Sherlock Holmes a Ďáblův prach

The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Titan Books #14

by James Lovegrove

Píše se rok 1884 a paní Hudsonová se obrátí na Sherlocka Holmese poté, co je otráven nájemník její staré známé. Policie podezírá paní domácí, paní Hudsonová však trvá na tom, že její přítelkyně je nevinná.

Holmes a Watson při vyšetřování zjistí, že dotyčný nájemník, úředník, který se nedávno vrátil z Indie, žil v téměř úplné izolaci a že jeho posledním činem bylo napsání tajemné zprávy na útržek papíru. Hádanky se hromadí, protože na místě činu se objevuje zestárlý lovec velké zvěře Allan Quatermain.

Slavný muž mysli a legendární muž činu utvoří prazvláštní tým, aby rozpletli případ plný korupce, pomsty, a něčeho, co nelze popsat jinak než jako magii...

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Audiobook, Detective, Historical Mystery, Historical Fiction

280 pages, Hardcover

First published June 12, 2018

About the author

James Lovegrove is the author of several acclaimed novels and books for children.

James was born on Christmas Eve 1965 and, having dabbled in writing at school, first took to it seriously while at university. A short story of his won a college competition. The prize was £15, and it had cost £18 to get the story professionally typed. This taught him a hard but necessary lesson in the harsh economic realities of a literary career.

Straight after graduating from Oxford with a degree in English Literature, James set himself the goal of getting a novel written and sold within two years. In the event, it took two months. The Hope was completed in six weeks and accepted by Macmillan a fortnight later. The seed for the idea for the novel — a world in microcosm on an ocean liner — was planted during a cross-Channel ferry journey.

James blew his modest advance for The Hope on a round-the-world trip which took him to, among other places, Thailand. His experiences there, particularly what he witnessed of the sex industry in Bangkok, provided much of the inspiration for The Foreigners.

Escardy Gap was co-written with Pete Crowther over a period of a year and a half, the two authors playing a game of creative tag, each completing a section in turn and leaving the other to carry the story on. The result has proved a cult favourite, and was voted by readers of SFX one of the top fifty SF/Fantasy novels of all time.

Days, a satire on consumerism, was shortlisted for the 1998 Arthur C. Clarke Award (losing to Mary Doria Russell’s The Sparrow). The book’s genesis most probably lies in the many visits James used to make as a child to the Oxford Street department store owned by his grandfather. It was written over a period of nine months while James was living in the north-west suburbs of Chicago.

Subsequent works have all been published to great acclaim. These include Untied Kingdom, Worldstorm, Provender Gleed, The Age Of Ra and the back-to-back double-novella Gig. James has also written for children. Wings, a short novel for reluctant readers, was short-listed for several awards, while his fantasy series for teens, The Clouded World, written under the pseudonym Jay Amory, has been translated into 7 other languages so far. A five-book series for reluctant readers, The 5 Lords Of Pain, is appearing at two-monthly intervals throughout 2010.

He also reviews fiction for the Financial Times, specialising in the Young Adult, children’s, science fiction, fantasy, horror and graphic novel genres.

Currently James resides in Eastbourne on the Sussex Coast, having moved there in August 2007 with his wife Lou, sons Monty and Theo, and cat Ozzy. He has a terrific view of the sea from his study window, which he doesn’t sit staring out at all day when he should be working. Honest.

Reviews

[Campbell · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nonsense.

Initially the tone and setting were just right but it soon devolved into a Boy's Own Paper swashbuckler that bore vanishingly little resemblance to a Sherlock Holmes story.

[Stephen Robert Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here we are again another Holmes from the pen of James Lovegrove this good author of SH books he has done number of them so knows what he is doing & know that both Watson & Mrs Hutson are going to be right. I can here people say what about Holmes but what about Holmes he isn't difficult its been done 10000 deaths but others that just as important.
Poison that's big Problem here. Mrs Hutson's best friend landlady is ready for long drop.
Holmes takes the case. Here we have Rider H Haggard Indiana Jones style hero Allan Quatermain in the story of Darkness.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's 1884, and when a fellow landlady finds her lodger poisoned in his rooms, Mrs Hudson turns to Sherlock Holmes for help.
The poisoned man - a Civil servant who recently returned from Africa - has managed to scrawl a mysterious word on a scrap of paper as he lay dying.
When Holmes and Dr Watson start following the clues they meet the big game hunter Allan Quartermain who has his own interest in the crime.
As the mystery starts to unravel, Holmes, Watson and Quartermain become targets for some weird magic.
A fabulous fast paced mystery.

[Marilyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love Sherlock Holmes and that is why I suffered through this Book. Maybe I should have quit. The writing is too repetitive and not quite on the mark of catching the voice of the original Watson. Definitely there is an effort to achieve Conan-Doyle’s style but that effort didn’t come together. Quartermaine is the true star of this novel and he is a character whose time is past. I also thought the author’s decision to put Umslopogaas is hiding and then being overcome by drugs and then needing saving is racist. Weird because the author had a chance to revise the relationship between Quartermaine and Umslopogaas but instead just perpetuate the racist stereotypes.

[Joel Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This iteration of Sherlock Holmes might more closely resemble the Lethal Weapon version starring Robert Downey Jr than Conan Doyle's original version, but the inclusion of the original pulp hero and sharp-shot Allan Quatermain (of King Solomon's Mines fame) and his erstwhile accomplice Umslopogaas and his handy axe called the Groan Maker warrant an action-oriented take on the Master Detective.

As per Conan Doyle's habit, the story is told from the perspective of the stolid Dr. Watson, who proves himself a capable accomplice.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I am very find of saying, time spent with Mr. Sherlock Holmes is almost never wasted. In The Devil's Dust we encounter a younger and slightly brasher Holmes who joins forces with an aging Allan Quartermain to see justice done. Quartermain is extremely...competent, let's say, and he outfoxes Sherlock multiple times. It is a joy to read. I imagine I would have enjoyed this book more if I had a firmer grasp of the Quartermain "mythos" as it were, but I still found James Lovegrove's novel to be quite a ripping yarn

[Dina · Rating 2 out of 5]

On purpose or not, but this book was as obnoxious as Doyle’s representation of foreigners. And the plot was too much pew pew and too little think think

[Swords & Spectres · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sherlock Holmes typically tends to be an automatic purchase for me, especially when it's on some kind of sale. And, despite the lacklustre feeling I had coming out at the end of this, I think he probably still will be.

This is one of Holmes' earlier cases. His relationship with Dr Watson is still relatively fresh at this time and he's not as well known as the reader is used to. We begin our tale with a Sherlock struggling to find a case. Enter his landlady, with one that sounds intriguing and genuinely sets the story off to be so.

Unfortunately, for me, there is where the interestingness of this tale ended. What followed felt like it would have felt quite at home in any episode of Scooby Doo. There was too much reliance on magical elements that just took me away from the Holmes and Watson vibe. 

It also felt like the main story felt somewhat secondary when we were introduced to the famous hunter. His story elements had me forgetting why Sherlock started off on this jaunt in the first place. This led to a large part of the book being given over to some of the character's lives in Africa which further led my mind from where it started.

I also felt there was a bit at the end that implied Holmes & Watson had either done a thing, or allowed a certain thing to happen that simply wouldn't be the kind of thing either of them would ever contemplate allowing.

Just felt very off to me on the whole.

[Mary Pagones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovegrove really does full justice to Watson in this novel. Watson shows moments of heroism using his medical abilities, with skills Holmes lacks. There's a great deal of friendly, fun banter between the two men in which they each score points, as in all satisfying games.

The actual story is rather un-Holmesian. It's rooted in the world of boy's adventure novels, as befits a Holmes-Allan Quatermain mashup. I admit things did get a bit too King Solomon's Mines at the end, and this is very much an adventure story (there's no possible way to figure out how and whodunnit, given the influence of magic on the case and its resolution). But overall, great fun, well-characterized, and I kept eagerly turning the pages to find out how it was going to end.

[Florina · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well-written pastiche that, while true to the source material, still felt lacking in some respects. Maybe it was the plot that didn't snag me. Watson and Holmes were terrific, though.

[Annerlee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fast paced adventure but Sherlock didnt sparkle

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for Beyond the Bookends winter challenge ~a Sherlock Holmes or a retelling

I've read all of the classic Holmes, and this is a worthy retelling.

[booksofallkinds · Rating 5 out of 5]

SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE DEVIL'S DUST by James Lovegrove is another cracking mystery that will throw you back in time and make you feel like you are part of the story.

When Mrs. Hudson, Holmes' landlady, needs his services to clear her friend's name, Holmes and Watson wholeheartedly agree to help her. But when murder is the order of the day, this case is anything but straightforward. From the death of a wealthy hunter's son to a mining company with plenty to hide, Holmes and Watson will have to join forces with unexpected allies if they are to uncover the truth behind the dead man in the basement.

As always the plot, the narrative, and the setting are perfectly depicted and made the past come alive as you turn the page. I love a good mystery and this book does not disappoint. Following the clues and watching this iconic duo do their thing really is one of the most entertaining things about these books, and I have to say that SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE DEVIL'S DUST by James Lovegrove is my favourite of them all so far.

Intriguing, compelling, addictive, and downright entertaining, this book is a must-read for Sherlock Holmes fans and for mystery and historical fans alike.

*I voluntarily reviewed this book from the Publisher

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this mostly as a test to see if I would enjoy Lovegrove’s take on Holmes. No thanks.

[Kylie Westaway · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoy James Lovegrove's additions to the Sherlock Holmes canon. His voice sounds authentically like Conan Doyle's, and I particularly enjoy the humorous banter between Holmes and Watson.
However, I was a little disappointed by this one. In The Devil's Dust, Sherlock Holmes meets Alan Quatermaine, and honestly it feels a lot like fan fiction. Having to pay tribute to both the Holmes canon and the Quatermaine canon means the story gets bogged down in all of the in-universe references and history that need to be acknowledged. A large part of the book is just filling in backstory (a good third of the story is just one character telling Holmes and Watson their history) and the final showdown relied heavily on you having read the Quatermaine stories for you to be invested in it.
Given that Lovegrove's last book brought Moriarty back from the dead, and this one brought Quatermaine's (presumably?) arch-nemesis back from the dead, I'm hoping the next book will be a little more original.
I absolutely loved Lovegrove's Three Winter Terrors, so I'm crossing my fingers for more like that.

[Charles Oberonn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gotta admit it took me until the afterwards to realize that this book is a crossover with another British literary hero from the turn of the century. It's an interesting combination, and I did like the way the stories intersected until the ending. I understand that a lot of the problematic tropes in this novel are from the Quartermain books.

Other than that, this novel has some issues which drag it down. I mentioned how the ending of the novel which brings back a lot of Quartermain characters into the present-day storyline, don't jive well with the investigation at the heart of the story. The "supernatural" elements and their supposedly scientific explanations are also very far-fetched and kinda took me out of the narrative.

The pacing is also problematic, with a lot of lengthy asides that don't progress the plot much and overstay their welcome. Particularly the ending, but also another bit near the start involving a gangster.

Over a mixed experience. Not the best Lovegrove has to be offer by a long shot.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the lodger of a landlady friend of Mrs. Hudson's is found poisoned, Mrs. Hudson turns to her own lodger, Sherlock Holmes for help. Meanwhile, big game hunter and adventurer Allan Quartermain is in town and somehow, his mission ties up with the murder.

This is an absolute rip-roarer of a book. While at first glance H. Rider Haggard's hero Quartermain would not seem to be a good fit in Arthur Conan Doyle's world of Holmes, the two mesh together almost seamlessly.

The story is fast paced and exciting. A wonderful combination of murder mystery and traditional adventure story.

There are plenty of Holmesian references to be found.

The relationship between Holmes and Watson is nicely balanced, with Watson have an edge of sarcastic snark to him, that I loved.

If you haven't read "Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Dust" I suggest adding it to your To Be Read list as soon as you can. Highly recommended.

[Mabji · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eine spannende Geschichte rund um einen Toten in Afrika und einen zweiten Toten im Herzen Londons. So unglaublich es scheint, so haben diese beiden Fälle doch viel gemeinsam.
Holmes und Watson werden zunächst darauf aufmerksam, weil eine Freundin ihrer Vermieterin Mrs. Hudson verdächtigt wird einen der beiden Morde begangen zu haben.
Natürlich nehmen sch die beiden der Sache an, um ihrer Mrs. Hudson beizustehen. Und schon bald prügeln sie sich mit einem Einbrecher, suchen einen verschwundenen Journalisten und stolpern im Park über einen riesigen Afrikaner mit Streitaxt.

Kurz um, die spannende Geschichte hat mir gut gefallen. Dazu fand ich die Darstellung von Holmes und Watsons Freundschaft sehr originalgetreu und die Einstreuungen verschiedener Originalfälle hat mir immer wieder ein Schmunzeln abverlangt.
Lediglich den Charakter von Quatermain fand ich schlicht etwas anstrengend.

[Greg Strom · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 actually Seems this tale was a tad taller than most though the story was not bogged down by a lot of narrative. One action packed scene after another with fights, rat and pigeon attacks and the ability to ID a suspect in Africa with a scratched boot heel. Interesting debate between powers of deduction and science vs intuition and magic with Quartermaine the manly man to put it forward. His companion at least was ahead of his time and amazing to think Africans are still being taken advantage of for their riches. Bad guys all got theres in the end and Watson had a critical role in the success of the case instead of his usual observer or bumbling second fiddle role. Even Mrs Hudson gets in on the act~Nice to keep this character alive though would be interesting to bring him up to date a la PBS series with modern technology (and Martin, Benedict playing the roles).

