Sherlock Review: The Empty Hearse.
The Sherlock Holmes Society of London reviews ‘The Story and Script behind No Place Like Holmes’ and ‘Holmes in Time for Christmas’ by Ross K Foad
“The Story and the Scripts Behind No Place Like Holmes: Select Episode Scripts From The Hit Sherlock Holmes Web Drama Comedy by Ross K Foad. MX Publishing. 2012. 252pp.
At www.nplh.co.uk/ you’ll find No Place Like Holmes, a series of comedy-dramas written and directed by Ross K Foad (who also plays Sherlock Holmes), based on the premise that Holmes and Watson were frozen in a time-spell by the demonic Hugo Baskerville, emerging eventually in the year 2010. We witness them, as the website says, fighting both evil masterminds and modern appliances. The films — thirteen so far, plus three Mary Morstan Mysteries, two reminiscences from the Great Hiatus, and six miscellaneous shorts — are attracting an increasing and enthusiastic audience worldwide, people who will surely welcome The Story and the Scripts Behind No Place Like Holmes, which contains four full-length scripts plus the promos for the Great Sherlock Holmes Debate 3 and the Baker Street Babes’ Sherlopalooza, and an account of the curious birth and development of the series. Also available is Holmes in Time for Christmas (MX; 2013), a novel adapted from one of the Great Hiatus mysteries, involving Mycroft Holmes, Irene Adler and death in the festive season. Like the scripts and the films themselves, it’s clever, intelligent and funny.”
The Story and Script Behind No Place Like Holmes is available from all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble USA, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, and for free shipping worldwide Book Depository .
Holmes in Time for Christmas is available from all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble USA, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, and for free shipping worldwide Book Depository . In ebook format it is in Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and Apple iBooks (iPad/iPhone).
The Sherlock Holmes Society of London reviews Benedict Cumberbatch, in Transition: An Unauthorised Performance Biography
“Lynnette Porter is the editor of Sherlock Holmes for the 21st Century: Essays on New Adaptations. Here she surveys Cumberbatch’s career as an actor, touching on his extra-curricular life only to the extent that it influences his acting or is influenced by the transition from jobbing actor to star to celebrity. The facts are meticulously (but not tediously) referenced, and the writing is both literate and engaging. Sherlock is the turning-point, but it’s good to be reminded of the extent and importance of the actor’s career, before, during and after the breakthrough to stardom: acclaimed rôles in Rhinoceros and Hedda Gabler at the Royal Court, After the Dance at the Old Vic, and Frankenstein at the National Theatre; performances as Van Gogh and Stephen Hawking on television; leading parts inCopenhagen, Neverwhere and the continuing comedy series Cabin Pressure on radio; War Horse, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy in the cinema, and his emergence as a real film star in Star Trek: Into Darkness. Benedict Cumberbatch is a great actor, unpretentious, honest and dedicated.”
Benedict Cumberbatch, In Transition is available from all good bookstores including in the USA Amazon, Barnes and Noble, in the UK Amazon, Waterstones, and for everywhere else Book Depository who offer free worldwide delivery. In ebook format there is Kindle, iPad, Kobo and Nook.
Luke Benjamen Kuhns reviews Sherlock Holmes & Young Winston: The Jubilee Plot
“It’s Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee but festive celebrations are not the only thing afoot in this riveting and exciting read by Mike Hogan.
I couldn’t help by find myself thoroughly engaged throughout this novel. I enjoyed that Mike didn’t just make use of the classic canonical characters such as Mycroft and Lestrade, he also makes use of characters from the Greek Interpreter along with his insertion of historical figures.
Mike keeps true to Doyle’s style and the characteristics of Doyle’s characters. I enjoyed the relationship between Sherlock Holmes, Doctor Watson, and young Winston Churchill. The three play off each other very well. Mike’s grasp on historical events as well as Victorian London is something to be admired.
Fans of Sherlock Holmes won’t be disappointed with this instalment in the Sherlock Holmes and Young Winston series. New comers to Holmes, or for those simply looking for a thrilling Victorian crime will greatly enjoy this book.”
