Encounters of Sherlock Holmes by George Mann (Editor)
| Encounters of Sherlock Holmes by George Mann (Editor) | |
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| Category: Crime (Historical) | |
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Reviewer: Louise Jones
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| Summary: A brand new collection of Sherlock Holmes short stories by contemporary authors. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 400 | Date: February 2013 |
| Publisher: Titan | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 9781781160039 | |
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Sherlock Holmes remains an enduring icon of English literature; perhaps as popular today as he was back in the late 1800s, maybe even more so with the advent of TV and film adaptations of his adventures. Indeed, such is the lasting appeal of the character that since the death of Conan Doyle there have been literally hundreds of works published, picking up where the original stories left off.
Encounters of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of such stories, written by authors from a variety of literary genres including steampunk, horror, comedy and sci-fi. The result is an entertaining, eclectic mix of short stories, written in varying styles, with each adding a unique perspective on Holmes and his investigations.
Like any collection of short stories, I found Encounters of Sherlock Holmes to be a mixed bag. I noticed that some of the stories stuck very closely to Doyle’s original style, writing from the first-person point of view of Dr Watson. Others took a more sideways approach to storytelling, such as the case of the murdered Martian ambassador in a sequel to War of the Worlds with tongue (or should that be tentacle?) placed rather firmly in cheek!
In his ‘encounters’ during the book, Holmes meets quite a few familiar characters, including gentleman thief, A. J. Raffles, H.G. Wells, Richard Francis Burton and even Frankenstein’s monster and Dr Jekyll. I must admit that as a bit of a purist, I preferred the stories that stuck to the original style and wasn’t so keen on the ones that strayed too far into the realms of fantasy.
However, I found the Encounters of Sherlock Holmes a most enjoyable and original collection of Holmes stories. The length of each story was perfect for enjoying during a coffee break, but I have to confess to extending my breaks somewhat in order to squeeze out a couple of stories in one sitting!
The reference work Eliminate the Impossible: An Examination of the World of Sherlock Holmes on Page and Screen by Alistair Duncan and Steve Emecz is interesting reading for those who enjoy Sherlock Holmes adventures.
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