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32 reviews for:
Sherlock Holmes vs. Cthulhu: The Adventure of the Deadly Dimensions: Sherlock Holmes vs. Cthulhu
Lois H. Gresh
3.0 AVERAGE
32 reviews for:
Sherlock Holmes vs. Cthulhu: The Adventure of the Deadly Dimensions: Sherlock Holmes vs. Cthulhu
Lois H. Gresh
3.0 AVERAGE
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
There are good moments, but overall it is too long and a times, too melodramatic.
I don't love this version of Sherlock yet and there weren't any characters I engaged with. It was weird to me it took so long for Watson to figure out the reason for one character's health problems when it immediately occurred to me.
I will continue the series because there is enough there but I didn't love this start.
I don't love this version of Sherlock yet and there weren't any characters I engaged with. It was weird to me it took so long for Watson to figure out the reason for one character's health problems when it immediately occurred to me.
I will continue the series because there is enough there but I didn't love this start.
The great detective finds himself on a special case that seems to defy his typical logical and scientific abilities…
Sherlock Holmes Vs. Cthulhu The Adventure of the Deadly Dimensions by Lois H. Gresh is right on par with what you’d want with a Sherlock Holmes pastiche…even one that loosely ties in with the Cthulhu MYTHOS.
In the story, Holmes and Watson are recruited to look into an unusual machine only to lead to unusual murders that seem to be spreading throughout London.
The author wisely has most of the book narrates by Watson like the classic stories, with brief interludes focusing on various witnesses or villains that add some context to what’s happening.
Fortunately, Holmes treats the mystery as straight forward as usual…trying on his up to date knowledge of the 19th century (with a ton of grand shoutouts to science, medicine, and literature).
It’s only near the end where he starts to find highly improbable phenomena that he starts to open his mind to things he is not an expert at (encountering the despair and insanity that often occurs to MYTHOS investigators).
The Lovecraftian elements are kept minimal till the end (outside of the interludes), but with plenty of foreshadowing of what you might expect.
While there are some subplots I would have left out, it’s a fairly decent story that plays it straight…
Sherlock Holmes Vs. Cthulhu The Adventure of the Deadly Dimensions by Lois H. Gresh is right on par with what you’d want with a Sherlock Holmes pastiche…even one that loosely ties in with the Cthulhu MYTHOS.
In the story, Holmes and Watson are recruited to look into an unusual machine only to lead to unusual murders that seem to be spreading throughout London.
The author wisely has most of the book narrates by Watson like the classic stories, with brief interludes focusing on various witnesses or villains that add some context to what’s happening.
Fortunately, Holmes treats the mystery as straight forward as usual…trying on his up to date knowledge of the 19th century (with a ton of grand shoutouts to science, medicine, and literature).
It’s only near the end where he starts to find highly improbable phenomena that he starts to open his mind to things he is not an expert at (encountering the despair and insanity that often occurs to MYTHOS investigators).
The Lovecraftian elements are kept minimal till the end (outside of the interludes), but with plenty of foreshadowing of what you might expect.
While there are some subplots I would have left out, it’s a fairly decent story that plays it straight…
- Noticeable Americanisms in prose and dialogue from British characters (i.e 'dove' instead of 'dived') as well as other related mistakes (naming aristocracy 'Lord X of [place] instead of Lord [place]) (minor issue)
- Author phonetically writes out regional (non-RP) accents both in dialogue AND PROSE FROM POV OF THOSE CHARACTERS (and it's not even accurate) (major issue)
- A non-Cthulu murder happens and there's no mystery for the readers: we are shown the murder first from the perspective of the victim and then the murderer (IN A HOLMES BOOK!!!) (THIS WAS THE LAST STRAW!!)
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The book felt as if it was trying too hard to imitate Doyle. I know that it was a fiction-based narrative about the adventures of Watson and Holmes vs a dark Cthulhu entity, but it never felt authentic or it’s own. The dialects/character jumps also weren’t my cup of tea. There’s a group of people that probably would love this, but I just felt like I was reading a fan-fiction.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Ugh yet another dnf for this mashup genre.
I get sucked in by the Holmes /Lovecraft/Cthulhu thing and then it just disappoints me.
I was hoping for an action packed adventure, instead, for me, it never really took off. Watson drones on endlessly about Mary. Mary, Mary, Mary and Samuel. The author spends a great deal of time ensuring we understand how conflicted Watson is between his wife (her name is Mary in case you didn't know) and Holmes. I jusy don't care. I'm not reading this for insight into Watson's marriage.
Added to this I then get subjected to tedious detail on Holmes doing blood things with a bunsen burner or something. Yes, yes I know he's terribly clever, he's SHERLOCK HOLMES for crying out loud, I don't need it shoved down my throat. Get on with the story and stop faffing about microscope slides and frogs and Mrs Hudson's teapots.
I'm sending it back.
If I had more patience it's probably a good tale but I haven't any patience left for this and I don't care if I am missing out.
I get sucked in by the Holmes /Lovecraft/Cthulhu thing and then it just disappoints me.
I was hoping for an action packed adventure, instead, for me, it never really took off. Watson drones on endlessly about Mary. Mary, Mary, Mary and Samuel. The author spends a great deal of time ensuring we understand how conflicted Watson is between his wife (her name is Mary in case you didn't know) and Holmes. I jusy don't care. I'm not reading this for insight into Watson's marriage.
Added to this I then get subjected to tedious detail on Holmes doing blood things with a bunsen burner or something. Yes, yes I know he's terribly clever, he's SHERLOCK HOLMES for crying out loud, I don't need it shoved down my throat. Get on with the story and stop faffing about microscope slides and frogs and Mrs Hudson's teapots.
I'm sending it back.
If I had more patience it's probably a good tale but I haven't any patience left for this and I don't care if I am missing out.
all reviews in one place:
night mode reading ;
skaitom nakties rezimu
About the Book: A strange machine, burning an even stranger mix of chemicals, is turning lead into gold. Whispers of budding or possibly even very active Cult of Dagon. Deaths attributed to the machine, and very frightened workers who are too afraid to even get close for an attempt to turn it off. All of that peaks the curiosity of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes who doesn’t believe in supernatural, but seems to be just bored enough to see what’s with the ruckus.
My Opinion: It’s a bit more than just dull, the way we’re led through the tale, jumping between the good guys, and the bad guys between the chapters, all while Watson peppers everything with hefty dose of whining about his family life, and addiction he has to Sherlock. Lots of talks, and even actions, that go no where and add nothing to the story. But it’s just good enough for me to give second book a shot, in case this was the first floppy pancake.
night mode reading ;
skaitom nakties rezimu
About the Book: A strange machine, burning an even stranger mix of chemicals, is turning lead into gold. Whispers of budding or possibly even very active Cult of Dagon. Deaths attributed to the machine, and very frightened workers who are too afraid to even get close for an attempt to turn it off. All of that peaks the curiosity of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes who doesn’t believe in supernatural, but seems to be just bored enough to see what’s with the ruckus.
My Opinion: It’s a bit more than just dull, the way we’re led through the tale, jumping between the good guys, and the bad guys between the chapters, all while Watson peppers everything with hefty dose of whining about his family life, and addiction he has to Sherlock. Lots of talks, and even actions, that go no where and add nothing to the story. But it’s just good enough for me to give second book a shot, in case this was the first floppy pancake.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced