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booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
THE AFFAIR OF THE MYSTERIOUS LETTER is a Sherlock Holmes retelling which is witty and delightful, with Watson (Captain John Wyndham) as a trans man, Sherlock (Ms. Shaharazad Haas) as a bisexual woman, and Irene Adler (Miss Eirene Viola) as a former lover being blackmailed in her engagement. The setting is fantastical, time travel is a matter of connection and logistics, other dimensions are distant but accessible, and Captain John Wyndham is too aghast to actually write how many times Shaharazad says "fuck" (though he faithfully chronicles his reticence at every turn). I adore retellings, and this was a special treat since, having begun with Sherlock Holmes in a queernorm fantasy setting, it pulled in pieces of at least two other stories I could identity, weaving them in to give me no fewer than three retellings in one.
As a narrator, Captain John Wyndham is torn between fascination with Shaharazad's hedonism and a need to maintain his own sense of propriety. He grew up in a strictly religious environment, implicitly having chosen to live away from home due to some degree of transphobia which he never quite describes. I like how his words convey so much of his personality along with Shaharazad, making his paraphrases of her language quite clear and not just pretending she has more decorum than she does. He also makes reference to the serial release of this story's chapters, discussions with his editor, and the fact that he's writing this several decades after the events. Instead of just infodumping, he flags any particularly dense descriptions as skippable for a reader who is already familiar with the setting and recent history, at once providing guidance for readers who dislike dense descriptions, and also deepening the sense of immersion by making the reader party to the world.
Things I love, in no particular order: The clever use of parts of Dracula; the resolution to Eirene Viola's problem; the way Wyndham keeps so tightly to propriety even when it's comically unsuitable to the situation; the narrative style, Shaharazad's bravado and continual attempts to plan as little as possible and still have things work out well enough.
As a narrator, Captain John Wyndham is torn between fascination with Shaharazad's hedonism and a need to maintain his own sense of propriety. He grew up in a strictly religious environment, implicitly having chosen to live away from home due to some degree of transphobia which he never quite describes. I like how his words convey so much of his personality along with Shaharazad, making his paraphrases of her language quite clear and not just pretending she has more decorum than she does. He also makes reference to the serial release of this story's chapters, discussions with his editor, and the fact that he's writing this several decades after the events. Instead of just infodumping, he flags any particularly dense descriptions as skippable for a reader who is already familiar with the setting and recent history, at once providing guidance for readers who dislike dense descriptions, and also deepening the sense of immersion by making the reader party to the world.
Things I love, in no particular order: The clever use of parts of Dracula; the resolution to Eirene Viola's problem; the way Wyndham keeps so tightly to propriety even when it's comically unsuitable to the situation; the narrative style, Shaharazad's bravado and continual attempts to plan as little as possible and still have things work out well enough.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Violence, Classism, Toxic friendship, Religious bigotry, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Confinement, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Murder, Death, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, and Drug use
Minor: Ableism, Xenophobia, Cursing, Transphobia, Self harm, Sexism, Animal death, and War
aj_langley's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
The only thing that detracted from the story was the excessive repetition of phrases (this may have been more impactful in the audiobook than in a physical copy).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse and Drug use
Moderate: Murder, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, and Toxic friendship
alba_marie's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
3.5 Stars rounded up.
"I believe the right to disregard the law is intrinsic and unalienable."
The premise of this is great. Basically, it is a fantasy, gender-reversed, sorceress take on Sherlock Holmes. It's an adventure story, full of swashbuckling heroes, gothic monsters and evil villains. There are time travellers too, sweeping – and tragic – love stories, and a litany of bizarre characters along the way.
I love the way that it's broken into "instalments" – the way that things were published during the Victorian era. The author did a great job at the characterisation of Shaharazad Haas, Hall's take on Sherlock Holmes. Her sidekick John Wyndim, and his constant attempt at moralising tales that are amoral, added a hilarious element to the book.
