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Sherlock Holmes: Adventures in the Realms of H.P. Lovecraft: Volume Two
SHERLOCK HOLMES: the Great Detective. A man obsessed with cold logic and focused rationality.
H. P. LOVECRAFT: the 20th century’s undisputed master of macabre madness and cosmic horror.
What if the darkness of Lovecraft’s decadent New England overlapped into the Victorian era of Sherlock Holmes? What if a trail of clues led to impossible visions, malevolent gods, and unspeakably eldritch vistas of terror? Could Holmes survive? Could his sanity survive?
Twenty-five new stories across two volumes pit Holmes and Watson against myriad nightmares from Lovecraft’s fiction––and against those nightmares which his writings have inspired. Join us as we journey from the familiar fog of Baker Street to the rotting gambrel roofs of Arkham, the blasphemous library of Miskatonic University, and beyond….
H. P. LOVECRAFT: the 20th century’s undisputed master of macabre madness and cosmic horror.
What if the darkness of Lovecraft’s decadent New England overlapped into the Victorian era of Sherlock Holmes? What if a trail of clues led to impossible visions, malevolent gods, and unspeakably eldritch vistas of terror? Could Holmes survive? Could his sanity survive?
Twenty-five new stories across two volumes pit Holmes and Watson against myriad nightmares from Lovecraft’s fiction––and against those nightmares which his writings have inspired. Join us as we journey from the familiar fog of Baker Street to the rotting gambrel roofs of Arkham, the blasphemous library of Miskatonic University, and beyond….
- GenresHorrorShort StoriesCrime
384 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 16, 2023
1 person is currently reading
4 people want to read
About the author
Derrick Belanger
114 books50 followersAuthor Derrick Belanger's publications include an eclectic mix: book reviews, articles for education journals, short stories, poems, comic books, and the graphic novel, Twenty-Three Skidoo! A former instructor at Washington State University, and a current middle school Language Arts teacher, Derrick lives in Broomfield, Colorado with his wife Abigail Gosselin and their two daughters, Rhea and Phoebe. Currently, Derrick is working on several Sherlockian projects: the Young Adult novel Sherlock Holmes and the Transformers of Time, the teaching guide Sherlock Holmes for Teachers, the pastiche novel The Funeral of Sherlock Holmes, and the film studies book The Hound of the Baskervilles: From Page to Screen. He also co-authors the web site Mystery Aircraft.com with author Chuck Davis.
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July 10, 2024As you’d expect from an anthology, you’ll find stories you like more than others.
August 28, 2025
Holmesian cold logic and analytical reason and rationalism attempting to make sense of the overpowering, madness-inducing horror of Lovecraftian Mythos - mayhaps an unusual combination, but nevertheless one to adore, when done right. And I daresay, the majority of these stories deliver.
I fully admit, I'd love this to be an ongoing/returning anthology in the vein of MX Books.
Most of the names that drew me to this project were incorporated in the first volume, but I daresay that the consistency of this duology is well-balanced. Again, as with any anthology, the following ratings are a matter of personal taste.
Hic sunt spoilers, possibly:
Stephen Herczeg - A Matter of Tainted Honey - 5/5
A beautiful opening piece.
Long-retired Sherlock Holmes is attempting to figure out why and how one of his beehives became devastated overnight, the bees succumbing to a weird illness and the honey from therein glowing with mysterious colour unlike any seen on Earth! (Sorry, couldn't resist... If You know, You know.) The trail leads towards his withdrawn neighbour Nahum Gardner...
Sonya Kudei - Sherlock Holmes and the Cats of Ulthar - 3/5
A weird weather condition caused their train to temporarily cease operating en route back to London, thus Holmes and Watson get entangled in an investigation of a recent grisly murder of a cat-hating couple in the village of Ulthar.
Ryan Rennik - The Mystery of the Geometric Proof - 3/5
The only clue after a seemingly impossible break-in into the vaults of the British Museum - a part of a sheet of complex calculations embedded into a wall - leads Holmes to consult with a certain professor of mathematics, Moriarty by name.
Mike Adamson - The Sign of the Skull - 5/5
Holmes is asked to investigate seemingly supernatural threats in the form of skull-shaped signs that threaten the peace of mind or possibly the very life of a collector of occult books.
A traditional pastiche.
Michael Siverling - The Adventure of the Egyptian Guide - 4/5
After a close encounter with a murderous cult, now hot on his trail with plans to sacrifice him, Harry Houdini seeks the help of Sherlock Holmes.
EDIT: Apparently, this directly paraphrases a story commonly titled as Imprisoned with the Pharaohs written by H. P. Lovecraft in collaboration with Harry Houdini himself. One always learns...
Gordon Linzner - The Darkness Out of Yorkshire - 1/5
Lorn Northam engages Holmes to investigate a sect that aligns with his interests in the occult. Holmes goes incognito as neither men approve of the cult's methods.
Sadly, this one missed heavily for me.
Steven Philip Jones - The Adventure of the Immutable Scourge - 3/5
Shortly after a return from Russia, Holmes is asked by a French comtéé to investigate the family curse.
A very promising start, but the Russian reminiscence threw the tempo off and then it sadly did not recover. Also, my dear fellows, , just why?!
Liam Hogan - The Peculiar Case of the Six Day Fog - 3/5
Mycroft's office asks Holmes for a favour - a peculiar fog descends regularly on a place under their surveillance and people are reported to have gone missing without a trace there. Are those doings of mere misguided worshippers of an ancient god or something unnatural?
