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A review by hoppy500
The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: War of the Worlds by Manly Wade Wellman, Wade Wellman
4.0
This is a pastiche crossover novel featuring Arthur Conan Doyle's two characters Sherlock Holmes and Professor Challenger, and H.G. Wells' novel The War of the Worlds. The stories within were published separately in magazines in the late 1960s, and were afterwards brought together into this single volume in 1975. The stories work well together because they recount the same events from three different perspectives, namely those of Sherlock Holmes, Professor Challenger and Doctor Watson. Eventually, these three come together to deal with the alien menace.
I was prepared to be disappointed when I started this book. However, I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by the execution. Although the story intentionally departs from some of what Doyle and Wells wrote, this is done in a way that makes the reader feel like they are gaining insights into previously undisclosed details regarding what occurred during the alien invasion. Having said that, I thought the Holmes character was a little weaker than the other two, and I am pretty sure Sherlock Holmes purists would find him a little hard to swallow.
If the reader comes to this novel without any knowledge of the stories it is based on, they will probably miss many of the finer points. It would therefore be a good idea at least to read the short story The Crystal Egg and the novel The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells before starting on this one. Other reading could include a couple of the original Sherlock Holmes adventures, and a story or two featuring Professor Challenger.
Although a few Americanisms present in the text were not spotted by the editors, the narrative is nevertheless a largely successful attempt to write in the style of late nineteenth-century England. And while the novel is not deep or introspective, it is certainly a well-told and enjoyable tale of deduction and adventure.
I was prepared to be disappointed when I started this book. However, I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by the execution. Although the story intentionally departs from some of what Doyle and Wells wrote, this is done in a way that makes the reader feel like they are gaining insights into previously undisclosed details regarding what occurred during the alien invasion. Having said that, I thought the Holmes character was a little weaker than the other two, and I am pretty sure Sherlock Holmes purists would find him a little hard to swallow.
If the reader comes to this novel without any knowledge of the stories it is based on, they will probably miss many of the finer points. It would therefore be a good idea at least to read the short story The Crystal Egg and the novel The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells before starting on this one. Other reading could include a couple of the original Sherlock Holmes adventures, and a story or two featuring Professor Challenger.
Although a few Americanisms present in the text were not spotted by the editors, the narrative is nevertheless a largely successful attempt to write in the style of late nineteenth-century England. And while the novel is not deep or introspective, it is certainly a well-told and enjoyable tale of deduction and adventure.