diary as well as a modern day Sherlockian trying to solve the murder of a fellow Sherlock Holmes enthusiast. Told in alternating chapters, it offers a fascinating look at early 1900 England as well as a lot of Sherlock Holmes information. Makes me want to get out my Sherlock Holmes book and start reading!
lunaeclipse's review against another edition
5.0
I'm sort of at a loss for words. Anything I want to say sounds silly, but let me just say this; this story renewed the love I have of reading. So often I read to just read. Not with this book though. I couldn't wait to find out what happened next and am sad that it's done. It could be that it brought back all my childhood readings of Sherlock Holmes :-)
becca_g_powell's review against another edition
2.0
This book was not awesome. The idea itself is kind of cool (the protagonist in present day is solving the mystery of where Arthur Conan Doyle's lost diary is, while ACD is solving a mystery that is recorded in said diary. The book switches back and forth between the two.) However, neither the contemporary or the historical mystery is that brilliant. They're not BAD, but I didn't find myself marveling at the cleverness of the author. In a mystery about mysteries, plot is everything and this one fell flat. The big "twist" at the end (heavily foreshadowed) felt contrived (as well as being less than mindblowing). The final resolution of the contemporary story seemed silly and wasn't consistent with what we knew about the characters or the diary.
There is one redeeming chapter, "A Death in the Family," or something like that, that consists mainly of Conan Doyle and Bram Stoker discussing the death of their friend Oscar Wilde. The conversation subtly echoes the conflict at a point where literary history diverges - as the Victorian moment is coming to a close, modernity is rising. Bram's character, like his Dracula, indicates a willingness to herald in a new literary era, while simultaneously being frightened of it's prospects. He rejects the cold, barbarous past for the more brightly lit future, while conceding that "the old centuries had, and have, powers of their own which mere 'modernity' cannot kill."
Conan Doyle, however, needs Victorian England. It's the only place Sherlock can really survive, and he is defined by it.
Wilde is another case, as he, and his works, are deeply rooted in the Victorian Era but unlike Sherlock, never seem to "fit" very comfortably within its confines.
The shades of character that Moore gives to these historical figures weaves these more global social and literary conflicts subtly through the book in a very interesting way.
However... one interesting chapter doesn't make a novel. The subpar plot and widespread flat characterization in the kind of book that really should turn on an interesting plot made this whole thing kind of a flop for me.
There is one redeeming chapter, "A Death in the Family," or something like that, that consists mainly of Conan Doyle and Bram Stoker discussing the death of their friend Oscar Wilde. The conversation subtly echoes the conflict at a point where literary history diverges - as the Victorian moment is coming to a close, modernity is rising. Bram's character, like his Dracula, indicates a willingness to herald in a new literary era, while simultaneously being frightened of it's prospects. He rejects the cold, barbarous past for the more brightly lit future, while conceding that "the old centuries had, and have, powers of their own which mere 'modernity' cannot kill."
Conan Doyle, however, needs Victorian England. It's the only place Sherlock can really survive, and he is defined by it.
Wilde is another case, as he, and his works, are deeply rooted in the Victorian Era but unlike Sherlock, never seem to "fit" very comfortably within its confines.
The shades of character that Moore gives to these historical figures weaves these more global social and literary conflicts subtly through the book in a very interesting way.
However... one interesting chapter doesn't make a novel. The subpar plot and widespread flat characterization in the kind of book that really should turn on an interesting plot made this whole thing kind of a flop for me.
mamagames's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this historical fiction piece surrounding a missing diary - especially on the heels of last month's enjoyable romp through The Mystery of Mrs. Christie. I'm sure I will read some Holmes novels/stories following this, just as I read a few Poirot novels after the other book. I liked both the Doyle chapters (set in and around 1900) and the modern chapters (2010), and especially the parallels between them.
christajls's review against another edition
3.0
The Sherlockian by Graham Moore
Mild mannered, Harold White, is the newest inductee to the famed Sherlockian society, the Baker Street Irregulars. The Irregulars are interested in all things Sherlockian, but the one thing that really has their attention is that the infamous lost diary of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has been found! On the day of its revelation, however, its finder is found dead in his hotel room and the diary is no where to be found. Due to White's love and knowledge of Sherlock Holmes and his adventures, he sets out to to find the killer and the diary. Meanwhile in 1893, Arthur Conan Doyle has completed his latest Sherlock Holmes story. Tired of the attention given to his creation, Doyle decided it's best to simply kill him off. The public is of course outraged but Doyle refuses to give in, until of course he does, with the writing of the Hound of the Baskervilles, eight years later.
This book is an exciting and fun account of what happened during those Holmes free years, specifically the period contained within the missing diary. I loved the chapters on the adventures of Arthur Conan Doyle. I previously knew very little about the man and his character in the novel was very informative and captivating. The second major historical figure was that of Bram Stoker, before he was a known writer. He was probably my favourite character of the book and the two of them together made the perfect stand ins for Holmes and Watson. As much as I loved the historical chapters I wasn't too impressed with the modern story of Henry White. It was still fairly captivating but it read more like a Dan Brown novel than I would have expected (nerdy hero, beautiful but mysterious girl to help him out, racing around historical European landmarks etc etc). I found the modern characters a little one dimensional and a couple of times found myself rushing through those chapters to get back to the adventures of Doyle and Stoker.
Though not a great work of literature it is probably the most fun I've had reading a book in awhile and I would definitely recommend it to any mystery lovers out there. It keeps you guessing to end and will make you appreciate Arthur Conan Doyle, instead of losing him in the shadows of his creation. If nothing else it is the book that will get you in the mood to read all the old Sherlock Holmes mysteries.
Mild mannered, Harold White, is the newest inductee to the famed Sherlockian society, the Baker Street Irregulars. The Irregulars are interested in all things Sherlockian, but the one thing that really has their attention is that the infamous lost diary of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has been found! On the day of its revelation, however, its finder is found dead in his hotel room and the diary is no where to be found. Due to White's love and knowledge of Sherlock Holmes and his adventures, he sets out to to find the killer and the diary. Meanwhile in 1893, Arthur Conan Doyle has completed his latest Sherlock Holmes story. Tired of the attention given to his creation, Doyle decided it's best to simply kill him off. The public is of course outraged but Doyle refuses to give in, until of course he does, with the writing of the Hound of the Baskervilles, eight years later.
This book is an exciting and fun account of what happened during those Holmes free years, specifically the period contained within the missing diary. I loved the chapters on the adventures of Arthur Conan Doyle. I previously knew very little about the man and his character in the novel was very informative and captivating. The second major historical figure was that of Bram Stoker, before he was a known writer. He was probably my favourite character of the book and the two of them together made the perfect stand ins for Holmes and Watson. As much as I loved the historical chapters I wasn't too impressed with the modern story of Henry White. It was still fairly captivating but it read more like a Dan Brown novel than I would have expected (nerdy hero, beautiful but mysterious girl to help him out, racing around historical European landmarks etc etc). I found the modern characters a little one dimensional and a couple of times found myself rushing through those chapters to get back to the adventures of Doyle and Stoker.
Though not a great work of literature it is probably the most fun I've had reading a book in awhile and I would definitely recommend it to any mystery lovers out there. It keeps you guessing to end and will make you appreciate Arthur Conan Doyle, instead of losing him in the shadows of his creation. If nothing else it is the book that will get you in the mood to read all the old Sherlock Holmes mysteries.