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Sherlock Holmes Pastiche by Nicholas Meyer #1
The Seven-percent Solution
First discovered and then painstakingly edited and annotated by Nicholas Meyer, The Seven-Per-Cent Solution related the astounding and previously unknown collaboration of Sigmund Freud with Sherlock Holmes, as recorded by Holmes's friend and chronicler, Dr. John H. Watson. In addition to its breathtaking account of their collaboration on a case of diabolic conspiracy in which the lives of millions hang in the balance, it reveals such matters as the real identity of the heinous professor Moriarty, the dark secret shared by Sherlock and his brother Mycroft Holmes, and the detective's true whereabouts during the Great Hiatus, when the world believed him to be dead.
224 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1974
About the author
Nicholas Meyer
37 books280 followersNicholas Meyer graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in theater and film-making, & is a film writer, producer, director and novelist best known for his involvement in the Star Trek films. He is also well known as the director for the landmark 1983 TV-Movie "The Day After", for which he was nominated for a Best Director Emmy Award. In 1977, Meyer was nominated for an Adapted Screenplay Academy Award for adapting his own 1974 novel, The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, to the screen.
In addition to his work on Star Trek, Meyer has written several novels, and has written and/or directed several other films.Most notable being the 1983 made-for-television anti-nuclear movie The Day After.
Meyer wrote three Sherlock Holmes novels: The West End Horror, The Canary Trainer, and The Seven-Per-Cent Solution. The latter was Meyer's most famous Holmes novel and the project for which he was best known prior to his Star Trek involvement. It was also adapted into a 1976 film, directed by Herbert Ross, for which Meyer wrote the screenplay.
In addition to his work on Star Trek, Meyer has written several novels, and has written and/or directed several other films.Most notable being the 1983 made-for-television anti-nuclear movie The Day After.
Meyer wrote three Sherlock Holmes novels: The West End Horror, The Canary Trainer, and The Seven-Per-Cent Solution. The latter was Meyer's most famous Holmes novel and the project for which he was best known prior to his Star Trek involvement. It was also adapted into a 1976 film, directed by Herbert Ross, for which Meyer wrote the screenplay.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 549 reviews
August 23, 2023
💉💉This is an excellent Sherlock and even brings a young Sigmund Freud into the story - as well as delving into Holmes’s cocaine addiction and an unpleasant childhood, the memories of which he has always suppressed. The movie based on this novel is also good.
March 20, 2026
There is a growing oeuvre of Holmesiana out there, much of it pretty good.
"The 7 Per Cent Solution", a short novel written in the '70s by Nicholas Meyer, cleverly pits Holmes and Watson against Holmes's true arch-enemy, with the aid of Sigmund Freud.
For those die-hard Holmes fans, this novel takes place in the time period between Conan Doyle's "The Final Problem" and "The Adventure of the Empty House", in which Holmes supposedly battled Professor Moriarty to the death but "miraculously" survived. (Conan Doyle, tired of writing the series, encountered much rage from jilted fans who hated to see Holmes perish in "The Final Problem", so, by popular demand, he brought him back to life...)
Meyer cleverly attributes the novel to Dr. John Watson and explains its remarkable "discovery" in the preface. A fun, quick read that is a good companion piece to the afore-mentioned Conan Doyle stories.
*P.S.: There is a 1976 film adaptation of this novel (78% rating on Rotten Tomatoes) starring Alan Arkin as Freud and Sir Laurence Olivier as Moriarty, directed by Herbert Ross based on a screenplay by the author.
"The 7 Per Cent Solution", a short novel written in the '70s by Nicholas Meyer, cleverly pits Holmes and Watson against Holmes's true arch-enemy, with the aid of Sigmund Freud.
For those die-hard Holmes fans, this novel takes place in the time period between Conan Doyle's "The Final Problem" and "The Adventure of the Empty House", in which Holmes supposedly battled Professor Moriarty to the death but "miraculously" survived. (Conan Doyle, tired of writing the series, encountered much rage from jilted fans who hated to see Holmes perish in "The Final Problem", so, by popular demand, he brought him back to life...)
Meyer cleverly attributes the novel to Dr. John Watson and explains its remarkable "discovery" in the preface. A fun, quick read that is a good companion piece to the afore-mentioned Conan Doyle stories.
*P.S.: There is a 1976 film adaptation of this novel (78% rating on Rotten Tomatoes) starring Alan Arkin as Freud and Sir Laurence Olivier as Moriarty, directed by Herbert Ross based on a screenplay by the author.
May 20, 2019
It's very difficult to produce a replicate of an Arthur Conan Doyle story when you aren't the man himself. But Nicholas Meyer has gone all out, and produced a staggeringly good work. In this story, Holmes is suffering with his addiction to cocaine, and Dr Watson is terrified he is going to die. So he calls on the gifts of another doctor, who has recently done research into the drug to 'save' Holmes - his name is Sigmund Freud. And so it continues. It's funny, intelligent and very 'real' to the genuine stories.
March 9, 2023
This book is a must-read for any Sherlock Holmes fan. The first half of the book is particularly captivating as we learn about Holmes' addiction to cocaine, which has caused him to become delusional. This revelation challenges what we thought we knew about Holmes and adds a new layer of complexity to his character. Watson, concerned about Holmes' well-being, takes him to see a young Sigmund Freud for psychiatric help. While this may seem like an odd choice, it works brilliantly and kept me hooked throughout the first half of the book.
The second half of the book is still enjoyable, but it didn't have the same gripping effect on me until the last 30 pages. These pages are filled with excitement, including a thrilling train chase and a fencing duel on top of a speeding train. However, the plot regarding the powers of Europe and the social forces that led to the First World War seemed unnecessary and didn't quite fit with the original Holmes stories. Nonetheless, the book is still a fantastic read and I highly recommend it.
I am eager to read more of Meyers' Holmes stories, as he has at least two others. Despite the minor flaws, this book is a splendid addition to the Sherlock Holmes canon and is sure to delight fans of the great detective.
Ratings:- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The second half of the book is still enjoyable, but it didn't have the same gripping effect on me until the last 30 pages. These pages are filled with excitement, including a thrilling train chase and a fencing duel on top of a speeding train. However, the plot regarding the powers of Europe and the social forces that led to the First World War seemed unnecessary and didn't quite fit with the original Holmes stories. Nonetheless, the book is still a fantastic read and I highly recommend it.
I am eager to read more of Meyers' Holmes stories, as he has at least two others. Despite the minor flaws, this book is a splendid addition to the Sherlock Holmes canon and is sure to delight fans of the great detective.
Ratings:- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
June 5, 2023
شرلوك هولمز يقابل سيجموند فرويد
مش قادرة أقولكم قد إيه حبيت واستمتعت بتفاصيل الرواية دي.
ميكس خطير بين الجريمة وعلم النفس والترجمة سلسة جدًا.
I highly recommend it ✌
مش قادرة أقولكم قد إيه حبيت واستمتعت بتفاصيل الرواية دي.
ميكس خطير بين الجريمة وعلم النفس والترجمة سلسة جدًا.
I highly recommend it ✌
January 5, 2017
Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, and Sigmund Freud join forces to deal with Holmes cocaine addiction, to rescue a woman, and possibly to prevent a giant European war.
April 8, 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 Sherlock Holmes Story, which also focuses on Sherlock's cocaine addiction and its relationship to Moriarty. Because that novel was so much darker and psychologically complex, I rather wish I'd read the novels in the opposite order. Meyer's would have seemed more daring if I hadn't already read Dibdin. Nonetheless, there are some great insights in The Seven-Percent Solution about not only Sherlock's nature, but also Mycroft's, as well. These were very satisfying.
Thus far my favorite pastiche remains Dust and Shadow by Lyndsay Faye, but I'm still just getting started on my reading. I most certainly would recommend this novel to anyone interested in non-canonical Holmesian literature.
I clearly see how this novel informed Michael Dibdin's The Last Sherlock Holmes Story, which also focuses on Sherlock's cocaine addiction and its relationship to Moriarty. Because that novel was so much darker and psychologically complex, I rather wish I'd read the novels in the opposite order. Meyer's would have seemed more daring if I hadn't already read Dibdin. Nonetheless, there are some great insights in The Seven-Percent Solution about not only Sherlock's nature, but also Mycroft's, as well. These were very satisfying.
Thus far my favorite pastiche remains Dust and Shadow by Lyndsay Faye, but I'm still just getting started on my reading. I most certainly would recommend this novel to anyone interested in non-canonical Holmesian literature.
September 22, 2019
Los dos cocainómanos más famosos del fin de siècle unen fuerzas para evitar una guerra devastadora en Europa.
La idea de Nicholas Meyer es buena: Sherlock Holmes habría pasado tres años oculto no para desmantelar la organización secreta de Moriarty (según reza la versión oficial, escrita por Watson), sino para recuperarse de su adicción a la cocaína. De hecho, en este universo, la organización secreta ni siquiera existía; Moriarty sí, pero era solamente un profesor de matemática, y los poderes que Holmes le atribuían eran imaginarios; un producto de la paranoia y los traumas infantiles del detective. Esta es la parte mejor lograda; releyendo el parlamento de “El problema final”, donde Holmes le revela a Watson, súbitamente, la existencia de un archienemigo, escondido atrás de cada caso que alguna vez tuvo que resolver, me parece en efecto el discurso de un hombre con delirios de persecución.
¿Empezamos a desbancar? Desbanquemos.
Watson lleva a Holmes a Viena, y ahí visitan a nada más ni nada menos ni nada más que a Sigmund Freud. Voy a reconocer que esto tiene alguna lógica, ya que el padre del psicoanálisis tuvo un affaire con la cocaína que terminó abruptamente en 1896. El problema, que cualquier sherlockiano podría señalar, es que el enfrentamiento de Holmes con Moriarty en Reichenbach tuvo lugar en 1891. Para esa fecha, Freud todavía no había superado su propia adicción.
Esto lo señalo por pura maldad, ya que mi molestia con esta novela pasa por otro lado. La solución es evidentemente un trabajo de fanfiction, pero no escrito por un fan de Sherlock Holmes, sino por uno de Freud. No le niego a Meyer el derecho a reinterpretar los personajes como le plazca. De hecho, la pintura de un Holmes débil, en guerra con su pasado, plantea un contraste no desencaminado con el hombre frío y lleno de recursos que solemos ver en las historias de Conan Doyle. Eso podría convencerme; lo que no me convence es que Freud pase a llenar el lugar de héroe todopoderoso en el que antes estaba Holmes.
Hay grandes posibilidades, habilitadas por la premisa de esta novela, que Meyer deja escapar en nombre de su admiración por el vienés. Tengo para mí que Holmes hubiese visto una especie de desafío en el intelecto de Freud, y no que se hubiera prosternado inmediatamente a sus poderes psicoanalíticos, como ocurre en esta novela. “¡Usted es el verdadero detective!”, se limita a exclamar Sherlock, en un rapto de fervor, cuando el psicólogo le cuenta sus teorías sobre el Káiser de Alemania. ¿En serio? ¿Ni siquiera se dio cuenta de que Freud está acostándose con su cuñada, o es que se dio cuenta pero no lo quiere decir?
Otro enorme problema: hay varios fragmentos en los que Watson se pone a aclarar algunos puntos del canon sherlockiano. Por ejemplo, explica en detalle por qué él y Holmes se desplazaban por Londres en taxi y no utilizaban el subterráneo, que según algunos lectores sería una opción más veloz y económica. Bueno, ¿a quién le importa? O en todo caso, ¿qué le importa a Watson? Estas aclaraciones podrían tener lugar en un artículo de la sociedad de Irregulares de la Baker Street. El propio Watson, quien supuestamente escribe esta historia, nunca se hubiera sentido en la necesidad de aclararlo.
Nota sobre la versión en español: Costa Picazo, a quien tuve el honor de tener como profesor en Literatura Norteamericana, cometió, en esta oportunidad, una traducción bastante descuidada, que quizás pueda achacársele a su escaso conocimiento del canon sherlockiano. En el original, Watson nota que, en la sala de Baker Street, Holmes podría ser un blanco fácil para los air guns, es decir las armas de aire comprimido, como el rifle que usaba Sebastian Moran en “La aventura de la casa vacía”. Costa Picazo traduce air guns como “cañones antiaéreos”.
¿Cañones antiaéreos, en el siglo XIX, en medio de la ciudad de Londres, y apuntando directamente a Sherlock Holmes?
Mmm, sí.
¿Puedo verlos?
No.
La idea de Nicholas Meyer es buena: Sherlock Holmes habría pasado tres años oculto no para desmantelar la organización secreta de Moriarty (según reza la versión oficial, escrita por Watson), sino para recuperarse de su adicción a la cocaína. De hecho, en este universo, la organización secreta ni siquiera existía; Moriarty sí, pero era solamente un profesor de matemática, y los poderes que Holmes le atribuían eran imaginarios; un producto de la paranoia y los traumas infantiles del detective. Esta es la parte mejor lograda; releyendo el parlamento de “El problema final”, donde Holmes le revela a Watson, súbitamente, la existencia de un archienemigo, escondido atrás de cada caso que alguna vez tuvo que resolver, me parece en efecto el discurso de un hombre con delirios de persecución.
¿Empezamos a desbancar? Desbanquemos.
Watson lleva a Holmes a Viena, y ahí visitan a nada más ni nada menos ni nada más que a Sigmund Freud. Voy a reconocer que esto tiene alguna lógica, ya que el padre del psicoanálisis tuvo un affaire con la cocaína que terminó abruptamente en 1896. El problema, que cualquier sherlockiano podría señalar, es que el enfrentamiento de Holmes con Moriarty en Reichenbach tuvo lugar en 1891. Para esa fecha, Freud todavía no había superado su propia adicción.