One jarring detail that kept throwing me off the story - Watson inconsistently referred to his friend and companion as Mr. Holmes, even in direct speech...
Jen Matteis - The Stones of Mardale Green - 4/5
Holmes is asked to help find a woman lost on the moors, but things are hardly as simple as her husband claims. The local legend speaks of a battle between two brothers that magically continues to this day.
E. Seneca - The Case of the Arkham Doctor - 5/5
Something ghoulish lurks around Dartmoor again and Henry Baskerville emplores Holmes and Watson for help. Meanwhile, a young man from Arkham, America is looking for certain Herbert West...
George Jacobs - The Adventure of the Dutch Amulet - 3/5
A decadent man seeks help after desecrating the grave of a known Dutch occultist, his partner in crime already dead. He claims something invisible is stalking him through the night.
Daniel G. Brehm - The Events at Chelmsford Hall - 4/5
A delightfully twisted reinterpretation of the canon. Holmes is after a nervous collapse, while Watson is employed by Mycroft to overlook him there. A new employee of the institution, Doctor Sims, well-known for his use of alternate medicine, is determined to unleash the truth.
Lawrence Trujillo - The Caverns of Curwin Hill - 5/5
Told from the cultist PoV, the tale of how the world almost come to an end, if it wasn't for that meddling Keeper of the Bees. (Who only made an appearance in the latter half of the story.)
Rather unusual, but delightful and very fitting ending piece.
I fully admit, I'd love this to be an ongoing/returning anthology in the vein of MX Books.
Most of the names that drew me to this project were incorporated in the first volume, but I daresay that the consistency of this duology is well-balanced. Again, as with any anthology, the following ratings are a matter of personal taste.
Hic sunt spoilers, possibly:
Stephen Herczeg - A Matter of Tainted Honey - 5/5
A beautiful opening piece.
Long-retired Sherlock Holmes is attempting to figure out why and how one of his beehives became devastated overnight, the bees succumbing to a weird illness and the honey from therein glowing with mysterious colour unlike any seen on Earth! (Sorry, couldn't resist... If You know, You know.) The trail leads towards his withdrawn neighbour Nahum Gardner...
Sonya Kudei - Sherlock Holmes and the Cats of Ulthar - 3/5
A weird weather condition caused their train to temporarily cease operating en route back to London, thus Holmes and Watson get entangled in an investigation of a recent grisly murder of a cat-hating couple in the village of Ulthar.
Ryan Rennik - The Mystery of the Geometric Proof - 3/5
The only clue after a seemingly impossible break-in into the vaults of the British Museum - a part of a sheet of complex calculations embedded into a wall - leads Holmes to consult with a certain professor of mathematics, Moriarty by name.
Mike Adamson - The Sign of the Skull - 5/5
Holmes is asked to investigate seemingly supernatural threats in the form of skull-shaped signs that threaten the peace of mind or possibly the very life of a collector of occult books.
A traditional pastiche.
Michael Siverling - The Adventure of the Egyptian Guide - 4/5
After a close encounter with a murderous cult, now hot on his trail with plans to sacrifice him, Harry Houdini seeks the help of Sherlock Holmes.
EDIT: Apparently, this directly paraphrases a story commonly titled as Imprisoned with the Pharaohs written by H. P. Lovecraft in collaboration with Harry Houdini himself. One always learns...
Gordon Linzner - The Darkness Out of Yorkshire - 1/5
Lorn Northam engages Holmes to investigate a sect that aligns with his interests in the occult. Holmes goes incognito as neither men approve of the cult's methods.
Sadly, this one missed heavily for me.
Steven Philip Jones - The Adventure of the Immutable Scourge - 3/5
Shortly after a return from Russia, Holmes is asked by a French comtéé to investigate the family curse.
A very promising start, but the Russian reminiscence threw the tempo off and then it sadly did not recover. Also, my dear fellows, , just why?!
Liam Hogan - The Peculiar Case of the Six Day Fog - 3/5
Mycroft's office asks Holmes for a favour - a peculiar fog descends regularly on a place under their surveillance and people are reported to have gone missing without a trace there. Are those doings of mere misguided worshippers of an ancient god or something unnatural?
One jarring detail that kept throwing me off the story - Watson inconsistently referred to his friend and companion as Mr. Holmes, even in direct speech...
Jen Matteis - The Stones of Mardale Green - 4/5
Holmes is asked to help find a woman lost on the moors, but things are hardly as simple as her husband claims. The local legend speaks of a battle between two brothers that magically continues to this day.
E. Seneca - The Case of the Arkham Doctor - 5/5
Something ghoulish lurks around Dartmoor again and Henry Baskerville emplores Holmes and Watson for help. Meanwhile, a young man from Arkham, America is looking for certain Herbert West...
George Jacobs - The Adventure of the Dutch Amulet - 3/5
A decadent man seeks help after desecrating the grave of a known Dutch occultist, his partner in crime already dead. He claims something invisible is stalking him through the night.
Daniel G. Brehm - The Events at Chelmsford Hall - 4/5
A delightfully twisted reinterpretation of the canon. Holmes is after a nervous collapse, while Watson is employed by Mycroft to overlook him there. A new employee of the institution, Doctor Sims, well-known for his use of alternate medicine, is determined to unleash the truth.
Lawrence Trujillo - The Caverns of Curwin Hill - 5/5
Told from the cultist PoV, the tale of how the world almost come to an end, if it wasn't for that meddling Keeper of the Bees. (Who only made an appearance in the latter half of the story.)
Rather unusual, but delightful and very fitting ending piece.
December 6, 2023
fantastic...loved it
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews