Exit Sherlock Holmes by Robert Lee Hall

by Robert Lee Hall

Through the sounds and fogs of Victorian London and a tangled maze of deception, the resurrected Sherlock Holmes and his arch-enemy, the wicked Professor Moriarity, once again engage in a terrifying battle between good and evil. When the master sleuth decides to 'disappear' in order to deal with the villain, his loyal assistant, Dr. Watson, frantically searches for him, travelling deep into Holmes' mysterious past, until he must face the shocking discovery that his old friend has lied to him for years about who he really is & where he comes from. Indeed, Watson learns the master's incredible lifelong secret—a truth which is, in the Great Detective's own words, "infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent."

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Science Fiction, Detective, Historical Fiction, Mystery Thriller

Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

Reviews

[Rena Sherwood]

An incredible load of crap and the reason why Robert Lee Hall is not a household name. Only worth reading so you can see how NOT to write a Holmes pastiche. How do books this bad get published? Did no one at the publishing house realize just how ridiculously bad this manuscript was? Did someone think this was a parody? If so, where's the joke?



There are better authors of Sherlock Holmes books unheralded that self-publish (ahem.) So, I officially proclaim for this book:

[cypt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pastišai, fanficai ir kiti "antriniai" kūriniai visada būna tokioj rizikos zonoj - jiems kažkaip norisi užsitikrint savo "tikrumą" ar "teisingumą", o kitaip - teisę būti greta fanficinamo kūrinio. Dėl to atsiranda tokie skaitymą gerokai varginantys dalykai kaip originalo citatos, primygtinis bandymas įsiterpti į originalaus kūrinio laiko ir loginę schemą. Ir dėl to dažniausiai nukenčia bet koks grožio (naujoviškos idėjos, gero charakterizavimo) aspektas.

Jau seniai neskaičiau Holmso pastišų, ir šis irgi nėra iš tų keleto išsiskiriančių, kuriuos išties prisimeni kaip net geresnius už Conan Doyle'į. Bet vis tiek savotiškai fainas: Holmsas ir Moriartis tipo yra.... žmonės iš ateities, irrrr.... klonai-dronai. Atrodo, oi, Ishiguro, oi, Terminatorius 1 ir 2, oi, Blade Runneris, oi, žvaigždžių karai. Bet knygelė parašyta dar prieš visą šitą androidų-praeities pakeitimų-žmonių klonavimo bangą, ir tai daro ją visai netikėtai fainą.

Apskritai bet koks Holmso pastišas visada yra gana atviras bandymas paaiškinti nepaaiškinama, t. y. - kaip įmanomas uber protas, uber intelektas, uber analitinės galios. Teoriniai darbai apie Holmso pasaulį (o jų tikrai nemažai) bando visa tai redukuoti, rodo, ant kiek Holmso dedukcijos yra atstitiktinumo dalykas, spėjimai, arba išvis literatūrinių konvencijų pasekmė, tipo gotikinis herojus, edukacijos triumfas. Fanficai ir pastišai tą kitoniškumo aspektą išlaiko, tik vis tiek bando racionalizuoti. Šita knygelė tai tokia progreso kritika, tipo - kur ritasi pasaulis, o Holmsas tai kaip gerasis Terminatorius nori visus išgelbėt, nors pats yra irgi auka, dirbtinė mašina, be galimybės reprodukuotis (reik suprast, ir patirt malonumą, nu nebent intelektinį).

Man šiaip nepalyginti labiau patinka psichologizuoti Holmso portretai, nu bet, aišku, Holmsas - universalus device'as kultūrai pasisavianalizuoti, taigi progreso kritikos jis irgi negali išvengti. Galėtum pagalvot, kad šitaip keliaudamas per visokius mitus, tekstus, jis turėtų pasidaryt kažkokiu tuščiu konteineriu, kur kiekviena/s naudoja savo reikmėms - kas parašinėt gay porno, kas sužibėt kuo baisesniais žmogžudysčių aprašymais, kas paspekuliuot apie human nature. Ale visgi... kažkoks jis visgi išlieka galutinai galutinai fainas, anapus visų eksperimentavimų ir kt literatūrinės panaudos formų.

