The Reminiscences of Solar Pons

Solar Pons #4

by August Derleth, Anthony Boucher (Foreword)

Pinnacle paperback edition of original 1961 publication.

1."Introduction, by Anthony Boucher
2."The Adventure of the Mazarine Blue"
3."The Adventure of the Hats of M. Dulac"
4."The Adventure of the Mosaic Cylinders"
5."The Adventure of the Praed Street Irregulars"
6."The Adventure of the Cloverdale Kennels"
7."The Adventure of the Black Cardinal"
8."The Adventure of the Troubled Magistrate"
9."The Adventure of the Blind Clairaudient"
10."A Chronology of Solar Pons", by Robert Patrick

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Short Stories, Horror

211 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1961

About the author

August William Derleth was an American writer and anthologist. Though best remembered as the first book publisher of the writings of H. P. Lovecraft, and for his own contributions to the Cthulhu Mythos and the Cosmic Horror genre, as well as his founding of the publisher Arkham House (which did much to bring supernatural fiction into print in hardcover in the US that had only been readily available in the UK), Derleth was a leading American regional writer of his day, as well as prolific in several other genres, including historical fiction, poetry, detective fiction, science fiction, and biography

A 1938 Guggenheim Fellow, Derleth considered his most serious work to be the ambitious Sac Prairie Saga, a series of fiction, historical fiction, poetry, and non-fiction naturalist works designed to memorialize life in the Wisconsin he knew. Derleth can also be considered a pioneering naturalist and conservationist in his writing

[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augus...]

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solar Pons was Derleth's homage to Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. The Pons stories are set a generation after the adventures recorded by Dr. Watson, but most of the trappings are quite similar. Pons resides at 7B Praed Street, his companion and biographer is Dr. Parker, his landlady is Mrs. Johnson, he has a brother high in government circles named Bancroft, he's aided by a band of youths known as the Praed Street Irregulars, he plays the violin and smokes abominable shag in his pipe, etc. He's generally of a kinder and more humorous nature than Holmes, and occasionally his adventures overlap with other literary figures from the works of Lovecraft, Hodgson, and Rohmer. (An Oriental criminal mastermind who could only be Fu Manchu appears in the story The Praed Street Irregulars which is included in this volume, for example.) Most of the stories in this collection of eight appeared in the 1950's and '60s in periodicals The Saint Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, and Hunted, though two were original to the book's first edition in 1961, and The Adventure of the Black Cardinal dates from a 1930 issue of Gangster Stories. They're very cleverly constructed stories, full of good-hearted fun. They're not Holmes, of course, but the next best thing that I've encountered. The game's afoot!

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another collection of pastiches of Sherlock Holmes. Probably the best knock off extant.

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as the Solar Pons canon is concerned, this book marks a watershed. From this point onwards the stories become less derivative of the Holmesian Canon, less charming or cozy, and more sharp as well as mercenary.
This edition is also important as it lovingly restores all the eight stories and Anthony Boucher's fascinating 'Introduction'. The stories are:
1. The Adventure of the Mazarine Blue
2. The Adventure of the Hats of M. Dulac
3. The Adventure of the Mosaic Cylinders
4. The Adventure of the Praed Street Irregulars
5. The Adventure of the Cloverdale Kennels
6. The Adventure of the Black Cardinal
7. The Adventure of the Troubled Magistrate
8. The Adventure of the Blind Clairaudient
Plus, it adds 'A Chronology of Solar Pons' by Robert Pattrick. That piece, while being less imaginative or controversial compared to Baring Gould's efforts for the Great Detective, is invaluable from the perspective of Pons' fans.
Recommended.

[Thaddeus Tuffentsamer · Rating 5 out of 5]

August Derleth was certainly ambitious when he asked Conan Doyle to allow him to continue telling Sherlock Holmes stories. When the (obvious) answer was no, he created a complete clone of the Holmes canon with Solar Pons, Dr. Parker his chronicler, Mrs. Johnson the landlady, Inspector Jamison of Scotland Yard, older brother Bancroft who works for the government, you get the idea.

But something happened, he actually wrote compelling stories, well thought out, with good villains and satisfying solutions. Solar Pons did become his own character, somewhat more “human” than Holmes.

These are very good adventures and if you enjoy Holmes, you should also enjoy Pons.

[Karen GoatKeeper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solar Pons is a fanfiction version of Sherlock Holmes. Many of his cases hold echoes of those of his illustrious predecessor. Yet, Solar Pons is different too.
These eight adventures are varied. Why is someone stealing hats from members of a certain club? How do you stop a religious war? Each adventure is fast, easy reading. Solar Pons explains his deductions to Dr. Parker who never ceases to be amazed at why he couldn't see the clues.
This is a book for readers who like to try to deduce their way to the culprit. It's also just fun to loaf along and be amazed like Dr. Parker.

[Read1000books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eight mystery short stories in the tradition of Sherlock Holmes. I especially enjoyed "The Adventure of the Cloverdale Kennels". And I discovered what is probably my favorite exchange in mystery fiction, between the detective Solar Pons, and his associate Dr. Lyndon Parker:
Parker: "The fact remains that something dastardly is afoot".
Pons: "We are in perfect agreement as to that".
The perfect quote for every mystery lover.

[Jc · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title, like all Derleth Pons collections, corresponds with Doyle’s Holmes titles, this one is named for “His Last Bow: Some Later Reminiscences of S.H.” As usual, I read the version included in the “Original Text Solar Pons Omnibus Edition, Vol 1.” This collection contains a few good stories, but like the last one is mostly a grouping of some of Derleth’s weaker stories. Most of the Pons stories are only of interest to Holmesians who want to visit all the classic pastiches.

[Richard Mellon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pons and Parker at it again

Good set of short story cases ... Our two heroes are on the trail and will get the villain ... If you have liked the other stories then you'll want to read these and continue the enjoyment ... If haven't read Pons and Parker ... I'm sure this one will get you hooked and looking for more ....

[Michael Norwitz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Solar Pons is a pastiche of Sherlock Holmes, and the short stories here are all in proper Holmesian mode. There is certainly a place for him in the bookshelf of devotees of a certain type of cerebral yet fundamentally unrealistic detective story, but it is not much to my taste I'm afraid.

[P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

What is interesting in Reminiscences is the sheer inventiveness of plot. True, all of the plots aren't interesting, but there is real variety here, and some of the stories are clever.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Soothing but not as well-plotted as previous stories

[Matt Kuhns · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read of the Solar Pons stories many times, and of their high regard from Sherlock Holmes fandom. Perhaps that raised my expectations too high.

This was fine, but not amazing. If I could, I would probably give it 3.5 stars or so; none of the stories in this volume is bad, but some at least had that "tin box" unmemorable character.

This was the fifth volume in the series, and it's possible that Pons's reputation is owed more to earlier work. One day I may find out, though I'm not going to be in a tremendous hurry, now.

[user · Rating 5 out of 5]

An awesome collection of Solar Pons stories. Derleth's writing is effective and Pons is a true Holmes in spirit if not in name. I love that Belanger reprinted these books and even dedicated recent volumes to new stories and essays on the Sherlock Holmes of Praed street.

[John Larson mic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Derleth's Pons is a great solver of fascinating mysteries.