The Valley of Fear: A Review

We reach the end of the cycle of Sherlock Holmes novels with the Valley of Fear, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In it, we are treated to two separate, but related, stories. The first follows Holmes and Watson as they investigate a gruesome murder that is somehow related to the dreadful Professor Moriarty (despite the fact that his involvement creates a pretty big continuity error and/or retcon on Doyle's part), which is followed by a story of organized crime in the good old US of A.

the Valley of Fear is an interesting read, and I'll be honest, I didn't like it at first. The mystery with Holmes and Watson was all well and good; the American sawed-off shotgun as the murder weapon and the possible involvement of Moriarty made for an interesting case. I liked where it was going, though I was not surprised in the least by the conclusion.

Then the story shifts gears, and we are treated to the recollections of a man who spent time in a place nicknamed the "Valley of Fear" by many of the locals, a place that is run by a secret society that has no problems killing people that refuse to pay protection money. I won't go too much further into the details for fear of spoiling the twist that made the story worthwhile, suffice to say that the end of this diversion was both interesting and a nice turn that made for a good story, overall.

While this is certainly better than the Sign of the Four, I rate it at about even with A Study in Scarlet, which it shares the same structure with. Despite this, it is nowhere near the level of the Hound of the Baskervilles, which remains the best of the Holmes canon that I have read so far.

An entertaining read, if you like reading of the adventures of Holmes and Watson, and if you enjoyed A Study in Scarlet at all, then you will certainly enjoy this. That said, this is probably not a great starting place for a newcomer.

Rating: 7/10

the Lies of Locke Lamora: Review

Enter a world built upon the ruins of an ancient, grand race of beings that have disappeared a millennia before. Men and women live upon the bones of another civilization, toiling away at making enough money to eat while praying to the Twelve that a plague doesn't strike their district, wiping out every adult within, leaving the children orphans and ripe for the pickings of slavers and the roving gangs.

The Thiefmaker takes these orphans, and, as the name may suggest, makes thieves of them. As they grow and become proper thieves, they are sold to the disparate gangs of Camorr where they make a living as pickpockets and robbers. Thus enters Locke Lamora, seven, who the Thiefmaker immediately sells to the enigmatic priest Chains, the leader of the Gentleman Bastards, and the criminal landscape of Camorr changes forever.

Before I get into my actual feelings of this book, I would just like to say that I grew up reading fantasy. In elementary school my father gave me a copy of J.R.R. Tolkien's the Hobbit, and fell in love. A year or two later, I inherited a beaten but well-loved leather copy of the Lord of the Rings. I fell in love all over. For well over a decade I devoted myself to reading whatever fantasy novels I could get my hands on, while reading everything that Tolkien had ever written over and over again.

I then happened upon David Gemmell's Drenai Saga, and fell in love with heroic fantasy fiction. I consumed the host of books containing scores of violent anti-heroes, brooding men who were good only thanks to the soft touch of a woman.

Unfortunately, I grew tired of the genre after highschool, and became enamored with the works of Heinlein and his peers in the science fiction community. I know that this sounds like it has little to do with the story I have set forth to review, but I present my background in order to more clearly state my case.

the Lies of Locke Lamora is a breath of fresh air in a genre that falls again and again to a score of tropes set forth by Tolkien decades ago, and little improved upon. There is no hero here battling a grand evil, no brooding reluctant champion. Just a man that can't really fight very well, but was born with a silver tongue and a mind for mischief.

The city of Camorr, and the world that it inhabits, is pretty obviously based off of a late renaissance era Venice, and regularly makes reference to the Therin Throne, a fantasy-Rome. The city is built upon the ruins of an alien race that disappeared a thousand years before, leaving behind grand structures of unbreakable glass that humans have claimed as their own. Magic exists, but is rare and monopolized by a sect of mercenary-wizards. Alchemy is common-place, and allows for a great deal of interesting plant hybrids and chemical curiosities.

The world is richly detailed and a wonder to explore, but the concept is what really thrilled me. Locke Lamora and his group of Gentleman Bastards are confidence men in a world that is just discovering the concept. Trained from childhood to rob from the most rich, they go from one noble to the next spinning one lie upon another until they sit atop a mountain of gold. The plot is fascinating, and continually keeps you guessing.

