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The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: War of the Worlds by Manly Wade Wellman, Wade Wellman
jhouses's review against another edition
2.0
Un pastiche Holmesiano que sitúa al detective y al profesor Challenger en la invasión marciana de Wells. No aporta nada al canon salvo torturarlo para incluir una historia amorosa inverosímil. Además los personajes se limitan a asistir como espectadores a los eventos principales de la invasión sin aportar nada. Como además se separan, asistimos a la repetición de los mismos sucesos desde distinto punto de vista. Mucho mejor leerse el segundo volumen de la Liga de Caballeros Extraordinarios que por lo menos se esfuerza.
alwroteabook's review against another edition
5.0
In a fit of whimsy, I hereby announce I will give everyone five stars, but the reviews may not reflect it.
This was a pretty good retelling of War of the Worlds, except this time from the perspective of Sherlock Holmes, Dr Watson and Professor Challenger of The Lost World fame. Holmes and Watson were done well, very close to the original characters. It's been a million years since I read The Lost World, but Challenger is portrayed as a pompous oaf and hardcore mansplainer, utterly confident of the fact that he is the finest mind on planet earth. He is at his best (as in humorous) when putting down fellow scientists. Otherwise, I'd happily give him a swift kick in the knackers. The story is well done, as each character directly interacts with the invaders, and they often discuss the "fallacies" in Wells's telling of the invasion. Like Holmes? Like Wells? Then this is well worth your time.
This was a pretty good retelling of War of the Worlds, except this time from the perspective of Sherlock Holmes, Dr Watson and Professor Challenger of The Lost World fame. Holmes and Watson were done well, very close to the original characters. It's been a million years since I read The Lost World, but Challenger is portrayed as a pompous oaf and hardcore mansplainer, utterly confident of the fact that he is the finest mind on planet earth. He is at his best (as in humorous) when putting down fellow scientists. Otherwise, I'd happily give him a swift kick in the knackers. The story is well done, as each character directly interacts with the invaders, and they often discuss the "fallacies" in Wells's telling of the invasion. Like Holmes? Like Wells? Then this is well worth your time.
northernfleabag's review against another edition
2.0
For me, the book only picked up at almost 100 pages in; which never sounds good if you're trying to recommend it to anyone. I found that there were a handful of Holmesian traits that went against the grain of the usual Sherlockian pastiche/Holmes in general (despite telling myself that that is the point of a pastiche too) that grated on me, but as I read on I found that the Wellman's rectified almost all of my issues. I adored the addition of Conan Doyle's Professor Challenger though, not quite as good a foil as Watson but proved to be an entertaining viewpoint.
bev_reads_mysteries's review against another edition
3.0
In The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The War of the Worlds, Manly W. Wellman and Wade Wellman have taken the Sherlock Holmes we all know and love and joined him up with Doyle's other brilliant character, Professor Challenger. These two analytical men investigate and try to come up with a response to the alien invasion previously chronicled in H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds. There are several startling revelations...one in particular about Holmes and a few that "set the record straight" (as Watson would put it) about the events In London during the attack.
Overall, the Wellmans do an adequate job of telling their story and incorporating the worlds of Doyle and Wells. It is a bit disjointed in places...evidence that the novel was originally published as several "articles" which were meant to tell the "truth" about the Martian invasion. I think the portions which focus on the Professor's and Watson's point of view work best. Some of the writing from Holmes' point of view don't ring quite as true. I definitely enjoyed the interactions between Holmes and Challenger, and I am now eager to read the works that feature the egotistical professor.
***Spoiler Alert***
My major quibble with the story is the supposed romance between Holmes and Mrs. Hudson. There is no way that anyone will get me to believe that Watson, dull as he is sometimes portrayed, would have missed that relationship's reality. AND, given the good doctor's inclination to describe and have great sympathy for the beautiful women who employ Holmes as clients, you can't tell me that he wouldn't have mentioned that Mrs. Hudson was a youngish (30-ish), blonde, blue-eyed, statuesque, beauty. If there's anything the doctor notices, it's a pretty face.
Overall, the Wellmans do an adequate job of telling their story and incorporating the worlds of Doyle and Wells. It is a bit disjointed in places...evidence that the novel was originally published as several "articles" which were meant to tell the "truth" about the Martian invasion. I think the portions which focus on the Professor's and Watson's point of view work best. Some of the writing from Holmes' point of view don't ring quite as true. I definitely enjoyed the interactions between Holmes and Challenger, and I am now eager to read the works that feature the egotistical professor.
***Spoiler Alert***
My major quibble with the story is the supposed romance between Holmes and Mrs. Hudson. There is no way that anyone will get me to believe that Watson, dull as he is sometimes portrayed, would have missed that relationship's reality. AND, given the good doctor's inclination to describe and have great sympathy for the beautiful women who employ Holmes as clients, you can't tell me that he wouldn't have mentioned that Mrs. Hudson was a youngish (30-ish), blonde, blue-eyed, statuesque, beauty. If there's anything the doctor notices, it's a pretty face.
hoppy500's review against another edition
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.
kelseyvsy's review against another edition
1.0
Utterly boring, Watson is off somewhere else for most of the book, Mr Challenger is annoying and adds nothing, Mrs Hudson is moved from a background character to Holmes' lover (which I find disturbing and frankly gross). Not a fan at all of this story.
misslupescu's review against another edition
2.0
I really struggled with this one. I stuck with it as well as I could until I got Watson's part (in first person) of the book. It lost me.
I rarely not finish a book, I will always stick it out till the end if I start a book. But when I got to the "appendices", I was just so exhausted with it and stopped there.
Don't get me wrong, the mash up is a genius one and I was enjoying it amongst the struggle until Watson's part.
So pick it up with caution.
I rarely not finish a book, I will always stick it out till the end if I start a book. But when I got to the "appendices", I was just so exhausted with it and stopped there.
Don't get me wrong, the mash up is a genius one and I was enjoying it amongst the struggle until Watson's part.
So pick it up with caution.
sunsoar25's review
3.0
I was really hoping for more from Holmes story but it didn't quite work for me. Holmes doesn't have a whole lot to do in this and Watson comes across as a little too dumb for my liking. Plus, I don't feel like I know nearly enough about Arthur Conan Doyle's other classic character, Professor Challenger, to really get this. I would like to read more about him in the future though.
caidyn's review
4.0
3.5
While I was reading this book, I was in a mocking mood, so mock I did. I actually think that it made me like the book better this one time.
There were quite a few things that I disliked with this book. First, it was the love triangle with Holmes, Mrs. Hudson, and Mr. Hudson. It wasn't needed for the story, and, after watching BBC's Sherlock, I only see Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock and Una Stubbs as Mrs. Hudson. It wasn't a pretty sight to see when they were kissing in my head. Secondly, was the first person writing in context with Holmes; completely out of character.
This was a mash up of three books. Characters from Sherlock Holmes novels -- including a brief touch on Victor Trevor, a highly ignored character -- and Professor Challenger from [b:The Lost World|10155|The Lost World (Professor Challenger, #1)|Arthur Conan Doyle|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320504012s/10155.jpg|1098725]. The plot was basically taken from Wells's [b:The War of the Worlds|8909|The War of the Worlds|H.G. Wells|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320391644s/8909.jpg|3194841].
Having not read The Lost World, I have no idea how in character Professor Challenger was, but having read Sherlock Holmes, I know that Holmes was definitely off.
Other than that, I enjoyed it. Had its own twist on Wells, but it remained about the same. Basically, this was a good story to me. Not really what I would call a mystery since everyone knows the basic premise of The War of the Worlds.
While I was reading this book, I was in a mocking mood, so mock I did. I actually think that it made me like the book better this one time.
There were quite a few things that I disliked with this book. First, it was the love triangle with Holmes, Mrs. Hudson, and Mr. Hudson. It wasn't needed for the story, and, after watching BBC's Sherlock, I only see Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock and Una Stubbs as Mrs. Hudson. It wasn't a pretty sight to see when they were kissing in my head. Secondly, was the first person writing in context with Holmes; completely out of character.
This was a mash up of three books. Characters from Sherlock Holmes novels -- including a brief touch on Victor Trevor, a highly ignored character -- and Professor Challenger from [b:The Lost World|10155|The Lost World (Professor Challenger, #1)|Arthur Conan Doyle|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320504012s/10155.jpg|1098725]. The plot was basically taken from Wells's [b:The War of the Worlds|8909|The War of the Worlds|H.G. Wells|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320391644s/8909.jpg|3194841].
Having not read The Lost World, I have no idea how in character Professor Challenger was, but having read Sherlock Holmes, I know that Holmes was definitely off.
Other than that, I enjoyed it. Had its own twist on Wells, but it remained about the same. Basically, this was a good story to me. Not really what I would call a mystery since everyone knows the basic premise of The War of the Worlds.
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