Sherlock Book Reviews - Shadowfall
Posted by Steve Emecz on
(first in the Sun and Shadow Trilogy...)
The Sherlock Holmes Society of London
"In the strange beginning to a very strange adventure the illustrious personage who arrives at 221B Baker Street is Titatnia, Queen of the Fairies. Irene Adler is a soul-stealing monster, young Stamford is a zombie, and John Brown is a supernatural guardian. The abduction of a body from Highgate Cemetery and the disappearance of the London Stone are simply a prelude the theft of England's most sacred relic, the heart of St. George. Dr. Revels has researched deeply into English legend and Shadowfall has a delirious, almost surrealist quality, like an enjoyable nightmare."
It's a rare Sherlock Holmes novel that gets 4.5/5 stars from The Bookbag, but we already knew Shadowfall is a rare gem.
"You remember Sherlock Holmes, yes? Deerstalker, pipe, leetle grey cells… (Oh, sorry, that was Poirot, but same kind of deductive ability), naked winged-woman on, or at least floating above, the sofa in Baker Street… wait a minute? Seriously?
Well, ‘seriously’ is probably not the word to be used to describe this delightful pastiche, but I can happily tell you that mixing Sherlock and Watson with Titania, Spring-Heeled Jack, Charon, and other lesser known tales works surprisingly well. Chiefly this is because Tracy Revels manages to capture the tone of Arthur Conan Doyle’s originals fairly faithfully, just with the twist that Sherlock is only half-human.
And looking at his detective skills, it’s a wonder we hadn’t figured that out before. The characters come at us fast and furious here, and part of the pleasure is there’s no need to spend any time establishing them. We know what to expect from Holmes and Watson, Revels shows us enough to realise that this is still the recognisable duo, despite Watson’s shock at finding out about his friend’s true origins, and that allows the majority of the book to be spent throwing ever-more bizarre obstacles at the pairing and watching them stretch themselves to their limits trying to overcome them.
Full marks, as well, for a Watson who is significantly more of a man of action, as in the original stories, than the bumbling fool found in some of the pastiches.
The supporting cast is a mixture of cameos from the usual suspects such as Lestrade, Mrs Hudson, and Mycroft, and the legendary characters thrown in to the tale. I won’t spoil too much by listing the other adversaries – everyone mentioned above comes into the first 30 pages or so – but they’re interesting foes who present a worthy challenge for the great detective and his sidekick, and my blood was well and truly pumping as we reached the final showdown.
The author’s Twitter feed informs me there’s a sequel in progress at the moment, and it’s found a place rather high on my ‘most wanted’ list.
High recommendation to Sherlockians with a sense of fun, in particular, but more generally to anyone looking for a fast-paced thriller."
This is the first in the Sun and Shadow Trilogy.
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