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impalalove's review
3.0
The preface is the most interesting of the collection, particularly because it notes that some stories will overlap in categories, so don't take it to heart; and that funny stories may not necessarily be funny, but they were included for historical significance.
Eighty-three short stories in total, averaging 2.71 stars. I rounded up as a whole for the book. Definitely some standouts, not as many as I'd hoped.
Highlights:
- How Watson Learned the Trick - Arthur Conan Doyle - 4 stars (Watson learning some of Sherlock's tricks of the trade,).
- The Late Sherlock Holmes - James M. Barrie -4.5 stars (My strongest rating of the collection, it was a particularly fun read --)
-The Case of the Unseen Hand - Donald Thomas - 4 stars (This short study makes use of the, and examines the evidence proof against belief; which was an interesting read.)
-A Case of Mis-Identity - Colin Dexter -4 stars ()
Ratings for individual stories, for reference:
THE MASTER
1. The Field Bazaar - Arthur Conan Doyle -3
2. How Watson Learned the Trick - Arthur Conan Doyle -4
FAMILIAR (OFTEN REPRINTED)
1. The Unique 'Hamlet' - Vincent Starrett -4
2. The Stolen Cigar-Case - Bret Harte -3
3. The Case of the Man who was Wanted - Arthur Whitaker -3
4. The Adventure of the Two Collaborators - James M. Barrie -2
5. The Sleuths - O. Henry -4
6. Holmes and the Dasher - A.B. Cox -2
7. An Irreducible Detective Story - Stephen Leacock -2
8. The Doctor's Case - Stephen King -4
THE LITERATURE OF CRIME
1. The Brown Recluse - Davis Grubb -3
2. The Darkwater Hall Mystery - Kingsley Amis -3
3. The Case of the Gifted Amateur - J.C. Masterman -3
4. The Late Sherlock Holmes - James M. Barrie -4.5
5. Sherlock Holmes and the Drood Mystery - Edmund Pearson -2
6. The Rape of the Sherlock - A.A. Milne -2
7. From a Detective's Notebook - P.G. Wodehouse -3
8. The Ruby of Khitmandu - Hugh Kingsmill -3
9. The Adventure of the Remarkable Worm - August Derleth -2
10. The Enchanted Garden - H.F. Heard -3
11. A Study in Handwriting - Ring W. Lardner -3
12. The Case of Death and Honey - Neil Gaiman- 3
13. Murder to Music - Anthony Burgess -3
IN THE BEGINNING
1. An Evening with Sherlock Holmes - James M. Barrie -3
2. Detective Stories Gone Wrong: The Adventures of Sherlaw Kombs - Robert Barr -2
3. Sherlock Holmes vs. Conan Doyle - Anonymous -4
4. The Duke's Feather - R.C. Lehmann -2
5. The Sign of the '400' - Roy L. McCardell -3
HOLMESLESS
1. Codeine (7 per cent) - Christopher Morley -4
2. Mrs. Hudson's Case - Laurie R. King -4
3. The Final Problem - Bliss Austin -4
NOT OF THIS PLACE
1. The Adventure of the Bogle-Wolf - Anthony Boucher -3
2. The Martian Crown Jewels - Poul Anderson -4
3. Sherlock Among the Spirits - Anonymous -2
4. The Case of the Missing Partriarchs - Logan Clendening -3
5. The Devil and Sherlock Holmes - Loren D. Estleman -2
KEEPING THE MEMORY GREEN
1. The Strange Case of the Megatherium Thefts - S.C. Roberts -3
2. The Adventure of the Noble Husband - Peter Cannon -2
3. A Night with Sherlock Holmes - William O. Fueller -4
4. The Adventure of the Wooden Box - Leslie S. Klinger -2
5. The Case of the Unseen Hand - Donald Thomas -4
6. The Abandoned Brigantine - Sam Benady - 3
7. The Adventure of the Curious Canary - Barry Day -4
8. The Adventure of the Murdered Art Editor - Frederic Dorr Steele -2
9. The Darlington Substitution Scandal - David Stuart Davies -3
10. The Problem of the Purple Maculas - James C. Iraldi -4
YOU THINK THAT'S FUNNY?
