| The game is afoot,
but not just for Holmes and Watson in this compilation of
stories featuring other characters from the canon. Read about
cases from the viewpoint of various detectives, clients, associates
and even villains in thirteen new short stories.
I had hoped for one from Moriarty’s viewpoint, but this
is surprisingly absent. Instead the main villain featured
is Colonel Moran, but other choices include Irene Adler, Lestrade,
Mycroft, more than one Irregular, various police and detectives
plus clients like Violet Hunter (Copper Beeches) and Helen
Stoner (Speckled Band). Some are characters we know a lot
about, others are merely names and the authors have spun a
background as well as a story for them. Some follow on from
existing stories directly, so knowledge of the originals is
a good idea. Each tale has a short introduction describing
the person chosen as the protagonist and why they were selected
in the words of the author. Most of the stories involve flesh
and blood crimes but a few venture into the supernatural;
Moran hunts a fearsome quarry in the backwoods of the Pacific
Northwest, Helen Stoner makes some unusual discoveries about
her stepfather’s menagerie and hapless “Creeping
Man” Professor Presbury has another encounter with more
of the same. As with any set of short stories everybody will
differ on their own personal favorites but I was impressed
with Ian Edginson’s tale of the misadventures of a professor
and his Anglo Saxon “treasure” as it had such
a plausible explanation. I also enjoyed reading about Irene
Adler’s forays into the world of Parisian nightlife
(Cavan Scott), which had a neat twist and she is always worth
reading about, a strong woman fighting to stay on top in a
man’s world. Then there was Sebastian Moran’s
hunting trip which made a change from foggy London, wasn’t
a crime story and was brilliantly narrated in exactly the
right amoral tone by Tim Pratt. An imaginative collection
of tales that ought to have a sequel as there are so many
more viewpoints to tell stories from.
Reviewers Note: Some gory scenes
|