If you like a story revolving around a smartass, immoral, overconfident jerk that still somehow sets out to do what is right for him and his own, this book is your ticket. It has a good sense of humor, a welcome detailed world to sink into, and a new twist on an old genre that kept me smiling throughout. Scott Lynch has spun a tale worthy of a seasoned veteran, and has well impressed me with this first attempt. I look forward to reading the next book, and eagerly await the next releases which have (unfortunately) been too long in coming. Though I do part with words of caution: if you are put off by foul language, foul action, and the thought of people being drowned in barrels of horse urine, then maybe this book isn't for you. But for the rest of us, in the words of the Gentlemen Bastards themselves:

To us, richer and cleverer than everyone else!

Rating: 9/10

The Hound of the Baskervilles: A Review

Sherlock Holmes had seen it all. One murder after another, you name it, he's seen it stolen (and returned). Hundreds of cases solved, but of them all, this may very well be the most unusual, and fortunately for the reader, the most entertaining.

The Hound of the Baskervilles is the third book that Arthur Conan Doyle wrote concerning the famous consulting detective, published several years after he killed off Holmes in "the Final Problem," though it takes place before that story.

This book shows Sherlock, Dr. Watson, and Doyle himself all at the top of their game. Within its pages, Doyle has decided to try something a little new. Not only does the story involve a potentially supernatural threat (a family is cursed to be haunted/hunted by an actual "Hellhound," and murders are starting to pile up), but Holmes himself is in a relatively small percentage of the book. Instead, we are treated to Dr. Watson on his own, using the skills he has cultivated over so many years at Holmes' side to solve the multitude of mysteries that plague the countryside.

The point-of-view changes several times, from the typical writings of Watson's recounting, to actual letters written to Holmes reporting on discoveries he has made in the course of his own investigations. This mix of styles keeps the story moving quickly, and always kept me interested. Also, the decision to actually exclude Holmes from such a large portion of the story kept the suspense high; we know that while Watson is an extremely intelligent man, he has no abilities that are nigh-supernatural, and thus no safety net.

Lastly, Doyle did a masterful job interweaving disparate mysteries into a cohesive whole. The plot dips and turns, dropping a clue large enough for the reader to notice, but not necessarily able to connect to the proper mystery. The red herrings and false leads are well done, and in the end everything ties together quite nicely.

As of this point, I've read three of the four Holmes novels, and two of the short story collections, and the Hound of the Baskervilles is by far my favorite. The atmosphere is thick with a feeling of dread, the plot is fast and entertaining, and the mystery itself keeps you guessing but rewards the hopeful detective with the payoff. If you haven't read any of Sherlock Holmes, make this the one you read. You can't go wrong with it.

Rating: 10/10

Note on Edition: I experienced the story as part of the "Complete Stories of Sherlock Holmes" audio edition, purchased on Audible.com. The narrator was Charlton Griffin, who did an amazing job with this story. The production value involved here is phenomenal, and really brought the story to life.

Audiobook Rating: 9/10

the Return of Sherlock Holmes: Review

The Return of Sherlock Holmes, from the same audio collection that I had the pleasure of listening to for the Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, was overall a much better collection of short stories featuring the legendary detective and his faithful companion. The book starts off with "The Adventure of the Empty House," a story that picks up three years after "the Final Problem," the story that Doyle had intended to complete his writings of Holmes once and for all. 

We discover that Holmes being the clever man that he is, faked his death and had been in hiding for several years, using the opportunity to work under the radar to rid England of the most dangerous men that remained at large from Moriarty's gang.

From then on few of the stories actually take place after "the Empty House," instead Watson returns to the archives and tells stories that take place at different chronological points in Holmes' career. The collection ends with "The Adventure of the Second Stain," which Watson describes as being Holmes' most important case (politically speaking), and the last story that Holmes will allow him to publish, as at the time of the writing he has decided to retire to bee-keeping in the countryside.

As I said before, this is a much better collection than Memoirs, and overall is very well done. There is the occasional story that has a rather obvious conclusion, but those are in the great minority.

If you're looking for a good collection of fast and entertaining Sherlockian fiction, this is a very good edition to read. The stories move at a brisk pace, are interesting and varied in their subject matter, and are, for the most part, classic Holmes. Again, for the simplicity of actual ratings, I will rate each story individually.

