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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
reflective
the descriptions of john in the aftermath of the final problem had me crying buckets. loved the ending
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The mystery is quite easy, but I didn't mind it. The writing was quite cute and those pale coconuts did collide but the star of the show was the angst and pining, which made me want to rip out my own liver and eat it. A quick and fun read.
Tendré que escribir una reseña decente en algún momento, pero de momento tengo que decir que, aunque el libro no es malo, malo, sí que hay mucho potencial desperdiciado y los personajes de Holmes y Watson no parecían realmente ellos.
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
142 pages of some of the most soul-wrenching pining I’ve ever read. Every subtle moment had such a deep resonance to it - that 2005 Pride & Prejudice hand flex sort of feeling, in basically every scene Holmes and Watson are together. I couldn’t get enough. I’m so glad I stumbled upon this, and can’t wait to get a copy for my shelves.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Homophobia, Grief
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
This is one of the first few Holmes story that I have encountered, and the first story that feature a 'not so straight' Watson and an ambiguously asexual/celibate Holmes. While there are more tension than a vat of syrup, and not all characters are as flattering as the original canon stories, it is still a wonderful read.
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
(4.5/5)
This is dang near perfect for me. A Holmes pastiche, told in Conan Doyle's style, but highlighting the queercoding and leaning into it, plucking at the threads of the hidden longing and weaving them together, while also giving full credence and autonomy to Mary (I truly adore the lavender marriage angle, it's probably my favorite reading of the Watson marriage).
Watson's love, fear, yearning, self-awareness and caution as he deals with the terrifying prospect of being in love with Holmes is lovely characterization; it's exactly the Watson I know. Conversely, Holmes' standoffishness coupled with cattiness and self-destruction, holding Watson at arm's length in order to hold him at all, are heartbreaking in their accuracy to the canon.
My only complaint about this whole novel, really, is the characterization of Mycroft. Here he plays the homophobic antagonist to Holmes and Watson reuniting after the events at Reichenbach; he resents Watson's queerness for putting his brother in danger, and he does his best to keep them from reuniting. This just doesn't land for me; I think, while Mycroft and Sherlock are very different in how they manifest their interests and personalities, they are very similar men, and sympathetic to and respectful of each other in the canon (to the extent Sherlock is ever respectful, at least). I don't think pastiches/fanfiction/derivative works of any sort need be tied to the canon character whole-cloth, but in this instance that distinction is one I'm not fond of. Additionally, Piercy leaned into using Mycroft's size (he is canonically fat) as a means of putting him down and signalling his antagonism, which is a bit yikes.
Both the original case that begins the novel and the retelling of The Final Problem that end it are marvelous; the former for its ingenuity in portraying communal queerness and the societal dangers of it, and the latter for telling a story distinct from what the canon tells us that still strikes true with the characters and the main events of the original story.
Really, really lovely novel. A must-read for those who recognize and love the queerness of the Holmes canon.
This is dang near perfect for me. A Holmes pastiche, told in Conan Doyle's style, but highlighting the queercoding and leaning into it, plucking at the threads of the hidden longing and weaving them together, while also giving full credence and autonomy to Mary (I truly adore the lavender marriage angle, it's probably my favorite reading of the Watson marriage).
Watson's love, fear, yearning, self-awareness and caution as he deals with the terrifying prospect of being in love with Holmes is lovely characterization; it's exactly the Watson I know. Conversely, Holmes' standoffishness coupled with cattiness and self-destruction, holding Watson at arm's length in order to hold him at all, are heartbreaking in their accuracy to the canon.
My only complaint about this whole novel, really, is the characterization of Mycroft. Here he plays the homophobic antagonist to Holmes and Watson reuniting after the events at Reichenbach; he resents Watson's queerness for putting his brother in danger, and he does his best to keep them from reuniting. This just doesn't land for me; I think, while Mycroft and Sherlock are very different in how they manifest their interests and personalities, they are very similar men, and sympathetic to and respectful of each other in the canon (to the extent Sherlock is ever respectful, at least). I don't think pastiches/fanfiction/derivative works of any sort need be tied to the canon character whole-cloth, but in this instance that distinction is one I'm not fond of. Additionally, Piercy leaned into using Mycroft's size (he is canonically fat) as a means of putting him down and signalling his antagonism, which is a bit yikes.
Both the original case that begins the novel and the retelling of The Final Problem that end it are marvelous; the former for its ingenuity in portraying communal queerness and the societal dangers of it, and the latter for telling a story distinct from what the canon tells us that still strikes true with the characters and the main events of the original story.
Really, really lovely novel. A must-read for those who recognize and love the queerness of the Holmes canon.
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No