Scan barcode
annashiv's review against another edition
5.0
This is by far one of the best sherlock stories I've ever read. It creates the right atmosphere and tone while sticking to the familiar characters we know and love. Yet it still makes something new and enchanting to read. The real and the unreal are blended so beautifully I can't tell where reality ends and where reality begins. I recommend this novel to anyone who has any appreciation for Sherlock and Mr. Doyle's world. It is well worth it.
k_orme's review against another edition
5.0
I am in no way a Sherlockian scholar, though I would very much like to be. I am in no way a Ripper historian, though I am a historian.
This book portrayed Mr. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson very well, much better than in other pastiche's I have read (... like Angel of the Opera, a Sherlock/Phantom of the Opera pastiche. Sounded amazing in theory. Not amazing on paper--I digress)
Dr. Watson is not a bumbling side-kick, but a clever man who is keen on picking up Sherlock's tactics and using them himself.
Sherlock is as smart and cold as ever--yet--if I may say, this is one of the most human I've seen him portrayed. He masked his emotions but then, through Watson, you could see the Ripper chipping away at his cold shell.. I believed Sherlock's actions and processes as well as it were ACD work.
I must admit I was a little nervous when Miss Monk was employed by Holmes for I thought, oh boy, here's a lady to give Holmes a heart.
She gave him a heart.... but not a romantic heart--for which I actually very much enjoyed her character and what became of her in the end.
Now for the Ripper.
Dear lord, I was nearly dead after reading the climax, finding out who he was and all. I'm quite certain that this is who the Ripper was and what became of him. The facts from my rudimentary knowledge of the Ripper Killings were spot on and I couldn't help but feel involved in Sherlock's investigation.
This was more than I imagined a Sherlock/Ripper pastiche to be. It was great. I'm so glad to finally have read it after putting it down for almost a year. (I borrowed it from the library and then had to return to college very far away from home.)
Well done, Lyndsay Faye. Well done. I loved your book.
I also want this to be a movie. Especially the scene at the end when Sherlock confronts the Ripper in the inferno. Is it bad to want a book to be a movie? I hope not. I'll play Miss Monk. I can do that. Goodness me.
This book portrayed Mr. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson very well, much better than in other pastiche's I have read (... like Angel of the Opera, a Sherlock/Phantom of the Opera pastiche. Sounded amazing in theory. Not amazing on paper--I digress)
Dr. Watson is not a bumbling side-kick, but a clever man who is keen on picking up Sherlock's tactics and using them himself.
Sherlock is as smart and cold as ever--yet--if I may say, this is one of the most human I've seen him portrayed. He masked his emotions but then, through Watson, you could see the Ripper chipping away at his cold shell.. I believed Sherlock's actions and processes as well as it were ACD work.
I must admit I was a little nervous when Miss Monk was employed by Holmes for I thought, oh boy, here's a lady to give Holmes a heart.
She gave him a heart.... but not a romantic heart--for which I actually very much enjoyed her character and what became of her in the end.
Now for the Ripper.
Dear lord, I was nearly dead after reading the climax, finding out who he was and all. I'm quite certain that this is who the Ripper was and what became of him. The facts from my rudimentary knowledge of the Ripper Killings were spot on and I couldn't help but feel involved in Sherlock's investigation.
This was more than I imagined a Sherlock/Ripper pastiche to be. It was great. I'm so glad to finally have read it after putting it down for almost a year. (I borrowed it from the library and then had to return to college very far away from home.)
Well done, Lyndsay Faye. Well done. I loved your book.
I also want this to be a movie. Especially the scene at the end when Sherlock confronts the Ripper in the inferno. Is it bad to want a book to be a movie? I hope not. I'll play Miss Monk. I can do that. Goodness me.
vesper1931's review against another edition
mysterious
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Dr Watson in the 1939 writes about Holmes and Jack the Ripper in 1888 and his part in the investigation.
An entertaining story.
An entertaining story.
starthelostgirl's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely amazing. The climax was riveting - I can’t remember the last time I was so invested in a story.
sjruskin's review against another edition
4.0
Just as good as any classic Sherlock Holmes story! Really enjoyed it.
real_life_reading's review against another edition
5.0
I love Sherlock Holmes, and I'm fascinated by Jack the Ripper. Putting them together makes for an absolutely fabulous story. As the fact that the audio book is read by a fantastic narrator, and it doesn't get any better. Highly recommend.
acacia_happy_hour's review against another edition
5.0
I was resistant at first to this book, I must admit. I was stubborn about believing a Holmes story not by Conan Doyle could ever be of this caliber, but oh, how I was won over!
Excellent, excellent, excellent. Faye really nails Watson's voice, the research done on the real Ripper killings is effortlessly intwined into the story, and I was thoroughly engrossed the entire time. I could hardly put it down. Many praises are deserved for this one!
Excellent, excellent, excellent. Faye really nails Watson's voice, the research done on the real Ripper killings is effortlessly intwined into the story, and I was thoroughly engrossed the entire time. I could hardly put it down. Many praises are deserved for this one!
krobart's review against another edition
3.0
In Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson, Lyndsay Faye combines a great deal of research into the Jack the Ripper killings in 1888 with a vast knowledge of Sherlock Holmes literature to offer an entertaining solution to the crimes.
See my complete review here:
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/tag/dust-and-shadow/
See my complete review here:
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/tag/dust-and-shadow/
candybailey's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5