Sherlock Holmes and Young Winston: The Jubilee Plot is available from all good bookstores worldwide including in the USA Amazon and Barnes and Noble, in the UK Amazon, Waterstones . Fans outside the US and UK can get free delivery from Book Depository. In ebook format it is in Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and Apple iBooks(iPad/iPhone).
Review published in the winter edition of the Canadian Holmes of the East Wind Coming – A Sherlockian Study Book
“This book looks at a wide range of Sherlockian topics from dentistry (Hirayama is a dentist in Tokyo) to the tracking of Heidegger’s bicycle. Hirayama is best known as the driving force behind The Shoso-in Bulletin, an international Sherlockian journal published from 1991 to 2004. This work consists of 28 articles/essays written by Hirayama for his publication and also others. Four of the articles are coauthored with John Hall, a English Holmesian. For the Sherlockian purist, the articles on the first nine cases in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes may be the strongest in the book. But all are interesting, and this book will find an audience in a wide swath of the Sherlockian world.”
Canadian Holmes, The Journal of the Bootmakers of Toronto, Volume 36 Number 2, Winter 2013/2014
East Wind Coming is available from all good bookstores worldwide including in the USA Amazon and Barnes and Noble, in the UK Amazon, Waterstones . Fans outside the US and UK can get free delivery from Book Depository. In ebook format it is in Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and Apple iBooks(iPad/iPhone).
Book Review: Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Bulgarian Codex by Tim Symonds
“A new ‘Sherlock Holmes’ novel has a lot to live up to. And frankly, I was not hopeful for this offering. As an avid Arthur Conan Doyle – and Holmes – fan, I was sceptical that anyone could match Conan Doyle’s intellect whilst matching his fast-paced and gripping style. I was wrong. Symonds story could be described as a gripping yarn, which captured the essence of both Holmes and Watson very well.
The story in short; Holmes and his faithful sidekick were contacted by the mysterious and duplicitous Prince Regnant of Bulgaria, following the theft of an ancient and sacred manuscript. Holmes is tasked with finding the manuscript, and by extension preventing war. The lives of millions are in his hands.
So, plot set, the trusty duo set off for Bulgaria, travelling through beautifully described landscapes. As one would expect, the story is not as simple as it at first appears, and what follows is a tale of murder, greed, and vampires.
There are the requisite unexpected twists and turns: A tale worthy of Holmes any day.
So, although I expected to be disappointed, I was not. The language Symonds employs is reminiscent of Conan Doyle, and really transports the reader on the journey. If I were to offer some small criticism, it would be that it feels as if the author is trying too hard to link the story to the earlier texts. But that would be all. And by halfway through this feeling is forgotten, as is the fact that this is not one of Conan Doyle’s original offerings – so good is the dialogue and story telling.
A good test for me is, when you turn the last page, how do you feel? Glad or disappointed. I was definitely disappointed, as I was enjoying it so much I didn’t want it to end.
I haven’t read Symonds first novel Sherlock Holmes and the Dead Boer at Scotney Castle. I will now, and very much hope Symonds keeps writing in this tradition, as this book is a worthy addition to the Holmes repertoire of tales.
I recommend it whole-heartedly to any Holmes fans.”
Reviewed by THE JOURNAL JURISPRUDENCE, Xanthe Mallett, University of New England, Armidale, Australia
Sherlock Holmes and The Case of The Bulgarian Codex is available from all good bookstores including in the USA Amazon, Barnes and Noble, in the UK Amazon,Waterstones, and for everywhere else Book Depository who offer free worldwide delivery. In ebook format there is Kindle, Nook, iPad and Kobo.
The Sherlock Holmes Society of London reviews The Immortals: An Unauthorised Guide to Sherlock and Elementary
“I first encountered Matthew Elliott as a fellow-contributor to Sherlock magazine, whose last issue appeared in 2006, the year in which Mark Gatiss told the Society of the mad idea he and Steven Moffat had for an updated Sherlock Holmes. Matthew has since established himself as a scriptwriter and occasional actor, and as the deviser and presenter of our annual Film Evening. There’s no one better qualified to provide a survey of Sherlock – which he does in The Immortals: An Unauthorised Guide to Sherlock and Elementary. Cumberbatch or Miller? They’re both fine actors, equally superb in Danny Boyle’s production of Frankenstein, and Matthew Elliott’s guide is throughout perceptive, witty, affectionate and deeply knowledgeable.”
The Immortals: An Unauthorized guide to Sherlock and Elementary 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 Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and Apple iBooks (iPad/iPhone).
Review of ‘Benedict Cumberbatch – In Transition: An Unauthorised Performance Biography’ from Benedict-Cumberbatch.de
“Written by Lynnette Porter and published by MX Publishing, Benedict Cumberbatch – In Transition: An Unauthorised Performance Biography is no ordinary biography as we know it from most other celebrity biographies. The author focuses almost entirely on the career of Benedict and gives an overview of his projects, backed by numerous quotations and anecdotes.
The book begins, after a long introduction, with Benedict’s childhood and his education at Harrow, Manchester and LAMDA, and includes some very nice quotes from his mother, Wanda Ventham. We, as theater fans, are delighted that the chapter on his career in the theatre is especially extensive. Porter refers to Benedict’s first roles at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, and gives a comprehensive analysis (including excerpts from interviews and reviews) on Hedda Gabler, Rhinoceros, The Arsonists and After the Dance. Frankenstein even gets a more in depth chapter. It becomes clear very easily that a lot of time and research has gone into the book….”
Read the full review here.
Benedict Cumberbatch, In Transition is available from all good bookstores including in the USA Amazon, Barnes and Noble, in the UK Amazon, Waterstones, and for everywhere else Book Depository who offer free worldwide delivery. In ebook format there is Kindle, iPad, Kobo and Nook.
Sherlock Holmes Society of London reviews Watson is Not an Idiot by Eddy Webb
“The essays collected in Watson Is Not an Idiot: An Opinionated Tour of the Sherlock Holmes Canon by Eddy Webb (MX Publishing; www.mxpublishing.co.uk) were originally posted on Mr Webb’s blog at http://eddyfate.com. They are necessarily opinionated, as they must be; they’re also intelligent, incisive and well-written. The nearest equivalent to Watson Is Not an Idiot is probably Martin Dakin’s Sherlock Holmes Commentary, but Mr Webb takes the line throughout that the chronicles of Sherlock Holmes are fiction, written by Arthur Conan Doyle. His book can help us appreciate just what is good in the stories, what isn’t, and why they still appeal when so much contemporary work is forgotten. It would make an ideal present for the Holmesian neophyte or for the long-time scholar.”
Watson Is Not An Idiot 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 Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and Apple iBooks (iPad/iPhone).
Sherlock Holmes books for that shiny new iPad/iPhone
Father Christmas has brought you a shiny new iPad and now it’s time to fill it up – but what with? Here’s our tips for the best Sherlock Holmes books to download:
For the Traditionalists – writing in the style of Conan Doyle
The Papers of Sherlock Holmes Volume 1 and Volume Two
The Lost Stories of Sherlock Holmes
The Secret Journal of Dr.Watson
Sherlock Holmes and A Quantity of Debt
Sherlock Holmes and The Case of the Edinburgh Haunting
For fans of cross-overs with famous characters
Rendezvous at The Populaire (Phantom of The Opera)
I Will Find The Answer (Jekyll and Hyde)
Sherlock Holmes and Young Winston – The Deadwood Stage (a young Winston Churchill)
Anomalous (Jack Johnson and Al Capone)
The Affair In Transylvania, Plague of Dracula (Dracula)
Sherlock Holmes and The Whitechapel Vampire (Jack The Ripper)
Short eBooks and Novellas
Sherlock Holmes and the Persecution of John Vincent Harden
Sherlock Holmes in The Mystery of the Magic Umbrella
Sherlock Holmes and The Adventure of The Cricketers
For a bigger list why not visit our Pinterest Sherlock Holmes iPad Board.
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