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leeakolb's review
3.0
Decent but not great.
This is a collection of short stories obviously. They are of varying quality. Of course none rise to the originals. Some are merely interesting and some are boring. And one might be considered shocking if the twist wasn't one I had read many times before.
This is a collection of short stories obviously. They are of varying quality. Of course none rise to the originals. Some are merely interesting and some are boring. And one might be considered shocking if the twist wasn't one I had read many times before.
snazzybooks's review
4.0
always enjoy a mystery story, whether it be modern or classic stories featuring maverick detectives like Sherlock Holmes, so I was excited to read this new collection of seven short stories featuring Holmes and Watson. The stories are each quite different, covering different conundrums and locations. Although many stories stay in and around London, we also travel as far as America in one tale called The Adventure of the Koreshan Unity.
There are some serious topics addressed in these stories, and many feel very relevant today - some were presented with humour to help reinforce issues such as gender equality (I loved reading about the commune in Koreshan Unity where women are equal to men, and certainly hold plenty of power in their community - some of the characters' lines really made me laugh) whilst others were shown in a more serious light.
As is natural with a collection of stories, I enjoyed some more than others. A few of my favourites include Death of a Mudlark, which felt quite convincing in its subject matter and kept me wondering as to 'whodunnit', and The Adventure of the Koreshan Unity also shone for me. It was also great to have a different point of view - that of Detective Lestrade - for the final story, called The Common Correspondent, and this offered an enjoyable change from Watson's narratives.
The one thing I didn't like as much about these stories was the way that Sherlock Holmes' noticing of small/ insignificant things was really played up. Almost (but not quite) every story honed in on the fact that in the original stories Holmes tends to notice very small, seemingly insignificant details about a person and then declare them out loud. Although I accept this is part of what makes the character so brilliant, it felt a little forced and like the authors felt they had to include this because it's a Sherlock Holmes story. That is just me being very picky, though - everything else about this collection was very enjoyable.
The Sign of Seven is a great way to spend a few hours for any mystery fan; enjoy losing yourself in not one but seven Sherlock Holmes mysteries!
There are some serious topics addressed in these stories, and many feel very relevant today - some were presented with humour to help reinforce issues such as gender equality (I loved reading about the commune in Koreshan Unity where women are equal to men, and certainly hold plenty of power in their community - some of the characters' lines really made me laugh) whilst others were shown in a more serious light.
As is natural with a collection of stories, I enjoyed some more than others. A few of my favourites include Death of a Mudlark, which felt quite convincing in its subject matter and kept me wondering as to 'whodunnit', and The Adventure of the Koreshan Unity also shone for me. It was also great to have a different point of view - that of Detective Lestrade - for the final story, called The Common Correspondent, and this offered an enjoyable change from Watson's narratives.
The one thing I didn't like as much about these stories was the way that Sherlock Holmes' noticing of small/ insignificant things was really played up. Almost (but not quite) every story honed in on the fact that in the original stories Holmes tends to notice very small, seemingly insignificant details about a person and then declare them out loud. Although I accept this is part of what makes the character so brilliant, it felt a little forced and like the authors felt they had to include this because it's a Sherlock Holmes story. That is just me being very picky, though - everything else about this collection was very enjoyable.
The Sign of Seven is a great way to spend a few hours for any mystery fan; enjoy losing yourself in not one but seven Sherlock Holmes mysteries!
paperbacksandpinot's review
4.0
Firstly I would like to thank Titan Books for sending me a copy of this book for review. It’s fair to say that the recent TV incarnation of Sherlock Holmes has piqued my interest, so when the opportunity for a written pastiche was offered I jumped at the chance. Seven novella length stories all with very different takes fill the pages. Death of a Mudlark by Stuart Douglass is the opener and the strongest of the novella’s in my view. It felt the most comfortable in it’s setting and the least far fetched, I liked how it didn’t get tumbled up in complexities and felt like a genuine mystery rather than playing up to what we now see of Sherlock Holmes. There are still plenty of flourishes but it was a great down to earth story to ease the reader in to the tales that come next!
