شيرلوك هولمز وفأر سومطرة العملاق

The Confidential Files of Dr. John H. Watson #2

by Joanna Campbell Slan, معتز حسانين (Translator)

كانت مؤامرة قد دُبّرت على أعلى المستويات في الحكومة البريطانية. تبدأ المغامرة عندما حُذِّر هولمز من التحقيق في جرائم “جاك” الشنيعة، رغم مهارته المعروفة في كشف المعلومات والتوصل إلى النتائج. في المقابل تم تكليفه بالبحث في قضية اختفاء أحد عاشقيّن إثر شجار صغير بينهما، لكن هذه المسألة ستقوده إلى اكتشاف مسائل أكثر خطورة تدور أحداثها في جزيرة سومطرة. هذه المغامرة – سريعة الوتيرة – ستأخذ هولمز وصديقه واطسون في رحلة غريبة ومناطق متعددة وسيتعامل مع طبقات اجتماعية مختلفة، الفقراء والنبلاء، العقلاء والمجانين، المجرمين والملتزمين. شيرلوك هولمز والفأر السومطري العملاق، مغامرة تاريخية ممزوجة بأجواء خارقة للطبيعة، رحلة مثيرة ستحبس أنفاس القراء حتى النهاية.

Genres: Mystery, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Fiction

461 pages, Paperback

First published September 14, 2020

About the author

National bestselling and award-winning author Joanna Campbell Slan was born in Jacksonville, Florida, but she grew up in a small town in Indiana. After graduating from Ball State University with a degree in journalism, she worked as a newspaper reporter, a newspaper ad salesperson, a television talk show host, a college teacher, a public relations professional, and a motivational speaker. In that capacity, she was named by Sharing Ideas Magazine as “one of the top 25 speakers in the world.”

Slan's work has appeared in five of the New York Times Bestselling Chicken Soup for the Soul books, and one of those became a television show. She is the author of nearly 80 books, nonfiction and fiction, including Death of a Schoolgirl, which won the 2013 Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence.

Joanna's personal essays have appeared in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, and one was made into a television program on the Pax Network. The college textbook Joanna wrote—Using Stories and Humor: Grab Your Audience—has been praised as an invaluable resource by Benjamin Netanyahu’s speechwriter and endorsed by Toastmasters, International.

RT Book Reviews has called Joanna “one of mystery’s rising stars.” Her first novel—Paper, Scissors, Death—was an Agatha Award finalist. It features Kiki Lowenstein, a spunky single mom who lives in St. Louis. The sixth book in that series will be released Summer 2013.

Kirkus Reviews has said, “Slan’s mysteries are most valuable for the well-developed characters and the issues they raise.” RT Book Reviews has said, “Kiki is so darn entertaining that she’ll keep readers hooked.” A series of short stories featuring Kiki are available on Kindle.

Joanna’s newest series—The Jane Eyre Chronicles—began with Death of a Schoolgirl (Berkley) and continues with the release of Death of a Dowager. The series features Charlotte Brontë’s classic heroine Jane Eyre as an amateur sleuth.

As “Lila Dare,” Joanna has penned the fourth book in the Southern Beauty Shop series—Wave Good-bye.

Joanna is married to David Slan. The Slans live on Jupiter Island, Florida.

Website: www.JoannaSlan.com

Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/JoannaCampbel...

Twitter: @JoannaSlan

Reviews

[Keith · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am both a Sherlock Holmes fan and an occasional reader of fantasy, including horror, but this book which tries to fuse the two categories was a "fail" for me. Written well enough on the sentence level for me to endure to the end, the story had some awful holes and unlikelihoods which annoyed me. The most egregious request for suspension of disbelief was that the Jack the Ripper serial murders were the work of a werewolf. History tells us those murders were done with knife stabbings and in the cases where organs were removed a surgeon's skill was suspected. In this book, the werewolves supposedly sought to eat the organs before any other mauling. What would result from such an attack would never in a million years appear to be the work of a surgeon. I will note that both Holmes and Watson seem like stiff unlikeable versions of the originals. Watson seems like a whiney and easily bruised baby. And Holmes seems mostly absent from our attention until the last quarter of the book. Holmes also fails to exhibit the excitement of "the game" in all this. One gets the impression Holmes feels the case is a giant headache. Lastly the resolution is depressing and reprehensible. That the author arrives at this resolution demonstrates a lack of imagination and a pessimistic view of the world.

[Cynthia Nicola · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Interesting POV on supernatural creature.

[Lynda · Rating 1 out of 5]

No, just no. Badly written.

[Ghaya.K · Rating 1 out of 5]

رواية ضعيفة جدًا وركيكة للغاية، النسخة المعربة تحتوي على ٤٦٠ صفحة، لا يوجد فيها حنكة هولمز ولا ذكاؤه، ولا حدته، هولمز نفسه بالكاد موجود، اعتدنا على حضور شيرلوك الطاغي الذي يملئ المكان كنا نكاد نلمس تلك الهالة المحيطة به (أعظم محقق في العالم) حضور هولمز في هذا الكتاب خجول يكاد لا يلحظ، في قصص دويل القصيرة كان ذكاء شيرلوك يظهر تباعًا حتى في الألغاز الصغيرة العابرة، لا نجد هذا هنا، يبدو شيرلوك هنا تائهًا يائسًا، لا يدري ماذا يفعل يتساءل طوال الوقت، يتابع خيوط التحقيق مثله مثل أي شرطي من سكوتلنديارد.
ثم ان القصة بمجملها ضعيفة، غير مبهرة، وكأنها قصاصات مجمعة من هنا وهناك، فالقليل من التاريخ، وبعض الغموض، والكثير من رعب "الكوميك بوكس" ناهيك عن النهاية الكئيبة المحبطة بلا داع.
وختاما هناك أمر ألاحظه كثيرا في أي شخص يكتب قصصا عن هولمز سوى دويل، وهو التركيز الشديد والطاغي على جون واتسون، كأنه صاحب مظلمة ويريد المؤلفون الانتصار له، فتجده متصدرا في النزاع وحل المشكلات، نجده يوبخ هولمز بفظاظة، عصبي ومتقلب المزاج، وهذا ليس واتسون الذي نألفه، لا نجد فيه حبه الصادق واخلاصه لهولمز وانبهاره بعبقريته،لا نجد فيه الصديق الصبور، والطبيب الانسان، مجرد شخص غريب اسمه جون واتسون، يعيش مع غريب آخر اسمه شيرلوك هولمز لا نعرفهما ولا نألف صنيعهما البتة.

[chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable Holmes pastiche. Not sure how I feel about the ending, but I enjoyed the book overall.

[Dan Rees · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a fan of Sherlockian stories, but I have already deleted this one from my e-book library. I had high hopes that it would be an interesting exposition of an obscure reference in the canon, but almost immediately found myself disappointed in the development. The writing is not bad, but the plot did not live up to my hopes. It is a total mishmash of Jack the Ripper references, a [*spoiler alert*] story about lycanthropy, and a rehash of the tired old idea that "primitive" people are more noble than the "civilized" Europeans. I also did not like the bad rap that the story gave to Mycroft Holmes—that he would go along with bad policy for the sake of furthering his own career. All of this felt like a total betrayal of Conan Doyle's established works. In fact, I may be being generous in giving it two stars.

[Utkarsh Pandey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did the author confuse AC Doyle’s work with Stephen King’s? Sherlock’s genre is characterized by the brilliant deductive reasoning . However this book barely presents any reasoning, but creates a supernatural story which isn’t very original either. There is over dramatization in the story and Watson is shown as too emotional a character, Sherlock too much of an activist and Mycroft too cold.
I like to encourage Sherlock fan-fic authors and don’t expect to see anything close to Doyle’s level of work, however there should atleast be an attempt to have Sherlock’s deductive reasoning form the bulk of the narrative. That is sadly lacking in here. It seems like a generic attempt at a supernatural fantasy novel and inserting Sherlock as a character.

[Explorer in life · Rating 2 out of 5]

اكره كتب الجريمة ! ومع ذلك استمر في شرائها لا اعلم لماذا ! لكن هذا الكتاب لم يكن بذلك السوء الا انني لم اكمله خوفاً من ان يجلب لي فتوراً قرائياً !

الكتاب جميل جداً بسرده ، لم اجد يوماً كتاباً مترجماً بهذه الروعة من السرد ، السرد جدا جيد ل كتاب مترجم وهو الشئ الوحيد الذي اعجبني في الكتاب

بشكل عام الكتاب لم يروق لي ، القصة جميلة وفيها من الحبكة ولكن سبق ان قلت فانا لست من محبين كتب الجريمة والتحقيق

فاذاً ، ان كنت من محبين كتب ادب الجريمة والتحقيق فانا اجزم بان هذا الكتاب سيعجبك ، اما ان كنت ممن هم مثلي من لا يحبون كتب الجريمة والتحقيق إطلاقا فلا تقترب منه او من اي كتاب جريمة وتحقيق

[Lori Ace · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not Even a Decent Watson Book

I decided to read this poor facsimile of a Holmes novel, supposedly written by Dr. Watson. After 25 pages it was intolerable to read. Using whilst may make the author believe it gave the impression it was written during Victorian times, it failed miserably. Do not waste your time. There are other books which can accurately reflect the time period and speak as Watson would

[Ramy · Rating 3 out of 5]

رومانتيكية - ماورائية

تتجلى فيها انسانية د واتسون و شهامة شيرلوك هولمز
قصة بداخل قصة

النهاية بقدر ما هي محزنة بقدر ما هي منطقية

لكن لا حبكة و لا الغاز و لا تشغيل مخ من بتاع شيرلوك ....

