“If there’s one thing I love besides Sherlock Holmes, it’s Lego. I have a shelf full of Lego figures (I have lots of character ones-Marvel, Lord of the Rings etc) and I loved The Lego Movie beyond comprehension. So when I saw that P James Macaluso Jr  had created illustrated versions of Conan Doyle’s work using Lego figures, I was giddy beyond belief!

I looked at three of Macaluso’s Holmes books: A Case of Identity, The Red-Headed League and A Scandal in Bohemia. The books use Conan Doyle’s original text, but are illustrated with charming Lego images (like the one above) which are Lego reproductions of Paget’s work in the original stories. Each illustration is both adorable and clever as, when compared to Paget’s originals, they are actually remarkably similar!

The books themselves are fairly thin and glossy, they are easy to read and I was eager to turn the page and see each new illustration recreated in Lego! One thing I did think about was how they would be fairly accessible to children in this format, though the vocabulary of Conan Doyle’s work might be a little tricky for some younger children.

Overall, these books are a fun, lighthearted take on Conan Doyle’s work, and I for one am very jealous both of the fact that I didn’t think of it first, and of Macaluso’s extensive Lego collection. I would definitely recommend these to both Holmesians and Lego fans alike, they’re the kind of thing which I know will make me smile over and over again.”

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Re-Imagined series is available from all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, and for free shipping worldwide Book Depository. In ebook format it is in Kobo and Nook.