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Solar Pons #9
The Dossier of Solar Pons #1
August Derleth created in Solar Pons a detective whose genius cannot be matched, perhaps not even by Sherlock Holmes himself. Now the pen has passed into the hand of the noted British author Basil Copper. Here are six superbly crafted tales of suspense in the best tradition of Solar Pens. Come to Number 7B Praed Street, where the master awaits.
325 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
13 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
About the author
Basil Copper
185 books41 followersBasil Copper was an English writer and former journalist and newspaper editor. He has written over 50 books and scripts. In addition to fantasy and horror, Copper is known for his series of Solar Pons stories continuing the character created by August Derleth.
Copper edited a 1982 two-volume omnibus collection of Derleth's stories of the 'Pontine' canon, published by Arkham House, a publishing firm founded by Derleth himself and chiefly publishing weird fiction (such as Cthulhu Mythos tales); in that edition, Copper "edited" most of the tales in ways that many Pontine aficionados found objectionable[citation needed]. A later omnibus, The Original Text Solar Pons Omnibus Edition, was issued in 2000 under the imprint of Mycroft & Moran (a name which is itself a Holmesian jest).
He also wrote the long-running hard-boiled detective stories of "Mike Faraday" (58 novels from 1966 to 1988).
Copper has received many honours in recent years. In 1979, the Mark Twain Society of America elected him a Knight of Mark Twain for his outstanding "contribution to modern fiction", while the Praed Street Irregulars have twice honoured him for his work on the Solar Pons series. He has been a member of the Crime Writer's Association for over thirty years, serving as chairman in 1981/82 and on its committee for a total of seven years.
In early 2008, a bio-bibliography was published on him: Basil Copper: A Life in Books, compiled and edited by Stephen Jones.
In March 2010, Darkness, Mist and Shadow: The Collected Macabre Tales of Basil Copper was launched at the Brighton World Horror Convention as a two-volume set by PS Publishing.
Copper edited a 1982 two-volume omnibus collection of Derleth's stories of the 'Pontine' canon, published by Arkham House, a publishing firm founded by Derleth himself and chiefly publishing weird fiction (such as Cthulhu Mythos tales); in that edition, Copper "edited" most of the tales in ways that many Pontine aficionados found objectionable[citation needed]. A later omnibus, The Original Text Solar Pons Omnibus Edition, was issued in 2000 under the imprint of Mycroft & Moran (a name which is itself a Holmesian jest).
He also wrote the long-running hard-boiled detective stories of "Mike Faraday" (58 novels from 1966 to 1988).
Copper has received many honours in recent years. In 1979, the Mark Twain Society of America elected him a Knight of Mark Twain for his outstanding "contribution to modern fiction", while the Praed Street Irregulars have twice honoured him for his work on the Solar Pons series. He has been a member of the Crime Writer's Association for over thirty years, serving as chairman in 1981/82 and on its committee for a total of seven years.
In early 2008, a bio-bibliography was published on him: Basil Copper: A Life in Books, compiled and edited by Stephen Jones.
In March 2010, Darkness, Mist and Shadow: The Collected Macabre Tales of Basil Copper was launched at the Brighton World Horror Convention as a two-volume set by PS Publishing.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 24, 2018
A welcome addition and improvement to the Pons canon
This new addition to the Pons/Sherlock Holmes pastiche canon is entertaining, well-written, and cleverly plotted. If you are familiar with the works of Derleth, the originator of Solar Pons, the writing is better here and the mysteries a bit more difficult to solve. Also he portrays Dr Parker, Pons’ Watson, with a bit more depth. Glad these new Pons are out there!
This new addition to the Pons/Sherlock Holmes pastiche canon is entertaining, well-written, and cleverly plotted. If you are familiar with the works of Derleth, the originator of Solar Pons, the writing is better here and the mysteries a bit more difficult to solve. Also he portrays Dr Parker, Pons’ Watson, with a bit more depth. Glad these new Pons are out there!
March 4, 2025
Last year I read the entire run of the Basil Copper penned Solar Pons stories. I prefer Mr. Copper's longer Pons tales as opposed to the more diminutive August Derleth originals. Though that's solely a matter of personal taste - Either author is able to deliver the goods when it comes to everyone's favorite Sherlock Holmes pastiche.