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this when I was 9 or 10. It was my first introduction to Holmes pastiche, apart from the Young Sherlock Holmes film. At the time I was impressed by what seemed to be a very accurate impression of Doyle's style and a re-invention of the Holmes mythos that involved time-travel and cloning. I'd like to re-read it to see how well it has held up. I've lost my original copy (or it's trapped in the black hole of my father's flat) and am looking out for a replacement copy.

[Francis Fabian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't say too much about this excellent Holmes' pastiche or I'll give away the big reveal. Up there with Conan Doyle's work.

[Terry Steinborn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reading this rather tedious book was a great disappointment to me, a lifelong Sherlock Holmes fan. It clearly showed that Conan Doyle, while not a great literary star, could tell a tight story, be entertaining, and maintain interest throughout each effort. Hall showed none of that ability in this book. It was exceedingly slow moving and over descriptive. The style was unnecessarily stiff, even as an attempt to emulate Conan Doyle's style. The ending of the book just descended to a set piece that suggested the author had run out of ideas and was just stumbling to a finish. I have read other of his books and they were decidedly better that this effort.

[Gus Scholtz · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a struggle. 240 pages that should have been 100. Over details of phenomena that has nothing at all to do with the story. It goes on about a restaurant they visit and the soup that was served. For 3 pages.
Found myself scanning much of it. The story in incredibly slow and fruitless.
If you have read the cannon this will mention about 30 of the stories and go onto great detail to recap.
If you haven’t read the cannon or any Holmes stories before , move on. This isn’t a good place to begin.

[Carl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is this Holmes pastiche a 3 Star or is it a 4 Star?? As I start this review, I am not sure. I found “Exit Sherlock Holmes” unread, alone, and dusty on my bookshelf. So, I embraced it and discovered that it was well written; it was the plot that gave me some mixed feelings. It is hard to state clear facts about this Holmes' pastiche without giving too much away. Suffice it to say the plot was cleaver and nicely done, that is until the conclusion which was weak and unsatisfying. Still, if you like Holmes, this is still a good pastiche (with reservations).

The setting is London, early 1903, and the game is certainly afoot. Holmes warns Watson that Moriarty has returned, and that Holmes is disappearing to work against him. Holmes’ plan is to convince the world that he has gone into his final retirement raising bees. Later, Watson starts probing what's going on and discovers far more questions than answers as the mystery builds.

Not surprisingly, “Exit Sherlock Holmes” is written from the POV of Watson. While reading, this complex plot unfolds and there are some superb twists and turns that keep the reader guessing and the pages turning. Characterization was done quite well; I especially enjoyed meeting the character of Wiggins (formerly the leader of the Baker Street Irregulars) developed here as an older full character. If you enjoy Sherlockian Victorian mysteries, then this novel is for you. Even with my plot reservations regarding the conclusion, I still do recommend it.

[Michael Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book long ago, shortly after it came out and found it just as good decades later.
Moriarty escaped his doom at Reichenbach Falls and Holmes goes into retirement, seemingly to escape death from him.
Watson is not told where he went so when Moriarty confronts him in a hidden laboratory at 221B Baker Street, he cannot tell him where Holmes is, but a raging Moriarty leaves clues that set Watson to try and find him.
Watson in trying to find Holmes comes to realise that Holmes had not just mislead him over the last two decades when he thought they were the closest friends but Holmes had deliberately lied to him and he comes to realise that he knows almost nothing about the real Sherlock Holmes.
Watson finds out the incredible truth before he and Holmes face Moriarty for the last time in Watson's strangest adventure ever, one that he dare not have published while he is still alive.

[Fraser Sherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this one in college and finally reread it. I like it a lot. 4.5 stars.
It's early 1903. Holmes warns Watson that Moriarty has returned, and that Holmes is disappearing to work against him. Before long, Watson starts probing what's going on and discovers he never really knew his friend: why didn't Holmes mention that he and Moriarty look like twins? Why did Holmes say so little about his family, except for Mycroft? How exactly did he become so awesome?
I won't divulge the answers, but they worked for me (not for all readers, as the other reviews show). I would definitely have preferred to have Watson do more of the detecting; instead he lets Wiggins, one of Holmes' old irregulars, handle a lot of that. Overall though, a very unusual and charming Holmes pastiche.

