Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of Grinning Cat

by Joseph W. Svec III, Anthony LeRoy Lovato (Narrator)

Time is running out! When the Cheshire Cat, the White Rabbit, and The Mad Hatter turn up at 221-B Baker Street to enlist the help of Sherlock Holmes in locating Alice who is missing from Wonderland, and Lewis Carroll himself who is also nowhere to be found, there begins an adventure more stranger and curious than anything Sherlock has ever encountered. A Unicorn, the Jabberwocky, the time traveling author, H.G. Wells, trips to Wonderland and beyond, and even a journey outside of time itself where awaits the ultimate enigma of logic, all are a part of this incredible tale.

Genres: Mystery, Fantasy

Audible Audio

First published July 15, 2016

Reviews

[Brooklyn Tayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the trippiest books I've ever read.

[Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Grinning Cat by Joseph W Svec III

*** Any Spoilers Are Totally Unintended ***

I may as well say right at the start that Holmes purists will not like this one at all. I am not certain that they could see it for what it is, a delightful spoof with all the madness of Wonderland itself.

Indeed, Mr. Svec might be channeling the spirit of Lewis Carroll as the prose would have no trouble fitting into any of the Wonderland stories. Everything is logically illogical and there are several nice puzzles to solve, riddles, and imagination that would please a child or an adult who can still remember being a child!

Holmes and Watson are startled to wake up and find the Cheshire Cat waiting on their sofa. This is the true Cheshire Cat, as it appears, disappears, and defies gravity. All Cheshire Cats can, it explains proudly.

Then the White Rabbit and the Mad Hatter show up at the door. They are there to consult with Holmes. They have a problem only Holmes can solve.

Lewis Carroll has passed on to that land from whose burn no traveler can return. And now people from Wonderland and indeed parts of the country itself are vanishing! Alice has failed to show up for Wednesday Tea, which she never misses. The March Hare was supposed to be there, but has vanished in route.

As more characters appear, they tell of others who have vanished. The group goes to the house of Lewis Carroll, where the butler hands Holmes a letter from the late Mr. Carroll which explains a lot and charges Holmes with the mission of having to keep Wonderland from disappearing.

So begins a madcap journey which winds from the skies above London to the house of HG Wells; back and forth in time using Wells Time Machine; time spent in the vanishing realm of Wonderland; and the final showdown before the Guardians of Time; Cryptic, Logic, and Rubic.

There is much to laugh about as Holmes seems to be the author of a paper on just about everything they experience or anything they might be asked to do. The titles of these papers are given with a nod to how Holmes always titled his monographs in the canon.

I note at the conclusion of this spritely little madcap romp, there is the arrival of a Captain Nemo who is in search of Jules Verne. I do hope this means another delightfully nonsensical book is in the works! Mr. Svec, an encore would do nicely!

Taking this book in the spirit that it is written in, I grant it five stars.

Quoth the Raven…

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must admit I read the Sherlock Holmes in the Nautilus Adventure first. But the comments and my feelings are that they were both wonderful. My Grandchild and I are looking forward to many more books from this author!

I found this book a true delight! I am so tired of all the gruesome slashing and trashing that goes into books today.
I read this book as well as Sherlock Holmes in the Nautilus Adventure to my grandchild . We both shared in the adventures
This book gave us things to talk about . We laughed so hard together!
It is nice to see that it didn't matter our age difference we had something in common.
I didn't get in trouble with mom either. A clean cut adventure. No nightmares.
A book with integrity, well researched for the time period . I like the logic puzzles!
I like the fact that the books are not so thick that it takes forever to get thru them.

I rate this book and author AAAAA+

[James Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can a story about Sherlock Holmes and Alice in Wonderland work? Absolutely and this book is the proof of that. It fits into the books that are Sherlock Holmes, it fits into the Alice in Wonderland books and it works beautifully together being, quite often, really funny. The author also captures the Wonderland characters quite well.

It opens with Watson coming into Holmes' apartment and finding the Cheshire Cat in a chair. It seems Wonderland characters have been disappearing and even Lewis Carroll has disappeared. Alice had left Wonderland but then started returning for regular tea parties.

Then let's add some characters. The Mad Hatter; the March Hare (missing); Dodgson/Carroll (dead?); the Jabberwocky; the Unicorn; the Lion (missing); H.G. Wells, a time machine, the Guardians of Time, logic puzzles, Mars, tripods; the Queen of Hearts, etc.

I'm a major fan of Alice in Wonderland and Sherlock Holmes, both, and I think this book works wonder-fully well.

[SB Senpai Manga · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay. It's clear that this writer loves Wonderland, he clearly doesn't know how to write Sherlock Holmes or John Watson. Watson doesn't have much dialogue in the story and half of Holmes' lines are him just talking about a boom that just oh so conveniently fits the situation. This is an extremely short book, but it feels like pulling teeth when you read it.

[Claire Daines · Rating 4 out of 5]

When writing a pastiche, especially a crossover, writers have to walk a fine line between the original author’s vision and taking the characters into new territory. Joseph Svec III’s ‘Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Grinning Cat’ walks that tightrope with as many dramatic flourishes as one could wish for, as Holmes and Watson must journey to Wonderland to save Alice Liddell and Lewis Carroll, helped and hindered by a familiar cast of colourful characters. Joseph Svec has a clear talent for describing people, settings and action simply but evocatively. I especially liked his introduction and fleshing out of some unexpected characters, such as the Jabberwock from the Looking-Glass poem. Readers looking for a fun, light-hearted romp down the rabbit hole, with a surprising yet satisfying conclusion, will not be disappointed!

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderland and its creatures are slowly vanishing out of existence. Cheshire Cat, soon followed by the White Rabbit and the Mad Hatter, approached Sherlock Holmes to find an answer to this mystery, and to stop this disaster.
How would the ultimate logical brain respond to this request?
This was something! It's undoubtedly one of the "punniest" pastiches that I have ever read. Plus, it was so outrageously 'wondrous' that at times I had to pinch myself to ascertain if I was actually reading a Holmesian adventure, or was plain dreaming.
No dream. An enjoyable, although slight and one-time read.

[Leslie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I might have enjoyed this more if I had read it rather than listening to the audio (I found quite a few of the narrator's voices to be very annoying), but I doubt it. The plot, such as it was, seemed very thin to me, and small things like Watson (and Mrs. Hudson) calling Holmes "Sherlock" didn't improve things.

[Tony Ciak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had so much fun and enjoyment listening to this book, and trying to solve the various problems.

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am an audio book narrator, and I had the privilege and pleasure of Narrating and producing this book into an audio book. I say pleasure because it was so much fun giving voices to all the wonderful characters that are in this story.

This is my first foray into Youth Novels, and it's definitely one that I'll be gifting to my nieces and nephews. 20 delightful chapters of adventure and mischief with the logical master Sherlock and the illogical characters of Alice In Wonderland.

I would definitely recommend this to kids age 9 and up, of course I would recommend getting it on Audible.com for most bang for your buck! :)