Shadows Over Baker Street
Ratings6
Average rating4
15
Ratings6
Average rating4
Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes is among the most famous literary figures of all time. For more than a hundred years, his adventures have stood as imperishable monuments to the ability of human reason to penetrate every mystery, solve every puzzle, and punish every crime. For nearly as long, the macabre tales of H. P. Lovecraft have haunted readers with their nightmarish glimpses into realms of cosmic chaos and undying evil. But what would happen if Conan Doyle's peerless detective and his allies were to find themselves faced with mysteries whose solutions lay not only beyond the grasp of logic, but of sanity itself. In this collection of all-new, all-original tales, twenty of today's most cutting edge writers provide their answers to that burning question."A Study in Emerald" by Neil Gaiman: A gruesome murder exposes a plot against the Crown, a seditious conspiracy so cunningly wrought that only one man in all London could have planned it--and only one man can hope to stop it."A Case of Royal Blood" by Steven-Elliot Altman: Sherlock Holmes and H. G. Wells join forces to protect a princess stalked by a ghost--or perhaps something far worse than a ghost."Art in the Blood" by Brian Stableford: One man's horrific affliction leads Sherlock Holmes to an ancient curse that threatens to awaken the crawling chaos slumbering in the blood of all humankind."The Curious Case of Miss Violet Stone" by Poppy Z. Brite and David Ferguson: A girl who has not eaten in more than three years teaches Holmes and Watson that sometimes the impossible cannot be eliminated."The Horror of the Many Faces" by Tim Lebbon: Dr. Watson witnesses a maniacal murder in London--and recognizes the villain as none other than his friend, Mr. Sherlock Holmes.With these and fourteen other dark tales of madness, horror, and deduction, a new and terrible game is afoot.The terrifyingly surreal universe of horror master H. P. Lovecraft bleeds into the logical world of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's champion of rational deduction--in these brand-new stories by twenty of today's top horror, mystery, fantasy, and science fiction writers, including:- Steven-Elliot Altman- Elizabeth Bear- Poppy Z. Brite- Simon Clark- David Ferguson- Paul Finch- Neil Gaiman- Barbara Hambly- Caitlin R. Kiernan- Tim Lebbon- James Lowder- Richard A. Lupoff- F. Gwynplaine McIntyre- John Pelan- Steve Perry- Michael Reaves- Brian Stableford- John P. Vourlis- David Niall Wilson & Patricia Lee MacomberFrom the Hardcover edition.
Reviews with the most likes.
I loved Shadows Over Baker Street. Though some of the stories weren't as great as others I think they all conveyed a real feeling that Lovecraft's world was in always lurking in the shadows of Doyle's world. Despite knowing there would be a supernatural element to each story I found myself suspending disbelief, thinking that it would be a normal Holmes story. Now that I finished this book I don't think I'll be able to read a Doyle penned Holmes story now without considering there will be something horrible and unexplainable around the corner.
A couple of other thoughts:
* The short story format is a good choice, considering both Doyle's and Lovecraft's work was in the same format.
* The characters from both works (Chthulu, Moriarty) are emphasized more in these books than in the original authors creations, it's a bit heavy handed and feels more kool-aid to the original 100% juice.
* There were quite a few typographic errors toward the end of the book. I didn't feel they detracted enough to reduce the rating though.
* If you are a fan of both genres then this is a terrific book. Definitely pick it up.
I always enjoy little anthologies like this, and it was well worth acquiring via interlibrary loan. If you enjoy Lovecraft and Doyle, you will like the stories. The authors run in interesting directions with the content, with some preferring Holmes to Lovecraft and vice-versa, but not one of the stories dragged or was unenjoyable.