[Mariahmmm · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dr Watson looks back from his sick bed at the astonishing final case of Sherlock Holmes.

An unbelievable bastardisation of all Holmes stood for, this story rewrites Holmes' past, redirects his life, and changes his future purely for a weak supernatural/SciFi plot that made little sense in light of all that's been established through countless stories. Disappointing.

[Dorothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a Sherlock Holmes fan so generally I like anything to do with Holmes. I found the book to be interesting and enjoyed it.

[Outlander · Rating 1 out of 5]

Spoiler alert, this is a scifi tale, not Sherlock Holmes - and I have questions. What makes the author think that this is a Sherlock Holmes tale ? Why possessed him to do it ?

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the first 'fake' Sherlock Holmes novels I ever encountered.
This, along with Fred Sabrehagen's Holmes novels got me hooked on this idea that other people could go ahead and write stories about established characters.

A bit clunky when compared to later 'fake' Holmes books, but still has a soft spot in my heart, partly due to nostalgia, partly due to its weird, trippy ideas appealed to me.

Fun stuff.

[Marco · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading this as a kid, after a rash of reading several of the official canon of Holmes stories and being left just a little unsatisfied (with the canon, that is). And then I saw this book in a library, read some interesting blurbs on the cover, and figured, "What the hell?"

I can imagine that a good deal of people disliked the book, but I, for one, loved it. It provided some interesting off the wall answers to some of the questions that you could pick up from reading the official Holmes and Watson stories and was just a lot of fun, to be honest, especially in it's depiction of the real relationship between Holmes and Moriarty, and where they come from (spoiler: the future!), and what the hell's going on with Mycroft.

As far as heavily sci fi tinged pastiches go, I imagine you can do a lot worse (I notice that there's a lot of books where Holmes is fighting Dracula or teaming up with that racist bastard Lovecraft to go after Cthulhu), but this, as I said, has to be more fun than those. And for once, Holmes seems more human and three dimensional and Watson gets to show his true mettle in what actually feels like a very epic adventure.

[Feliks · Rating 1 out of 5]

The concept had the potential to be GREAT: 'Sherlock Holmes was really an android'. This isn't a spoiler because that's not what the novelist gives us. But it is certainly what we wanted. I would have loved to see Watson gradually unveil Holmes' true nature; for us to see Holmes' under-the-hood, 'android programming' at work. It would have been neat to see the android approaching a complex crime scene and inadvertently reveal how he was analyzing it. A good second act would have been that the android was beginning to malfunction; and opening itself up to vulnerability from Moriarty; and thus turning to Watson for help. Watson struggling with the concept that his best friend was a piece of alien machinery would have been the kicker. All this was what I was naturally expecting from this novel; but the writer just wasn't up to it. There was a science fiction angle in this novel; but it was weak and unsatisfying. What made it all the more painful was that the author strayed into the most mawkish and emotional style of expression; when wrapping up Watson's feelings for Holmes. Totally inappropriate. In short: Nicholas Meyers' "Seven Per Cent Solution" is still #1.

[Nancy Oakes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not at all what I expected, to be quite honest. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing; sometimes surprise is good. And that's the crux of this novel...the element of surprise that you don't see coming.

Brief synopsis:
Sherlock Holmes meets again with his dear friend Dr. John Watson, and explains to him that there is a great evil upon the land once more -- it seems that his archnemesis Professor Moriarty has returned. To catch him and put him away once and for all, Holmes must convince the world that he has gone into his final retirement, and bids his dear friend goodbye without further explanation. But shortly after Holmes disappears from 221B, things start going awry and it is up to Dr. Watson to sort out what's going on.

***
I liked the book; I would recommend it to those who enjoy Sherlock Holmes pastiches in particular. As I noted, there is a great element of surprise that will catch you off guard, making the book a bit different than most post-Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes adventures.

read: 7/18/2006

[Meaghan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, it's about Holmes being a time traveler and traveling through back through time and ending up in Victorian London. It's actually a bit more complicated than that, but I think that's the basic gist. It was, to some extent, worth the reading, but I could see where it was going very quickly. Robert Hall wrote it well. I may not be crazy about the concept of Holmes as a time traveler, but at least he wrote it all out well and made it plausible. However, it was a depressing book. I was very saddened by the end of it and wishing whole-heartedly that I could find a cheerful Sherlock Holmes story. Alas, Sherlock Holmes stories don't tend towards the comically cheery. What I can say in definite praise of the book is that I loved what the author did with Moriarty. It was, I thought, rather ingenious to make Moriarty literally the twisted twin of Holmes. That I thought was very well done.

[Pete Aldin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did write that Meyer wrote the best post-Conan Doyle Holmes novels...but now I've remembered this one, I change my mind: this is simply the best Sherlock Holmes novel in existence.

Largely this is because of the way(s) Hall uses and abuses traditional Holmesian lore and tropes to turn the whole Sherlock myth on its head.

Brilliant writing that may annoy some purists. I have read it twice and will (hopefully!) read it again before I die. (I might even have a copy waiting for me up in heaven).

[Gregg Chamberlain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very rare that I encounter a pastiche Holmes novel that lives up to the spirit of the originals, especially one with a twist out of left field.

But Robert Lee Hall's work is true to the master detective, and the writing is both enjoyable and follows closely the style of Doyle without erring on the side of either overwritten or tongue-in-cheek.

No spoilers for this novel, set in the late 1800s for the most part or early 1900s, and detailing the final duel between Holmes and his archenemy for the fate of the world.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly didn't see the plot twist coming until I was a few paragraphs away from it! I wouldn't rank it as one of my favourite pastiches, but I would recommend it to those who like theirs with a basis in science fiction.
I did enjoy Hall's use of the Irregulars, or rather one in particular, and I could see myself reading it again later in the future. His writing, as Watson, was loving loyal to the original stories.

[Read1000books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not your usual Sherlockian pastiche in that we find out that Holmes (as well as his arch nemesis Prof. Moriarty) are both from the future, hence the reason Holmes is able to deduce so much in the Victorian era. Usually I like my Holmes stories set as close to the original 60 as possible but this partly sci-fi tale was good.

[blushenka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is one of the best Sherlock Holmes stories I've read not written by Doyle. It's not the typical SH mystery, because it doesn't involve Holmes solving it. Instead, Holmes himself becomes the mystery and Watson struggles to solve the intriguing case with the help of a mutual acquaintance from canon. And that is all I'm gonna say, the rest you must find out yourselves ;)

[Asha KRISHNA · Rating 3 out of 5]

very interesting since it provides an alternative ending to what could have happened to sherlock holmes. It challenges the entire persona of sherlock holmes by attacking the doyle's creation of holmes and would definitely have needed a lot of research and confidence to come up with such a concept.

Excellent read. Highly recommended.

[Michael Kucharski · Rating 5 out of 5]

The truth of Sherlock Holmes and James Moriarity relationship, rivelary and hostility is finally revealed. A well written, fun read which dispite its premise still truly captures the original Doyle characters.

[Gerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantastic in a literal sense. Follows admirably in the footsteps of Arthur Conan Doyle regarding the ambience but who is Sherlock Holmes? Where did he come from? And who is Mycroft Holmes and the arch-enemy Professor Moriarty? All is revealed in this final case for the master detective!

[Kristi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was enjoyable in a rather odd way, in that it literally shifts genres from Victorian mystery to science fiction mid-tale. I still thought it was fun. If you want a really different explanation of Sherlock Holmes, give it a shot.

[Rozonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's strange I hadn't heard of this pastiche before- it's realy good. A page-turner, it keeps you intrigued almost until the end; the pace is intense, the characters are true tho the canon an at the same time have their own personality.An excellent novel.

[Jill White · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author caught the flow of the language and speech patterns which made me feel as if I were enveloped in late 19th century England. I found his writing a little tedious, although I liked the twist at the end. I didn't see that coming.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Hall was an English teacher at my high school when this book came out. A fun, albeit sometimes difficult read. As a die-hard Holmes fan, it was an interesting direction to take.

[Amy Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very bizarre, futuristicy type book but surprisingly well written...