Although
most of the stories Conan Doyle wrote about Holmes and Watson
take place in foggy London or at least in the UK, some venture
farther afield. Here is a compendium of fifteen new stories
taking the characters to a wide range of other places, including
some not entirely physical.
Africa, China, Egypt, Norway, France, Haiti
- Holmes
both with and without Watson and plus various other characters
delve into many strange and bizarre cases. As many people's
favorite Conan Doyle story is The Hound of The Baskervilles,
it is no surprise that several of the stories feature mysterious
supernatural-seeming creatures with murderous intent. Then
there is a mummy's curse, zombies and even people from the
moon, as well as a spooky doll and a locked room. Holmes gets
to work with (or at least meet) Jules Verne, Conan Doyle,
Houdini, Ibsen and Poe, even meeting up with Sir Henry Baskerville
on his African farm. Some authors choose to show a different
aspect of Holmes than we see in the books, a more emotional
side or at least a man in awe of somebody other than himself.
As with all tales set in exotic locations, part of the enjoyment
is in how well the author captures the ambience while giving
us a good description of what the characters see. Alison Littlewood
manages this admirably in her tale set in Morocco, while Johnny
Mains'rural Austria in winter gives chills in more than
one way. Literary prowess is exhibited by Stephen Volk in
his tale about Poe, Verne, men from the moon and a French
asylum, although editing might have made it even better. The
book's editor, Simon Clark, adds a fun, rather Boy's Own tale
set in Mesopotamia with plenty of action, while Sam Stone
gives us a case from a short period of Chinese history and
Emperor Guangxu. Conan Doyle was famously quoted as saying
"do what you like with him,"and while some
authors have chosen to write in a similar vein, others have
made the character their own. An interesting and lively compendium
of stories.
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