The novella’s are all readable in a single sitting, which was really nice as they are the sort of thing you wouldn’t want to stop in the middle, such is the pace and flow. It was a great mix of murder and missing person mystery, moving from the somewhat mystical to the macabre. Holmes’ deductions will have the most seasoned of readers scratching their heads, these are certainly stories in which I could never see the culprit coming and the freedom to take the characters in the most unusual of directions was as intriguing as the mysteries themselves. There is a fair bit of humour and Amy Thomas really shone out casting Holmes as the king of the burn, with phrases such as “resentment suggests a level of care that I don’t remotely possess” in her The Adventure of the Koreshan Unity; it’s certainly one I’m going to keep back for an appropriate cutting moment!
I enjoyed how Amy Thomas took Holmes and Watson outside of London for her escapade, after five of the stories in the setting it gave a much needed change of scene and dynamic. I enjoyed how it again freed up the characters to be not what is expected of them as their reputation preceded them to a smaller degree. The dig at the ludicrous religious cults that pop up felt fairly topical, especially when looking at the role of women in equal society at that time. It’s a shame, because what I did find frustrating was that the 2 books written by women were relegated to the last two stories and whilst Our Common Correspondent by Lyndsay Faye was a great choice to end, it irked me a little especially as both were adding a much needed feminist voice, it really stood out to me that they were really trying to bring diversity in their works. The change of pace from Dr Watson’s point of view to Detective Lestrade’s wrapped up the book nicely in Our Common Correspondent, and again showed editorial thought.
Although set in the time of the original texts, it was refreshing to have modern themes present, the topic of domestic violence was dealt with over a couple of stories, and whilst I accept this behaviour has sadly been part of our society for some time, it’s always encouraging to have the issue brought forward, animal cruelty and poverty are also striking themes and really are testament to the diversity that novella collections can bring.
This is going to be a must for Holmes fans and if, like me, you’re wanting a more accessible book to keep you with the characters you have come to love through other mediums, it’s a great introduction.
The novella’s are all readable in a single sitting, which was really nice as they are the sort of thing you wouldn’t want to stop in the middle, such is the pace and flow. It was a great mix of murder and missing person mystery, moving from the somewhat mystical to the macabre. Holmes’ deductions will have the most seasoned of readers scratching their heads, these are certainly stories in which I could never see the culprit coming and the freedom to take the characters in the most unusual of directions was as intriguing as the mysteries themselves. There is a fair bit of humour and Amy Thomas really shone out casting Holmes as the king of the burn, with phrases such as “resentment suggests a level of care that I don’t remotely possess” in her The Adventure of the Koreshan Unity; it’s certainly one I’m going to keep back for an appropriate cutting moment!
I enjoyed how Amy Thomas took Holmes and Watson outside of London for her escapade, after five of the stories in the setting it gave a much needed change of scene and dynamic. I enjoyed how it again freed up the characters to be not what is expected of them as their reputation preceded them to a smaller degree. The dig at the ludicrous religious cults that pop up felt fairly topical, especially when looking at the role of women in equal society at that time. It’s a shame, because what I did find frustrating was that the 2 books written by women were relegated to the last two stories and whilst Our Common Correspondent by Lyndsay Faye was a great choice to end, it irked me a little especially as both were adding a much needed feminist voice, it really stood out to me that they were really trying to bring diversity in their works. The change of pace from Dr Watson’s point of view to Detective Lestrade’s wrapped up the book nicely in Our Common Correspondent, and again showed editorial thought.
Although set in the time of the original texts, it was refreshing to have modern themes present, the topic of domestic violence was dealt with over a couple of stories, and whilst I accept this behaviour has sadly been part of our society for some time, it’s always encouraging to have the issue brought forward, animal cruelty and poverty are also striking themes and really are testament to the diversity that novella collections can bring.
This is going to be a must for Holmes fans and if, like me, you’re wanting a more accessible book to keep you with the characters you have come to love through other mediums, it’s a great introduction.
karo_221b's review
4.0
The Sign of Seven is, as the name suggests, a collection of seven Sherlock Holmes stories. A little too long for short stories, but not yet long enough to be novels, these stories inch into the area of novella. All of them get the victorian ambiance just right and you get that „Holmes-Feeling“, which is essential for a good pastiche. But I have to admit that I won’t remember all of these stories for very long. I’m already starting to forget the details of some of them – even though they were certainly entertaining while I read them. However there were two stories that stuck out to me. These are Andrew Lane’s „The Dark Carnival“ (dark secrets luring in London’s High Society – always fun) and of course Lyndsay Faye’s „Our Common Correspondent“ (a very moving story written from Lestrade’s perspective). All in all a very nice collection which I would recommend.
bookphile's review
3.0
While I enjoyed most of the stories, this is sadly a rather mediocre collection.