Esto lo señalo por pura maldad, ya que mi molestia con esta novela pasa por otro lado. La solución es evidentemente un trabajo de fanfiction, pero no escrito por un fan de Sherlock Holmes, sino por uno de Freud. No le niego a Meyer el derecho a reinterpretar los personajes como le plazca. De hecho, la pintura de un Holmes débil, en guerra con su pasado, plantea un contraste no desencaminado con el hombre frío y lleno de recursos que solemos ver en las historias de Conan Doyle. Eso podría convencerme; lo que no me convence es que Freud pase a llenar el lugar de héroe todopoderoso en el que antes estaba Holmes.
Hay grandes posibilidades, habilitadas por la premisa de esta novela, que Meyer deja escapar en nombre de su admiración por el vienés. Tengo para mí que Holmes hubiese visto una especie de desafío en el intelecto de Freud, y no que se hubiera prosternado inmediatamente a sus poderes psicoanalíticos, como ocurre en esta novela. “¡Usted es el verdadero detective!”, se limita a exclamar Sherlock, en un rapto de fervor, cuando el psicólogo le cuenta sus teorías sobre el Káiser de Alemania. ¿En serio? ¿Ni siquiera se dio cuenta de que Freud está acostándose con su cuñada, o es que se dio cuenta pero no lo quiere decir?
Otro enorme problema: hay varios fragmentos en los que Watson se pone a aclarar algunos puntos del canon sherlockiano. Por ejemplo, explica en detalle por qué él y Holmes se desplazaban por Londres en taxi y no utilizaban el subterráneo, que según algunos lectores sería una opción más veloz y económica. Bueno, ¿a quién le importa? O en todo caso, ¿qué le importa a Watson? Estas aclaraciones podrían tener lugar en un artículo de la sociedad de Irregulares de la Baker Street. El propio Watson, quien supuestamente escribe esta historia, nunca se hubiera sentido en la necesidad de aclararlo.
Nota sobre la versión en español: Costa Picazo, a quien tuve el honor de tener como profesor en Literatura Norteamericana, cometió, en esta oportunidad, una traducción bastante descuidada, que quizás pueda achacársele a su escaso conocimiento del canon sherlockiano. En el original, Watson nota que, en la sala de Baker Street, Holmes podría ser un blanco fácil para los air guns, es decir las armas de aire comprimido, como el rifle que usaba Sebastian Moran en “La aventura de la casa vacía”. Costa Picazo traduce air guns como “cañones antiaéreos”.
¿Cañones antiaéreos, en el siglo XIX, en medio de la ciudad de Londres, y apuntando directamente a Sherlock Holmes?
Mmm, sí.
¿Puedo verlos?
No.
April 4, 2008
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?
February 15, 2023
Meyer creates a story where Holmes, Watson and Freud join forces to solve a mystery of a woman found in a catatonic state in Vienna. How does that happen? Watson is very concerned about what appears to be paranoid, delusional Holmes related to his cocaine addiction. He tricks him into a trip to Vienna where Freud is waiting to try to cure him of his addiction. During this time in Vienna, Freud is called to consult on a young woman who was brought to the hospital in a desperate condition. Holmes has come along & becomes intrigued by this case and his powers of observation & deduction are once more put to the test. There is an exciting train chase towards the end of the story which I can see in a film script the genre Meyers is most known for.
December 3, 2013
To think that this is "the true story of Holmes' absence from Baker Street for those three years that he was gone" and that John Watson made up the two stories, namely The Final Solution and The Empty House to explain the absence is just too much, but a lovely story after all! If one cannot get enough of the Great Detective and his Boswell, Watson, it is one of the best.
I admire Mr. Meyer for imagining and writing such a wonderfully well done story of the two amazing companions of 221B Baker Street. I love how it was presented as a found manuscript of Dr. John H. Watson, written before his death in 1939. It brings back all we love about him and of his admiration and dedication to his friend Mr. Sherlock Holmes. It also presents us with such a unique view and a tremendous character in that of Doctor Sigmund Freud. The story of the cocaine addiction seems SO plausible, especially, if one has ever been bothered by and uncomfortable with Holmes' cocaine use in the Author Cannon Doyle stories when it is mentioned. Not so much that he used it, but what it could have come to because he did. Maybe...
What I admire about the story is the chance it gives the reader to re-visit the Holmes/Watson relationship. Another story, not just the detective/thinking part of the stories, but the plausible, human feelings the two felt for each other. For Dr. Watson to assume a leading role at the beginning. For him to tell and show us how much and how far he was willing to go for Holmes. He was willing to spend money like water, to sacrafice all to get Holmes to Dr. Freud in Vienna. All of this with the support of his wife and the help of Holmes' brother, Mycroft. How he suffered, along with Sherlock during the ordeal. How he saved his life on the train and the feeling of Holmes's words when he told Watson "Never let them say you were merely my Boswell, Watson," he gasped when he could speak. "Never let them say that." I loved it!!!
It is the emotional responses written into the stories of Holmes and Watson that make me come back and read them over and over. It is what will always bring me back to this one.
I admire Mr. Meyer for imagining and writing such a wonderfully well done story of the two amazing companions of 221B Baker Street. I love how it was presented as a found manuscript of Dr. John H. Watson, written before his death in 1939. It brings back all we love about him and of his admiration and dedication to his friend Mr. Sherlock Holmes. It also presents us with such a unique view and a tremendous character in that of Doctor Sigmund Freud. The story of the cocaine addiction seems SO plausible, especially, if one has ever been bothered by and uncomfortable with Holmes' cocaine use in the Author Cannon Doyle stories when it is mentioned. Not so much that he used it, but what it could have come to because he did. Maybe...
What I admire about the story is the chance it gives the reader to re-visit the Holmes/Watson relationship. Another story, not just the detective/thinking part of the stories, but the plausible, human feelings the two felt for each other. For Dr. Watson to assume a leading role at the beginning. For him to tell and show us how much and how far he was willing to go for Holmes. He was willing to spend money like water, to sacrafice all to get Holmes to Dr. Freud in Vienna. All of this with the support of his wife and the help of Holmes' brother, Mycroft. How he suffered, along with Sherlock during the ordeal. How he saved his life on the train and the feeling of Holmes's words when he told Watson "Never let them say you were merely my Boswell, Watson," he gasped when he could speak. "Never let them say that." I loved it!!!
It is the emotional responses written into the stories of Holmes and Watson that make me come back and read them over and over. It is what will always bring me back to this one.
September 25, 2012
Holmes purists may bristle, but The Seven Percent Solution was an enjoyable Sherlock novel that started off with the famed detective being addicted to cocaine. That may sound negative, but the steps Holmes takes to overcome it show that he knows it was harmful. The mystery part and interaction between him and Freud were great, too.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 5, 2007
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 guess also part of what I objected to: I mean, it’s published fanfic, people! And while, you know, not that there’s anything wrong with that…I guess on some level I do see something wrong with that. I can’t take it seriously. I kept wanting to comment on Meyer’s LJ: “Sherlock Holmes meeting Freud? What an awesomely cracktastic idea! LOL” Furthermore, it didn’t help that the mystery that pads out the book was just that…padding. And not particularly interesting padding, either. Some of Arthur Conon Doyle’s plots may have been a bit…silly, but they’re so atmospheric, so well done! ‘The Speckled Band’ is really creepy! So’s The Hound of the Baskervilles! The train chase in this was just…long.