I couldn't give much of a summary other than that Shaharazad is hired by a friend, Irenie, to investigate a blackmailing, and Shaharazad and John investigate a list of five suspects, spread over five instalments.
I fully admit I wasn't as tapped into the story as I could be, and wish I had given more focus on the details. However, I started listening to the book at the tail end of work as maternity leave was about to start, so in the flurry of stress and activity wrapping things up at work, I sadly didn't give the audiobook my full attention until after mat leave started about halfway through. I missed out on some of the details in the earlier "instalments." That said, because of the fake instalment style, the author did a good job summing up what happened in previous sections so I was able to keep on top of the meandering adventure story and the various characters they met along the way.
Overall, and despite my distraction for the first few hours, I found it fun, enjoyable and actually quite funny. Dry, ridiculous British humour (esp. via audiobook) gets me every time...! John made me laugh so much with his moralising, and how he constantly dug himself holes by insisting on telling the truth in detail. The Augher (sp?) or second augher – the policeman – was my favourite. He was trying so hard to help John out, to stay out of trouble, giving him every chance to throw someone else under the bus instead of himself, and somehow, John just kept grabbing the shovel back and kept digging the hole deeper.
I listened to the last chunk of it today (with my full attention, for once!) and actually managed to sort of guess the ending, which is a surprise. But regardless, I found it fun and very entertaining. A great fantasy adventure story and a fun take on the Sherlock Holmes character. It's perfect for anyone looking for a solid adventure tale with a good dose of British humour and a main character that will repeatedly make you either roll your eyes, say "oh John," in an exasperated voice, or face palm.
"I believe the right to disregard the law is intrinsic and unalienable."
The premise of this is great. Basically, it is a fantasy, gender-reversed, sorceress take on Sherlock Holmes. It's an adventure story, full of swashbuckling heroes, gothic monsters and evil villains. There are time travellers too, sweeping – and tragic – love stories, and a litany of bizarre characters along the way.
I love the way that it's broken into "instalments" – the way that things were published during the Victorian era. The author did a great job at the characterisation of Shaharazad Haas, Hall's take on Sherlock Holmes. Her sidekick John Wyndim, and his constant attempt at moralising tales that are amoral, added a hilarious element to the book.
I couldn't give much of a summary other than that Shaharazad is hired by a friend, Irenie, to investigate a blackmailing, and Shaharazad and John investigate a list of five suspects, spread over five instalments.
I fully admit I wasn't as tapped into the story as I could be, and wish I had given more focus on the details. However, I started listening to the book at the tail end of work as maternity leave was about to start, so in the flurry of stress and activity wrapping things up at work, I sadly didn't give the audiobook my full attention until after mat leave started about halfway through. I missed out on some of the details in the earlier "instalments." That said, because of the fake instalment style, the author did a good job summing up what happened in previous sections so I was able to keep on top of the meandering adventure story and the various characters they met along the way.
Overall, and despite my distraction for the first few hours, I found it fun, enjoyable and actually quite funny. Dry, ridiculous British humour (esp. via audiobook) gets me every time...! John made me laugh so much with his moralising, and how he constantly dug himself holes by insisting on telling the truth in detail. The Augher (sp?) or second augher – the policeman – was my favourite. He was trying so hard to help John out, to stay out of trouble, giving him every chance to throw someone else under the bus instead of himself, and somehow, John just kept grabbing the shovel back and kept digging the hole deeper.
I listened to the last chunk of it today (with my full attention, for once!) and actually managed to sort of guess the ending, which is a surprise. But regardless, I found it fun and very entertaining. A great fantasy adventure story and a fun take on the Sherlock Holmes character. It's perfect for anyone looking for a solid adventure tale with a good dose of British humour and a main character that will repeatedly make you either roll your eyes, say "oh John," in an exasperated voice, or face palm.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Murder
Minor: Toxic friendship
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