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kpjt_books's review
4.0
Delightful. Daughter is reading it then we're going to decide which ones we liked best. Curious to see if our choices are similar. :)
moonflower75's review
5.0
I love this book, but I'd say that is pretty obvious from the five stars I gave it. I wish I could say that I have read it all in one sitting but no, real life hasn't been relaxed enough to let me do that and you know what? I say "thank you for that", because in this way I've been able to cherish each story, even though the glutton in me wanted to gorge on them.
Fries sapiently alternates 19th century and modern Holmes and Watson, thus underlining the concept at the basis of her collection of fifty short stories: these two characters, created by Arthur Conan Doyle, are immortal, and no matter what, no matter where, no matter how they meet for the first time, they will always be the best of friends, perfectly suited and there for one another through thick and thin.
Fries' tone and style are among my favourites and they are shown to perfection here: constantly impeccable, no ups-and-downs, and they make every story a little gem on its own. If some of these stories resonate more with me, like "Bloody Charming", "Terry the Terror", "Make Love, Not..." and "My Brother's Keeper", well... I'm only human, and it doesn't at all mean I enjoyed the others any less. On the contrary, I feel like praising Fries for another feat: she made me love short story collections again, and I can only thank her for that.
Fries sapiently alternates 19th century and modern Holmes and Watson, thus underlining the concept at the basis of her collection of fifty short stories: these two characters, created by Arthur Conan Doyle, are immortal, and no matter what, no matter where, no matter how they meet for the first time, they will always be the best of friends, perfectly suited and there for one another through thick and thin.
Fries' tone and style are among my favourites and they are shown to perfection here: constantly impeccable, no ups-and-downs, and they make every story a little gem on its own. If some of these stories resonate more with me, like "Bloody Charming", "Terry the Terror", "Make Love, Not..." and "My Brother's Keeper", well... I'm only human, and it doesn't at all mean I enjoyed the others any less. On the contrary, I feel like praising Fries for another feat: she made me love short story collections again, and I can only thank her for that.
macbean221b's review
3.0
This is a fun collection of flash fiction, showcasing fifty different ways in which Holmes and Watson might have met. I really only have one criticism, but it's kind of a big one.
The introduction posits that "[t]here is no time and no place in which John Watson and Sherlock Holmes would not have met." That sounds like it's setting the reader up for a really wide variety of eras and locations, right? But of the fifty stories, forty-four are set in London. Twenty-five are set between 1897 and 1888, and twenty-three are set between 2007 and 2015. There is one set in 1996, and one--my favorite one--is written in a way that it could be either 1864 or 1984.
I enjoyed this collection, but if more of the stories had veered away from late-Victorian and modern times, I would've liked it even more.
(Also? The author is clearly a huge Watson fan--she often writes him nearly as competent as Holmes. Which is fine with me, personally; the further from Nigel Bruce's Watson a characterisation is, the happier I am. But I know some people who read my reviews might be kind of turned off by a shiny, less problematic Watson.)
The introduction posits that "[t]here is no time and no place in which John Watson and Sherlock Holmes would not have met." That sounds like it's setting the reader up for a really wide variety of eras and locations, right? But of the fifty stories, forty-four are set in London. Twenty-five are set between 1897 and 1888, and twenty-three are set between 2007 and 2015. There is one set in 1996, and one--my favorite one--is written in a way that it could be either 1864 or 1984.
I enjoyed this collection, but if more of the stories had veered away from late-Victorian and modern times, I would've liked it even more.
(Also? The author is clearly a huge Watson fan--she often writes him nearly as competent as Holmes. Which is fine with me, personally; the further from Nigel Bruce's Watson a characterisation is, the happier I am. But I know some people who read my reviews might be kind of turned off by a shiny, less problematic Watson.)
claudia_is_reading's review
5.0
I'm in love with Wendy C Fries stories. I love her writing style, I love her tales, but what I love the most is how she loves her characters.
In this short stories, you can see this love shine brightly in each and every alternate encounter of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson.
The stories vary in every way you can imagine: timeline always, but also age, occupation, place and circumstances. But they are always them, they are always Sherlock and John, Holmes and Watson, their friendship always the single fact that makes them better and happier.
The fact this book is read by Verity Burns only add to its loveliness. Her interpretation is sheer perfection.
If you love these character, in whatever version you love them, you'll love this book.
In this short stories, you can see this love shine brightly in each and every alternate encounter of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson.
The stories vary in every way you can imagine: timeline always, but also age, occupation, place and circumstances. But they are always them, they are always Sherlock and John, Holmes and Watson, their friendship always the single fact that makes them better and happier.
The fact this book is read by Verity Burns only add to its loveliness. Her interpretation is sheer perfection.
If you love these character, in whatever version you love them, you'll love this book.
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