So, with modern copyright laws, will Harry Potter ever come into the public domain? ‘Cause man, then Harry’s going to be meeting a lot of people nuttier than Freud, that’s for sure.
So, with modern copyright laws, will Harry Potter ever come into the public domain? ‘Cause man, then Harry’s going to be meeting a lot of people nuttier than Freud, that’s for sure.
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June 12, 2015نویسندهی بیشخصیت اومده برای اینکه یه داستان بنویسه آقامون، (شرلوک هلمز) رو کرده: عملی! آخه این درسته؟ این کار انسانیزاده؟ حالا ما که آدمها و طرفداران متعصبی نیستیم که بریزیم خیابون، در تمام شهرها و کشورهایی که باهاشون رابطه داریم تظاهرات خودجوش بکنیم و فریاد بزنیم و شعار بدیم: هیهات من الذله! جانم فدای شرلوک
حالا خوبه ما از این دسته طرفداران نیستیم. اما آقای نویسنده! شما که این قطب عالم امکان رو کردید عملی! حداقل میاومدی یک داستان درست و حسابی مینوشتی که در اون به جای داستانگویی به مزخرفگویی نیفتی. نمیدونم نویسنده مردهست، زندهست. اما فکر کنم پیر شده باشه. ارزش نداره حکم ترورش را صادر کنیم
حالا خوبه ما از این دسته طرفداران نیستیم. اما آقای نویسنده! شما که این قطب عالم امکان رو کردید عملی! حداقل میاومدی یک داستان درست و حسابی مینوشتی که در اون به جای داستانگویی به مزخرفگویی نیفتی. نمیدونم نویسنده مردهست، زندهست. اما فکر کنم پیر شده باشه. ارزش نداره حکم ترورش را صادر کنیم
June 13, 2021
When I first picked this book up I did not know it had been originally published in 1974. I wouldn't have known it by the end, either, except I checked. This is a good thing as it means the book sounded like it was written during the era in which it was set, instead of during the era in which it was written.
I didn't so much love the ripping of the rug out from under the Moriarty legacy. On the one hand it did nicely explain the weirdness of The Final Problem and Other Stories and The Adventure of the Empty House, two stories which I thought never quite fit with the rest of the canon. On the other hand - .
The perspective it was written from - Watson in his much later years, with N.M. inserting a few footnotes as he "edited," was unique (to me) and enjoyable (also to me). Overall a quick and fairly absorbing read, featuring Sigmund Freud and no direct phallic references whatsoever.
I didn't so much love the ripping of the rug out from under the Moriarty legacy. On the one hand it did nicely explain the weirdness of The Final Problem and Other Stories and The Adventure of the Empty House, two stories which I thought never quite fit with the rest of the canon. On the other hand - .
The perspective it was written from - Watson in his much later years, with N.M. inserting a few footnotes as he "edited," was unique (to me) and enjoyable (also to me). Overall a quick and fairly absorbing read, featuring Sigmund Freud and no direct phallic references whatsoever.
October 13, 2022
Ladies and gentlemen We went from a novel that for me is one of the best, despite its brevity "History of chess" by Stefan Zweig https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... (a review of stefan Zweig's magnificent review will be written soon) to another that I did not like, and that at first I thought that this novel would be one of my favorites this year. For various reasons, perhaps because I expected a lot from her.
I am not a big fan of sir. Arthur Conan Doyle's novels, https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://www.goodreads.com/series/4999... but as my friend Kunniotani reminded me to me Sherlock (even though Conan Doyle wrote interesting novels very much in Sir. Walter Scott's school https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... how Brigadier Gérard's novels, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9... (these in the middle of the Napoleonic era. My friend Professor Manuel Alfonseca paid homage to them in his novel "La Escala de Jacob" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... ) https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... ) or the saga of the White Companies https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9... , and its sequel Nigel Loring https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... , set in the 100 years' War in the fourteenth century) I still think sherlock Holmes is bigger than its author, and I tend to think that pastiches (some written by his son Adrian Doyle in collaboration with John Dickson Carr https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7... ), the films, and the comics are more interesting than the work of the Anglo-Irish author. This book "Elemental dear Doctor Freud" (a server prefers the Spanish title, than the original) I really wanted to read it, but it has happened a little what happened to "Dracula Tapes" (The voice of Dracula in Spanish) by Fred Saberhagen https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7... (by the way that in this saga Saberhagen came to make a Crossroad where Count Dracula, and Sherlock Holmes get to know each other, and collaborate https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... ) (more in this case than in Saberhagen's novel). It is true that the Achilles heel of this work (by the way, the title in Spanish is almost a spoiler) is the appearance of Sigmund Freud https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... for which I feel a great rejection (I recommend the question of God by Armand M. Nicholi where he faced to C.S. Lewis (apart from this there is a play by Tamzin Holland called the final session that narrates the apocryphal encounter between C.S. Lewis, and Sigmund Freud) https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... and Freud) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... books of this type we have that of Milton Walsh facing C.S. Lewis, and Ronald Knox https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... a Ronald Knox, who also wrote detective novels, and made pastiches of Sherlock Holmes, also of this theme are the books of Peter Kreeft https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... ) for being one of the philosophers of suspicion, and pansexualism, which caused the West to distance itself from God https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... and of course pseudoscience (this being very soft, since it considered him a charlatan, and a scammer product of marketing as G.K. said. Chesterton https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... Freud is a fraud). That is why I don't like the author's hagiographic tone towards Sigmund Freud. It happens to me as with the trilogy of the Hunger Games by Suzane Collins https://www.goodreads.com/series/7375... that if you do not like the protagonist Katniss the novel loses charm. The beginning is interesting, and it reminded me of Denis Lehane's Shutter Island https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... where Holmes by influence of drugs, and another factor falls into a paranoia that leads him to believe that there is a criminal mind Moriarty (in fact at first Meyer says that he has found a new case, which is canonical, found by a nurse Zwinglina Dombey. Admittedly, the appearance of the manuscript is a good resource) but, "The Final Problem" is loaded, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4... "The Uninhabited House" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8... (in which Sherlock Holmes ended with the last of Moriarty's henchmen with Sebastián Moran), and the Valley of Fear https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7... (this is my favorite Sherlock Holmes novel in which the bad guys are the Freemasons) because if Moriarty is a figment of the imagination, a suggestion of Holmes, and there are no such cases either. Knowing that Watson, and Mycroft (who incidentally appears "In the Adventure of the Interpreter of Greek" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... and is almost as interesting as Holmes, if not more) (About Mycroft Holmes we have the novels of Kareem Abdul Jabbar https://www.goodreads.com/series/2613... he has also been played by Christopher Lee, Stephen Fry, and Mark Gattis among other actors). Both convince the real Moriarty to go to Vienna to be treated by Freud himself (it is an occasion for famous historical characters to make a cameo, and be incorporated into the legendarium of Sherlock Holmes) (apart from a pastiche this novel is a crossroad since it mixes Holmes with historical, or literary characters. I don't know if he's the first to do it. Cay van Ash in "Ten Years Beyond Baker Street" pitted Sherlock Holmes against Fu Manchu https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... (they come out very little, but the face to face between the two was epic not to mention that Doctor Petrie also appeared, and Nylan Smith, who had to be demurred) (in this novel Holmes, and Watson coincide with the protagonist of Anthony Hope's Prisoner of Zenda https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... it must be recognized, that it was a very nice wink). We must say, that although I did not like this novel it has not been as disastrous as Mr. Holmes by Mitch Cullin (which is one of the worst books I have ever read) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... . Writer Ann Margaret Lewis https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... in his novel "Murder in the Vatican: The Church Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes" The Watson Chronicles https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... (unpublished in Spanish unfortunately) apart from telling us three stories mentioned in the work of Conan Doyle the case of Cardinal Tosca, the theft of the Cameo causes him to meet Pope Leo XIII https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... , Flambeau, and Father Brown https://www.goodreads.com/series/5560.... Another pastiche, although somewhat dark, may be Anthony Horowitz's Silk House https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... although somewhat bitter, and cruel, since it touches on topics such as pedophilia in the upper echelons, including the Church, it is nevertheless a good book. In a parody plan, our Enrique Jardiel Poncela played https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4... or "Estudio en negro" by José Carlos Somoza https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... Here the morbidity is in matching Holmes with the Austrian psychiatrist. I don't find it very credible because Freud was better known for his failures, than for his successes a friend addicted to morphine made him a cocaine addict. That is why my distrust. Apart from the hagiographic tone to Freud the second part is less interesting has the intrigue of kidnapping, and the possibility of starting a world war. A story of espionage was already told by Billy Wilder in "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... and it is much more interesting still The wonderful guy Ritchie movie Game of Shadows, where Moriarty embodied those secret powers that led to the Great War (in fact although at first I liked more the Sherlock series with Benedict Cumberbatch, and Martin Freeman, now I like more the duology of Guy Ritchie with Robert Downey Jr., and Jude Law, perhaps because he is not a product of the establishment like the English series). That theory was more interesting than blaming Kaiser Wilhelm II is too easy, and the typical psychoanalytic theme of hatred of stepmother. With all the chase with the machinist Berger, and the final sword duel are fine (in fact, there Freud has a more decorative role which is appreciated). Before going on to analyze what I did not like I must review in favor of this book, which I loved the description it makes of Austria, and that it talks about the wife Paula, and the daughter of Freud Anna. I think that's what can be saved about this second part. But it is spoiled by the overly sensationalist final psychoanalysis, which explains why Holmes is the way he is, and why he has such a self-destructive life. Although I like it more than queer theory, and that's why he hates women. It does not seem plausible to me the solution they give to replace the fate of Holmes was much better fate than the Conan Doyle, than the one given by Meyer, since Conan Doyle reinforced the Christic attribute of Sherlock Holmes. Nor am I convinced by the alternative given to the reappearance of Holmes, since Moriarty is not Moriarty that criminal mind impoverishes Holmes' legendarium. This work takes more away from us than it gives us. It has positive things like the critique of drug addiction, the description of Vienna, it tells us about Freud's family. But it lacks the appeal of the books mentioned above, nor does it like to see Holmes as a psychotic, nor such an easy solution, which impoverishes the original. That is why my grade is (2/5). Pd. It is very good to have solved the dichotomy of Arthur Conan Doyle, and Watson, and the authorship of Holmes according to Meyer Watson would publish the stories, and Arthur Conan Doyle would publish them, but that is another of the few merits that I will grant him.
I am not a big fan of sir. Arthur Conan Doyle's novels, https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://www.goodreads.com/series/4999... but as my friend Kunniotani reminded me to me Sherlock (even though Conan Doyle wrote interesting novels very much in Sir. Walter Scott's school https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... how Brigadier Gérard's novels, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9... (these in the middle of the Napoleonic era. My friend Professor Manuel Alfonseca paid homage to them in his novel "La Escala de Jacob" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... ) https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... ) or the saga of the White Companies https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9... , and its sequel Nigel Loring https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... , set in the 100 years' War in the fourteenth century) I still think sherlock Holmes is bigger than its author, and I tend to think that pastiches (some written by his son Adrian Doyle in collaboration with John Dickson Carr https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7... ), the films, and the comics are more interesting than the work of the Anglo-Irish author. This book "Elemental dear Doctor Freud" (a server prefers the Spanish title, than the original) I really wanted to read it, but it has happened a little what happened to "Dracula Tapes" (The voice of Dracula in Spanish) by Fred Saberhagen https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7... (by the way that in this saga Saberhagen came to make a Crossroad where Count Dracula, and Sherlock Holmes get to know each other, and collaborate https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... ) (more in this case than in Saberhagen's novel). It is true that the Achilles heel of this work (by the way, the title in Spanish is almost a spoiler) is the appearance of Sigmund Freud https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... for which I feel a great rejection (I recommend the question of God by Armand M. Nicholi where he faced to C.S. Lewis (apart from this there is a play by Tamzin Holland called the final session that narrates the apocryphal encounter between C.S. Lewis, and Sigmund Freud) https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... and Freud) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... books of this type we have that of Milton Walsh facing C.S. Lewis, and Ronald Knox https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... a Ronald Knox, who also wrote detective novels, and made pastiches of Sherlock Holmes, also of this theme are the books of Peter Kreeft https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... ) for being one of the philosophers of suspicion, and pansexualism, which caused the West to distance itself from God https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... and of course pseudoscience (this being very soft, since it considered him a charlatan, and a scammer product of marketing as G.K. said. Chesterton https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... Freud is a fraud). That is why I don't like the author's hagiographic tone towards Sigmund Freud. It happens to me as with the trilogy of the Hunger Games by Suzane Collins https://www.goodreads.com/series/7375... that if you do not like the protagonist Katniss the novel loses charm. The beginning is interesting, and it reminded me of Denis Lehane's Shutter Island https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... where Holmes by influence of drugs, and another factor falls into a paranoia that leads him to believe that there is a criminal mind Moriarty (in fact at first Meyer says that he has found a new case, which is canonical, found by a nurse Zwinglina Dombey. Admittedly, the appearance of the manuscript is a good resource) but, "The Final Problem" is loaded, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4... "The Uninhabited House" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8... (in which Sherlock Holmes ended with the last of Moriarty's henchmen with Sebastián Moran), and the Valley of Fear https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7... (this is my favorite Sherlock Holmes novel in which the bad guys are the Freemasons) because if Moriarty is a figment of the imagination, a suggestion of Holmes, and there are no such cases either. Knowing that Watson, and Mycroft (who incidentally appears "In the Adventure of the Interpreter of Greek" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... and is almost as interesting as Holmes, if not more) (About Mycroft Holmes we have the novels of Kareem Abdul Jabbar https://www.goodreads.com/series/2613... he has also been played by Christopher Lee, Stephen Fry, and Mark Gattis among other actors). Both convince the real Moriarty to go to Vienna to be treated by Freud himself (it is an occasion for famous historical characters to make a cameo, and be incorporated into the legendarium of Sherlock Holmes) (apart from a pastiche this novel is a crossroad since it mixes Holmes with historical, or literary characters. I don't know if he's the first to do it. Cay van Ash in "Ten Years Beyond Baker Street" pitted Sherlock Holmes against Fu Manchu https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... (they come out very little, but the face to face between the two was epic not to mention that Doctor Petrie also appeared, and Nylan Smith, who had to be demurred) (in this novel Holmes, and Watson coincide with the protagonist of Anthony Hope's Prisoner of Zenda https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... it must be recognized, that it was a very nice wink). We must say, that although I did not like this novel it has not been as disastrous as Mr. Holmes by Mitch Cullin (which is one of the worst books I have ever read) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... . Writer Ann Margaret Lewis https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... in his novel "Murder in the Vatican: The Church Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes" The Watson Chronicles https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... (unpublished in Spanish unfortunately) apart from telling us three stories mentioned in the work of Conan Doyle the case of Cardinal Tosca, the theft of the Cameo causes him to meet Pope Leo XIII https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... , Flambeau, and Father Brown https://www.goodreads.com/series/5560.... Another pastiche, although somewhat dark, may be Anthony Horowitz's Silk House https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... although somewhat bitter, and cruel, since it touches on topics such as pedophilia in the upper echelons, including the Church, it is nevertheless a good book. In a parody plan, our Enrique Jardiel Poncela played https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4... or "Estudio en negro" by José Carlos Somoza https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... Here the morbidity is in matching Holmes with the Austrian psychiatrist. I don't find it very credible because Freud was better known for his failures, than for his successes a friend addicted to morphine made him a cocaine addict. That is why my distrust. Apart from the hagiographic tone to Freud the second part is less interesting has the intrigue of kidnapping, and the possibility of starting a world war. A story of espionage was already told by Billy Wilder in "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... and it is much more interesting still The wonderful guy Ritchie movie Game of Shadows, where Moriarty embodied those secret powers that led to the Great War (in fact although at first I liked more the Sherlock series with Benedict Cumberbatch, and Martin Freeman, now I like more the duology of Guy Ritchie with Robert Downey Jr., and Jude Law, perhaps because he is not a product of the establishment like the English series). That theory was more interesting than blaming Kaiser Wilhelm II is too easy, and the typical psychoanalytic theme of hatred of stepmother. With all the chase with the machinist Berger, and the final sword duel are fine (in fact, there Freud has a more decorative role which is appreciated). Before going on to analyze what I did not like I must review in favor of this book, which I loved the description it makes of Austria, and that it talks about the wife Paula, and the daughter of Freud Anna. I think that's what can be saved about this second part. But it is spoiled by the overly sensationalist final psychoanalysis, which explains why Holmes is the way he is, and why he has such a self-destructive life. Although I like it more than queer theory, and that's why he hates women. It does not seem plausible to me the solution they give to replace the fate of Holmes was much better fate than the Conan Doyle, than the one given by Meyer, since Conan Doyle reinforced the Christic attribute of Sherlock Holmes. Nor am I convinced by the alternative given to the reappearance of Holmes, since Moriarty is not Moriarty that criminal mind impoverishes Holmes' legendarium. This work takes more away from us than it gives us. It has positive things like the critique of drug addiction, the description of Vienna, it tells us about Freud's family. But it lacks the appeal of the books mentioned above, nor does it like to see Holmes as a psychotic, nor such an easy solution, which impoverishes the original. That is why my grade is (2/5). Pd. It is very good to have solved the dichotomy of Arthur Conan Doyle, and Watson, and the authorship of Holmes according to Meyer Watson would publish the stories, and Arthur Conan Doyle would publish them, but that is another of the few merits that I will grant him.
March 5, 2010
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 the first half of the book I could not stop reading.
The second half of the book is still a fun read, but it did not grip me with the same "can't put it down" impulse. Not at least until the last 30 pages. Those last 30 pages are extremely exciting, involving a train chase and a fencing duel on top of the speeding train! But there is a rather silly plot regarding the powers of Europe and the social forces that will soon (34 years away) launch the first World War. This was unecessary and contrary to the thrust of the original Holmes stories, where the bulk of Holmes cases presented to us were of ordinary people and events, not great world affairs - although Doyle often makes Watson allude to Holmes invovlement with more historically important cases so it's not reall too far fetched.
Even here, however, the book works and is just a splendid read. I look forward to reading more of Meyer's Holmes stories - he has at least two others - and recommend that others do the same.
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 the first half of the book I could not stop reading.
The second half of the book is still a fun read, but it did not grip me with the same "can't put it down" impulse. Not at least until the last 30 pages. Those last 30 pages are extremely exciting, involving a train chase and a fencing duel on top of the speeding train! But there is a rather silly plot regarding the powers of Europe and the social forces that will soon (34 years away) launch the first World War. This was unecessary and contrary to the thrust of the original Holmes stories, where the bulk of Holmes cases presented to us were of ordinary people and events, not great world affairs - although Doyle often makes Watson allude to Holmes invovlement with more historically important cases so it's not reall too far fetched.
Even here, however, the book works and is just a splendid read. I look forward to reading more of Meyer's Holmes stories - he has at least two others - and recommend that others do the same.
August 28, 2019
4.5/5
This book was really a pleasure to read as it does a great job in bringing the detective alive again. It comes pretty close to the originals with respect to the writing style, both in word choice as well as in keeping humor in it in spite of its gravety (sometimes through witty annotations).
It's really interesting that this book explores Holmes’ cocaine use, both its origins and its effects. It also gives a closer look into the personalities of Mycroft, Mrs. Hudson and Moriarty. And of course the relationship between Holmes and Watson, which gets an extra dimension through this cocaine-background story. And, ah, the violin; music is a life saver!
My only problem lies with the other MC, as I'm not really (understatement) a fan of Freud’s. But I could see a connection in the way of thinking, and his character was tolerable.
I would really recommend it if youjust can’t get enough of Sherlock Holmes would mostly like to dive deeper into his addiction and his relationships with others, and get a little extra case as a treat. Not being put off by alternative theories that don’t fit your own ideas is a big pre :)
This book was really a pleasure to read as it does a great job in bringing the detective alive again. It comes pretty close to the originals with respect to the writing style, both in word choice as well as in keeping humor in it in spite of its gravety (sometimes through witty annotations).
It's really interesting that this book explores Holmes’ cocaine use, both its origins and its effects. It also gives a closer look into the personalities of Mycroft, Mrs. Hudson and Moriarty. And of course the relationship between Holmes and Watson, which gets an extra dimension through this cocaine-background story. And, ah, the violin; music is a life saver!
My only problem lies with the other MC, as I'm not really (understatement) a fan of Freud’s. But I could see a connection in the way of thinking, and his character was tolerable.
I would really recommend it if you
February 12, 2008
Humph. Color me unimpressed. Interesting concept, not so well executed. I'll believe that it was impressive when published (and the general populace still respected Freud when it was written), and maybe I'm too much of a Holmes fan (and too much of a Holmes/Russell fangirl).
But it felt to me from the beginning that Meyer didn't have any new ideas, and it just rankled me; the way he seemed to make excuses for why his book doesn't read like Conan Doyle, and kept pointing out allusions to this or that Holmes story. 'Nudge, nudge, See! I read the original, and all these other books too! Aren't I smart!'
I've never read a chase scene that was so... slow.
Besides which: SPOILER*********
He kind of halfway tries to make it fit with the story (Final Problem/Empty House) as written, by saying that Watson wrote those to cover the real story (cocaine induced dementia, soul-searching holiday).
However, if you're going to write Moriarty out of the Holmes canon, you better have a damn good story to replace it, and he doesn't.
*Nitpicky Sherlockian Alert*
ALSO: It doesn't work. The explanation at the start of The Final Problem is that Watson writes the story to explain what happened to Moriarty, since his brother "defends [his] memory [with].... an absolute perversion of the facts". If we were to take The Seven-Per-Cent Solution as true in world, then Moriarty, despite being a jerk, is not evil, and ALIVE in England. Why in the world would Watson write a story accusing an innocent man of being a criminal mastermind? It doesn't make a bit of sense. If he were to write a story to "cover" Holmes' disappearance, he could have written anything! Meyer says that Watson wrote it, but never why, other then to 'cover' the true facts and because Holmes makes a joke on the last page. Humph.
*End Nitpicking Alert*
Finally, the part where he's actually getting over the cocaine addiction is BORING, and the mystery that pads out the second half of the book is too. Sigh.
But it felt to me from the beginning that Meyer didn't have any new ideas, and it just rankled me; the way he seemed to make excuses for why his book doesn't read like Conan Doyle, and kept pointing out allusions to this or that Holmes story. 'Nudge, nudge, See! I read the original, and all these other books too! Aren't I smart!'
I've never read a chase scene that was so... slow.
Besides which: SPOILER*********
He kind of halfway tries to make it fit with the story (Final Problem/Empty House) as written, by saying that Watson wrote those to cover the real story (cocaine induced dementia, soul-searching holiday).
However, if you're going to write Moriarty out of the Holmes canon, you better have a damn good story to replace it, and he doesn't.
*Nitpicky Sherlockian Alert*
ALSO: It doesn't work. The explanation at the start of The Final Problem is that Watson writes the story to explain what happened to Moriarty, since his brother "defends [his] memory [with].... an absolute perversion of the facts". If we were to take The Seven-Per-Cent Solution as true in world, then Moriarty, despite being a jerk, is not evil, and ALIVE in England. Why in the world would Watson write a story accusing an innocent man of being a criminal mastermind? It doesn't make a bit of sense. If he were to write a story to "cover" Holmes' disappearance, he could have written anything! Meyer says that Watson wrote it, but never why, other then to 'cover' the true facts and because Holmes makes a joke on the last page. Humph.
*End Nitpicking Alert*
Finally, the part where he's actually getting over the cocaine addiction is BORING, and the mystery that pads out the second half of the book is too. Sigh.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
September 13, 2007Except for Sherlock Holmes and cocaine and Freud, the rest is all fuzzy.
October 1, 2015
Zanimljiva priča o poznatim junacima ispričana na novi način.
February 21, 2016
Read this enjoyable take on Sherlock Holmes back in the 70's.
February 3, 2021
Pastiche dedicato al famoso Sherlock Holmes.
L'ho letto d'un fiato. Notevole il lavoro svolto dall'autore per immergersi nel mondo di Conan Doyle.
L'ho letto d'un fiato. Notevole il lavoro svolto dall'autore per immergersi nel mondo di Conan Doyle.
June 24, 2022
رواية سيئة جداً ليه بقول كده لانها مهتمتش بشخصية شرلوك هولمز ولا بفرويد وفجأة دخل في حل لغز وكان لغز بسيط مش حاجه يعنى .واتكلم واستخدم شخصية فرويد في اخر جزء ولكن بشكل بسيط
January 21, 2017
To his credit, Meyer not only disregards the unwritten rule that modern Sherlock Holmes stories must feature Moriarty as either the main villain or in an ominous cameo, he goes one better and first introduces and then relegates the incongruous villain to his rightful place.
I always thought that “The Final Problem” and “The Empty House” felt the least Holmes-like of all of Doyle’s original stories. The introduction of a mastermind behind most of the crime in London seemed all too sudden and very much out of character from the other stories. Holmes seems quite off his form in these stories, flitting about skittishly and offering none of the brilliant deductions from prosaic clues that make the other stories so fun to read. Despite Doyle’s liking for “The Final Problem”, I would venture that if all Holmes stories were like it, most people today would never have heard of Sherlock Holmes.
Meyer devises an ingenious explanation for how such an incompatible character as Moriarty ever intruded into the canon, and how Watson came to write a story so jarringly different from his other accounts of the great detective. If Meyer’s book had done nothing more, it would still have been well worth reading. Meyer goes on, however, to give Holmes a grand mystery to solve, deserving of the larger canvas of a full-length novel, and to definitively deal with the great detective’s cocaine addiction.
But wait, that’s not all! Meyer takes the father of psychiatry from history and inserts him into the novel as Holmes’ worthy counterpart in another field -- or as Holmes tells Freud: “You have succeeded in taking my methods: observation and inference, and applied them to the inside of a subject’s head.”
I always thought that “The Final Problem” and “The Empty House” felt the least Holmes-like of all of Doyle’s original stories. The introduction of a mastermind behind most of the crime in London seemed all too sudden and very much out of character from the other stories. Holmes seems quite off his form in these stories, flitting about skittishly and offering none of the brilliant deductions from prosaic clues that make the other stories so fun to read. Despite Doyle’s liking for “The Final Problem”, I would venture that if all Holmes stories were like it, most people today would never have heard of Sherlock Holmes.
Meyer devises an ingenious explanation for how such an incompatible character as Moriarty ever intruded into the canon, and how Watson came to write a story so jarringly different from his other accounts of the great detective. If Meyer’s book had done nothing more, it would still have been well worth reading. Meyer goes on, however, to give Holmes a grand mystery to solve, deserving of the larger canvas of a full-length novel, and to definitively deal with the great detective’s cocaine addiction.
But wait, that’s not all! Meyer takes the father of psychiatry from history and inserts him into the novel as Holmes’ worthy counterpart in another field -- or as Holmes tells Freud: “You have succeeded in taking my methods: observation and inference, and applied them to the inside of a subject’s head.”
June 25, 2023
رواية مترجمة ممتعة غير مُنتظرة بالمرة
المؤلف ...قرأ كل روايات ارثر كونان دويل عن شيرلوك هولمز
بالاضافة لكل المؤلفات التى كتبت عن شخصية "شيرلوك هولمز" و ابعادها
و كل ما كتب عن سيرة سيجموند فرويد ابو التحليل النفسي
وخرج بتلك القصة الماتعة ...و التى لو لم يكتب اسم مؤلفها عليها لاعتقدت انها قصة اخيرة عن "شيرلوك" من كونان دويل
العنوان الاصلى للقصة "محلول ال 7% " و كما هو واضح هو اسم غير مثير ...