• "The Adventure of the Empty House"  Rating: 8/10
• "The Adventure of the Norwood Builder"  Rating: 5/10
• "The Adventure of the Dancing Men"  Rating: 7/10
• "The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist" Rating: 6/10
• "The Adventure of the Priory School"  Rating: 6/10
• "The Adventure of Black Peter"  Rating: 8/10
• "The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton"  Rating: 9/10
• "The Adventure of the Six Napoleons"  Rating: 7/10
• "The Adventure of the Three Students"  Rating: 6/10
• "The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez"  Rating: 7/10
• "The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter"  Rating: 7/10
• "The Adventure of the Abbey Grange"  Rating: 7/10
• "The Adventure of the Second Stain"  Rating: 8/10

Further Note on Audio edition: since this is the same collection that I mentioned in my review of Memoirs, I will not expound on that any furhter here, suffice to say that it continues its excellent performance, and that I highly recommend it.

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes, the world's first and foremost consulting detective, is a legend. His adventures with his trusty sidekick Dr. Watson have enchanted readers for generations, and have inspired countless authors to take part in the craft and pen their own mystery novels. Holmes is in a league of his own, but in that case why are his Memoirs a little disappointing?

I love Sherlock Holmes stories, though for some reason up until very recently I have never actually read the source material. I've seen many adaptations, and for years now I've loved getting in my car at 1 pm (sharp!) to listen to the Jim French Production's "The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," a series of radio plays that adapted the multitude of Holmes short stories into half-hour dramas. If you ever have a chance to listen to them, please do, they're extremely well done.

Lately, I've enjoyed the Robert Downey, Jr. depictions on the big screen, and far more I have enjoyed the BBC's "Sherlock" series starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the modern day consulting detective. This series is one of my favorite things on any television right now, and I highly, highly recommend tracking that down at your first opportunity.

Excuse me, I am veering from the point. As I was saying, it is not until recently that I decided to go and read the source material for myself. Last year I read a Study in Scarlet, which I hugely enjoyed, and the Sign of the Four, which I enjoyed despite the fact that it took me several months to actually finish. Now, after I finished reading Thirteen, I found The Complete Stories of Sherlock Holmes on Audible, and grabbed up the first two volumes.

So far, the narration is well done (even if I do wish they had gotten the exceptional actor who plays him in the Jim French versions), and the stories are entertaining. Comparing the audio and book versions that I've read, so far the stories are actually more enjoyable in the audio format. You can almost see the mysteries play out in front of you.

My biggest complaint with Memoirs is that for the most part, Sherlock does very little in them. In several stories he is either a narrator recalling an early case, or an observer as someone else spins a tale for him to then comment on. A desperate client will come to the fabled detective, spin his own tale, and things will have already been settled.

Needless to say, for the most part Sherlock is not at his most exciting. The exception here is in "The Final Problem," one of the most famous of the Sherlock canon, wherein we are introduced to one of the most famous villains in literature, Professor Moriarty. This story somewhat makes up for the rest; it is well written, exciting, and seeing the duo of Holmes & Watson on the run from Moriarty and his vicious gang of miscreants is a nice change of pace.

Unfortunately, these seem to be the least interesting of the Holmes canon that I've read so far, the stories just acting as backdrops for completely different stories that don't involve Holmes or Watson at all. Doyle's desire to write something other than Holmes seems to become rather obvious over the course of these stories, culminating in his attempt to end the series once and for all.

Instead of rating the book with a single score, here is a rating for each of the stories contained within:

• "Silver Blaze" Rating: 6/10
• "The Adventure of the Yellow Face" Rating: 6/10
• "The Adventure of the Stockbroker's Clerk" Rating: 5/10
• "The Adventure of the Gloria Scott" Rating: 6/10
• "The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual" Rating: 6/10
• "The Adventure of the Reigate Squire" Rating: 7/10
• "The Adventure of the Crooked Man" Rating: 6/10
• "The Adventure of the Resident Patient" Rating: 6/10
• "The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter" Rating: 7/10
• "The Adventure of the Naval Treaty" Rating: 7/10
• "The Final Problem" Rating: 8/10

Audible Edition Rating: 8/10