The Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

August 17, 2009
For the most part, this volume of short Sherlock Holmes pastiches—a mix of straightforward imitations and parodies—delivers on its goal of presenting the best of such work from the last 30 years. All but one of the 28 entries is a reprint, largely from such recent anthologies as Gaslight Grimoire
and Shadows Over Baker Street
, and many introduce the supernatural into the rational sleuth's world. Stephen King does a solid job of giving Dr. Watson a chance to show his own detective skills in “The Good Doctor.” Barbara Roden's “The Things That Shall Come Upon Them” riffs cleverly on M.R. James's “Casting the Runes.” Perhaps the highlight is Peter Tremayne's “The Specter of Tullyfane Abbey,” which offers a plausible explanation for a classic untold tale in which a man disappears from the face of the earth after returning home to fetch an umbrella. Holmes authority Christopher Roden provides an introduction.

November 1, 2009
Adult/High School-These 28 short stories are impressive in their variety and quality, as well as in the inclusion of authors with established young adult appeal such as Stephen King, Tanith Lee, and Neil Gaiman. Adams's goal was to highlight the best Sherlock Holmes stories of the last 30 years, emphasizing those that feature the fantastic. Readers may begin with a refresher course on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's world in Christopher Roden's "A Sherlockiana Primer." The mysteries themselves range from supernatural to political to domestic. They feature pirates, aliens, dinosaurs, and H. P. Lovecraft's horrific creatures. Readers meet H. G. Wells, Lewis Carroll, and Jack the Ripper, and will enjoy a story told by Laurie King's Mary Russell. Of course, most of the tales are narrated by Dr. Watson, and Mrs. Hudson, Inspector Lestrade, Mycroft, Irene Adler, and James Moriarty (who turns up in several cases) are all here. Entries not to be missed include Naomi Novik's moving, personal "Commonplaces," Peter Tremayne's chilling Moriarty story, the unexpected twist in Sharyn McCrumb's "The Vale of the White Horse," and the outrageous silliness of Dominic Green's "The Adventure of the Lost World." The final story, by Robert J. Sawyer, gives Holmes and his popularity among the reading public a truly universal significance. This is a substantial collection that will entertain teen fans for hours, and may well seduce them to seek out the original."Angela Carstensen, Convent of the Sacred Heart, New York City"

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