1. The Adventure of the Second Swag - Robert Barr -4
2. Sheer Luck Again - Stanley Rubinstein -2
3. A Pragmatic Enigma - John Kendrick Bangs -3
4. Herlock Shomes At It Again - Anonymous -1
5. The Reigate Road Murder - Anthony Armstrong -1
6. The Succored Beauty - William B. Kahn -1
7. The Marriage of Sherlock Holmes - Gregory Breitman -1
8. The Return of Sherlock Holmes - E.F. Benson and Eustace H. Miles -1
9. The Unmasking of Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Chapman -2
10. The Adventure of the Diamond Necklace - George F. Forrest -3
11. The Adventure of the Ascot Tie - Robert L. Fish -2
CONTEMPORARY VICTORIANS
1. A Case of Mis-Identity - Colin Dexter -4
2. The Startling Events in the Electrified City - Thomas Perry -4
3. The Case of the Colonel Warburton's Madness - Lyndsay Faye -3
4. The Infernal Machine - John Lutz - 2
5. The Specter of Tullyfane Abbey - Peter Tremayne -2
6. The Adventure of the Agitated Actress - Daniel Stashower -3
7. The Adventure of the Dorset Street Lodge - Michael Moorcock -3
8. The Adventure of the Venomous Lizard - Bill Crider -2
9. The Case of the Friesland Outrage - June Thomson -3
10. The Strange Case of the Tongue-Tied Tenor - Carol Bugge -2
11. The Human Mystery - Tanith Lee -3
12. Hostage to Fortune - Anne Perry -3
13. The Adventure of the Missing Countess - Jon Koons -3
14. The Adventure of Zolnay, the Aerialist - Rick Boyer -2
15. The Adventure of the Giant Rat of Sumatra - John T. Lescroart -3
THE FOOTSTEPS OF A GIGANTIC AUTHOR
1. Did Sherlock Holmes meet Hercule? - Julian Symons -2
2. A Trifling Affair - H.R.F. Keating -2
3. Raffles: The Engima of the Admiral's Hat - Barry Perowne -3
4. Raffles on the Trail of the Hound - Barry Porowne -3
5. The Adventure of the Cipher in the Sand - Edward D. Hoch -2
6. The South Sea Soup Co. - Kenneth Millar -1
7. The Adventure of the Clothes-Line - Carolyn Wells -2
8. Sherlock Holmes and the Muffin - Dorothy B. Hughes -2
9. The Man from Capetown - Stuart M. Kaminsky -3
10. But Our Hero Was Not Dead - Manly Wade Wellman -2
11. The Adventure of the Marked Man - Stuart Palmer -2
Eighty-three short stories in total, averaging 2.71 stars. I rounded up as a whole for the book. Definitely some standouts, not as many as I'd hoped.
Highlights:
- How Watson Learned the Trick - Arthur Conan Doyle - 4 stars (Watson learning some of Sherlock's tricks of the trade,
Spoiler
but also proving that sometimes there's such a thing as a simple (and easier) answer- The Late Sherlock Holmes - James M. Barrie -4.5 stars (My strongest rating of the collection, it was a particularly fun read --
Spoiler
particularly when Watson is accused to have killed Sherlock!-The Case of the Unseen Hand - Donald Thomas - 4 stars (This short study makes use of the
Spoiler
Dreyfus Affair-A Case of Mis-Identity - Colin Dexter -4 stars (
Spoiler
That there's always another perspective to the crime.Ratings for individual stories, for reference:
Spoiler
THE MASTER
1. The Field Bazaar - Arthur Conan Doyle -3
2. How Watson Learned the Trick - Arthur Conan Doyle -4
FAMILIAR (OFTEN REPRINTED)
1. The Unique 'Hamlet' - Vincent Starrett -4
2. The Stolen Cigar-Case - Bret Harte -3
3. The Case of the Man who was Wanted - Arthur Whitaker -3
4. The Adventure of the Two Collaborators - James M. Barrie -2
5. The Sleuths - O. Henry -4
6. Holmes and the Dasher - A.B. Cox -2
7. An Irreducible Detective Story - Stephen Leacock -2
8. The Doctor's Case - Stephen King -4
THE LITERATURE OF CRIME
1. The Brown Recluse - Davis Grubb -3
2. The Darkwater Hall Mystery - Kingsley Amis -3
3. The Case of the Gifted Amateur - J.C. Masterman -3
4. The Late Sherlock Holmes - James M. Barrie -4.5
5. Sherlock Holmes and the Drood Mystery - Edmund Pearson -2
6. The Rape of the Sherlock - A.A. Milne -2
7. From a Detective's Notebook - P.G. Wodehouse -3
8. The Ruby of Khitmandu - Hugh Kingsmill -3
9. The Adventure of the Remarkable Worm - August Derleth -2
10. The Enchanted Garden - H.F. Heard -3
11. A Study in Handwriting - Ring W. Lardner -3
