RJ - Slayer of Trolls’s Comments

RJ - Slayer of Trolls’s comments from the 2025 Reading Challenge group.

Note: RJ - Slayer of Trolls is not currently a member of this group.

Joan wrote: "I finished it. I found some of it a little hokey but it was written in 1912 so I didn't mind that so much. I thought it was a fun easy read. I wasn't expecting the ending...."

I agree Joan, the ending makes you want to continue on in the series. I think that's due to the story (and the following stories) being published in the monthly pulp magazines of the time, so every installment seems to end with a cliffhanger and there's never a completely resolved "happy" ending; instead we just move along to the next adventure.

I finished a couple more:

The Adventure of the Dancing Men was similar to some other Holmes stories but at least had the fresh approach of the Dancing Men hieroglyphics. It's my favorite in this collection so far.

The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist was a bit too predictable and also had some similarities to other Holmes stories, but it flowed well and had more action than other stories. Is it bad that I kept thinking of the Queen song "Bicycle Race"?

I finished the second story The Adventure of the Norwood Builder. It's a bit different than other Holmes stories since (view spoiler)[the crime never actually occurred (hide spoiler)], which I thought was a fresh idea for the series. Also I think this story slows somewhat better than the earlier Holmes stories.

Kristin wrote: "I took the participant lists from a former book in this series. Please let me know if there are any additions or subtractions and happy reading!"

Thanks Kristin!

Gary wrote: "When I was in college our wind ensemble stopped in NYC to play a concert. While there I managed to squeeze in a visit to a gallery that was displaying all of Neal Adams original Tarzan cover painti..."

Neal Adams is unquestionably great, but I prefer the Vallejo and Frazetta stuff.

Joan wrote: "Randy wrote: "I read this one last year so I might join in the comments if that's OK."

Would love to hear your comments Randy! I just read another chapter. [spoilers removed]"

Thanks Joan! The Tarzan books were mostly serialized in pulp magazines of the time, so reading a chapter per day can still give you a feeling of how the story was told a month at a time, with various cliff-hangers to keep readers coming back for the next episode.

I read this one last year so I might join in the comments if that's OK.

I started this one a couple days ago and finished the first story The Adventure of the Empty House which picks up where The Adventure of the Final Problem in The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes left off.

Doyle's writing appears to have improved a little after taking a nine-year break from writing Holmes stories. Hopefully he has some new story ideas also, since he was starting to get stuck in some ruts in the prior collections.

Wow! I finished six more yesterday and today which gives me 79 read with two months left in the year.

I finished these:


Ancient Sorceries and Other Weird Stories by Algernon Blackwood
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


Boy's Life by Robert R. McCammon
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


The Night of the Hunter by Davis Grubb
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


Sign of the Unicorn by Roger Zelazny
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


Too Big to Fail: The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System from Crisis — and Themselves by Andrew Ross Sorkin
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

And I started reading:


The Black Ice by Michael Connelly


The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle, Fiction, Mystery & Detective by Arthur Conan Doyle


The Best American Mystery Stories 2016 edited by Elizabeth George

I finished two more yesterday and I have reached 73 for the year:


Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


The Black Echo by Michael Connelly
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

And I started reading:


Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes


Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene

I finished #71:


Provinces of Night by William Gay
Rating: 5 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

And I started:


The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

Veda wrote: "Have you heard about



I love the classics, yet being open took me to Young Sherlock, which was a whole new experience.

Sorry, I missed out on this one, b..."

Hi Veda, I think I remember hearing something about the first book in that series a few years ago when it came out. I'll have to check those books out sometime. Thanks for the recommendation.

Scott wrote: "Finished this a few days ago. I was a little surprised with the ending of this last story especially since there are lots more stories about Holmes"

It's worth reading the Wikipedia entry about Holmes or the one about Doyle. "Hound" was the story that convinced Doyle to start writing Holmes stories again after a 9-year break.

Susy wrote: "I like the reading style and haven’t checked what the book would be about (since I added it to my TBR some time ago), so I’m continuously wondering where this is all headed. Love that feeling!"

I think that's a great way to read it. Enjoy!

Susy wrote: "Still not sure what I’m reading exactly lol. And what’s up with those “in between chapters”?"

I read this one last year and liked it a lot. Suzy, I think it will all clear up for you as you keep reading - there's a lot of intentional vagueness in the early going and the reader feels lost just like Shadow Moon does. If I recall correctly, Gaiman takes all those stories, even the in-between chapters, and ties them together by the end. It's quite a job of storytelling.

I'll be taking a 2-week Holmes break, then back to it with The Return of Sherlock Holmes at the beginning of November!

Ashley wrote: "I just finished this story. This is one of my favorites. It was very different from the other stories and was very enjoyable."

I just finished today also and I agree with you Ashley, this was tyhe best of the three Holmes novels I have read so far. I do generally prefer the short stories because they get to the point quicker, however ACD used the extra pages to good advantage in this case, allowing the plot to slowly develop and adding some twists that probably wouldn't have fit into a short story.

I finished and gave it 3 stars. The narration really started to drag for me, especially the run-on sentences and the overuse of "and I." The story became less of a mystery and more personal about halfway through. I found it interesting to think about what types of challenges Christopher must face on a daily basis, even at home.

I finished two more which brings me to 70 so far for the year:


The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

And I started reading:


Sign of the Unicorn by Roger Zelazny


Ghost Story by Peter Straub

Ilona wrote: "Sorry guys, I don't think I will be able to read The Hound of the Baskervilles this month. I am still working on the memoirs and once finished I will take a break from this series."

Sorry to hear that Ilona. I think the thread will stay open for a while so feel free to post your thoughts later.