The Cthulhu Casebooks: Sherlock Holmes and the Shadwell Shadows, a review.
I did not know what to expect from this book. I had never read anything by the author before, and I haven't read any Holmes beyond Doyle himself. The mix of the consulting detective and H.P. Lovecraft's Mythos piqued my curiosity, and I picked up the book on the off chance. Boy, that was a good move. Lovegrove is an engaging and talented author who writes Watson and Sherlock so well that I forgot that this is not a piece of fiction by Doyle himself. This is a rewrite in many ways taking what is well known and turning it on its head. The author presents us with a more youthful detective, presented through the eyes of his companion, Watson. I enjoyed the preface by Lovegrove, mixing reality and fiction together well to get the reader's interest straight away. This then leads into the foreword by an older DR. John Watson explaining the truth of this story before we dive into this new twist on the classic beginning of the partnership of Holmes and Watson. I enjoyed the premise that Watson had been hiding the truth of their adventures his entire life. That these books were, in fact, the true tales of their partnership.
The story begins with Watson relaying the events of the Afghan war, the injury that he sustained, and the fallout that had he had carried back to England. This is a far more harrowed Watson than I am used to, a man haunted by something that he has yet to put a name to. Lovegrove does a good job at keeping the core of the character but adding new elements and experiences to flesh out his own version of the good doctor. The changes from the established lore begin with his meeting with Stamford, his student friend from Barts. This marks a change from everything known and makes everything that unfolds that much more interesting, in my opinion. This meeting leads to the introduction of the renowned detective, though far from the height of his power as he is so often portrayed. Their introduction leads to a pursuit of Stamford, and from there, the adventure begins. Unfortunately, for them, this adventure proves to be one full of darkness, unseen masterminds, and the fell influence of the Great Old Ones. The partnership works well, the core remains unchanged in the face of this investigation, and the horrors they are exposed to as they come to face those behind disappearances and worse. The familiar characters are present throughout the first novel, it wouldn't have worked as well without them, and there are several nods to creatures and entities from the Cthulhu Mythos. There is so much I could say about this book, so much that could potentially spoil the book for those that have not yet read it. In an attempt not to ruin the experience for anyone looking to give this a look, I will keep the details sparse and just note what worked for me.
The mix of the Great Old Ones, the typical shenanigans of the consulting detective, and an older London work well together. The atmosphere is dark and weighs heavily over the entire story. Those working behind the scenes are left out until the right moment, even if I saw the reveals coming. Lovegrove has a clear understanding of both Holmes and Lovecraft's work. He merges them so well and keeps the tight narrative flowing well. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I immediately set out to purchase the next in the trilogy. Unfortunately, I had to wait a year for the final entry to be published. At some later point, I will review the other two, for now, though I recommend that you give this one a look.
I give this one a solid 4 out of 5 and recommend it to any fan of Holmes and/or the Cthulhu Mythos. It does something that I thought impossible, took the characters I thought I knew so well, and threw them into an adventure unlike any I had read before. It is well worth a read. Let me know what you think.
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