Shadowfall: A Novel of Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes: The Shadows #1

by Tracy Revels

When the sacred relics and mystical objects of London begin disappearing, Sherlock Holmes must call on more than his powers of deduction to solve a mystery that threatens the safety of the British Empire and Doctor Watsons mortal soul.

Genres: Mystery, Fantasy, Supernatural

206 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2011

Reviews

[Steve Whitaker]

We all make mistakes in life. Among mine? Reading this book to the end. Please trust me: it isn't worth the time. The premise is ridiculous, the plot a jumble of half-baked set pieces strewn together with sloppy prose that does little to evoke the authentic voice of Dr. Watson. It's not even "just plain silly;" it's an utter waste of time and energy.

[Claudia]

Well, this surprised me nicely. I'll be honest, as soon as I knew that fairies were involved I almost bailed. But I found the story delightful, and the fact that Watson has a very important role in it might be part of its appeal to me :P

I enjoyed the Marie Laveau's twist and all the voodoo lore :P

Maybe not for the most strict holmesians, but if you enjoy a good 'what if...?' pastiche, this is for you :D

[Margaret]

When the sacred relics and mystical objects of London begin disappearing, Holmes is reluctant to take the case. But this isn't an ordinary case and Holmes is far from an ordinary man.

Welcome to the world of Shadows.

"Shadowfall" isn't traditional Holmes & Watson. This is a horror story as well as a mystery. Watson is completely human, but Holmes proves to be so much more than human.

Tracy Revels has written a darkly delicious story with much to delight people like myself, who are partial to their Holmes served with a side order of strange.

The book is well written; the writing tight and sharp, with a few light touches to ease the tension. Holmes and Watson in this book are very much in step with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's creations.

I didn't so much read it as devour it. Highly recommended.

[Kate]

Well I enjoyed this more than I thought I would! I was quite taken aback at the introduction of Titania but the world all made sense and everything seemed to flow quite well. Fun read and quite a change of pace from the usual Holmes pastiche universe!

I also love the openness of the ending. I, for one, am going to imagine that Watson did remember it all. I almost want write that possibility out for myself! Anyway. It was lots of fun and an interesting world that took me quite by surprise.

There are also two Doctor Who references here - not sure if they're intentional or knowing but they made me smile.

[Ken B]

I almost put this book down after reading this first chapter. Unfortunately, I didn't.

This book offers a rather unique look at the origins of Holmes. While I am open to new ideas about the detective, this book went from strange to bizarre to outright ridiculous, speeding from conclusion to awkward conclusion with none of the logic that more traditional Holmes pastiches offer.

I DO NOT recommend wasting time with this one.

[Christine Sannerud]

In this series, the supernatural games are afoot. You have to read it to find out. Suspend belief and the classic ACD mindset, and you’ll have a great adventure. The narrator was great. His performance brought the characters and story to life. I received a free audiobook code for my honest review.

[Tony Ciak]

Interesting

[Kati]

I usually prefer my Sherlock Holmes stories without any supernatural twists, but this one had a good premise: Titania takes Watson's soul hostage to force Holmes take her case. And the story itself wasn't bad - it just felt like squandered potential. I hoped the author would use the premise to explore Holmes and Watson's friendship a bit more, and though there were some nice touches here and there, the author focused more on the supernatural element of the story, piling one strange thing onto another, than on the characters. Another thing that disappointed me was, that the theft of Watson's soul had no consequences. Once or twice he mentioned feeling lighter without it but that was all. As if he could have kept on living without it and nothing would've changed till he died. Like I said, squandered potential...

[Carl]

Better than I expected! When the sacred relics and mystical objects of London begin disappearing, Sherlock Holmes must call on more than his powers of deduction to solve a mystery that threatens the safety of the British Empire. The novel begins with Dr. Watson unexpectedly walking in on Holmes while he is being solicited for help by Titania, the queen of The Sidhe. Although a bit of the fantastic and supernatural are involved, it maintained a wonderful feel of the Victorian period that the reader expects with Holmes!

[Pamela]

This book was definitely out of Sherlock Holmes usual comfort zone, and I likes that. I ordered this from our library and they were kind enough to agree. I loved the story and it kept my interest. i like all things Sherlock, and at times it is good to read something a little bit new....

[Charles Emecz]

Enjoyable Holmes story. Weird creatures and a nice pace. Watson plays quite a central role in the story and its all the better for that.

[Calvin Daniels]

Far off canon but think a 'what if?' story and go with the flow.

This was just a great re-imagining of Holmes, and a delight to read!