Rather generic creepy story but still enjoyable while you're reading it. It worked better for me than "The Things That Shall Come Upon Them" probably because you were left with the idea that maybe, just maybe, Holmes believes more than he will let anyone see. What you do in the heat of the moment is quite telling. The Steamship Friesland 3. This ties in with the death of the client in "The Five Orange Pips" and also features Holmes as a man who can speak to the dead. That last part seems to be a problem but it actually works quite well, especially considering how he must explain to Watson and get Watson to believe him.
Holmes and Watson really don't do too much case wise but it's the idea of a ghost whispering Sherlock Holmes that really keeps you reading. Also the implication that Holmes, because of how long he's had to develop his mind, could continue to do work while dead. I also loved the touch that Watson reacted to the ghostly warnings without knowing it - which makes me wonder if Holmes and Watson ever chatted from two separate worlds in this universe. This is a weirder entry but weird work very well with me. It's a horrifying idea and the mystery of what this world is and what this Brotherhood is and how Catherine became implicated is all up in the air.
It's so sensual and wonderful and scary all it once. I also greatly enjoyed the implication that Watson hid the real story from Holmes. Holmes, I think, knows that Watson is lying but doesn't seem to want to think about uncovering it. I think I would have preferred this as simply a straight forward mystery.
The octogenarian Watson, who frames the narrative, is an interesting character but it's so sad to think of him away and ill and in no touch with Holmes whatsoever.
Gaslight Grimoire: Fantastic Tales of Sherlock Holmes
It just doesn't fit into my imagining of the world but that's no fault to the story. I loved the grizzly description of those 'decorations' and I wish we'd gotten more of that than this strange treatise on memory.
It seemed more out of place than anything. Wow, genre detective fiction meets the original consulting detective and they face off against Dracula?! It's hilarious I love Holmes's impatient mocking about the narrator's poetic turns of phrase , sad Holmes reminiscing about always calling Watson 'John" and the photo on his desk , and thrilling. The longest and maybe the most interesting if only because your narrator is Sebastian Moran, and man is that man deliciously depraved!
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I could have done without the diary entries in the middle but that's really my only complaint. I love the look at Moriarty's mathematical and scientific nemesis and the references to other characters fictional and real delighted me to no end! Sep 10, Scott rated it it was ok. I had high hopes for this anthology. I mean, Sherlock Holmes and speculative fiction.
How can you go wrong? But the stories fell below expectations and failed to pack a punch. They just didn't grab me. The mysteries were basic and unappealing, and the science fiction was basic. Nov 15, Wm rated it it was ok Shelves: Well-written fan fiction it is, but it's still, essentially fan fiction, and, no offense, to Sherlock Holmes fans, but as much as I love the original stories, I'm not convinced that there's enough complexity to the Holmseian world support this type of effort -- or perhaps these just aren't the right stories to convince me of that it probably doesn't help that I read this while in the middle of reading a massive Jack Vance festschrif which is totally awesome.
That said, some of these stories are Well-written fan fiction it is, but it's still, essentially fan fiction, and, no offense, to Sherlock Holmes fans, but as much as I love the original stories, I'm not convinced that there's enough complexity to the Holmseian world support this type of effort -- or perhaps these just aren't the right stories to convince me of that it probably doesn't help that I read this while in the middle of reading a massive Jack Vance festschrif which is totally awesome.
That said, some of these stories are fun. A couple are even quite good. And if you are a major fan of all things Holmes and Watson, you might like this anthology quite a bit. A lot of efforts like these end up trying too hard, when often it seems like Conan Doyle dashed out a lot of the canon without trying at all.
Sep 28, Jose Luis Meza Garcia rated it it was ok. The tales presented here werent bad. Its just that I have seen other collection of Sherlock Holmes storie which are much better and I had hoped that this collection would as good as others I have read. If you have read the lovecraft compendium and want to read other stories then read these ones. Jan 20, Brett rated it liked it.
I have to admit that this book almost completely lost me in the first tale that involves Holes and Peter Pan. I held on though and the short stories did improve overall. Definitely not my favorite collection though. Aug 09, Cecilia Rodriguez rated it liked it. Each story begins with a black and white illustration. Jan 31, Lattisha Fox rated it it was ok Shelves: No great stories, or even good really. I would say it was meh to bad.
Gaslight Grimoire: Fantastic Tales of Sherlock Holmes by Charles Prepolec
Jan 16, Riju Ganguly rated it really liked it. When a book is bye-lined as "Fantastic Tales of Sherlock Holmes", the readers already hooked or potential have to select from either of two options: This particular book has both sides probably more "natural" in that way only , and I am trying to give a very brief idea ab When a book is bye-lined as "Fantastic Tales of Sherlock Holmes", the readers already hooked or potential have to select from either of two options: This particular book has both sides probably more "natural" in that way only , and I am trying to give a very brief idea about the stories.
The introductory "Ghosts May Apply" by that tirelessly Sherlockian anthologist David Stuart Davies and introduction by Charles Prepolec are good intro-s and are more than the usual "getting-in the path towards actual stuff". Elliott is a proper X-Files kind of adventure, and I thoroughly enjoyed it esp. That is the only comment that I can offer. So, as the summary goes: I liked the idea. Peter Pan and Sherlock Holmes, something that ought to be interesting.
But it was so jumbled and very out of character for all of them. All of the characters were in character and I liked how it plays on the theory that Sherlock and John were real people. Despite that, the ending was a turn that wasn't even hinted to. This was actually in another collection of stories like this, so I've alr 3.
The Daykeeper's Grimoire
This was actually in another collection of stories like this, so I've already read it. Not too much of a drag and it was fun reading the two conflicting viewpoints. It was an interesting case to read and I liked how it was definitely supernatural, but never really said to be. Facts were stated clearly. The characters were well written as well. Another interesting combination, but I wasn't as intrigued as with the others. I didn't like how Professor Jessica Challenger was portrayed through Watson's eyes. It seemed a bit rushed towards the beginning, but it smoothed out by the end, even though the perpetrator wasn't that shocking, nor was it a hard thing to figure out myself.
I loved the hint of integrating Doyle's case with this one.
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It was done well, as was the way Sherlock accepted the supernatural going on. It was improbable, but not impossible. Yet, it fell short with how it moved too quickly. I really enjoyed this one and I would love to have seen this be a further developed case since it would have been interesting to read in something more than a few pages.
Another that I had read in a similar collection of stories. I loved the linking of the two cases and how it wasn't too supernatural when I recollect it. The best thing was the theories on memory that were brought about. Old Sherlock Holmes, vampire hunter. I liked the person narrating and that it wasn't horribly done, as it could have gone. The Red Planet League - 4. This was the best. Took the top out of all of them. I think what made it really unique was that there was no Sherlock or Watson, only Moriarty and Moran, and Moran was narrating things -- with his own twist of course -- like Watson does.
Sep 20, Jean rated it really liked it. Overall, I enjoyed the book, although I found the lack of a table of contents annoying. That concept drew me in. As usual in an anthology, some stories I enjoyed more than others. The Lost Boy by Barbara Hambly was more dark fantasy than horror. I liked Peter Pan as a character and thought the story well done. The Last Arrow by Christopher Sequeira was less successful for me.
I felt the ending was unexpected an Overall, I enjoyed the book, although I found the lack of a table of contents annoying. I felt the ending was unexpected and I felt let down.
Pairing Sherlock Holmes with a psychic detective allowed the reader to choose solutions. The Finishing Stroke by M. Elliott was enjoyable, in a horror story way. The Entwined by editor Jeff J. Campbell was another piece of dark fantasy and sent shivers down my back. Merridew of Abominable Memory by Chris Roberson was a solid mystery with a horrific twist. Red Sunset by Bob Madison was a delightful mixture of Holmes, hard-boiled mystery, and horror. An aging Sherlock Holmes in LA deaing with vampires -- what could be better! Still Colonel Moran's Moriarty tale is well done.
You should enjoy both horror and Sherlock Holmes before picking up this book. Jan 17, Schnaucl rated it liked it Shelves: I thought this anthology was uneven. There were a few stories that really stood out but most didn't make a lasting impression. But it was really the idea of a young Sherlock in Neverland that piqued my interest. Perhaps that's why he wanted to be a pirate. Sherlock Hol I thought this anthology was uneven. Sherlock Holmes is literally a dying John Watson's biggest desire. That is, a life full of fame and adventure.
But the cost to others is high indeed. I loved Sherlock as an extremely crotchety man over a century old. But mostly I love it because he has a picture of a younger John Watson on his desk and he tells his visitor he only called him John, never his surname. That little touch made it my favorite story of the collection.
Addicting I bought this, pretty much on a whim. But man, I could not stop reading and bought the other two in the series immediately. Almost every story in this book is great and that's saying something for an anthology. My personal favorites are the Moran narrated story which happily show up in the other anthologies also , Peter Pan, Merridew and a long list.
What is great about them is that the reader doesn't even need to be that into Sherlock Holmes. Taken on their own as weird fiction they are great!
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- La belle et lorphelin (French Edition).
So at their ridiculously low price what are you waiting for? Jan 24, Sem rated it liked it Shelves: The rest were readable, at times even quite good -- with the possible exception of editor J. Campbell's awkward pulp offering 'The Entwined' -- and I always enjoy encounters between Holmes and the 'fantastic' but really -- fandom does a much better job with this sort of thing. Three stars, if only because I can read any Holmes pastiche with a certain degree of pleasure.
Jan 31, Erika rated it it was ok Shelves: I had a really, really hard time reading this book. One or two of the stories were entertaining and one was somewhat creepy but none were really scary or even came close to feeling like a Sherlock Holmes story. Jan 24, Craig Andrews rated it really liked it Shelves: Some cracking Sherlock Holmes vs weirdness stories in this collection, and as with most collections, some duff ones too.
If you like stories with Sherlock in them, and aren't too much of an 'original Holmes only' person there's loads to enjoy in this collection. While the Arthur Conan Doyle tales had a rational detective facing real crimes and solving them with logic, he avoided the supernatural as an actual, and not just implied, event. Gaslight Grimoire allows for full immersion into Sherlock Holmes vs the world of the occult and unearthly. Readers who enjoy mystery and dark fantasy will find something to enjoy in this collection.
They have also taken new paths, exploring some unusual and intriguing ideas, with the result being imaginative and entertaining. This is a good book for any Holmes fan, but it is also diverting work for those who enjoy the fantastic. As a collection it gave me my Holmes fix, and I will definitely read it again. And probably several more times after that. For many of them, it's not obvious what the illustration means at the beginning of the story, but at the end, you go back and look and say, aha! If only I had interpreted this correctly, I would have seen it coming! Kelly Wagner, Calcutta Kolkata News.
Fantastic Tales of Sherlock Holmes edited by J. Campbell and Charles Prepolec. Fantastic Tales of Sherlock Holmes Eliminating the impossible just got a whole lot harder! Campbell David Stuart Davies M. About the Cover Artist: He works as a commercial artist Praise: