First discovered and then painstakingly edited and annotated by Nicholas Meyer, The Seven-Per-Cent Solution relates the astounding and previ...
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Mar 04, 2010
Matt
rated it: 
A very fine read.
The first part of the book is the best. Here we learn that Holmes' addiction to Cocaine (a feature of the original stories) has caused him to become delusional. The result is that some of what we thought we knew about Holmes was misleading to say the least. Watson, fearing that Holmes addiction will destroy him, takes him to get psychiactry help from a young Sigmund Freud. Such a move might seem a little silly on Meyer's part; however, it works rather nicely. For th More...
The first part of the book is the best. Here we learn that Holmes' addiction to Cocaine (a feature of the original stories) has caused him to become delusional. The result is that some of what we thought we knew about Holmes was misleading to say the least. Watson, fearing that Holmes addiction will destroy him, takes him to get psychiactry help from a young Sigmund Freud. Such a move might seem a little silly on Meyer's part; however, it works rather nicely. For th More...
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Apr 09, 2011
This was a very solid, very able Holmes pastiche. I quite enjoyed the way Meyer captured Watson's voice as narrator, worked in multiple references to Arthur Conan Doyle's original canon, dealt with Holmes's cocaine addiction, uncovered the "true" story of Moriarty, and incorporated the historical figure of Sigmund Freud as a character in the story. I definitely plan to read Meyer's other two Holmes novels.
I clearly see how this novel informed Michael Dibdin's The Last Sherl More...
I clearly see how this novel informed Michael Dibdin's The Last Sherl More...
Apr 04, 2008
Dan
rated it:
Sigmund Freud cures Sherlock Holmes of his cocaine addiction, forces him to deal with his issues regarding Professor Moriarty, and gets involved in Holmes' case, complete with battle on the roof of a train. What more could you ask for?
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Nov 12, 2009
Christy
rated it: 
Sherlock Holmes, duped by his friends, travels to Vienna and meets Sigmund Freud, who cures Holmes of his cocaine addiction. And that’s only half of the story! There’s intrigue, murder, deception, and a great train chase, while the unflappable Holmes smokes his pipe and makes brilliant deductions. The novel has all the feel and flavor of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but was written in 1974 by Nicholas Meyer, who nails the characters and style of Conan Doyle so perfectly, you could swear it was w
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Sep 04, 2011
Riju
rated it:
The extant reviews describe the story to an extent slightly short of uploading an e-version of this classic. This forces me to refrain from saying anything but the following:
1. Meyer's writing is superb and way better than some other "writers" who defile Doyle by writing Sherlockian adventures in ghastly language & style;
2. The story is taut and very exciting;
3. Somehow, the end evokes the image of the wisest and the best man walking into the sunset all alone.
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1. Meyer's writing is superb and way better than some other "writers" who defile Doyle by writing Sherlockian adventures in ghastly language & style;
2. The story is taut and very exciting;
3. Somehow, the end evokes the image of the wisest and the best man walking into the sunset all alone.
More...
Dec 31, 2010
Steven
rated it:
Interesting entry into the Holmes canon. Nicholas Meyer, the same guy who directed a couple of Star Trek movies, smartly sets it up as a "lost" manuscript written by Watson, and annotated by Meyer. That lets him have a few digs at Watson's expense, while also commenting on some of the more curious aspects of the Holmes stories. Very clever. Purported to be the "true" telling of what happened to Holmes before the infamous "The Final Problem" and the rather silly
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Oct 02, 2009
Jeffrey
rated it: 
The voice is wrong. There are parts that sound like Watson, but there are many more that don't. The story was amusing, and the connections to Sherlockian analysis (that I have access to through the annotated book I'm reading) were great. There were moments I was reminded of a line from Doctor Who about how thousands of literary researchers are pumping the air right now (after a revelation about Shakespeare's life).
So, the book. It purports to be a long lost story written by Wat More...
So, the book. It purports to be a long lost story written by Wat More...
Aug 09, 2011
Neelesh
rated it:
'It was a sight I shall not soon forget- the world's greatest detective and the founding father of that branch of medicine known today as psychoanalysis, side by side in their shirt-sleeves, piling coal into the boiler as though it was work for which they had been born'.
Summarizes the essence of this great work of fiction which must be read by every Sherlock Holmes aficionado. NM does the Watsonian description as masterfully as CD, if not better!
As for the name, the mystery behind a certain hab More...
Summarizes the essence of this great work of fiction which must be read by every Sherlock Holmes aficionado. NM does the Watsonian description as masterfully as CD, if not better!
As for the name, the mystery behind a certain hab More...
Sep 12, 2007
Except for Sherlock Holmes and cocaine and Freud, the rest is all fuzzy.
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Sep 09, 2011
Senza dubbio è uno degli apocrifi holmesiani più famosi, molti ne tessono lodi sperticate, ma per me è largamente sopravvalutato.
E' una storia carina, con un inizio un po' tiepidino e una indagine finale che non mi ha convinta del tutto. La parte centrale è quella che ho apprezzato di più, con Holmes che lotta contro la sua dipendenza e alcune scene commoventi, come il valzer ballato da Watson, Freud e famiglia sulle note del violino di Holmes.
Ciò che non mi ha convinta è il modo i More...
E' una storia carina, con un inizio un po' tiepidino e una indagine finale che non mi ha convinta del tutto. La parte centrale è quella che ho apprezzato di più, con Holmes che lotta contro la sua dipendenza e alcune scene commoventi, come il valzer ballato da Watson, Freud e famiglia sulle note del violino di Holmes.
Ciò che non mi ha convinta è il modo i More...
May 06, 2011
Mae
rated it:
I devoured this story. Of course it doesn't read like Arthur Conan Doyle, but the author prefaces the book by offering explanations for Watson's change in narrative style, which come off as humorous rather than self-conscious, and having read all the Sherlock Holmes that Sir Conan Doyle wrote, I was glad for any more.
Spoilers below!
I loved how indulgent this book was: Want more Sherlock Holmes? Here he is. Throw in Sigmund Freud for funsies and mix with Holmes's most More...
Spoilers below!
I loved how indulgent this book was: Want more Sherlock Holmes? Here he is. Throw in Sigmund Freud for funsies and mix with Holmes's most More...
Feb 06, 2011
Lisa
rated it:
On the most part, the story feels to fit in nicely with the Holmes canon, but at times feels a bit too tongue in cheek and self-referential – the references to a Doctor Conan Doyle, for example, probably would have been better excised from the text, especially so late in the text, when we've already the leap of faith needed.
As for the two-fold plot, I'm not sure I did make that leap of faith that the Moriarty storyline found in The Final Problem didn't actually exist in the un More...
As for the two-fold plot, I'm not sure I did make that leap of faith that the Moriarty storyline found in The Final Problem didn't actually exist in the un More...
Jan 29, 2012
Max
rated it:
I love Holmes, and since Sir Arthur is no longer able to contribute to the canon, I'm more than willing to embrace good Holmesian pastiche. Nicholas Meyer starts this book on a strong footing thanks two wonderful central conceits. I'll spoil the first one below since it's plainly stated on the back of my paperback copy in any case; the second one is stated on the front cover, but I'll leave it for you to discover.
***************SPOILERS***************
The Seven Per-Cent So More...
***************SPOILERS***************
The Seven Per-Cent So More...
Jan 29, 2012
Kyounghunyoo
rated it:
There is no doubt that ‘The seven per cent solution’ (1976) is really famous and many people have already read or listened this story. Even though I’m not a good reader, I’ve already known this book’s name and I tried to read this too many times. Moreover, most of all people who read this book have had good reactions. That’s why I chose this when I was looking for some in the library, and I’m so excited to read this book now.
In this story, Sherlock Holmes is deep in the pain of his More...
In this story, Sherlock Holmes is deep in the pain of his More...
May 26, 2008
Sarah
rated it:
Sherlock Holmes is among an elite set of fictional characters who has outlived his creator and even his own written death (The Final Problem1893). Holmes continues to solve crimes as written by a number of authors including this 1974 version, The Seven-Per-Cent Solution by Nicholas Meyer. The book was made into a film in 1976, which I've enjoyed watching a number of times.
One thing that is universal across all these Sherlock Holmes tales (those by Doyle and these later ones) is that More...
One thing that is universal across all these Sherlock Holmes tales (those by Doyle and these later ones) is that More...
Feb 12, 2008
Lindsay
rated it: 
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Sep 23, 2007
Ashley
rated it:
Anyone who understands just how vicious and exacting Sherlock Holmes afianciandos can be can't help but admire Nicholas Meyer's guts in writing THE SEVEN PER CENT SOLUTION. Meyer sets this up as if a relative has unearthed a hitherto now unpublished John Watson manuscript, one that was not to be published until Holmes and the main character in the case were dead. Meyer purports to only be the editor of the manuscript. Now, if I were to give you the general plot, you'd think it sounds ridiculous
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Jun 04, 2007
Trin
rated it: 
50¢ at a book sale, and with my current love of Sherlockia, I couldn’t resist, even though I was pretty sure I would hate it. I didn’t hate it. It’s too well-intended to hate, too joyfully fannish, and I must admit that some of Meyer’s footnotes on this “found” manuscript made me laugh out loud. (In case you’re curious, it was the one where Watson writes, “I believe it was in Julius Caesar that Shakespeare said…*” and Meyer’s footnote is simply, “*It’s not.”) However, this fannishness was I gu
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May 25, 2007
Ferret
rated it:
In general, I like Meyer's Holmes novels. He's a true Holmes-obsessive and he fills his novels with the type of little details that really reward the obsessive reader. The Seven-Per-Cent Solution is no exception.
It's a revisionist telling of the Doyle story "The Final Problem", Holmes's famous and deadly encounter with Moriarty. Meyer repurposes it to examine the '70s drug crisis by making Holmes's true deadly encounter be with his addiction to cocaine, which he overcomes More...
It's a revisionist telling of the Doyle story "The Final Problem", Holmes's famous and deadly encounter with Moriarty. Meyer repurposes it to examine the '70s drug crisis by making Holmes's true deadly encounter be with his addiction to cocaine, which he overcomes More...
Jan 16, 2012
Killthepopular
rated it:
Pretty Tame. Meyer put a lot of work into thinking through and researching Holmes in order to do justice to the Conan Doyle material. But that's all this is, a riff on someone elses work, done well, but without too much original insight. Pretty well written generally: it's no surprise that this is the same guy behind all the Holmes-esque dialogue in Star Trek VI.
It got very exciting in the chase sequence at the end but the rest of it was just ok. A good read if you're an avid Holmes More...
It got very exciting in the chase sequence at the end but the rest of it was just ok. A good read if you're an avid Holmes More...
Feb 16, 2010
Misti
rated it:
An amazing read! I was initially skeptical on whether or not this would be a smooth and fun book--considering the subject matter and how it was written, but I was VERY wrong! I've never seen a whole movie (to my knowledge, unless as a child) in one sitting and I had no clue of what to expect. I do recommend this book to any and everyone. It's typically something I would not pick out on my own. My boss gave the book to me to ensure Western literature does not die. Yes, this book was publish
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Sep 20, 2011
N.V.
rated it:
Sherlock Holmes is too big for one author. Meyer's Seven Per Cent solution is one of my favorite Holmes stories not written by Conan Doyle. It's got everything I look for in a Sherlock: a plausible origin story, new information about the characters and mysteries that challenge the reader and give Holmes the opportunity to demonstrate his many gifts. Add it a complex emotional angle rarely approached by Conan Doyle, and the appearance of important historical figures and events, and I'm sold.
Sep 23, 2011
Susan
rated it:
Being a devoted Sherlockian, I loved this book and simply can not imagine how I hadn't read it previously. The cover calls it "astounding" and it certainly is. This story purports to be a
"lost manuscript" of Dr. Watson and descrbes Sherlock Holmes' recovery from cocaine addiction with the help of Sigmund Freud. Professor Moriarity's existence is simply a delusion of Holmes due to his addiction.
"lost manuscript" of Dr. Watson and descrbes Sherlock Holmes' recovery from cocaine addiction with the help of Sigmund Freud. Professor Moriarity's existence is simply a delusion of Holmes due to his addiction.
Jul 29, 2008
Zigforas
rated it:
(Re-read 7/29/08)
I read this for the first time around 7th or 8th grade, and remember enjoying it even if I didn't appreciate it quite as much at the time. I think Meyer does a brilliant job in expanding on the canonical Holmes in a way that is not only plausible in context but psychologically intriguing, as well as a great deal of fun. I will say that the train chase verges on overmuch (it would do well in a movie but, in print, was almost too much to take in). But as for Freud- More...
I read this for the first time around 7th or 8th grade, and remember enjoying it even if I didn't appreciate it quite as much at the time. I think Meyer does a brilliant job in expanding on the canonical Holmes in a way that is not only plausible in context but psychologically intriguing, as well as a great deal of fun. I will say that the train chase verges on overmuch (it would do well in a movie but, in print, was almost too much to take in). But as for Freud- More...
Feb 02, 2012
Robert
rated it:
This is without a doubt one of my favorite non-canonical Sherlock Holmes stories, and one of the only stories that truly dares to explore The Great Detective's psyche. I had always wondered why nobody up to that point had ever explored Holmes' cocaine usage. Even Conan Doyle mentioned it once, maybe twice, then ignored it the rest of the time. This has always perplexed me because...well, why mention it at all? One would think that drug use, especially the kind Holmes was reported to have had, wo
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Aug 31, 2011
Sharon
rated it:
One of my favorite Holmes pastiches. This is the story of what really went down when Holmes 'died' after 'The Final Problem.' The reader learns the truth about Moriarty and follows along as Watson and Holmes travel to Vienna to meet Sigmund Freud. Holmes manages to outwit another bad guy and face down some inner demons of his own. A very good read.
Jan 26, 2008
Angel
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jan 30, 2012
Writerlibrarian
rated it:
This is professional fanfic. Interesting in the way it tries very hard to be like canon but falls a little short. It read to me like a angst, hurt/comfort fic with Watson holding vigil besides Holmes in the thrall of cocaine withdrawal. The whole Vienna, German conspiracy plot felt plastered on. The hurt/comfort parts were interesting the train pursuit was boring.
Mar 09, 2010
Very nice. Worth reading just for the scene where Holmes delivers his lines about Moriarity (from "The Final Problem") verbatim--but in the shrill tones of cocaine-induced paranoia and hysteria. The portraits of Freud, of the interactions between Freud and Holmes, and of Holmes's gradual recovery are also all very good.
Jun 06, 2010
Mehdi
rated it:
ادامۀ منصفانه ای برای داستانهای شرلوک هلمز بود والبته حضور زیگموند فروید هم داستان را جذاب تر کرده بود.دوستش داشتم.هر چندنویسنده در القای موارد روان شناسانه در رمان موفق نبود.
