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Author Archives: mxpublishing

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About mxpublishing

Steve Emecz is the MD of MX Publishing, which is the world's leading Sherlock Holmes publishers. He has written himself with several non-fiction books and two crime thrillers under his belt.

The Sherlock Holmes Society of London reviews Sherlock Holmes: The Scottish Question

06 Nov

“Sherlock Holmes: The Scottish Question, or Sons of the Thistle by Mike Hogan  seems singularly appropriate to the year of the Scottish referendum, as it starts with the reported theft of the Coronation Stone from Westminster Abbey (but is it the real Stone of Destiny?), leading Holmes to uncover a plot by Scottish nationalists to destroy the Union. In the shadows, behind the plot, is a foreign power, whose aim goes beyond the dismantling of the United Kingdom. Terrorism, espionage, danger and hair’s-breadth escapes make The Scottish Question apolitical thriller rather than a detective story – and why not? There’s also wit, and a pinch of satire in the mix. Mr Hogan writes well too.”

Sherlock Holmes and The Scottish Question is available from all good bookstores including   Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, and for free shipping worldwide Book Depository . In ebook it is in Kindle.

9781780927015

 
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Posted by on November 6, 2014 in Book Reviews, Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle

 

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Philip K Jones reviews ‘Scandal In Bohemia’

18 Oct

“This is a different book than most English speaking Sherlockians are accustomed to. First, it has been translated from Czech.  Next, it is a graphic version of SCAN, but it also includes SPEC as if it occurred intertwined with events in SCAN.  Finally, it also includes additional material.  In most cases, the additional material comes as a bit of a surprise.  The appearances of Dorian Grey and Mr. Hyde in SCAN may give some indication of the things in store for the reader.

This book is the fourth in time-sequence of ten or eleven graphic novels produced by the author.  I am not sure how many will be published in English nor in what sequence other items will appear.  I’m also not sure how many involve Sherlock Holmes although I expect he will appear in at least five and, perhaps, in six.  In any case, these books are not published for children.  Adult subjects and illustrations appear and the graphics are well done and interesting.  All-in-all, they are presented much better than most comic books I have seen. 

Readers should be prepared to be surprised.  The general story lines follow those in the Canonical Tales, but the difference is in the details.  It is never quite clear, in this single installment, who bears which relation to whom.  Irene Adler is certainly a major player, but who she works for and who is opposing her for which reasons are not at all clear.  One almost gets the feeling that Sherlock is a bit-player in a play that stars others.

The artwork is quite individual and is very well-done.  The story line is left open and presents more questions than answers. I sincerely hope that later additions to the series will provide a few answers and resolve some of the puzzles.  The author’s “take” on Sherlock Holmes is certainly unique and this presentation of two of the Canonical short stories is both unique and fascinating. This is truly an interesting “read.”

A Scandal In Bohemia – A Sherlock Holmes Graphic Novel is available for order from all good bookstores including   Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, and for free shipping worldwide Book Depository .

a scandal in bohemia graphic

 
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Posted by on October 18, 2014 in Book Reviews, Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle

 

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Getting to Know the Author: John A. Little

11 Oct

Getting to Know the Author: John A. Little.

 
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Posted by on October 11, 2014 in Uncategorized

 

“Spectacular full colour artwork” – review of Sherlock Holmes and The Scandal in Bohemia graphic novel

14 Sep

“Petr Kopl’s SHERLOCK HOLMES: A SCANDAL IN BOHEMIA is an imaginative comic-book adaptation of more thanv one story, with spectacular full-color artwork and a preface by Ales Kolo-drubec. First published in Czech and now translated into English, it’s a welcome sample of Kopl’s ‘Victoria Regina’ series. He has an interestingvweb-site at <www.petrkopl.cz> (if your computer runs Google Translate you can pretend you’re fluent in Czech)”

Peter Blau, September 2014.

Scandal In Bohemia is available from this week through all good bookstores includingBook Depository (free shipping worldwide), Amazon USA, and Amazon UK.

9781780926803_Page_058

 
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Posted by on September 14, 2014 in Book Reviews, Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle, Uncategorized

 

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Peter E. Blau reviews Two, To One, Be

08 Sep

“Another MX title is PROJECT TWO, TO ONE, BE: SHERLOCK HOLMES AND A HOUSE OF LIGHT, SHADOWS, AND VIEWS (2014; 162 pp.); edited by Carrie Carlson and Lynn Gale, it’s an anthology of tributes to Undershaw, with a foreward by Laurie R. King, and essays, photographs, and artwork by other supporters of the campaign to preserve Conan Doyle’s home.”

Two, To One, Be is available from all good bookstores including   Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, and for free shipping worldwide Book Depository .

two to one be

 
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Posted by on September 8, 2014 in Book Reviews, Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle

 

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The Sherlock Holmes Society of London reviews A Scandal in Bohemia – A Sherlock Holmes Graphic Novel

30 Aug

“Due on 12 September is A Scandal in Bohemia, adapted as a graphic novel by the brilliant Czech illustrator Petr Kopl and translated (back) into English by Paul & Jana Simpson. Actually there are two adventures here, the other being ‘The Speckled Band’, and both serve to show Holmes that women can be just as courageous and intelligent as men – much to Watson’s satisfaction. The result is a feast for the eye and the imagination. The vivid, exciting text is enhanced by artwork that’s by turns deeply atmospheric and devastatingly funny – and often beautiful. This is a thoroughly classy production (MX Publishing;www.mxpublishing.co.uk). The original won the 2013 Fabula Rasa Czech Award for the best script, best artwork and best comic book. It’s easy to see why. Mr Kopl has a website at www.petrkopl.cz.”

A Scandal In Bohemia – A Sherlock Holmes Graphic Novel is available for pre order from all good bookstores including   Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, and for free shipping worldwide Book Depository .

a scandal in bohemia graphic

 
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Posted by on August 30, 2014 in Book Reviews, Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle

 

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The Sherlock Holmes Society of London reviews A Study in Terror Volume 1

27 Aug

“Volume 1 of A Study in Terror: Sir Arthur Conan  Doyle’s Revolutionary Stories of Fear and the  Supernatural, edited by Derrick Belanger. The  influence of Poe on Conan Doyle wasn’t limited to his  stories of detection: the tales of mystery and imagination  left their mark as well. ACD didn’t write very much in  that vein, but the best of it can be classed with the best of  Poe. Here are eight stories – ‘The Terror of Blue John  Gap’, ‘The Horror of the Heights’, ‘The Captain of the  Pole Star’, ‘J Habakuk Jephson’s Statement’, ‘The  Leather Funnel’, ‘The Silver Mirror’, ‘Through the Veil’  and ‘The Parasite’ – of which at least the first three and  ‘The Leather Funnel’ are absolutely in the top rank.  They come with three good essays, the most interesting  to me being Derrick Belanger’s ‘Revisions of History:  Arthur Conan Doyle and the Mary Celeste Mystery’,  which tells how ‘J Habakuk Jephson’s Statement’,  though not his best, became perhaps Conan Doyle’s  most influential short story. A second volume is due on 19 November. ”

A Study in Terror:  Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Revolutionary Stories of Fear and the Supernatural Volume 1 is available for pre order from all good bookstores including  Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, and for free shipping worldwide Book Depository .

a study in terror volume 1

 
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Posted by on August 27, 2014 in Book Reviews, Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle

 

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How does the Conan Doyle canon inspire me?

18 Aug

barefootonbakerstreet's avatarBarefoot on Baker Street

sir-arthur-conan-doyle-1One of my Facebook friends messaged me to ask an interesting question – how does the canon influence my writing? I thought, ah-ha! Great idea for a blog…

The canon is always at the heart of anything I write with regard to Sherlock Holmes. I just like to put my own spin on things.

For some, the goal is to recreate the voice of the original stories so accurately that when people read it, they feel like they have stumbled across a lost work by Doyle – or even Watson himself.

I greatly admire those who take this approach, even more so if they manage to pull it off. But for me, the creative challenge lay in not trying to replicate, but rather trying to innovate – take the canon as a starting point and re-tell it in a fresh new way which would appeal to not only existing fans…

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Posted by on August 18, 2014 in Uncategorized

 

The Sherlock Holmes Society of London reviews Two, To One, Be

05 Aug

“Project Two, to One, Be: Sherlock Holmes and a House of Light, Shadows and Views edited by Carrie Carlson & Lynn Gale. John Gibson has written the introduction, and the foreword is by Laurie R King. There follow nearly 140 pages of essays, long and short, enhanced by photographs and original artwork, some of it, like Riley  Stark’s cover design, outstanding. Ms Carlson notes:  ‘Not all of our contributors are professionals in their chosen medium, and many of the writers are non-native English Speakers, and yet they all speak from the heart.” All the royalties from the book go to the Undershaw campaign. Believe me, it’s worth while.”

Two, To One, Be is available from all good bookstores including   Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, and for free shipping worldwide Book Depository .

two to one be

 
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Posted by on August 5, 2014 in Book Reviews, Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle

 

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Cassie Parkes reviews the first 3 Lego Sherlock Holmes books by P James Macaluso

30 Jul

“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. (Others are available but they’re currently in pre order-check the links at the bottom of the review to order!) 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.

To order (or pre-order) any of the Lego Holmes books, visit MX Publishing here: http://www.mxpublishing.co.uk/brand/P.+James+Macaluso+Jr

Thanks for reading!”

A Scandal in Bohemia – Lego – The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes 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, Nook and Apple iBooks(iPad/iPhone).

The Red-Headed League – Lego – The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is available from all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Hive UK, Waterstones UK, and for free shipping worldwide Book Depository. In ebook format it is in Apple iBooks(iPad/iPhone).

A Case of Identity – Lego – The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is available for pre order 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, Nook and Apple iBooks(iPad/iPhone).

lego first book

 
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Posted by on July 30, 2014 in Book Reviews, Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle

 

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