Sherlock Holmes: The Tales of Darkness

by Paul D Gilbert

Although Sherlock Holmes had always refused to accept the potential influences of the supernatural upon the many cases with which he had been presented, there had certainly been a few which had sowed a seed of doubt within the mind of his friend and colleague, Dr. Watson. Obviously, The Hound of the Baskervilles and "The Sussex Vampire" are prime examples of these, but they are not the only ones! The apparition of a lady dressed in white and long thought dead, a deadly and shadowy form that wreaks terror on the heath and a figure from the past who has accrued the power to commune with the dead! Here is collection of cases, some new, together with a few old favourites which sorely test Holmes' long-held beliefs to their very limits!

The Adventure of the Shadow on the Heath
The Mystery of the Faceless Man
The Adventure of the Black Plague
The Mystery of the Haunted Crypt
The Adventure of the Risen Corpse
The Terror of Asgard Tower
The Necromancer Part A Familiar Hand
The Necromancer Part A Familiar Face
The Mystery of the Mumbling Duellist
The Affair of the Unholy Night

192 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 22, 2023

Reviews

[Khurram · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loose ends

A very good collection of short to medium length stories of Sherlock Holmes. I think I have become a bit accustomed to Holmes' method as well as I did manage to apply it to solve a couple of the stories myself. I think it is a testament to the writing that all the clues are given to sole the story, or as a reader I am put in the same position as Watson thinking "how did he figure that out", luckily Watson always asks that question for me.

I like that PDG refers to some of the cases from hus own stories as well as the classic ACD cases. With many loose ends tied up here.

This is a very enjoyable book that shows Holmes' sense of justice. Sometimes, to achieve justice, he might have to manipulate the law in some cases, and he is more than willing to pit himself (not others) in danger to achieve justice. Personally, I like the vigilante streak PDG writes Holmes with.

[Winry Weiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, I'm a bit... not exactly disappointed, that would be rather a strong expression, but I am not especially content with these stories. It's not that they are bad, just... I've read better ones.

That said, the 10 (well, actually 9 as one is a two-parter) stories in this book are in the vein of the traditional pastiche, and they pull out all the stops quite satisfactorily. They blend up various tidbits from the ACD canon, borrowing characters or continuing storylines, exploring the untold cases - which is always a welcome strategy, in my opinion. Watson's narrative voice rings true, and Holmes is his insufferable self - these stories dwelled a lot, it seemed to me, on his dark mood and waspish and acerbic behaviour.

Certainly not a bad read, yet (in my eyes at least) nor the greatest.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from MX Publishing to review.

Paul Gilbert has given us an interesting little anthology of Sherlock Holmes stories. Ten stories (technically nine, one story is a two-parter) with grotesque, odd, and sometimes even macabre overtones.

Gilbert writes an excellent pairing of Holmes and Watson. They balance each other well.

My favourite stories in the anthology were:

The Adventure of the Shadow on the Heath
The Adventure of the Risen Corpse
The Terror of Asgard Tower

The Adventure of the Risen Corpse was probably my favourite. The horror factor being well balanced against the logic of Holmes's mind.

I highly recommend this anthology.

[Raju Chacko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sherlock Holmes will never die because his followers all over the world love him too deeply. Inspired authors keep writing new stories about him all the time, introducing new possibilities and worlds to his domain. For your enjoyment, this book contains 10 great stories in which Holmes solves cases involving the powers of ‘darkness’ as his opponents: that's right —ghosts, spirits, apparitions, occultists, and more! Grab your copy as quickly as you can.

[LuAnn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Free copy from MX Publishing. I’ve listened to four of these adequate pastiches but I’m not sure I’ll finish. The stories start out promising but didn’t involve supernatural elements as much as the description indicates nor did the detective work or the resolutions stand out.
What’s really missing is the subtle humor of the Canon. Homes is just plain insufferable rather than tongue-in-cheek so. The narration is well done.

[Tony Ciak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable stories, will read more.