I read up until the last story in the sixth penultimate volume - and the final volume of the fictional canon - in the Stephen Jones edited set of the Basil Copper stories from Drugstore Indian Press. The last entry is 'Solar Pions and the Devil's Claw', which is actually a short novel. I'm putting off reading that one because a treasure I've been seeking all my life is the Sarob Press standalone edition of 'Devil's Claw', and when I finally attain it I want to be able to read the work fresh and new.
If Sherlock Holmes gets yer rocks off then Solar Pons is the next logical step. It would not hurt to read Pons even if you have not yet read Holmes. One can lead to the other in any direction, I would think. Like a couple of superimposed literary particles, mysteriously mimicking each other. The cat is sleeping in the box that my thick three volume set of Easton Press Holmes stories came in and I am afraid to look. Sometimes not knowing...
Read Solar Pons, read Sherlock Holmes.
PS - These DIP sets pop up on eBay once in awhile. Mostly people want too much money, but I've seen a few more than reasonable ones come and go.
I read up until the last story in the sixth penultimate volume - and the final volume of the fictional canon - in the Stephen Jones edited set of the Basil Copper stories from Drugstore Indian Press. The last entry is 'Solar Pions and the Devil's Claw', which is actually a short novel. I'm putting off reading that one because a treasure I've been seeking all my life is the Sarob Press standalone edition of 'Devil's Claw', and when I finally attain it I want to be able to read the work fresh and new.
If Sherlock Holmes gets yer rocks off then Solar Pons is the next logical step. It would not hurt to read Pons even if you have not yet read Holmes. One can lead to the other in any direction, I would think. Like a couple of superimposed literary particles, mysteriously mimicking each other. The cat is sleeping in the box that my thick three volume set of Easton Press Holmes stories came in and I am afraid to look. Sometimes not knowing...
Read Solar Pons, read Sherlock Holmes.
PS - These DIP sets pop up on eBay once in awhile. Mostly people want too much money, but I've seen a few more than reasonable ones come and go.
March 21, 2023
Solar Pons is off on another six adventures in this book. There is a locked room mystery. Another raises memories of "Murder on the Orient Express". The last is the most mysterious with an unexpected twist at the end.
All of these stories are fan fic of Sherlock Holmes updated to 1920s London. The stories are fast reading. The clues may all be there, but the conclusions, probably anticipated, are not easily drawn from them.
The book is fun, fast reading for mystery fans.
All of these stories are fan fic of Sherlock Holmes updated to 1920s London. The stories are fast reading. The clues may all be there, but the conclusions, probably anticipated, are not easily drawn from them.
The book is fun, fast reading for mystery fans.
July 25, 2020
A very enjoyable collection of Sherlockian pastiches. Many years ago I read some of the Derleth books about Solar Pons, and now I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series as continued by Basil Copper. Great fun!
July 20, 2018
Solar Pons
Basil Copper kept Solar Pons alive and breathing after August Derleth original stories. Worth the time to read if you are a fan of Sherlock Holmes or even of Solar Pons.
Basil Copper kept Solar Pons alive and breathing after August Derleth original stories. Worth the time to read if you are a fan of Sherlock Holmes or even of Solar Pons.
July 27, 2020
A bit uneven at the start, but the stories grew more interesting, and Parker is a whole new [and more likeable] guy.
October 7, 2016
I didn't realize how much of a copy of the Holmes stories these are. In the end, they weren't that interesting and were generally predictable. Sometimes I get the same feeling when re-reading Holmes, but I have to remember they were innovative for their time. No one in the 1880's had read anything like The Speckled Band or Hound of the Baskervilles. The Solar Pons stories follow the same formula but now, at least in these later entries, they feel dated and uninspired. This is the only Pons collection I've read, so I'll try the earlier Derleth stories to see how they compare. I just wasn't too impressed by these.
May 31, 2015
Solar Pons may be the most unshamedly litterary copy of them all, and the uttermost Holmes-pastiche there is. To truly enjoy the stories, being a well-read Holmesian is compulsory. In Basil Copper's continuation of Derleth's series, the stories are a bit longer, and that may not always be to the stories' benefit.
February 24, 2015
While I did enjoy the mysteries they all seemed distractingly familiar, as if they were reimaginings of Connan-Doyle originals. I understand that Pons and Dr. Parker are meant to be replicas of Holmes and Watson but I felt there was little, beside the remembrance of the original characters, to endear the main characters to the reader.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews