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cjimenez14's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
stevo's review against another edition
adventurous
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
3.25
ogreart's review against another edition
4.0
A little uneven. Some of the stories gripped me and some left me a little cold. This book did, however, make me more interested in reading the original Holmes stories.
ericbuscemi's review against another edition
4.0
The stories I read from this collection are:
'The Doctor's Case' by Stephen King
For as much as I like Stephen King, I was not sure it was within his range to write a Sherlock Holmes story. And while the reader can see the license he took with the characters, I was left fairly impressed with this result. The highlight of this story is its premise -- King has Watson solve this case ahead of Holmes, something that never happened in the canon.
'The Shocking Affair of the Dutch Steamship Friesland' by Mary Robinette Kowal
This was an interesting take on a case that was alluded to in the Holmes canon, told from the point-of-view of a young woman entangled in the mystery. It wasn't a very strong mystery, but the chance to see Holmes and Watson through the perspective of a suspect/victim was interesting.
'A Study in Emerald' by Neil Gaiman
This story was very different from the others that I read in that this heavily featured the fantastic, an element lacking in the other, more traditional Holmes pastiches I read. It is the perfect short story for anyone into Neil Gaiman, Sherlock Holmes and the Cthulu mythos. It is no surprise to me this won a Hugo award for short fiction.
'The Doctor's Case' by Stephen King
For as much as I like Stephen King, I was not sure it was within his range to write a Sherlock Holmes story. And while the reader can see the license he took with the characters, I was left fairly impressed with this result. The highlight of this story is its premise -- King has Watson solve this case ahead of Holmes, something that never happened in the canon.
'The Shocking Affair of the Dutch Steamship Friesland' by Mary Robinette Kowal
This was an interesting take on a case that was alluded to in the Holmes canon, told from the point-of-view of a young woman entangled in the mystery. It wasn't a very strong mystery, but the chance to see Holmes and Watson through the perspective of a suspect/victim was interesting.
'A Study in Emerald' by Neil Gaiman
This story was very different from the others that I read in that this heavily featured the fantastic, an element lacking in the other, more traditional Holmes pastiches I read. It is the perfect short story for anyone into Neil Gaiman, Sherlock Holmes and the Cthulu mythos. It is no surprise to me this won a Hugo award for short fiction.
bets_reads's review against another edition
1.0
Guys, I can't. I'm a huge Sherlock Holmes fan - since childhood and I love newer works a la Laurie King.
This book: I have seriously read the same pages over and over and over again. I can't get into it. I'm calling an audible and taking it back to the library.
This book: I have seriously read the same pages over and over and over again. I can't get into it. I'm calling an audible and taking it back to the library.
maria_pulver's review against another edition
4.0
The anthology, as all anthologies are, is not homogenic and some stories are better than others. But the majority are interesting and unexpected, and, most of all, they give us the pleasure to meet Holmes and Watson all over again.
Obviously, Holmes learning about the Schrodinger's cat is priceless :)
Obviously, Holmes learning about the Schrodinger's cat is priceless :)
artemizarte's review against another edition
3.0
Such an odd compilation, going from reading uncannily as an original adventure to completely destroying the characters and their dynamics. There are quite a few which can add to the lore, and even a few which give you a whole new perspective such as another character's point of view, or get Holmes to talk to his own creator. I can easily recommend it, I would, however, encourage you to think of it not as a perfect project or even as a coherent anthology, but as individual histories put together but not fully... together.
swirls's review against another edition
5.0
What can I say? I love fanfiction and this was an excellent collection. Not all the stories are amazing, but there's enough bangers in this anthology that'll I'll probably listening/reading through it again sometime. Many of the stories have fantastic elements, but, much to my surprise, not all.
The audio does not include the Stephen King story, but that's one of the weakest of the collection. (Very odd portrayal of the duo, Dr. Watson solves the case while Holmes has an allergic reaction to cats swarming him.) Several of the stories were also published in Shadows of Baker Street and Gaslight Grimoire. But there's a new one from Barbara Hambly, who is always a delight to read, and her take on the Chthulu mythos was absolutely fabulous. I've not read Dominic Green before but his Professor Challenger/Holmes crossover had me cackling the whole way through.
This was just plain fun! Mummies and pirates and dinosaurs, oh my!
The audio does not include the Stephen King story, but that's one of the weakest of the collection. (Very odd portrayal of the duo, Dr. Watson solves the case while Holmes has an allergic reaction to cats swarming him.) Several of the stories were also published in Shadows of Baker Street and Gaslight Grimoire. But there's a new one from Barbara Hambly, who is always a delight to read, and her take on the Chthulu mythos was absolutely fabulous. I've not read Dominic Green before but his Professor Challenger/Holmes crossover had me cackling the whole way through.
This was just plain fun! Mummies and pirates and dinosaurs, oh my!
andy_hird's review against another edition
5.0
Wow - amazing. Granted, my review is largely colored by the last two stories, which were fantastic and well worth the price of the book just by themselves. But I really liked the collection as a whole too. There was a delightful variety of 'types' of stories, including the one where Watson gets pulled into an alternate reality where Moriarty is the hero, and that also makes me give this 5 stars. Not all stories were great (neither were all of the original stories by Doyle), but the wide array of ideas behind them makes me love this collection.