12. The Case of Death and Honey - Neil Gaiman- 3
13. Murder to Music - Anthony Burgess -3
IN THE BEGINNING
1. An Evening with Sherlock Holmes - James M. Barrie -3
2. Detective Stories Gone Wrong: The Adventures of Sherlaw Kombs - Robert Barr -2
3. Sherlock Holmes vs. Conan Doyle - Anonymous -4
4. The Duke's Feather - R.C. Lehmann -2
5. The Sign of the '400' - Roy L. McCardell -3
HOLMESLESS
1. Codeine (7 per cent) - Christopher Morley -4
2. Mrs. Hudson's Case - Laurie R. King -4
3. The Final Problem - Bliss Austin -4
NOT OF THIS PLACE
1. The Adventure of the Bogle-Wolf - Anthony Boucher -3
2. The Martian Crown Jewels - Poul Anderson -4
3. Sherlock Among the Spirits - Anonymous -2
4. The Case of the Missing Partriarchs - Logan Clendening -3
5. The Devil and Sherlock Holmes - Loren D. Estleman -2
KEEPING THE MEMORY GREEN
1. The Strange Case of the Megatherium Thefts - S.C. Roberts -3
2. The Adventure of the Noble Husband - Peter Cannon -2
3. A Night with Sherlock Holmes - William O. Fueller -4
4. The Adventure of the Wooden Box - Leslie S. Klinger -2
5. The Case of the Unseen Hand - Donald Thomas -4
6. The Abandoned Brigantine - Sam Benady - 3
7. The Adventure of the Curious Canary - Barry Day -4
8. The Adventure of the Murdered Art Editor - Frederic Dorr Steele -2
9. The Darlington Substitution Scandal - David Stuart Davies -3
10. The Problem of the Purple Maculas - James C. Iraldi -4
YOU THINK THAT'S FUNNY?
1. The Adventure of the Second Swag - Robert Barr -4
2. Sheer Luck Again - Stanley Rubinstein -2
3. A Pragmatic Enigma - John Kendrick Bangs -3
4. Herlock Shomes At It Again - Anonymous -1
5. The Reigate Road Murder - Anthony Armstrong -1
6. The Succored Beauty - William B. Kahn -1
7. The Marriage of Sherlock Holmes - Gregory Breitman -1
8. The Return of Sherlock Holmes - E.F. Benson and Eustace H. Miles -1
9. The Unmasking of Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Chapman -2
10. The Adventure of the Diamond Necklace - George F. Forrest -3
11. The Adventure of the Ascot Tie - Robert L. Fish -2
CONTEMPORARY VICTORIANS
1. A Case of Mis-Identity - Colin Dexter -4
2. The Startling Events in the Electrified City - Thomas Perry -4
3. The Case of the Colonel Warburton's Madness - Lyndsay Faye -3
4. The Infernal Machine - John Lutz - 2
5. The Specter of Tullyfane Abbey - Peter Tremayne -2
6. The Adventure of the Agitated Actress - Daniel Stashower -3
7. The Adventure of the Dorset Street Lodge - Michael Moorcock -3
8. The Adventure of the Venomous Lizard - Bill Crider -2
9. The Case of the Friesland Outrage - June Thomson -3
10. The Strange Case of the Tongue-Tied Tenor - Carol Bugge -2
11. The Human Mystery - Tanith Lee -3
12. Hostage to Fortune - Anne Perry -3
13. The Adventure of the Missing Countess - Jon Koons -3
14. The Adventure of Zolnay, the Aerialist - Rick Boyer -2
15. The Adventure of the Giant Rat of Sumatra - John T. Lescroart -3
THE FOOTSTEPS OF A GIGANTIC AUTHOR
1. Did Sherlock Holmes meet Hercule? - Julian Symons -2
2. A Trifling Affair - H.R.F. Keating -2
3. Raffles: The Engima of the Admiral's Hat - Barry Perowne -3
4. Raffles on the Trail of the Hound - Barry Porowne -3
5. The Adventure of the Cipher in the Sand - Edward D. Hoch -2
6. The South Sea Soup Co. - Kenneth Millar -1
7. The Adventure of the Clothes-Line - Carolyn Wells -2
8. Sherlock Holmes and the Muffin - Dorothy B. Hughes -2
9. The Man from Capetown - Stuart M. Kaminsky -3
10. But Our Hero Was Not Dead - Manly Wade Wellman -2
11. The Adventure of the Marked Man - Stuart Palmer -2
skjam's review
4.0
I have a fondness for Sherlock Holmes, as I am sure the majority of my readers do. Unsurprisingly, there has been a ton of Holmes fanfiction over the years. Pastiches that try to capture the feel of Arthur Conan Doyle’s prose, parodies that make fun of the detective’s odd habits, and weirder works. This is a collection of such, many done professionally by famous authors. Thus it might be better described as a big book of Sherlock Holmes-related stories.
There’s an editorial introduction, and the book proper begins with an essay by Arthur Conan Doyle regarding how and why he created Sherlock Holmes, and why he killed the character off. (The essay being written before he brought the detective back.) Interestingly, he mentions that the “arc” of a dozen individual stories designed to be collected into a book was an innovation at the time–most of the magazine authors aiming for book publication went with serialized stories. Then there are two short pieces by Doyle being silly with his own creations.
There are over eighty stories all together, most quite short. They range in time from the very first Holmes parody “An Evening with Sherlock Holmes” by J.M. Barrie (an obnoxious know-it-all engages in dueling observation with Mr. Holmes) to the very recent “The Case of Death and Honey” by Neil Gaiman (Holmes goes to China to solve one last mystery.) Several stories crossover with other fictional characters (three times with jewel thief Raffles) or real life people. Arthur Conan Doyle appears several times, but others range from U.S. President William McKinley to John Merrick, the “Elephant Man.”
There are stories as well, about Sherlockians (fans of the stories)solving mysteries, the most unusual of which is “The Martian Crown Jewels” by Poul Anderson (a Martian detective investigates the theft of the title gems.)
The selection process heavily favored stories that are historically important or are by famous writers; this means that several of the tales are not of good quality. “Sherlock Holmes and the Dasher” by the normally excellent A.B. Cox is particularly dreadful. Most of the bad stories are extremely short. Some of the stories are frequently reprinted (there’s a section of them towards the front), while others are rare.
There’s period sexism and ethnic prejudice in some of the stories. “The Marriage of Sherlock Holmes” by Gregory Breitman is particularly bad on the sexism front for purposes of humor; it fell flat for me. Suicide appears more than once, although some of them are actually murders.
The volume concludes with “The Adventure of the Marked Man”by Stuart Palmer (a Cornish man receives death threats, but he hasn’t an enemy in the world…right?)
Most of the stories are good, but due to the uneven nature of this anthology, I recommend it primarily for dedicated Sherlock Holmes fans who will appreciate the rare tales. Others should use the library, and borrow the volume to read the stories by authors they like. (I especially recommend the “Modern Victorians” section for casual fans.)
There’s an editorial introduction, and the book proper begins with an essay by Arthur Conan Doyle regarding how and why he created Sherlock Holmes, and why he killed the character off. (The essay being written before he brought the detective back.) Interestingly, he mentions that the “arc” of a dozen individual stories designed to be collected into a book was an innovation at the time–most of the magazine authors aiming for book publication went with serialized stories. Then there are two short pieces by Doyle being silly with his own creations.
There are over eighty stories all together, most quite short. They range in time from the very first Holmes parody “An Evening with Sherlock Holmes” by J.M. Barrie (an obnoxious know-it-all engages in dueling observation with Mr. Holmes) to the very recent “The Case of Death and Honey” by Neil Gaiman (Holmes goes to China to solve one last mystery.) Several stories crossover with other fictional characters (three times with jewel thief Raffles) or real life people. Arthur Conan Doyle appears several times, but others range from U.S. President William McKinley to John Merrick, the “Elephant Man.”
There are stories as well, about Sherlockians (fans of the stories)solving mysteries, the most unusual of which is “The Martian Crown Jewels” by Poul Anderson (a Martian detective investigates the theft of the title gems.)
The selection process heavily favored stories that are historically important or are by famous writers; this means that several of the tales are not of good quality. “Sherlock Holmes and the Dasher” by the normally excellent A.B. Cox is particularly dreadful. Most of the bad stories are extremely short. Some of the stories are frequently reprinted (there’s a section of them towards the front), while others are rare.
There’s period sexism and ethnic prejudice in some of the stories. “The Marriage of Sherlock Holmes” by Gregory Breitman is particularly bad on the sexism front for purposes of humor; it fell flat for me. Suicide appears more than once, although some of them are actually murders.
The volume concludes with “The Adventure of the Marked Man”by Stuart Palmer (a Cornish man receives death threats, but he hasn’t an enemy in the world…right?)
Most of the stories are good, but due to the uneven nature of this anthology, I recommend it primarily for dedicated Sherlock Holmes fans who will appreciate the rare tales. Others should use the library, and borrow the volume to read the stories by authors they like. (I especially recommend the “Modern Victorians” section for casual fans.)
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