Holmes Away From Home: Adventures from the Great Hiatus, Volume I: 1891-1892

Holmes Away From Home, Adventures From the Great Hiatus #1

by David Marcum

Sherlock Holmes!

The very name of the world’s greatest detective conjures up images of Victorian London, gaslit streets, hansom cabs, and dense fogs. But there was a time, a dark three-year period, when London had to make do without Sherlock Holmes.

From 1891 to 1894, he was presumed to be dead, having perished during the epic struggle with that infamous Napoleon of Crime, Professor Moriarty, atop the Reichenbach Falls. But unknown to most, even his friend Dr. Watson, Holmes survived.

During those three years, he roamed the world, acting as an agent for the British Government and using his very special skills along the way. In Volume 1 of Holmes Away From Home, the incredible two-volume collection of new traditional Holmes adventures, we find Our Hero criss-crossing the world – Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the United States.

During this period known as The Great Hiatus, Holmes may have been in disguise, but there is no mistaking the person that Watson described as “the best and wisest man whom I have ever known.” The game is afoot!

Belanger Books specialises in Sherlock Holmes fiction, children’s fiction and science fiction.

Genres: Mystery

271 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 17, 2016

Reviews

[Riju Ganguly]

The Hiatus!
Rarely have a combination of two simple words evoked so much of emotion and so many stories. But it’s a fact that when ACD decided to bring the Great Detective back from the land of the dead to those of the living, he had allowed all admirers of Sherlock Holmes to fill up those three years with as many adventures as possible.
Several anthologies, single-author collections and novels have sought to capture those years when Holmes was away from home. This well-produced collection contains several stories that try to fill up that slot with varying degrees of success.
Following the Editor’s Introduction and a passionate 'Foreword', we have one canonical classic (The Final Problem) and ten pastiches. Among these pastiches, those which I found to be most memorable, were~
1. "Over the Mountains in the Darkness" by Sonia Fetherston— a lyrical story of "what could have been";
2. "An Englishman (or Two) in Florence" by David Ruffle— the humorous banter between the two investigators was refreshing;
3. "The Adventure of the Indian protege" by Jayantika Ganguly— a dazzling piece of beauty, brilliance and danger;
4. "The Adventure on the Road to Mecca" by Deanna Baran— a haunting piece;
5. "The Adventure of the Dragoman's Son" by John Linwood Grant;
6. "A Murder on Mount Athos" by Katie Magnusson— sharp, poignant and rich in nuanced meanings.
Befitting good pastiches, these well-researched stories also introduced associates who carried the good Doctor's tradition of faithful, intelligent and honest loyalty forward. I think I would miss them more, now that the volume has ended.
Wholeheartedly recommended to all Sherlockians.

[Susan]

1. The Final Problem by Sir A.C. Doyle - Holmes tells Watson of his meeting with Professor Moriarty.
2. Over the mountain in the darkness - S. featherstone - A family meets Holmes on his travels in Italy.
3. An Englishman (or two) in Florence - D. Ruffle - Peterson recognises Holmes and needs in help in the theft of a Botticelli painting.
4. The secret adventure of Sherlock Holmes - D.G. Madsen -Mycroft recalls Holmes to London as he has discovered a plot to destroy the monarchy.
5. The Harrowing Intermission - C. Janacek - What is the connection between the deaths of a soprano and a wealthy businessman. Dr Watson investigates.
6. The Adventure of the Indian Protégé - J. Ganguly -Holmes meets Jyoti and investigates an attempted murder.
7. The Incident at Maniyachi Junction - S. Subramamanian - Who assassinated Collector Nash.
8. The Adventure on the Road to Meeca - D. Baran- Adventure on the road and emeralds.
9. The Adventure of the Dragoman's son - J.L. Grant - Holmes investigates weapon smugging in Arabia.
10. A Murder on Mount Athos - K. Magnusson- Sigerson investigates the murder of a female visiting the retreat.
11. The President's Roses - S. Seitz - Holmes advn ture in the American army
Enjoyable short stories

[Chris]

Multiple stories by multiple authors giving their insights on what happened during Holme's three year hiatus after Reichenbach Falls. I felt this was quite entertaining.

