Sherlock Holmes and the Necronomicon

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.