Warlock Holmes: A Study in Brimstone
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher, Titan!
Sherlock Holmes is an unparalleled genius who uses the gift of deduction and reason to solve the most vexing of crimes.
Warlock Holmes, however, is an idiot. A good man, perhaps; a font of arcane power, certainly. But he’s brilliantly dim. Frankly, he couldn’t deduce his way out of a paper bag. The only thing he has really got going for him are the might of a thousand demons and his stalwart flatmate. Thankfully, Dr. Watson is always there to aid him through the treacherous shoals of Victorian propriety… and save him from a gruesome death every now and again.
An imaginative, irreverent and addictive reimagining of the world’s favourite detective, Warlock Holmes retains the charm, tone and feel of the original stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle while finally giving the flat at 221b Baker Street what it’s been missing for all these years: an alchemy table.
How could I not pick this up!? Like the synopsis says Baker Street gets what it's missing with an alchemy table. And Vampire Inspector Lestrade. And Ogre inspector Grogsson. And ya know Watson who's the real detective and the Warlock Sherlock who's kinda only helpful because of his magical insight. It sounded awesome, a re-imagining of Sherlock Holmes but with plenty of awesome new elements to make it even more fun than it usually is! This book has 6 different stories in it, they're mostly narrated by Watson and he has a brilliant narrative. The writing is reminiscent of Conan Doyle, it fits the time, and the writing pulls you in to the time and the setting. It keeps you reading, it paints a picture of the scene for you. It brings the characters and the world to life for you. Literally that last paragraph of the synopsis is SO FREAKING TRUE! This book just completely blew me away and the wait for The Battle of Baskerville Hall is too far away, because ya know...I want more of this Holmes world, and Baskerville is my favourite story AND the last story left me wanting so much more!
I loved the twists to the story, it was entertaining, there was intrigue, I loved picking out similarities from the regular books, I just love how the writing is so true to the original books keeping it witty and sharp while keeping them fun and fresh! There are lovely illustrations in the book. I just can't even, this book is so brilliantly imagined and I never realised how much I wanted something like this until I had it in my actual hands!
I'm excited to see more magic, see the characters developed more, see more of the characters we all know and love. I'm loving what the author is doing with this series, and with this world he's created, I love his writing, and this was the perfect start to what's going to be a brilliant series, I'm sure!
Sherlock Holmes and the Necronomicon
Rating: 3/5
Buy or Borrow: Borrow
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!
Following his encounter with the vampire Selymes, Sherlock Holmes embarks on an Arctic expedition under the assumed name of Thomas Sigerson. During his excursion, the great detective uncovers strange and dark forces at work, and only learns that some mysteries are best left unsolved!
As the GoodReads synopsis says...Sherlock Holmes does indeed meet H.P. Lovecraft in this Holmes story. The artwork for this particular graphic novel was very well done, not at all cartoony, very dark and realistic, as well as detailed. The setting of Victorian London was beautifully created and very authentic! It's actually the art giving it a high rating and I was tempted to give it four for the art alone.
The dialogue added to the authentic feel of the setting and the narrative was all very straight forward, I didn't really have a problem with it. I was expecting the supernatural elements to the story when I received the novel to review, and I was most intrigued as to how they would be worked in to a Holmes story. I have to say, it was very well done and I actually enjoyed the blend of Victorian England being so authentic with Holmes and all the supernatural goings on. There was no Watson however?! No Watson in a Holmes story?! What was going on with that? Perhaps I missed something, as I've realised this is a follow on from a previous Holmes story.
Anyway, everything comes together very well and the plot was good. I've given it three stars however because I just didn't find myself engrossed in it or glued to the page. My mind was wandering as I was reading and I found myself focusing more on the artwork rather than the words, and I did find myself a bit bored once or twice, which is a shame because I did enjoy the blend the novel had going on as I said. I'm not really sure what it was either? Perhaps it was the dialogue and the phrasing, perhaps I thought the pace was a little bit slow, it could have been any number of things but it was just disappointing considering how fantastic the artwork was and how much I enjoyed the addition of the supernatural.
Mycroft Holmes
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!
Fresh out of Cambridge University, the young Mycroft Holmes is already making a name for himself in government, working for the Secretary of State for War. Yet this most British of civil servants has strong ties to the faraway island of Trinidad, the birthplace of his best friend, Cyrus Douglas, a man of African descent, and where his fiancée Georgiana Sutton was raised.
Mycroft’s comfortable existence is overturned when Douglas receives troubling reports from home. There are rumors of mysterious disappearances, strange footprints in the sand, and spirits enticing children to their deaths, their bodies found drained of blood. Upon hearing the news, Georgiana abruptly departs for Trinidad. Near panic, Mycroft convinces Douglas that they should follow her, drawing the two men into a web of dark secrets that grows more treacherous with each step they take...
I'm a bit of a Sherlock Holmes fangirl, it has to be said. So how could I not take the opportunity to read the story of his older brother Mycroft? Mycroft has always intrigued me and this book goes some way to show you how he became the person he is when we meet him in Sherlock Holmes books.
This story is full of adventure and danger, with a nice mystery that's fun to try and put the pieces together before the big reveal. The book also had a nice amount of humour to it, to have you chuckling once or twice. I found our two protagonists to be likeable and fun to read about, I enjoyed the relationship between the two and I came to like their characters more and more as I read, rooting for them and hoping for them to come out on top. Even though it is fairly obvious they would succeed...what with Mycroft being in the Sherlock books and so on...but still!
I was completely fascinated by the legendary Douen and Lougarou, I really wanted to know more about the stories surrounding them and everything, and it's something I'll be looking in to myself. I'm such a sucker for myths and legends to be honest.
Much like the characters, the book itself and the plot and so on, are all very well written. I found it easy to read the book and get lost in it. I liked the pace of the book and the prose. The book has you engaged from start to finish, riveted, trying to put pieces together, but failing as something surprises you. The historic detail was spot on, and perfectly done. There are some particularly well done scenes between Mycroft and Sherlock that had me internally squealing, not to mention the very end of the book!
All in all it was an enjoyable read and I wouldn't be opposed to it being turned in to a series, because why not? Mycroft is usually in the background and it's great to get to know him, it makes him seem less...aloof? Whether reading or watching something Sherlock, I always feel as if he's kind of aloof or separate, but this book kind of solidified him in my mind as a real person/character, which doesn't make sense but yeah.