[Robert M. Roth MD]

Perhaps 3.5 stars

Some of the stories about Sherlock Holmes, during the time of the Great Hiatus , are well done and make for delicious reading. Others are simply mundane. Missing, of course, is the voice of Dr. Watson and the epic depictions of Victorian London. For me, Holmes without Watson, just isn’t as entertaining.

[Dale]

My thanks go out to Derrick Belanger of Belanger Books for my copy of this book.

The Great Hiatus…

The stories in this volume all take place during the three years when everyone thought that Sherlock Holmes had died at Reichenbach Falls. Some of them are tales of adventures that Holmes mentioned, such as his trip to Tibet and his pilgrimage to Mecca. Some deal with people Holmes encountered some who needed help and some who provide help. Above all, Holmes may use a disguise, he may change his identity, but Holmes cannot be anyone else but Holmes! He is an observer and deduces from observation, and that part of him he finds impossible to suppress.

All of the stories in the book are good and I cannot really say which one I liked the least. But the one I will give BEST IN BOOK is “Murder on Mount Athos” by Katie Magnusson. This story holds the very best twist of any other in the volume. It is so good that I will say no more except please do read it! You are going to love it!

The Stories:

The book opens with Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Final Problem” which is the story where Doyle resurrects Holmes.
Next, “Over the Mountains in the Darkness” by Sonia Fetherston details the trip to Mecca mentioned in “The Final Problem.”
Then we have “An English Man (or Two) in Florence” by David Ruffle. Holmes is in Florence to view cathedrals, but winds up with a case…
In “The Secret Adventure of Sherlock Holmes” by Diane Gilbert Madsen, Holmes tells Watson of an adventure he took for the Royal Family during the Great Hiatus.
“The Harrowing Intermission” by Craig Janacek deals with Dr. Watson joining Lestrade while Holmes is away to investigate a murder.
“The Adventure of the Indian Protégée” by Jayantika Ganguly is a very close second to “Best in Book!” The less I say about the case, the better. A must read!
“The Incident at Maniyachi Junction” by S. Subramanian deals with a chance meeting on a train where Holmes is drawn into mystery…
“The Adventure on the Road to Mecca” by Deanna Baran details the trip to Mecca mentioned by Holmes in “The Final Problem.”
“The Adventure of the Dragonman’s Son” by Jon Linwood Grant reminds the reader that things are not often what they seem when Holmes is involved.
“A Murder on Mount Athos” by Katie Magnusson I have detailed above and I reintegrate that it is truly “Best in Book!”
The final story, “The President’s Roses” takes Holmes to the states and a case for President Benjamin Harrison.

And there the tales end, but fear not, this is only volume one! David Magnum continues the adventures in volume two of “Holmes away from Home!” I give the volume five stars plus!

Quoth the Raven…

[Lloyd]

This book is a collection of short stories that attempts to fill in the blanks in the Sherlock Holmes cannon. That is, they provide stories that explain what Holmes was doing as he traveled the world incognito after most people believed Holmes had died at the hands of Professor Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls in 1891. They also explain why Holmes kept silent about his survival of the fight at the Reichenbach Falls for three years. I was disappointed because as Holmes traveled around, many people he encountered recognized him. They knew about his reported death, but they weren’t surprised to see that he had indeed survived. Of course, everyone who did learn who he was, promised to keep his survival a secret. Well, it is possible for two people to keep a secret, but only if one of them is dead. It just stretches credibility that so many people knew he was alive but didn’t want to reveal that secret to their friends and relatives and so on and so forth. Thus, it seems Holmes’ need for secrecy to carry out missions on behalf on his brother Mycroft and the British government would not have survived the first few encounters Holmes had with people who recognized him. Let alone that the secret of his survival could have been maintained for three years. Also, the mysteries in the short stories didn’t require any exceptional efforts by Holmes to be solved.

[Holly]

A decent collection of Holmes tales

I have read Sir Arthur's tales of Sherlock Holmes since I was in grade school and never tire of them. I've read a few novels that have tried to add to the catalog post-Doyle but rarely do they measure up. This collection of short stories starts with Doyle's The Final Problem, in which Holmes is killed off. The subsequent stories try to fill in what Holmes did during the years he was "dead" and for the most part, it succeeds. As with any collection of short stories, some are better than others, some capture Holmes and Watson better than others, but all are quite readable and enjoyable. I was able to buy the Kindle version on sale and it was well worth the couple dollars and my time.

[Calvin Daniels]

Thoroughly enjoyed. Some gems here, and all above average.

The timing of the tales allows varying 'voices' which was a nice change from many modern Holmesian tales trying to capture Watson as narrator.

Very glad I Kickstarted this one. Book II awaits soon.

[Sandy]

Like every short story collection, some were better than others. I found none outstanding, nor any duds. However, as Holmes was so often recognized around the world, I'm surprised he was able to keep his survival a secret.

[Anne]

Clever collection

Thoroughly enjoyed this collection of tales from the early part of the Great Hiatus. They display the wit and imagination that one would expect from those writers who love Sherlock Holmes and all his antics.

[Tony Ciak]

Homes by many other names, showing up around the world to help others in solving crimes, that would puzzle the local police, while staying incognito. A wonderful collection of stories with great naration.

[Corinne]

This is a delightful compilation of stories written by Sherlockion fans. The stories are set during the time of the hiatus
When Sherlock had "died" at the falls but he wasn't really dead.

[Bonnye Reed]

Endeavour Press Holmes Advent Calendar

[Christopher Taylor]

These are okay, but not what I was hoping for. Most aren't even mysteries, too many are weak attempts to shoehorn Holmes into historical events of the time without him having any real impact.

[Sue]

There are so many good ones in this group that I rated it a 4.5 I liked the exotic settings and the fact that a few folks recognized S Holmes. The variety of stories and the well told mysteries really suited my reading for S Holmes stories.

[Gail]

If you like Sherlock Holmes this book might interest you.

There is no foul language. Violence does not going to gory details. The story is well constructed.

The narrator does a wonderful job.


This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher free of charge for a honest, unbiased review.

[frederick d. ziegel]

generally good stories
not sure about the Arabs

[Thomas Turley]

NOTE: This review applies to both volumes of Holmes Away from Home. Volume One covers 1891-1892, and Volume Two 1893-1894.

Having read and enjoyed Beyond Watson, the first anthology from Belanger Books, I took up this collection, which unveils the mysteries of “The Great Hiatus,” with great anticipation. Happily, the two volumes, edited by David Marcum, are even better than their predecessor. There are very few weak entries, and many of the stories are outstanding. My personal favorites were: Craig Janacek’s “The Harrowing Intermission” and Mark Mower’s “The French Affair,” in both of which Watson employs his medical expertise to solve the case; S. Subramanian’s “The Incident at Maniyachi Junction” and Daniel D. Victor’s “For Want of a Sword,” based on two compelling historical events; Marcum’s “The Adventure of the Old Brownstone,” which passes to another famous sleuth; and Richard Paolinelli’s “The Woman Returns” (no Holmes fan should need to ask which woman), a nicely plotted tale that remains true to the characters depicted in the Canon. Other stories by Deanna Baran, S.F. Bennett, Sonia Fetherston, Jayantika Ganguly, John Linwood Grant, and Shane Simmons are almost equally well done. Marcum offers enlightening introductions to both volumes, and—just for context—the new stories are bracketed by Conan Doyle’s originals that began and ended “The Great Hiatus.” Given its quality, one might justly consider Holmes Away from Home the last word on these “lost years” of Sherlock Holmes’ career. While more tales will surely follow, this anthology serves as a model to which they can aspire.