Sherlock's Home: The Empty House

by Steve Emecz (Editor), Caitlin Obom (Contributor), Michael Cox (Contributor)

With contributions from Stephen Fry, Mark Gatiss, Douglas Wilmer and many more. 1903 saw The Adventure of The Empty House and the return of Sherlock Holmes to 221b Baker Street where he explains the deception of his death at the Reichenbach Falls to his faithful friend Dr John Watson. 2012 saw 'The Crime of The Empty House' where the former home of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Undershaw, lay in disrepair and the threat of being destroyed forever. This book was put together by fan site Sherlockology to help save Undershaw - it was put together with the support of leading Sherlockians, BBC Sherlock, Granada TV and many others. It's the only book in the world to feature four major Sherlock actors on the cover like this. Today the building is fully restored and is the new home of Stepping Stones School for children with learning disabilities.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Retellings, Fan Fiction, Anthologies, Mystery Thriller

230 pages, Paperback

First published May 14, 2012

About the author

Steve Emecz has spent two decades working in technology, and much of his spare time in Sherlock Holmes publishing (MX Publishing). His own writing experience can best be described as eclectic (or erratic). It began with two novels (one a bestseller that almost became a screenplay) in the late 1990s. In more recent times he has moved to a role as editor including 'Sherlock's Home - The Empty House' which was translated into nine languages and 'The Happy Life Story' in 2015/2018, the story of the project in Kenya that Steve, his wife Sharon and MX support. He yearns for the time and peace and quiet that will enable him to go back to writing novels but that isn't going to happen any time soon - but that's ok too.

Reviews

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was produced to raise awareness of and funds for the preservation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's home Undershaw.

The book contains stories and poems revolving around the characters of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, across a number of time periods from the original Victorian era on into the future.

Whilst I applaud the reasons behind the book, I did feel that not enough care was taken to get top quality stories. There are some excellent fan writers out there, but few of them appear to have been canvassed to support the venture.

I cannot in all honesty give the book 4 stars, as much as I would like to. It gets three based on two stories "The Adventure of the Mad Colonel" - a Victorian adventure, "The Adventure of the Black Feathers" - a BBC Sherlock AU, and a sweet little drabble called "Distraction".

Well worth the time investigating if you're a Sherlock Holmes aficionado.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this will be a book that I'll keep with me forever; I received my copy at the judicial review for Undershaw in May of this year.
The stories are diverse and have been well chosen, there is a great amount of talent within those pages.
There is so much love for Undershaw, it's incredible. I feel truly moved whenever I think of how hundreds of people, from around the world, have banded together to say 'No. We won't let you do this.' All of this, the love, the fight, the dedication, all stem from our adoration of Sir Arthur and his literary legacy.
Let's keep the good work going!
- Sunderland Ambassador for The Undershaw Preservation Trust.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was AMAZING. There are so many talented people out there, the stories were great! I don't think there was one that I didn't like. I would list my favorites, but the list is too long. It's the perfect book for any Sherlock Holmes fan. There were stories in all time periods, from the traditional Victorian London, to present day, to WWII, and even the future. Plus, the proceeds go to save Undershaw!!! What more could a Sherlockian ask for?!

[Evamaria · Rating 2 out of 5]

This collection of fan-written stories raises money in order to save Arthur Conan Doyle's house, Undershaw, from ruin, so it's money well-spent. However, as most fanfiction, the quality of the stories varies wildly - unfortunately mostly on the side of underwhelming (and badly edited), although there were a couple of gems, like a sci-fi story wherein John Watson returns to Old London from a war in outer space.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful! A compilation of many writers into a single volume with a purpose. It contains short stories varying in length, tone, and even different versions of Holmes and Watson (Canon, Cumberbatch, or entirely new.)As well as poems, again they run the gambit from lighthearted and funny to somber and introspective. Some names Sherlockians would know like Mark Gatiss, Stephen Fry, and Douglas Wiler along side new fresh faced contributors like Caitlin Obom (whom I love dearly). A fun read and a fine way to support saving Undershaw!

[Earl Norris · Rating 1 out of 5]

I get its for undershaw and all but....a little more careful choice for picking stories please. Badly edited, underwhelming poorly executed nonsense stories and poems. The Jonlock stuff...no just stay in fanfiction.net dont come to real books please.

You could do more good just donating the cover price to undershaw if you really want to help.
This is not a good reward for you doing your bit for charity..

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

looks and sounds awesome can't wait to read it.....

[Mateo Gil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Si ya en "El problema final" tuvimos ese "cierre" o "conclusión" de nuestro personaje Sherlock Holmes, acá vemos su reaparición triunfal. Que agradable sorpresa fue leer la historia de su enigmático regreso y las demás aventuras narradas en el ejemplar de la colección que poseo.

[Krysztyna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kupiłam tę pozycję wydawniczą w celu wsparcia The Undershaw Preservation Trust i wcale nie spodziewałam się wiele od zawartych w niej tekstów. Ku memu najszczerszemu zdziwieniu, jest to zbiór bardzo ciekawych opowiadań fan fiction i wierszy. Oczywiście nie wszystkie są wysokich lotów, trzeba jednak oddać honor autorom za pomysły zawarte w ich twórczości.

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good collection of stories. Only one had Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock. Some authors included Undershaw with one story having Sherlock help Dr Undershaw against Mr D. Velope.

[Aurora · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection was the result of a campaign to save Undershaw House, one of the houses where Arthur Conan Doyle wrote his famous Sherlock Holmes stories. Having been abandoned, the house and property were slated to be demolished to make way for development, but ha group of people who loved Sherlock (and doesn't everybody?) felt that the home of such a renowned author and the rebirth place of such a beloved consulting detective (the stories written here covered the period after Holmes' return from his near-death adventure with Moriarty at the Falls) should be preserved for future generations to study and enjoy.
They put out a call for new Holmes literature (stories, poems, testimonials) an this volume contains the result.
These stories are wonderful and widely varied, place Holmes and Watson in a wide variety of settings. One returns Holmes to his school days, another sees him solving the mystery of a missing Pentagon officer after 9/11 and still another finds the pair solving a mystery for none other than Conan Doyle himself.. Naturally, that one takes place at Undershaw.
The one thing they all have in common is the respect and love you can feel in each author's treatment off their beloved hero. He is brusque and condescending and absolutely brilliant and I can't help but think that Conan Doyle would have approved wholeheartedly, both of these authors treatment of his beloved sleuth and of the intent of the collection they make up.
This collection is a must read for everyone who loves Sherlock ... and, from recent internet updates regarding the site, it appears it is a project that succeeded in it's ambitions. The property has been designated as historically significant, the manor house is now serving as a school for special needs children and the other buildings are being restored to their original appearances.

[fred jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great collection of Holmes and Watson stories written by people from across the globe. The first section not what i was expecting but gives a full background to the history and origin of the book. All the stories take Holmes through his Victorian era through the present day and into the future, all are of excellent quality and .this is maintained throughout. My favourite is distraction which despite being less than a minute long is a joy. The narration is superb bringing the characters to life. I received a complimentary copy of the audio and am leaving a honest voluntary review.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

second time reading this...first time digitally....it still does not lose its' magic. Sherlockology and Steve Emecz did an amazing job with this. The fan fiction writers in this volume are unbelievably good and I could see a number of the stories being made into BBC Sherlock shorts. Thank you to Sherlockology, MX Publishing and Steve Emecz for putting together such an incredible collection. I hope to find another physical copy that I can squire away for future readings.

[快手丿Alex贼6灬 黄 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Sherlock by Steve Emecz This book talk about sherlock was very be brave and smart.
This story I learn team work

[Kenneth Leung · Rating 4 out of 5]

best detective story i ever read before,Sherlock's Home is a wonderful detective and always help police to find the crimes.This story is about him and his great helper:Waltson.

[Fatemehab · Rating 2 out of 5]

I very love Sherlock Holmes

[Olga · Rating 4 out of 5]

53/#52książki

[Hello · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some really great works submitted to make this a fun read. Some poetry some short stories.

[Czytam co podleci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pozycja obowiązkowa dla wysztkich miłośników Sherlocka Holmesa... Książka która powstała aby uratować przed zburzeniem dom Artura Conan Doyla...

[Tony Ciak · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable collection of stories, of various lengths. Some where short and well crafted to make them enjoyable. Really loved this book.

[odedo1 Audio book worm. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good intentions bad execution.

The good:
This book was written to collect money for preserving the house of the creator of the character of Sherlock Holmes.
Even the photo on the cover is perfectly done.

The bad:
The worst Sherlock Holmes mini stories ever.

For me Sherlock is horses and carriages and excellent twists in solving the crimes.
This book is full of tiny stories which ends in minutes without any taste whatsoever beside the point that never before anyone that i have heard of connected science-fiction with Sherlock.
Come on cloning Dr. Watson one hundred times and coming from another planet to help Sherlock with a case, its a joke !
I’m sorry but this was disappointing and there are better ways to collect money beside writing an awful book like using Kickstarter or other apps that do the same.

Disappointing
And absolutely not
Recommended.

[Read1000books · Rating 2 out of 5]

First, a brief word of introduction: This book of Sherlock Holmes short stories and poems was compiled in 2012 as a fund-raiser in an attempt to save a house in Great Britain named "Undershaw" from being torn down or greatly remodeled. The house had been originally owned by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) who was the first author of Sherlock Holmes stories, hence the literary contributions of many Sherlockians to this book. [Those efforts eventually failed and the house was remodeled and other buildings added.]
That said, the general reader will probably have little interest in this collection.
To the dedicated Sherlockian, the stories range in time from the Victorian era to the recent "Sherlock" tv series in Britain, are of widely varying quality, and the text needed some serious proofreading throughout. In fact, only three stories stand out: "The Last Quiet Talk", "Dust In The Wind", and "The Adventure Of The Broken Book". And our favorite detective going into retirement in defeat ("The Adventure Of The Second Mantle") will probably not set well with my fellow Holmes admirers either. With a large field of good pastiches available, you should pass on this one.

[Froggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book just because it was put together to help protect and preserve Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's former home where he wrote many of his novels. It is a shame that not many people or any organization besides this grass roots one is trying to preserve this place. The stories in the book are from many different authors from many different countries and even contains some poetry as well. All the additions to the book have to do with Sherlock Holmes in some way. I enjoyed all the stories and poetry. The only distracting and disappointing thing for me was that the book was not edited very well. There were a lot of errors. At the beginning of the book there are letters/notes from people involved in the preservation project and also who have played Sherlock Holmes in different productions over the years and that part was very interesting. Overall the book was really entertaining and educational and the profits go to a good cause!

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliant compilation of dedications, poems, and short stories all for the benefit of Undershaw. All these Sherlock stories featuring what-if mysteries and some that blur the lines of other book genres (like science-fiction, paranormal, fantasy, etc.). Many of the stories were very entertaining, and I especially loved the "Black Feathers" and the "Broken Book" stories. Though the last tale ending the book had me a tad bothered. Not just how it ends, but the very grammar itself was a little irksome. The main title there has a misspelling, and on page 219 the second mantle becomes silver mantle. Unless that somehow was all intentional? But otherwise the book really does show its appreciation for a great author, his characters, and his home in need of restoring. That endeavor shows great merit.

[Natalia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was a great idea for fans to show their love for Holmes, Watson and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and also help out with trying to save Undershaw. There were some really neat and interesting Sherlock cases and poems, and the only issue I had was some of the errors in some stories and whatnot. Not enough to drive me mad--or even really bad errors--, but they were still there. All in all, the book was a great idea and I'm glad for the royalties to have gone to the UPT. It's a shame that they would try and tear down such a historic place!

[Lois · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Empty House - a fundraiser for the Undershaw Preservation Trust - fell short of expectations for me. Some of the short stories are engaging and nicely enlarge the writing tradition engendered by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Others fall very short and are quite poorly edited. The concept of an aging Sherlock who had come to the end of his useful purposes, saddened me. I remember the many happy hours spent with my now ex-husband watching Jeremy Brett's Holmes on Masterpiece Theater and ask myself "How many years ago was that?"

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice collection of short stories for a great cause. I liked some of the stories, like "The Last Quiet Talk" and "The Case of the Silk Parasol" (and I found "Distraction" very sweet), but a few were a bit ridiculous ("The Adventure of the Black Feathers" was probably the silliest). Nice read for Sherlockians, but non-Sherlock Fans might get confused.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hello,
I did not finished your book yet but my girlfriend is a big fan of your novel so I am hoping to give this to my girl friend!!
If I win this contest I’ll be thankful for what you have done!

[Trish]

loved it

[Bernie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book with many authors trying her hands at Sherlock Holmes adventures. Some were more, or less, successful in their endeavors, but I enjoyed it all the same.