The stories:
Death of a Mudlark by Stuart Douglas: good, but not great. The author over-explained a bit in an effort to show off knowledge of cannon and Sherlock's methods. The story itself wasn't that interesting though.
The Adventure of Deadly Seance by James Lovegrove: dnf. The author put Sherlock Holmes in brown face. I don't think I need to explain why this is a problem in 2020. I don't care if Sherlock himself had no idea what that was and that back then it probably wouldn't have been a problem. It is today. There was absolutely no need for it to be part of the plot. Also uses the g*psy slur and uses Native American lore in stereotypical fashion. I was kind of shocked when I looked the author up and saw that he was moderately well know and that he wrote for the Firefly tv show.
The Adventure of a Heroic Tobacconist by Derric Belanger: good story with an interesting mystery and a satisfying ending.
The Dark Carnival by Andrew Lane: interesting story, but there wasn't really an ending to it, and no resolution. Except maybe rich people are fucked up.
The Monkton House Mystery by David Stuart Davies: the best story in the collection. Interesting premise, great mystery, good writing. He even threw in a few red herrings and an unexpected villain. Great resolution.
The Adventure of the Koreshun Unity by Amy Thomas: weak premise and uninteresting plot. I didn't believe for a second that Holmes would come out of retirement for this weak sauce mystery. Or travel the Atlantic for it.
Out Common Correspondent by Lyndsey Feye: interesting premise, but not as good as I expected it to be considering I bought this book for this story. Feye wrote some of my favorite pastiches so my expectations were high. I loved that she took on Lestrade as the narrator instead of Watson because it's refreshing to see Holmes from the point of view of someone who doesn't idolize him and Lestrade's endless digs as Holmes were funny. But I can't say I liked the mystery that much and there wasn't really resolution. Also docking points for using the term "street Arabs" again, I don't care that Doyle himself used the term, it was a different time and using "urchins" or "homeless" would have been just as authentic.
So overall, a mixed collection of good and bad stories. Would recommend borrowing from the library.
The stories:
Death of a Mudlark by Stuart Douglas: good, but not great. The author over-explained a bit in an effort to show off knowledge of cannon and Sherlock's methods. The story itself wasn't that interesting though.
The Adventure of Deadly Seance by James Lovegrove: dnf. The author put Sherlock Holmes in brown face. I don't think I need to explain why this is a problem in 2020. I don't care if Sherlock himself had no idea what that was and that back then it probably wouldn't have been a problem. It is today. There was absolutely no need for it to be part of the plot. Also uses the g*psy slur and uses Native American lore in stereotypical fashion. I was kind of shocked when I looked the author up and saw that he was moderately well know and that he wrote for the Firefly tv show.
The Adventure of a Heroic Tobacconist by Derric Belanger: good story with an interesting mystery and a satisfying ending.
The Dark Carnival by Andrew Lane: interesting story, but there wasn't really an ending to it, and no resolution. Except maybe rich people are fucked up.
The Monkton House Mystery by David Stuart Davies: the best story in the collection. Interesting premise, great mystery, good writing. He even threw in a few red herrings and an unexpected villain. Great resolution.
The Adventure of the Koreshun Unity by Amy Thomas: weak premise and uninteresting plot. I didn't believe for a second that Holmes would come out of retirement for this weak sauce mystery. Or travel the Atlantic for it.
Out Common Correspondent by Lyndsey Feye: interesting premise, but not as good as I expected it to be considering I bought this book for this story. Feye wrote some of my favorite pastiches so my expectations were high. I loved that she took on Lestrade as the narrator instead of Watson because it's refreshing to see Holmes from the point of view of someone who doesn't idolize him and Lestrade's endless digs as Holmes were funny. But I can't say I liked the mystery that much and there wasn't really resolution. Also docking points for using the term "street Arabs" again, I don't care that Doyle himself used the term, it was a different time and using "urchins" or "homeless" would have been just as authentic.
So overall, a mixed collection of good and bad stories. Would recommend borrowing from the library.
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