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kaleskorner's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 there were some stories I loved and others I barely paid attention to. So a good mix of stories about my favorite detective.
karenteacher's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book, and mystery is not a genre I usually read. Like any anthology with multiple authors, some stories are better than others, and I enjoyed some stories more than others; I would give some individual stories a 3, and others a 5. Overall, this volume was a solid 4.
strikingthirteen's review against another edition
4.0
Overall: The ones that are awesome are REALLY awesome. The ones aren't so good, REALLY aren't so good. I think I was expecting something more along the lines of Gaslight Grimoire when I got this so that may have tarnished my opinion a bit. I'd still say grab this because of the awesome stories. They alone are worth some of the duller ones. The whole anthology functions along the "improbable" part of Holmes' famous quote - and that goes with every possible definition of it.
Story by story is as follows.
The Doctor's Case - Stephen King (3/5): The real kicker for me, and the real reason that I give it those marks is because Watson gets to solve a case and has a moment of clarity usually reserved for Holmes. IT just seemed oh so condescending though! You had a Lestrade who was certainly less than professional, Holmes was okay as was Watson but the whole thing seemed like a pet being praised for a new trick. I liked the opportunity that was there but it also just seemed so demeaning. I usually like Stephen King too.
The Horror of the Many Faces - Tim Lebbon (4/5): One of three Lovecraft meets Holmes stories. This one starring a monster that changes shape. Holmes gets a glimpse of a universe outside of his own comprehension and, while he's not really crazy at the beginning, he certainly is on his way there by the end. It's a great, creepy, read. I very much enjoyed it.
The Case of the Bloodless Sock - Anne Perry (3.5/5): I liked the return to a good old fashioned mystery here. The not present but threatening Moriarty was an added bonus. I'm not sure how I feel about the solution but it was still a good read.
The Adventure of the Other Detective - Bradley H. Sinor (2/5): Cool idea and an interesting exploration of the characters in a parallel universe but the ending doesn't sit right. I don't think Watson would have stayed, I really don't. His loyalty to Holmes has always trumped all and I really don't think he's the type to take this weird opportunity to try again with Mary. I don't think he'd be okay with it - or be able to live in a world where his best friend is a criminal. It just doesn't work with me.
A Scandal in Montreal - Edward D. Hoch (4.5/5): I admit I love this because Holmes and Watson are in Canada!!! I also love the addition of Leacock and Orillia; my grandfather is really in to Leacock and Orillia is where our cottage is too. I've also been to Leacock's cottage so I knew everything ! I loved the post retirement and the reintroduction of Irene Adler. The case was simple enough but I loved everything else so much that It didn't matter. Well done.
The Adventure of the Field Theorems - Vonda N. McIntyre (3.5/5): This was amusing. Holmes meets his creator and they go out investigating crop circles. It was epic to see that. Really quite funny.
The Adventure of the Death-Fetch - Darrell Schweitzer (2/5): Started out great and ended alright but it was really quite unmemorable. I think the backstory took over way too much of the story
The Shocking Affair of the Dutch steamship Friesland - Mary Robinette Kowal (1/5): I really felt underwhelmed by this one. I always imagine something much more horrifying and dangerous than a simple murder here. Or a plot for another. Just boring for me.
The Adventure of the Mummy's Curse - H. Paul Jeffers (4/5): Now here was an entertaining story! The bit about Watson being a Mason sort of threw me for a turn but I recovered well enough! It seemed very much in the old style of the Holmes adventures and I almost could have bought it for one of Doyle's stories.
The Things That Shall Come Upon Them - Barbara Roden (2.5/5): I skipped this one. I've read it before in Gaslight Grimoire and didn't like it there. See my review for that anthology for my thoughts on that story. My rating is from that review.
Murder to Music - Anthony Burgess (4.5/5): I honestly think the creepiest moment of that story was when Holmes told Watson that he thought art was above morals - and that he'd be forced to close his eyes and ignore his adored violinist's murder of Watson if that was what had occurred. The whole murder and the reasons and all of that are unsettling enough but I think that really did it for me.
The Adventure of the Internal Adjuster - Stephen Baxter (3/5): Holmes and Watson meet H.G. Wells. It was alright. Not good not bad, sort of enjoyable.
Mrs. Hudson's Case - Laurie R. King (3.5/5): I despaired of the Mary Russell universe after in the middle of book five but this revisit to an earlier part, pre marriage was nice. I loved the way Mrs. Hudson one ups Holmes in the end and how her and Mary have this wonderful little secret between them.
The Singular Habits of Wasps - Geoffrey A. Landis (5/5): Well crap. Holmes and the Ripper murders and not in the way you think. You go back and forth between thinking if Holmes is in fact the Ripper but the real answer is creepy as all hell. Oh man did this push my buttons in all the right ways. Like Watson I think that I, too, will be giving wasps a second glance the next time I see one.
The Affair of the 46th Birthday - Amy Myers (3/5): Interesting but again not overly spectacular. Not too much else to say about it. The baby king was cute.
The Specter of Tullyfane Abbey - Peter Tremayne (3/5): I always suspected Sherlock was Irish, lol. More so Moriarty simply because of the name. I liked that we went back to the past for this one, and we had a look at a woman he had the hots for. The mystery was interesting and it certainly plants some interesting seeds with regards to how those events made Sherlock the man he is in the present of the story. That being said it makes his feud with Moriarty seem petty and it adamant insistence that Moriarty worked with the devil to get his work done annoying simply because it didn't seem in character and that he was simply just stamping his feet about the whole situation.
The Vale of the White Horse - Sharyn McCrumb (5/5): I love Grisel Rountree. I love her a lot. I love that this is from her point of view instead of Watson's. Mostly because of the story content and characters. It's fantastic, I love the case, I love the resolution. It makes me all kinds of happy. I want to read more about this village. I want it now.
The Adventure of the Dorset Street Lodger - Michael Moorcock (3.5/5): This was fun. Holmes and Watson are kicked out of 221B for two weeks and end up having an adventure along with their vacation. Very old school Holmes - I loved the disguise factor at the end. Just simple fun all while away from Baker Street.
The Adventure of the Lost World - Dominic Green (4/5): Two of Doyle's worlds clashing, however so slightly, and I love how totally believable it is that there is a bloody dinosaur lurking about and I don't think twice about it! Well played! The multiple disguises of Holmes here is also awesome, especially how Watson is just getting plain ticked off at the end. "You have wasted fifteen minute of valuable consulting time Holmes" and NO I DON'T CARE HOW YOU FAKED IT. lol. The ending was also very well done. Now I want to go read it again just after writing it
up.
The Adventure of the Antiquarian's Niece - Barbara Hambly (5/5): Oh holy crap! Creepy is too small a term for this one. The mystery with Watson's shady memory doesn't help. Omg that whole last bit. Spine tingling.
Dynamics of Hanging - Tony Pi (4.5/5): Hiatus story with Watson and Lewis Carroll code breaking. Much more awesome than I make it sound.
Merridew of Abominable Memory - Chris Roberson (3/5): Read this before in Gaslight Grimoire. See review for that book.
Commonplaces - Naomi Novik (5/5): Another hiatus story but this one through the eyes of Irene Adler, who eventually finds Holmes in France who declares he's not going back while Mary is alive. Apparently these two need to get in bed - though not before he and Irene do. It's really well done actually, your heart certainly feels it all.
The Adventure of the Pirates of Devil's Cape - Rob Rogers (5/5): I LOVED this! It was such fun. Holmes and pirates seems like an odd combination but I loved it so much. Mystery, action, a touch of romance, and the dutch steamship Freisland!! AWESOME
The Adventure of the Green Skull - Mark Valentine (3/5): Another one much more in tradition with Conan Doyle's stories. Like it enough but not overly memorable.
The Human Mystery - Tanith Lee (4/5): Rather enjoyable. I rather liked it up until the end but the end is slowly sitting with me. Holmes totally blindsided by a woman looking for some measure of love, and the lengths that she's gone to to do it, is awesome.
A Study in Emerald - Neil Gaiman (5/5): This is probably the fifth time I've read this story and I adore it. It is awesome. The Great Old ones being in charge all along and stringing you alone with who the narrator is and who the murderers are until pulling the rug out from under you at the end is truly masterfully. There are no words to explain how awesome this story is or how much I love it.
You See But You Do Not Observer - Robert J. Sawyer (3.5/5): Interesting idea which was nice but didn't really click with me all that much. The ending, however, makes me oh so sad. It's oh so right but oh so sad
n
Story by story is as follows.
The Doctor's Case - Stephen King (3/5): The real kicker for me, and the real reason that I give it those marks is because Watson gets to solve a case and has a moment of clarity usually reserved for Holmes. IT just seemed oh so condescending though! You had a Lestrade who was certainly less than professional, Holmes was okay as was Watson but the whole thing seemed like a pet being praised for a new trick. I liked the opportunity that was there but it also just seemed so demeaning. I usually like Stephen King too.
The Horror of the Many Faces - Tim Lebbon (4/5): One of three Lovecraft meets Holmes stories. This one starring a monster that changes shape. Holmes gets a glimpse of a universe outside of his own comprehension and, while he's not really crazy at the beginning, he certainly is on his way there by the end. It's a great, creepy, read. I very much enjoyed it.
The Case of the Bloodless Sock - Anne Perry (3.5/5): I liked the return to a good old fashioned mystery here. The not present but threatening Moriarty was an added bonus. I'm not sure how I feel about the solution but it was still a good read.
The Adventure of the Other Detective - Bradley H. Sinor (2/5): Cool idea and an interesting exploration of the characters in a parallel universe but the ending doesn't sit right. I don't think Watson would have stayed, I really don't. His loyalty to Holmes has always trumped all and I really don't think he's the type to take this weird opportunity to try again with Mary. I don't think he'd be okay with it - or be able to live in a world where his best friend is a criminal. It just doesn't work with me.
A Scandal in Montreal - Edward D. Hoch (4.5/5): I admit I love this because Holmes and Watson are in Canada!!! I also love the addition of Leacock and Orillia; my grandfather is really in to Leacock and Orillia is where our cottage is too. I've also been to Leacock's cottage so I knew everything ! I loved the post retirement and the reintroduction of Irene Adler. The case was simple enough but I loved everything else so much that It didn't matter. Well done.
The Adventure of the Field Theorems - Vonda N. McIntyre (3.5/5): This was amusing. Holmes meets his creator and they go out investigating crop circles. It was epic to see that. Really quite funny.
The Adventure of the Death-Fetch - Darrell Schweitzer (2/5): Started out great and ended alright but it was really quite unmemorable. I think the backstory took over way too much of the story
The Shocking Affair of the Dutch steamship Friesland - Mary Robinette Kowal (1/5): I really felt underwhelmed by this one. I always imagine something much more horrifying and dangerous than a simple murder here. Or a plot for another. Just boring for me.
The Adventure of the Mummy's Curse - H. Paul Jeffers (4/5): Now here was an entertaining story! The bit about Watson being a Mason sort of threw me for a turn but I recovered well enough! It seemed very much in the old style of the Holmes adventures and I almost could have bought it for one of Doyle's stories.
The Things That Shall Come Upon Them - Barbara Roden (2.5/5): I skipped this one. I've read it before in Gaslight Grimoire and didn't like it there. See my review for that anthology for my thoughts on that story. My rating is from that review.
Murder to Music - Anthony Burgess (4.5/5): I honestly think the creepiest moment of that story was when Holmes told Watson that he thought art was above morals - and that he'd be forced to close his eyes and ignore his adored violinist's murder of Watson if that was what had occurred. The whole murder and the reasons and all of that are unsettling enough but I think that really did it for me.
The Adventure of the Internal Adjuster - Stephen Baxter (3/5): Holmes and Watson meet H.G. Wells. It was alright. Not good not bad, sort of enjoyable.
Mrs. Hudson's Case - Laurie R. King (3.5/5): I despaired of the Mary Russell universe after in the middle of book five but this revisit to an earlier part, pre marriage was nice. I loved the way Mrs. Hudson one ups Holmes in the end and how her and Mary have this wonderful little secret between them.
The Singular Habits of Wasps - Geoffrey A. Landis (5/5): Well crap. Holmes and the Ripper murders and not in the way you think. You go back and forth between thinking if Holmes is in fact the Ripper but the real answer is creepy as all hell. Oh man did this push my buttons in all the right ways. Like Watson I think that I, too, will be giving wasps a second glance the next time I see one.
The Affair of the 46th Birthday - Amy Myers (3/5): Interesting but again not overly spectacular. Not too much else to say about it. The baby king was cute.
The Specter of Tullyfane Abbey - Peter Tremayne (3/5): I always suspected Sherlock was Irish, lol. More so Moriarty simply because of the name. I liked that we went back to the past for this one, and we had a look at a woman he had the hots for. The mystery was interesting and it certainly plants some interesting seeds with regards to how those events made Sherlock the man he is in the present of the story. That being said it makes his feud with Moriarty seem petty and it adamant insistence that Moriarty worked with the devil to get his work done annoying simply because it didn't seem in character and that he was simply just stamping his feet about the whole situation.
The Vale of the White Horse - Sharyn McCrumb (5/5): I love Grisel Rountree. I love her a lot. I love that this is from her point of view instead of Watson's. Mostly because of the story content and characters. It's fantastic, I love the case, I love the resolution. It makes me all kinds of happy. I want to read more about this village. I want it now.
The Adventure of the Dorset Street Lodger - Michael Moorcock (3.5/5): This was fun. Holmes and Watson are kicked out of 221B for two weeks and end up having an adventure along with their vacation. Very old school Holmes - I loved the disguise factor at the end. Just simple fun all while away from Baker Street.
The Adventure of the Lost World - Dominic Green (4/5): Two of Doyle's worlds clashing, however so slightly, and I love how totally believable it is that there is a bloody dinosaur lurking about and I don't think twice about it! Well played! The multiple disguises of Holmes here is also awesome, especially how Watson is just getting plain ticked off at the end. "You have wasted fifteen minute of valuable consulting time Holmes" and NO I DON'T CARE HOW YOU FAKED IT. lol. The ending was also very well done. Now I want to go read it again just after writing it
up.
The Adventure of the Antiquarian's Niece - Barbara Hambly (5/5): Oh holy crap! Creepy is too small a term for this one. The mystery with Watson's shady memory doesn't help. Omg that whole last bit. Spine tingling.
Dynamics of Hanging - Tony Pi (4.5/5): Hiatus story with Watson and Lewis Carroll code breaking. Much more awesome than I make it sound.
Merridew of Abominable Memory - Chris Roberson (3/5): Read this before in Gaslight Grimoire. See review for that book.
Commonplaces - Naomi Novik (5/5): Another hiatus story but this one through the eyes of Irene Adler, who eventually finds Holmes in France who declares he's not going back while Mary is alive. Apparently these two need to get in bed - though not before he and Irene do. It's really well done actually, your heart certainly feels it all.
The Adventure of the Pirates of Devil's Cape - Rob Rogers (5/5): I LOVED this! It was such fun. Holmes and pirates seems like an odd combination but I loved it so much. Mystery, action, a touch of romance, and the dutch steamship Freisland!! AWESOME
The Adventure of the Green Skull - Mark Valentine (3/5): Another one much more in tradition with Conan Doyle's stories. Like it enough but not overly memorable.
The Human Mystery - Tanith Lee (4/5): Rather enjoyable. I rather liked it up until the end but the end is slowly sitting with me. Holmes totally blindsided by a woman looking for some measure of love, and the lengths that she's gone to to do it, is awesome.
A Study in Emerald - Neil Gaiman (5/5): This is probably the fifth time I've read this story and I adore it. It is awesome. The Great Old ones being in charge all along and stringing you alone with who the narrator is and who the murderers are until pulling the rug out from under you at the end is truly masterfully. There are no words to explain how awesome this story is or how much I love it.
You See But You Do Not Observer - Robert J. Sawyer (3.5/5): Interesting idea which was nice but didn't really click with me all that much. The ending, however, makes me oh so sad. It's oh so right but oh so sad
n
musette's review against another edition
4.0
I had a great time with these stories! I was skeptical, seeing as they are not Conan Doyle - but the quality of the writing is excellent and the premises of these short stories are intriguing.
redatt's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this. There were some real gems. Excellent travel and bedtime listening.
linwearcamenel's review against another edition
4.0
I really, really liked this book. I mean, I love Sherlock Holmes, so pretty much anything that's got him it it is good :-). This was also the first time I"ve ever read Holmes stories not by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, so I was a little leery about it, but I was pleasantly surprised. Most of them were good. I enjoyed almost all of them. I mean, some of them you could tell the author really wanted to be writing their own stuff and just inserted Holmes and Watson into their own style("The Specter of Tullyfane Abbey," and "The Vale of the White Horse"), but most at least made an effort to be "real" Holmes pastiches, and most of those succeeded.
Mostly, the stories that involved science fiction/fantasy elements (not all of them did, some were straight mysteries placed as red herrings)did them well. It's hard to insert someone as rational as Holmes into more fantastic stories, but most of them were well done. A few crossovers with the Cthulhu mythos, some parallel universes, etc. Plus appearances from practically every member of the Holmes canon: Moriarty (obviously) and Col. Sebastian Moran, Lestrade, the Baker Street Irregulars, Irene Adler, Mrs. Hudson. Just not Mycroft, that I remember. I thought that odd.
A few really stuck out...I now decided to read [b:The Beekeeper's Apprentice|91661|The Beekeeper's Apprentice (Mary Russell, #1)|Laurie R. King|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1298438298s/91661.jpg|891863] because of the Laurie R. King story ("Mrs. Hudson's Case") in this collection (I had always been so against the idea of Holmes + romance). I also enjoyed "The Case of the Other Detective," "The Singular Habits of Wasps," "The Adventure of the Dorset Street Lodger," "The Adventure of the Antiquarian's Niece," "Commonplaces," "The Adventure of the Pirates of Devil's Cape," and "You See But You Do Not Observe." Of course, you'll probably like different ones, and most of the others I didn't mention are pretty good; there were only about five I didn't like, because I felt they were just too different from the actual Holmes.
And then there was "A Study in Emerald." There is a reason I give this story its own section, and that's because it. is. incredible. A great alternate universe story for Holmes, combined with an alternate Lovecraftian universe (alternate from the way it was portrayed in Lovecraft's stories). Well written, a love letter to the Holmes canon and the Cthulhu mythos, references to other Victorian literature. Just an amazing story. If you are a Holmes fan, you owe it yourself to read this story. If you are a Lovecraft fan, you owe it to yourself to read this story. If you are a Neil Gaiman fan, you've probably read this story already, but if you haven't, you owe it to yourself to read this story. And if you're not, read this story anyway. The whole book is worth it just for this story.(Side note: Neil Gaiman is set to write a Doctor Who episode this year. If it's even half as good as "A Study in Emerald" it will be the best episode they've ever aired.)
Anyway, I am now a devoted Sherlockian, no longer scared of pastiches (I was for the lonest time, that they'd mess with my perception of Holmes), and ready for more. Bottom line: John Joseph Adams's anthologies are usually good, and this was a very good one. Hopefully the rest of the Holmes pastiches I find will be as good.
Mostly, the stories that involved science fiction/fantasy elements (not all of them did, some were straight mysteries placed as red herrings)did them well. It's hard to insert someone as rational as Holmes into more fantastic stories, but most of them were well done. A few crossovers with the Cthulhu mythos, some parallel universes, etc. Plus appearances from practically every member of the Holmes canon: Moriarty (obviously) and Col. Sebastian Moran, Lestrade, the Baker Street Irregulars, Irene Adler, Mrs. Hudson. Just not Mycroft, that I remember. I thought that odd.
A few really stuck out...I now decided to read [b:The Beekeeper's Apprentice|91661|The Beekeeper's Apprentice (Mary Russell, #1)|Laurie R. King|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1298438298s/91661.jpg|891863] because of the Laurie R. King story ("Mrs. Hudson's Case") in this collection (I had always been so against the idea of Holmes + romance). I also enjoyed "The Case of the Other Detective," "The Singular Habits of Wasps," "The Adventure of the Dorset Street Lodger," "The Adventure of the Antiquarian's Niece," "Commonplaces," "The Adventure of the Pirates of Devil's Cape," and "You See But You Do Not Observe." Of course, you'll probably like different ones, and most of the others I didn't mention are pretty good; there were only about five I didn't like, because I felt they were just too different from the actual Holmes.
And then there was "A Study in Emerald." There is a reason I give this story its own section, and that's because it. is. incredible. A great alternate universe story for Holmes, combined with an alternate Lovecraftian universe (alternate from the way it was portrayed in Lovecraft's stories). Well written, a love letter to the Holmes canon and the Cthulhu mythos, references to other Victorian literature. Just an amazing story. If you are a Holmes fan, you owe it yourself to read this story. If you are a Lovecraft fan, you owe it to yourself to read this story. If you are a Neil Gaiman fan, you've probably read this story already, but if you haven't, you owe it to yourself to read this story. And if you're not, read this story anyway. The whole book is worth it just for this story.(Side note: Neil Gaiman is set to write a Doctor Who episode this year. If it's even half as good as "A Study in Emerald" it will be the best episode they've ever aired.)
Anyway, I am now a devoted Sherlockian, no longer scared of pastiches (I was for the lonest time, that they'd mess with my perception of Holmes), and ready for more. Bottom line: John Joseph Adams's anthologies are usually good, and this was a very good one. Hopefully the rest of the Holmes pastiches I find will be as good.
celli's review against another edition
3.0
It's so hard to review an anthology. Do you rate it based on the strongest stories? The weakest? The percentage that bored you?
I think that, as an anthology, it was a little overwhelming--28 stories and 450 pages makes it hard to look back at any particular one. They all blend into a mash of trains to the country and fog in London and secret passages. I could have read an 18-story anthology of this and wrapped my mind around it better.
I think that, as an anthology, it was a little overwhelming--28 stories and 450 pages makes it hard to look back at any particular one. They all blend into a mash of trains to the country and fog in London and secret passages. I could have read an 18-story anthology of this and wrapped my mind around it better.
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