[Don Keninitz · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is nothing like one of Arthur Conan Doyle's novellas. If the character names were changed, and the occasional allusion to actual ACD stories were omitted, no serious Holmes reader would suspect this tale was in any way modeled after the eminent detective. The Holmes character comes across as the equivalent of a bumbling bank clerk (Watson often displays more acumen). There's precious little detective work: this is mostly a sprawling tale packed with long interludes of pure filler (the episode in Shoretown serves no purpose though it takes up several chapters).

Some might find this an appealing yarn on its own merits - I didn't - but it bears as much resemblance to a real Sherlock Holmes adventure as a Volkswagen Beetle does to a Lamborghini. So reader, be forewarned.

[Doug · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, maybe 3+. Lovegrove captures the Holmes Victorian era well though maybe tried too hard to make all the new cliched connections: Lestrade, Mrs Hudson, the Baker street irregulars, etc., only missed the deerskin hat. While narrated by Dr Watson, who gives himself just the right amount of attention, the ‘main character, Holmes, gets surprising little involvement. The story itself is the main event. It starts strong enough but carried away with the dark arts and African witch doctor nonsense who enters the plot late and overtakes everything else, with poorly established motive.
Despite this, into the library it goes beside all the other Connon Doyle pieces and many other latterday authors continuing the genre.

[Tim Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pairing Sherlock Holmes with Allan Quatermain is a inspired move. Each is a hunter, a tracker, a brawler, a crack shot, and a relentless pursuer. Each is a mighty predator in his own domain. And each has his Watson. Holmes is not yet as wise and calculating as he would later become, which makes them all the more similar.

There are two brutal showdowns in this book, both grossly implausible, but that's "adventure", I suppose. A more mature Holmes would not have walked into such traps without half a dozen police backup, but at this stage his influence probably was not sufficient, even if he had had the foresight.

[Sam Solero · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love Sherlock Holmes, James Lovegrove is an excellent author to turn to once you're done with Doyle's works. The Devil's Dust is a crossover between Sherlock Holmes and Allan Quatermain, and both characters get time in the spotlight. Lovegrove's characterization of Holmes and Watson towards the beginning of their run, as well as Quatermaine and Umslopogaas towards the end of end of theirs, is so on point. The mystery is engaging and the style is so fun to read. I have never read the original Quatermain books, but I imagine fans of that series will also enjoy seeing their hero on one more romp before his end.

[Thekirkiepirate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not great to be honest.

The author tries to replicate the style of Conan Doyle with very limited success. For example, I don't think that Victorians called eating "refuelling"

Not content with writing a new Sherlock Holmes novel, we are also treated to the appearance of Allan Quartermain. However, the story is ok if a little bit thin and wandering.

I see that James Lovegrove has written a number of other Holmes novels - on the basis of this attempt I won't be tempted to try tehm.

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This started out well but about halfway through the plot wandered off into multiple apparent side plots that I found confusing and couldn't see how they were connected to the case that started the book


These seemingly random offshoots distracted and annoyed me and I stuck with it for a bit hoping things would come back together soon but they didn't and I wasn't interested enough to stick with it longer. This was a miss for me.

[adelaidealum · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it because of the narration: Watson, Holmes a bit effeminate and arrogant, Alan Quartermaine's age and hoarseness brought by a life of adventure. And Umslopogaas as he told his story. Even the witch doctor and the Boer. He can do both British and South African so well. The story itself was interesting enough, though the racism is clear, but so it was at the time...

The bad guys get their comeuppance in violent ways.

[Janair · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was more a double feature of Holmes and Quartermaine. It manages to hold together a great story while not skimping on the two main characters. I found the interaction between Holmes and Quartermaine quite enjoyable. To me, some of the most successful Holmes novels involving occult, supernatural, or otherwise otherworldly elements are those which allowed for both the rational interpretations of events by Holmes paired with a less strictly rational view of other characters.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's not often that a piece of genre fiction gets a perfect score from me. But I've always loved the idea of Sherlock Holmes while deploring the writing style prevalent in the time of Conan Doyle. This book is written in a way that feels period without any of the tedium of that period's writing. The story was fun. What more can I ask for?

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable and quite readable book - obviously not the original Sherlock Holmes but still a young Sherlock Holmes. Interesting characters and well written. Kept me interested and wanting to find out 'how did it end?' - well worth a read.
I'm now interested in other books in this particular Sherlock range by #JamesLovegrove - time to 'hit' the library again!

[mrs s e price · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've read some rubbish but......

This is probably in the top 3 worst books I've ever attempted to read. Boring, tedious and totally without any plot. I skipped through just to reach the end to see if it got any better - it didn't. Seriously - don't bother - reading toilet paper is more entertaining