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Shadows Over Baker Street

by Michael Reaves (Editor), John Pelan (Editor)

3.99 of 5 stars 3.99 · rating details · 1,395 ratings · 102 reviews

Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes is among the most famous literary figures of all time. For more than a hundred years, his adventures have stood as imperishable monuments to the ability of human reason to penetrate every mystery, solve every puzzle, and punish every crime.

For nearly as long, the macabre tales of H. P. Lovecraft have haunted readers with their nightmar...more

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Published September 30th 2003 by Del Rey (first published 2003)

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Nov 24, 2009 Werner rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Both Lovecraft and Holmes fans, and "horror" fans in general

Shelves: science-fiction

Doyle's Sherlock Holmes canon and Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos have both long been favorite subjects for pastiches; and given the number of contemporary writers who are fans of both, it's not surprising to find an anthology bringing them together. (The antithetical character of the juxtaposition is more apparent than real: Doyle eschewed the supernatural in his Holmes stories; but as Holmes observes in one of the stories here, we're dealing here with science, not magic --and Doyle's own Holmes sto...more Doyle's Sherlock Holmes canon and Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos have both long been favorite subjects for pastiches; and given the number of contemporary writers who are fans of both, it's not surprising to find an anthology bringing them together. (The antithetical character of the juxtaposition is more apparent than real: Doyle eschewed the supernatural in his Holmes stories; but as Holmes observes in one of the stories here, we're dealing here with science, not magic --and Doyle's own Holmes stories sometimes find the great detective dealing with matters science-fictional.)

Most of the 18 stories here (by 20 writers --two are joint efforts) utilize Watson as a narrator, and all but one include Holmes as a character. (Irene Adler, Professor Moriarty, and Mycroft Holmes also appear, and some stories also incorporate real-life persons or fictional characters/literary references from Holmes' era, such as H. G. Wells and William Hope Hodgson's Carnacki, the Ghost-Finder.) Some of the stories make a passable imitation of Doyle's narrative style, and some employ a suggestion of Lovecraft's purple prose in describing the Cthulhu-like phenomena; but mostly the similarities are of characterizations and concepts, not actual style. A few stories here draw directly on specific Lovecraft originals, but most do not, and the majority of the writers (though not all of them) refrain from existential pessimist sermonizing --which was not always explicit in Lovecraft's own writings, either. All of the stories are shorter than the typical Lovecraft work, and hence aren't developed to the same degree; and compared to the original Holmes canon, Sherlock is actually not called on to do much deducting here --most of the authors simply conveniently assume a prior acquaintance on his part with the Necronomicon. As is usually the case in multi-author anthologies, the quality of the work is uneven. John Pelan's "The Mystery of the Worm," IMO, is the weakest entry, and the one reflecting the least flavor of the originals.

In the main, though, these stories succeed well on their own terms, as well-written works of horrific sci-fi with a Victorian ambience --best appreciated by Lovecraft and Doyle fans who recognize familiar characters and premises. While Lovecraft concentrated almost entirely on male characters, some of the writers here, happily, do not: Irene Adler is a major figure in Elizabeth Bear's "Tiger! Tiger!" and Barbara Hambly and Steve Perry also create strong female characters who can handle anything the Great Old Ones can throw at them --these stories are some of the best in the collection. My favorite (like that of some of the other reviewers below) is Neil Gaimann's brilliant alternate-world yarn, "A Study in Emerald." But (besides the ones already mentioned) several others are standouts as well, including Brian Stableford's "Art in the Blood," Richard A. Lupoff's "The Adventure of the Voorish Sign," and James Lowder's "The Weeping Masks."(less)

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Jul 25, 2007 Nathanielk rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The ultimate pastiche: Sherlock Holmes meets the denizens of H.P. Lovecraft's sinister universes. Two writers who have not only been imitated, but whose characters/settings have been used by countless others. The combo is even better. A Study in Emerald is just one of the many little gems in this book. Probably best that you have read at least one Cthulu mythos tale first though: just to know what is being lampooned or venerated.

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Feb 28, 2008 Mike rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, mystery

Oh man.
I love "A Study In Emerald". Love it. I've read some of the other stories in the book and have liked them pretty well, but I love "A Study In Emerald".
In case you don't know this is basically a collection of stories that break down to being Sherlock Holmes vs. Cthulu. And the first story is "A Study In Emerald" by [author:Neil Gaiman}. It's brilliant. It shows why Neil Gaiman is a master of his craft. It's chilling and thought provoking and just great.
Like I said I've read a few of the ot...more

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Oct 30, 2007 Mary rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: short-story, horror, historical

How could this book possibly go wrong? Cthulhu is awesome! Sherlock Holmes is awesome! Put them together, and you ought to get double the awesome. And yet, only a few of the stories managed to strike a balance between the two worlds that actually works. A Study In Emerald, by Neil Gaiman, is by far the best story in the collection and reason enough to buy the book all on its own.

Though the other stories tend to pale in comparison, there are a handful more that are worth reading, and a couple tha...more

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Apr 05, 2013 Axel M. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, pulp

"Schatten über Baker Street" versucht das Subgenre-Crossover zwischen Sherlock Holmes Victoriana und dem Lovecraft-Mythos. Ich fürchte, dies scheint schwieriger zu sein, als man denkt, denn während das Buch auch sehr unterhaltsam ist, gelingt es entweder eine Holmes-Geschichte zu schreiben, oder eine Lovecraftinspirierte. Die Subgenres stehen sich wohl doch zu antagonistisch gegenüber, zudem plagt das Buch, wenn man alle Geschichten hintereinander weg liest, das typische Problem der Hommage. Die...more

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Oct 13, 2011 Riju Ganguly rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Shadows over Baker Street" is an ingenious (if not singular) attempt by Ballantine Books to superimpose the gigantic persona of Sherlock Holmes upon the weirdly menacing landscape of Cthulhu, under the editorship of Michael Reaves and John Pelan. The authority of these two as well as the host of authors invited by them to undertake this `mission' is irreproachable. But to an aficionado of either genre, the crux of the matter is to find out who has been disparaged by whom (although the outcome o...more "Shadows over Baker Street" is an ingenious (if not singular) attempt by Ballantine Books to superimpose the gigantic persona of Sherlock Holmes upon the weirdly menacing landscape of Cthulhu, under the editorship of Michael Reaves and John Pelan. The authority of these two as well as the host of authors invited by them to undertake this `mission' is irreproachable. But to an aficionado of either genre, the crux of the matter is to find out who has been disparaged by whom (although the outcome of the confrontation was `known' to all, since, had the Lovecraftian monsters succeeded surely we would not be here to contemplate over global warming and other trivia). But now, I better come to the point.

The penmanship of the stories constituting this book vary along-with the focus of the authors. Some of these works are about Yog-Soggoth, some about the Colour beyond Space, some about other paranormal and psychological phenomena that would have stumped the author of the famous line: "This agency stands flat-footed upon the ground, and there it must remain. The world is big enough for us. No ghosts need apply." [The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire]. The stories are:
1. "A Study in Emerald" by Neil Gaiman is one of the finest pastiches that I have ever come across. It is about events very similar to those in "A Study in Scarlet" happening in a post-Cthulhu London occupied by some of the most well-known characters of fantastic Victoriana, where the events are narrated by `once crack-shot' Col. S. M, the murder is solved by a consulting detective who is the author of "Dynamics of an Asteroid" and has been pressed into action by Inspector Lestrade, the murderer is an ex-Army Doctor who has been to Afghanistan and the murder is planned & implemented by an extremely talented amateur actor Sherry Vernet!!!
2. "Tiger! Tiger!" by Elizabeth Bear is a breathtaking adventure of hunting, international politics and a sorcerer who chants "Ia! Ia Hastur cf'ayah 'vugtlagln Hastur!" in Malwa plateau involving Colonel Sebastian Moran and Irene Adler.
3. "The Case of the Wavy Black Dagger" by Steve Parry recounts Holmes' meeting with the woman of his dreams (NOT IRENE ADLER)!
4. "A Case of Royal Blood" by Steven-Elliot Altman is an adventure concerning some of the dark secrets of the royal family in Netherlands, where Holmes is accompanied and assisted by H.G. Wells.
5. "The Weeping Masks" by James Lowder is Watsonian reminiscences of what could have actually taken place after the battle of Maiwand and how Murray saved him from otherworldly doom.
6. "Art in the Blood" by Brian Stableford is a solid effort that aims at bringing not only Sherlock Holmes, but also Mycroft Holmes and his Diogenes Club into the Cthulhuian world.
7. "The Curious Case of Miss Violet Stone" by Poppy Z. Brite and David Ferguson is a rather flat story involving mind-travel, somehow clinging to the Lovecraftian postulates.
8. "The Adventure of the Antiquarian's Niece" by Barbara Hambly is a purely Cthulhuian pulp-action, with not only Holmes but also Carnaki the ghost-finder. It was racy and horrifying.
9. "The Mystery of the Worm" by John Pelan is a worthy attempt to convert the tantalizing reference left by Conan Doyle into a Wold-Newton adventure bringing Dr. Nikola and Cthulhu mythos onto 221B Baker Street.
10. "The Mystery of the Hanged Man's Puzzle" by Paul Finch is a superb adventure where Holmes and Watson encounter the legacy of Innsmouth, Massachusetts!
11. "The Horror of the Many Faces" by Tim Lebbon is a disturbing study in psychology that only uses the trappings of the mythos.
12. "The Adventure of the Arab's Manuscript" by Michael Reaves is an adventure where Watson comes across a fragrance from his past and feels the putrid odor of Cthulhu only at the climax.
13. "The Drowned Geologist" by Caitlin R. Kiernan is a neat story of Holmes coming across artifacts from Cthulhu during "the Hiatus".
14. "A Case of Insomnia" by John P. Vourlis is another Lovecraftian story of a `portal' through which otherworldly creatures may come visiting, esp. in darkness.
15. "The Adventure of the Voorish Sign" by Richard A Lupoff is a story of signs and designs that may allow us to venture into the perilous (mildly speaking) world of Cthulhu.
16. "The Adventure of the Exham Priory" by F. Gwynplaine Macintyre is a chilling story of Moriarty acting as the agent of Yog-Soggoth and how he almost managed in snatching Holmes away forever.
17. "Death Did Not Become Him" by David Niall Wilson and Patricia Lee Macomber is a biblical story of `Golem' set amidst Lovecraftian incantations and Holmes-Watson.
18. "Nightmare in Wax" by Simon Clark recounts Moriarty's efforts to usher the inmates of Cthulhu into the world as we know it, and how Holmes foiled it in nick of time (or, did he?)!

To summarize, this book would be a good companion to you irrespective of your inclinations towards Holmes or Cthulhu in particular. Go ahead and read the book. All the best!(less)

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Jun 06, 2011 Kathy Davie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, urban, young-adult

This anthology of short stories revolve around a central theme of Sherlock Holmes…with a twist, an H.P. Lovecraft twist. Every tale involves the supernatural and it's an intriguing mix of the feel of Holmes' England and Watson's companionship. The disconcerting aspect is not the supernatural as much as it’s the individual authors creating future histories for each man and none of those histories connect. As I read, I couldn't understand what happened to that second marriage or how the various au...more

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Jan 25, 2010 Nathan Harrison rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'd love to give it 5 stars, but I feel there's only so much pastiche can achieve, even if it is as inspired as the short stories in this collection. Now, that said, if they were all on par with Neil Gaiman's "A Study in Emerald", I'd be whining that I couldn't go up to 6 stars & begging for another installment.

When I first read this collection about a year ago I liked it well enough, being much more well-versed on the Lovecraft side of the equation than the Holmes. But credit the Guy Richie...more

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Jun 01, 2012 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reads

Add one part "ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn" to two parts "Elmentary!", add a dash of suspension of disbelief, then toss it all in a blender and hit frappe, and you get Shadows Over Baker Street, a collection of more or less successful pastiches of Doyle's and Lovecraft's canon. The best stories are - like most great fan fictions - the ones that tell the story at the edges of the story: Bear's "Tiger! Tiger!" finds a pre-Holmes Irene Adler in India with Colonel Moran; Lowder...more

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Apr 29, 2011 Brenna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011, fantasy, mystery, short-stories, holmesian-lit

Mixing Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and H.P. Lovecraft is just a fascinating premise. While a few of the stories fall short, this collection is entertaining and well worth the read. My favorite stories in the collection are as follows:

"A Study in Emerald," Neil Gaiman - This is the story that made me buy the collection. I read it in Gaiman's book Fragile Things, and thoroughly enjoyed it. The ending is excellent and while the story is pure Gaiman, it is also an excellent homage to the writers honored...more

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May 27, 2013 Nicholas rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

18 stories of Sherlock Holmes and Watson versus Yog-Sothery. Pretty good stories for the most part, but with few stand-outs. Four of the stories really stayed in my memory (I will try to make this spoiler free).

"A Study in Emerald" by Neil Gaiman: This is the first story in the collection, and is very compelling. Right off the bat, it plays with setting and character expectations. I actually dreamed a sequel to it, but forgot it upon waking. Perhaps a defense mechanism at work. . .

"The Case of...more

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May 25, 2011 Cris rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-mystery, horror, mysteries, paranormal-supernatural, sherlock-holmes, short-stories, anthologies

In my experience, most anthologies contain stories that vary in quality. Not here. I found the Shadows over Baker Street to be of a uniformly high quality. Which is not to say that I enjoyed all the stories equally, or at all. "A Study in Emerald" by Neil Gaiman wowed me the most. (view spoiler) I also found "The Adventure of the Antiquarian's Niece" appropriately spooky.

Overall, I found it interesting to...more

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Aug 27, 2010 Snail in Danger (Sid) Nicolaides rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-fiction, anthologies-and-collections, reboots-fanfiction-etc

This is so very fanfic-ish, in concept at least. (And sometimes in execution. Please note that that's not meant as an insult. While some fanfic is bad enough to make run screaming into the streets, some of it is of pro or near-pro quality.) It's a pretty cool idea, but I started losing interest after a few stories.

The Neil Gaiman piece at the beginning was excellent. I know that's a "really going out on a limb there" thing, but ... Neil Gaiman doesn't push my readerly buttons that much. (I know...more

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Feb 17, 2013 Martin rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: nobody

Mno... Stručně a zručně: některé povídky jsou povedené, ale jako celek jde o jednu z nejhorších "holmesiád".

Nestručně: máme zde příspěvky slavných autorů, spojené zadáním: napište Holmese ve světě Lovecrafta. Samo o sobě jde o zajímavý nápad, jenže ve většině případů vznikl kočkopes (psočka). Kdyby byl Holmes nahrazen radou Vacátkem, většině povídek by to neuškodilo - dedukce jsou zde většinou triviálně jednoduché, někde chybí zcela. A současně je Holmes staven před případy (a bytosti), které St...more Mno... Stručně a zručně: některé povídky jsou povedené, ale jako celek jde o jednu z nejhorších "holmesiád".

Nestručně: máme zde příspěvky slavných autorů, spojené zadáním: napište Holmese ve světě Lovecrafta. Samo o sobě jde o zajímavý nápad, jenže ve většině případů vznikl kočkopes (psočka). Kdyby byl Holmes nahrazen radou Vacátkem, většině povídek by to neuškodilo - dedukce jsou zde většinou triviálně jednoduché, někde chybí zcela. A současně je Holmes staven před případy (a bytosti), které Starým nesahají ani po špičku chapadla - místo děsivých božstev tu máme pár bubáků.

Milovníci Cthulhu bez znalosti SH se budou místy bavit, jen jim může vadit ten "divnej detektiv". Opačný případ - fanoušci SH bez znalosti Lovecrafta - budou znechuceni "pokročilou idiocií SH" a "těmi fantasmagoriemi okolo". Takže psočka, no.

Pokud znáte oba mistry pera, je tu pár povídek, které zaujmou (jako samostatné bych je hodnotil 4-5*)
- geniální deduktivní souboj od Steve Perryho (Zvlněné ostří) je čistý Holmes s jedinou referencí na Prastaré. (jen autorovi ujela datace o deset let, Moriarty by tehdy ještě žil, ale to není podstatné)
- Záhada červa od Johna Pelana zaujala skloubením obou světů, není sice děsivá ani nevyužívá naplno intelekt SH, ale celkově drží pohromadě
- Neil Gaiman ve Studii ve smaragdové dokazuje, že umí psát a nesnáší aristokracii :) Vtipně upravený případ z Kánonu, kde si první část myslíte, že "kompletně opsal studii v šarlatové a víte, co bude dál". No, zase tak skvělé to není, ale číst se to dá :)
- a možná ještě Královská krev od Altmana. ale to je všechno.

Za zmínku stojí výkon editora - Boris Mysliveček se evidentně chtěl pochlubit, jak zná Kánon a dobové reálie, takže sem narval neskutečných 173 poznámek pod čarou! Často odkazuje v poznámce na jinou poznámku a nebojí se osvětlovat i zapeklité chytáky typu "můj browning"... Patrně má pocit, že "co čtenář, to blbec".

Verdikt - škoda času, přečtěte si jen ty zmíněné povídky.(less)

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Mar 09, 2010 John added it · review of another edition

I picked this book up because I am a huge Sherlock Holmes fan. I don't usually like stories written by other than ACD but I thought the premise of combining ACD with Lovecraft was very interesting. The stories were somewhat entertaining and the first was the best. The other stories lacked the Holmes cunning and most of the stories seemed to labor hard to use overly long Victorian diction. One of the stories I thought did a good job in that regard but most of them it was easy to tell that there w...more

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Jun 06, 2007 Alex rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: anthologies, sci-fi_fantasy

An anthology of modern writers inventing new tales that set Sherlock Holmes as a consulting detective in the world of H.P. Lovecraft. If you enjoy X-files, Lost or any other blend of mystery and the supernatural this should strike a cord.

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Aug 29, 2009 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Fun mix of the Sherlock Holmes universe and the Cthulhu mythos. As with any anthology the quality of the stories vary, but the stories are all well written, and even the worst of them are entertaining. The only downside with the organization is that the editor placed the best story, "A Study in Emerald" (written by Neil Gaiman), as the first story in the book, and the other stories just don't measure up to that one. A Study in Emerald is a great story, with a really good twist. Avoid any spoiler...more

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Apr 30, 2012 Mike rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was considering this as a writing concept myself (actually wrote a few pages, so in that I was sorely disappointed) when I discovered this book. Holmes meets Cthulu...Doyle meets Lovecraft. The book was primarily written as a Sherlock Holmes novel with some Elder God, Cthulu mythos as the backdrop, so for Lovecraft fans it will be a very disappointing read. As for Holmes fans, you will most likely dislike the non Doyle tone, the direct contradiction to the original Sherlock Holmes' steadfast b...more

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Sep 26, 2012 Monica rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As with any anthology, this one is a mixed bag of candy. As other reviewers have stated, the first story offered, “A Study in Emerald” is the best written of all.
I found my favorite short tale in the middle of the book: “The horror of the many faces” by Tim Lebbon, has Watson witnessing a horrible murder by no less than Sherlock Holmes himself. The outcome is a perfect balance between ACD and Lovecraft’s styles.
The book was worthy just for the two stories mentioned above, but I also enjoyed some...more

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Jul 05, 2012 Craig rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As a fan of Lovecraft and the Holmes stories I really wanted to like this more. However, apart from the excellent opening story by Neil Gaiman, I found the quality quite variable and few of the stories have stayed with me. Some authors handled the Holmes material well but didn't have a feeling for Lovecraft while in other stories the reverse was true. On paper the gaslight-tinted world of Sherlock Holmes should work well with the Poe-flavored preoccupations of Lovecraft. Unfortunately this book...more

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Jul 27, 2011 Tarl rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: lovecraftian, mystery

You know, I wasn't sure what to expect when I got this book, and I have to say, I enjoyed every part of it. The stories are well crafted, the writing is true to form (for Sherlock), and not once was I left puzzling over how something was working story-wise. That said, sure, there were points where the Mythos didn't mesh as well as it possibly could have with the Holmes world, but even those stories were really well done and often you could get past the minor hiccups with no effort at all. Overal...more

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Mar 14, 2011 robyn rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sherlockiana, monsters

Most of these aren't very enjoyable. The two best are Neil Gaiman's "Study in Emerald," which is a wonderful homage to Holmes and Lovecraft both, and which is also a genuinely original and well-conceived tale, and the slower but well-constructed "The Antiquarian's Niece," by Barbara Hambly.

It's harder to write a Holmes pastiche than people seem to think, and judging by this collection, even harder to write Lovecraft; and most of these stories weren't even that good judged solely as mystery or ho...more

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Feb 11, 2010 Jeannie Sloan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, cthulhu

I liked this book but it's a little bit like too much of a good thing.I think I made the mistake of trying to read this book through when I would have been better set to read a story or two a day.I got kind of sick of Sherlock and Watson.
That said this is a fun book with a good premise.I am always looking for some good Mythos stories and this book has quite a few of them.
I think if you want to fully appreciate this book you will read it along with another book so that you look forward to Sherloc...more

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Sep 16, 2012 Mark rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shadows Over Baker Street
By Michael Reaves, John Pelan, Neal Gaiman, Elizabeth Bear, Steve Perry, Steven Elliott Altman, James Lowder, Brian Stableford, Poppy Z. Brite and David Ferguson, Barbara Hambly, Paul Finch, Tim Lebbon, Caitlin R. Kiernan, John P. Vourlis, Richard A. Lupoff, F. Gwynplaine MacIntyre, David Niall Wilson and Patricia Lee Macomber, and Simon Clark

Publisher: DelRey
Published In: New York , New York
Date: 2003
Pgs: 446

Summary:
What would happen if Conan Doyle’s detective was to f...more

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Jan 14, 2013 John rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, historical-mystery

A nice but uneven (and at times redundant) collection of Lovecraft inspired Sherlock Holmes stories. The best of the lot is Neil Gaiman’s, A Study in Emerald. Very clever and sly. Otherwise, some feel too safe, many are beyond predictable and most feel unoriginal. There are a few other good reads in the pastiche style and if you’re a fan of both Conan Doyle and Lovecraft then I would recommend this. Otherwise, you’ll be bored or mystified. Does it say anything that it’s been a few months and I c...more

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Feb 14, 2010 Peter rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: People who cannot get enough Sherlock Holmes or Lovecraft

Shelves: horror, mystery

Pretty disappointing, honestly. Some of the stories Gaiman's "A Study in Emerald" and Stableford's "Art in the Blood" were fun to read, but few of the stories captured the tone of Doyle and even fewer touched on what makes Lovecraft fun to read (Stableford makes a decent effort). James Lowder's "The Weeping Masks" might be the prize of the collection with a bleak ending uniting Lovecraftian hopelessness with Watson's sense of loss over Holmes' canonical disappearance. This set of pastiches prett...more

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Mar 27, 2012 Todd rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: cthulhu-mythos, lovecraftian

Overall, I enjoyed this collection. There has been a trend in Mythos anthologies to find stories that try to break the 'old school' mode or only use Lovecraft or the Mythos genre as inspiration. These may be good stories on their own, but do not make good Mythos stories or collections in my mind. In contrast, I thought the Sherlock Holmes setting fit perfectly with the 'Cthulhu by Gaslight' atmosphere. Many fit the classic Mythos trope of the investigators falling into something man was not mean...more

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Dec 08, 2011 Isabel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An anthology of Sherlock Holmes pastiches, in which the great detective's investigations lead him into the dark world imagined by H.P. Lovecraft.

The book starts off well, as "A Study in Emerald" (the only one of the stories I have read before) has a satisfying twist in its tail, and it finishes equally satisfyingly with "A Nightmare in Wax". Holmes faces a wide variety of cases, but it was interesting that more than one author suggested that Dr. Watson had come across the Old Ones before, durin...more

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Aug 23, 2011 Jesse rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: detective-mystery, horror-dark-fantasy

Well I can tell you that this book contains one REALLY good story, and a lot of "meh" quality average stories. I'm not saying its a bad collection, but it is the work of a bunch of VERY different authors, and its pastiche work at that. Now that isn't to say that pastiche can't be good, but sometimes the aim of writing the best story possible can be lost when focusing on hitting certain other stylistic marks. I'm looking back on the titles of the stories in this book to refresh my memory and perh...more

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Jul 03, 2011 Kristopher rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, read-in-2011, short-stories

There's lots of good stories here, but none of them are really great.

Both Arthur Conan Doyle and H.P. Lovecraft had sui generis literary voices. Doyle (or at least Sherlock Holmes) believed in an logical world where a smart, observant man could unlock any mystery. Lovecraft, of course, was interested in the vast darkness beyond human understanding. Unfortunately, none of the stories in this Also, only one story, Steve Perry's "The Case of the Wavy Black Dagger," is structured like a true mystery...more

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by Mike Ashley (Editor)
Dr. Jekyll and Mr.Holmes
by John H. Watson
Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street
by William S. Baring-Gould

About Michael Reaves

Micheal Reeves is an Emmy Award-winning television writer and screenwriter whose many credits include Star Trek: The Next Generation, Twilight Zone, Batman: The Animated Series; and Gargoyles. His novels include the New York Times bestseller STAR WARS: Darth Maul - Shadowhunter and the forthcoming STAR WARS: Death Star. He has written a book called Interworld with Neil Gaiman. He's also written sh...more

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Books by Michael Reaves

Shadow Hunter (Star Wars: Darth Maul, #2)

Battle Surgeons (Star Wars: Clone Wars, #4) (Medstar, #1)

Jedi Twilight (Star Wars: Coruscant Nights, #1)

Jedi Healer (Star Wars: Clone Wars, #5) (Medstar, #2)

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Shadows Over Baker Street

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