يقصد به محلول مخفف ب 7% كوكايين لمساعدة ....ما تيجو نقرا الرواية اسهل
ككل افلام السلاسل الشهيرة بات مان و سوبر مان ...و بعد عد اجزاء و مغامرات عن البطل ...
المرة دي المؤلف يغوص ليخرج لنا ب قصة هى "بداية شيرلوك هولمز" و "نهايته المفتوحة " ...
لماذا اصبح شيرلوك هولمز على ما هو عليه ..ذلك الذئب المتوحد ...الكاره للاجتماعيات المحتقر للجميع ...الخائف من النساء ...الغارق فى افكاره المجردة...
و الى ماذا انتهى شيرلوك ....و كيف كانت مأساته الشخصية و كيف انتهى اآخر لغز قام بحله ...
تخيلتها فيلم سينمائي ....بطولة روبرت دوني جونيور
غطسة "أخيرة" في عالم "شيرلوك هولمز" الماتع...
الكتاب التالي: مدخل إلى الذكاء الاصطناعي وتعلم الآلة
المؤلف ...قرأ كل روايات ارثر كونان دويل عن شيرلوك هولمز
بالاضافة لكل المؤلفات التى كتبت عن شخصية "شيرلوك هولمز" و ابعادها
و كل ما كتب عن سيرة سيجموند فرويد ابو التحليل النفسي
وخرج بتلك القصة الماتعة ...و التى لو لم يكتب اسم مؤلفها عليها لاعتقدت انها قصة اخيرة عن "شيرلوك" من كونان دويل
العنوان الاصلى للقصة "محلول ال 7% " و كما هو واضح هو اسم غير مثير ...
يقصد به محلول مخفف ب 7% كوكايين لمساعدة ....ما تيجو نقرا الرواية اسهل
ككل افلام السلاسل الشهيرة بات مان و سوبر مان ...و بعد عد اجزاء و مغامرات عن البطل ...
المرة دي المؤلف يغوص ليخرج لنا ب قصة هى "بداية شيرلوك هولمز" و "نهايته المفتوحة " ...
لماذا اصبح شيرلوك هولمز على ما هو عليه ..ذلك الذئب المتوحد ...الكاره للاجتماعيات المحتقر للجميع ...الخائف من النساء ...الغارق فى افكاره المجردة...
و الى ماذا انتهى شيرلوك ....و كيف كانت مأساته الشخصية و كيف انتهى اآخر لغز قام بحله ...
تخيلتها فيلم سينمائي ....بطولة روبرت دوني جونيور
غطسة "أخيرة" في عالم "شيرلوك هولمز" الماتع...
الكتاب التالي: مدخل إلى الذكاء الاصطناعي وتعلم الآلة
May 26, 2013
While a little too cute for my tastes, Nicholas Meyer's Sherlock Holmes pastiche was still an enjoyable read. It was light, clever, and the inclusion of Sigmund Freud was an interesting angle, even if I felt he wasn't portrayed very accurately. They also delve deeper into Holmes cocaine habit, which was neat. That being said I thought the scene where Freud hypnotizes Holmes into explaining the cause of his addiction was annoyingly facile.
Furthermore, there were too many dinky little footnotes and Forrest Gumpy historical moments that didn't add up (Sherlock was smart enough to foresee WWI, yet he was not "politically astute" enough to warn anyone?).
I probably wouldn't have been so hard on this if I had found it in the dollar bin at a used bookstore and decided to try it on a whim. Instead I found the book on a 501 must-read books list, alongside James Joyce and Tolstoy, so I expected something a little more substantial.
It's a nice little story for Sherlock fans, at any rate.
Furthermore, there were too many dinky little footnotes and Forrest Gumpy historical moments that didn't add up (Sherlock was smart enough to foresee WWI, yet he was not "politically astute" enough to warn anyone?).
I probably wouldn't have been so hard on this if I had found it in the dollar bin at a used bookstore and decided to try it on a whim. Instead I found the book on a 501 must-read books list, alongside James Joyce and Tolstoy, so I expected something a little more substantial.
It's a nice little story for Sherlock fans, at any rate.
August 17, 2012
Apocrifo? Stento a crederci. Onore a Meyer per questa perla che avrei ingenuamente e senza indugi attribuito a Sir Conan Doyle.
Ben scritto, nessun particolare trascurato, magistrale trattazione del rapporto Holmes/Watson, brillante introduzione del personaggio di Freud all'interno del romanzo.
Ho approvato tutto, tranne la scelta più o meno azzardata di mettere eccessivamente in luce l'interiorità di Holmes.
Ben scritto, nessun particolare trascurato, magistrale trattazione del rapporto Holmes/Watson, brillante introduzione del personaggio di Freud all'interno del romanzo.
Ho approvato tutto, tranne la scelta più o meno azzardata di mettere eccessivamente in luce l'interiorità di Holmes.
November 12, 2012
كتاب اكثر من رائع
استطاع الكاتب نيكولاس ماير اخذ جانب جديد من شارلوك هولمز و قصته العظيمة ( المعركة الاخيرة )
و قام بتحويلها الى حالة جديدة و مختلفة تماما بدون ان يخرب او يعبث بالشخصية نفسها
و اعتقد ان هذا كان هو اكبر تحدي بالنسبة للكاتب و الذي استطاع تخطيه باحترافية عالية
و من ابرز ما في الكتاب ايضا هو ابراز جانب نفسي جديد لشارلوك هولمز لم يتم الخوض في من قبل
كتاب يستخق القراءة فعلا و تجربة جديدة و مختلفة تماما عن مغامرات هولمز السابقة
(((( شارلوك هولمز كما لم تراه من قبل ))))
استطاع الكاتب نيكولاس ماير اخذ جانب جديد من شارلوك هولمز و قصته العظيمة ( المعركة الاخيرة )
و قام بتحويلها الى حالة جديدة و مختلفة تماما بدون ان يخرب او يعبث بالشخصية نفسها
و اعتقد ان هذا كان هو اكبر تحدي بالنسبة للكاتب و الذي استطاع تخطيه باحترافية عالية
و من ابرز ما في الكتاب ايضا هو ابراز جانب نفسي جديد لشارلوك هولمز لم يتم الخوض في من قبل
كتاب يستخق القراءة فعلا و تجربة جديدة و مختلفة تماما عن مغامرات هولمز السابقة
(((( شارلوك هولمز كما لم تراه من قبل ))))
August 29, 2018
عندما تستبعد كافة الاحتمالات الممكنه فأن الباقي مهما بلغت غرابته لا بد ان يكون الحقيقه .
اذا اتيح للبشرية الوقت الكافي لجاهدت ذلك النصف المرعب من نفسها .
مع هذا الكتاب سوف نسأل انفسنا : هل يوجد حقاً فرق بين ان يكون الشخص محقق جنائي وبين ان يكون دكتور نفسي؟
اذا اتيح للبشرية الوقت الكافي لجاهدت ذلك النصف المرعب من نفسها .
مع هذا الكتاب سوف نسأل انفسنا : هل يوجد حقاً فرق بين ان يكون الشخص محقق جنائي وبين ان يكون دكتور نفسي؟
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