الكتاب القادم : Why Didn't They Teach Me This in School?
- ثقافة مالية

[Maryellen Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-integrated mix of mystery and the supernatural.

This was so well-written and conceived. I couldn't put it down. Gripping and thoroughly enjoyable.

I must admit, I don't care for supernatural stories. But this author wove the unreal story with classic Holmes detection, that I chose to continue despite the mix. I'm glad I did.

[Ana Stasia · Rating 2 out of 5]

النهايه هي الشي الوحيد المنطقي بالقصه.. خيبه امل منجد للاسف مدري وش كان براسي لما قريتها المفروض اتوقع ان تصنيفها فيه "خيال" (اكثر شي مكروه بالنسبه لي خيال مع جريمه واقعيه) والقصه حتى ما وصفت عظمه شارلوك المُعتاده وكانت مركزه ع واطسون فقط كما لو انه يسوي شي غير انه يسولف طول الكتاب وغير انه دخلني بأقوى فتور قرائي بالدنيا احيانًا لازم تندم انك تسمع للتيك توك.

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! Full of details that had you right in the story! Intense storyline, interesting complex characters, lots of twists and turn, and a moving ending. This book will keep you turning the pages. A must must read!

[Casey Grist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really absorbing and well written

This was quite a surprise actually. I had my doubts about the alluded to paranormal aspects in the description. However, the author kept this story tightly reined in, made a way to work actual history into the tale and kept the pace moving to a sad but brave ending. Well done!

[Teri Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to read to the end to prove I could.

This a great and fantastical story, somehow made believable. At times Watson's character is too verbose, just chug through it. Not to give away the ending, but I will say I was very touched by the 4 main characters bravery.

[Phillip Mclaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

certainly a different read of Sherlock Holmes

An encompassing take on the Great Britain of Holmes and Watson that until it’s conclusion leaves the reader looking at all the evidence and then a surprise ending.
I think I liked it, but am still digesting the whole well written tale.

[missy correia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting

I found this book interesting and riveting. Could not put it down!! The fact that the people depicted were believable and the story was very acceptable and sad that it could happen.

[Read Ng · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was time for some Sherlock Holmes.

This story had the right feel to it. I was not all that enamored with the supernatural theme, but it did put me into the time period and setting. It was enjoyable and a good chance of place.

Have a GoodReads.

[Margaret Laubach · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot type for weeping

I love Sherlock Holmes books but this was by far the most heartbreaking!
Incredibly well written, it drew me in to care for all of the young men, Mr. Wen and the young ladies. More than that, it made Dr. Watson more real and my heart hurt for him.

[Maria E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding!

Hard to believe this book not written by Arthur Connan Doyle. Imaginative and totally absorbing from page 1! Great characters, word building, and a new twist to this mystery! Highly recommend to everyone!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

(1894) When warned away from investigating murders in London, Holmes is approached by Ennis Caldwell as her fiancé, Walter Benson has disappeared. His sister allows Holmes to read his diary, a strange story of men turning into wolves is related.
An entertaining Holmes mystery

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent read

I personally think is one of the best Sherlock Holmes books I have ever read the story was completely unguessable the end was a complete surprise thoroughly unexpected

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am an enthusiastic reader of many different variations of the stories of the great Sherlock Holmes and this one is not what I hoped it would be. The story is interesting but the proofreading lacked thoroughness.

[Sarah El · Rating 3 out of 5]

مغامرة جديدة و مليئة بالألغاز و التشويق .. تروي 3 قضايا متشابكة من بينها جاك الشهير .. لم يعجبني تفكير هولمز أحيانا إذ وجدته عاطفيا أكثر من منطقي ككتب كونان دويل كما أن القصة تتناول طابعا خياليا .. أما قصة قضية جاك لم تعجبني إذ ليست بالحقيقية

[Joel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thriller to the end

[Cathy]

I really enjoyed this book. It was rather unusual especially when compared to the original Sherlock Holmes stories. It was well written. I am currently reading the second book in the series.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sherlock's game is once again afoot

Slab and Putting write an interesting version of the great detective's pursuit of crime. From his way of sleuthing to his inability to relax.

[Momma Aimee · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very poorly edited. Not only were there words swapped out. There were grammatical errors.

Okay maybe decent storyline. But very badly handled.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent reading, very descriptive with lots of twists and turns. Holmes and Watson never cease to amaze me. Touching at the end.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ripper

I read Sherlock when possible, especially when the paranormal is involved. Seemed to be missing that homes magic of the unexpected.
Recom!end for readers of Ho!mes.