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Sherlock Holmes Cthulhu Casebooks #2
Sherlock Holmes et les Monstruosités du Miskatonic
(Spoiler removed)
Printemps 1895. Malgré quinze années de combat contre des entités surnaturelles, quinze années qui ont coûté sa santé à Sherlock Holmes mais aussi la vie à Mary, épouse du Dr. Watson, les deux amis accourent sans hésiter lorsqu’on les appelle à Bedlam, asile psychiatrique de triste renommée. Ils y rencontrent un étrange patient qui parle r’lyehen, la langue des Grands Anciens. L’homme, amnésique, est horriblement mutilé. Comment cet homme a-t-il atterri à Londres, et pourquoi a-t-il perdu l’esprit ? Lorsque le mystérieux patient disparaît, enlevé par des forces occultes, il devient évident que l’affaire ne se limite pas à son cas...
358 pages, Paperback
First published November 14, 2017
202 people are currently reading
1880 people want to read
About the author
James Lovegrove
152 books658 followersJames 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 219 reviews
April 18, 2023
“The veneration in which some people hold the gods says more about those people than about the gods”
In a follow up to Sherlock Holmes and the Shadwell Shadows, James Lovegrove's Sherlock Holmes and the Miskatonic Monstrosities continues Holmes and Watson's adventures battling the Elder Gods of the Cthulhu Mythos. Feeling a bit campy still, but I think that's part of the appeal. As their investigation took shape, I felt some momentum growing; however, a longish story inside the story told in the form of a journal, put the brakes on that. It had interesting bits and a sort of 'Heart of Darkness' feeling to it that matched well with the atmosphere already created, but its length, I think, disrupted the flow. Still, for the most part, this was a fun read. 3.25 stars
In a follow up to Sherlock Holmes and the Shadwell Shadows, James Lovegrove's Sherlock Holmes and the Miskatonic Monstrosities continues Holmes and Watson's adventures battling the Elder Gods of the Cthulhu Mythos. Feeling a bit campy still, but I think that's part of the appeal. As their investigation took shape, I felt some momentum growing; however, a longish story inside the story told in the form of a journal, put the brakes on that. It had interesting bits and a sort of 'Heart of Darkness' feeling to it that matched well with the atmosphere already created, but its length, I think, disrupted the flow. Still, for the most part, this was a fun read. 3.25 stars
February 4, 2018
This the second volume of Lovegrove's H P Lovecraft style Nightmare Holmes books set in the Cthulhu world it does help if have read Lovecraft & the first book but this is not a sequal that cannot be read alone .
1895 Watson's wife Mary from The Sigh of the Four is now dead.He is back full time with grump Holmes This set around time Holmes is also dead as Watson killed him in the Strand.
As any true fan will tell it is Watson who wrote the stories & Conan Doyle was his non d plumb .
This monsters & Demons from the darkness the Yog-Sothoth ,Yig,Shuh -Niggurath & Cthulhu the Old Gods & Old ones it's religion turned upside down & inside out ripping your heart out to eat & your brain while you still live.
Tolkien's monstrous Balrog would could well be happiest at home here with the Great Old Gods & once again Triophidian crown this time used by Holmes to seek out a demon.(not say which as a spoiler or why).
In this book you get very different version of Sign of Four which in own could be writen as a book in fact it is great shame that cut it so it becomes just a guest & not full book. The other thing is that this book is set 15 ys after the first book so wonder how far on The Sussex Sea-Devils volume 3 due out in November 18 will be?
Then part two of this book changes format into a diary without both Holmes & Watson but is read by Holmes I cannot say who as it's spoilers as River Song would say to the Doctor.
1895 Watson's wife Mary from The Sigh of the Four is now dead.He is back full time with grump Holmes This set around time Holmes is also dead as Watson killed him in the Strand.
As any true fan will tell it is Watson who wrote the stories & Conan Doyle was his non d plumb .
This monsters & Demons from the darkness the Yog-Sothoth ,Yig,Shuh -Niggurath & Cthulhu the Old Gods & Old ones it's religion turned upside down & inside out ripping your heart out to eat & your brain while you still live.
Tolkien's monstrous Balrog would could well be happiest at home here with the Great Old Gods & once again Triophidian crown this time used by Holmes to seek out a demon.(not say which as a spoiler or why).
In this book you get very different version of Sign of Four which in own could be writen as a book in fact it is great shame that cut it so it becomes just a guest & not full book. The other thing is that this book is set 15 ys after the first book so wonder how far on The Sussex Sea-Devils volume 3 due out in November 18 will be?
Then part two of this book changes format into a diary without both Holmes & Watson but is read by Holmes I cannot say who as it's spoilers as River Song would say to the Doctor.
November 21, 2017
As always this review and countless other awesome stuff can be found on my blog The tattooed Book Geek: https://thetattooedbookgeek.wordpress...
I received a free copy of this book courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The Miskatonic Monstrosities is the second book in Lovegrove’s The Cthulu Casebooks trilogy and takes place over a decade after the events that transpired in the first book, The Shadwell Shadows.
The blurb does a fine job of recapping the story told within the pages of the Miskatonic Monstrosities without going into any overt detail or giving away any plot twists, it’s a mystery that you as the reader will have fun investigating and deducing along with Holmes and Watson.
I will say, however, that anyone who has read The Shadwell Shadows or has even a passing familiarity with the Holmes canon will guess the true identity of a certain character. It’s not detrimental to the story and waiting for the penny to drop and the reveal to finally happen is fascinating.
I found the Miskatonic Monstrosities to be a far better book overall than its predecessor. That’s not to say that The Shadwell Shadows wasn’t a decent read, it was and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I just feel that with the Miskatonic Monstrosities, Lovegrove has honed his writing and storytelling and created a far more stellar read.
Lovegrove uses the same style that Conan Doyle incorporated into a couple of his own original Holmes novels, namely that of a secondary narrative. During the course of the Miskatonic Monstrosities Holmes and Watson come to a point in their own investigation and tale that enables a recounting of past events (namely that of the expedition down the Miskatonic river) pivotal to the present storyline. This works really well as firstly, it gives us a break from the current storyline and focus on Holmes and Watson before we revert back to focus on them and the conclusion of the story. And, secondly, it allows another voice and character to take over and gives us a first-hand telling of the journey down the Miskatonic and what really transpired on the voyage.
There’s lots to like about the Miskatonic Monstrosities, it’s an absorbing page-turner of a book, well-written and paced and just like with its predecessor the merging of the Conan Doyle and Lovecraft creations work really well staying true to the original while creating something unique and new.
I’m not a fast reader, in fact, I’m far closer to being a sedate paced reader but I devoured the Miskatonic Monstrosities in three days (it’s a 450-page plus book) which is a testament to how much I was engaged and engrossed by the story.
What Lovegrove has done with the Miskatonic Monstrosities is blend together two classic canons to create a gripping and thoroughly entertaining read.
I received a free copy of this book courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The Miskatonic Monstrosities is the second book in Lovegrove’s The Cthulu Casebooks trilogy and takes place over a decade after the events that transpired in the first book, The Shadwell Shadows.
The blurb does a fine job of recapping the story told within the pages of the Miskatonic Monstrosities without going into any overt detail or giving away any plot twists, it’s a mystery that you as the reader will have fun investigating and deducing along with Holmes and Watson.
I will say, however, that anyone who has read The Shadwell Shadows or has even a passing familiarity with the Holmes canon will guess the true identity of a certain character. It’s not detrimental to the story and waiting for the penny to drop and the reveal to finally happen is fascinating.
I found the Miskatonic Monstrosities to be a far better book overall than its predecessor. That’s not to say that The Shadwell Shadows wasn’t a decent read, it was and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I just feel that with the Miskatonic Monstrosities, Lovegrove has honed his writing and storytelling and created a far more stellar read.
Lovegrove uses the same style that Conan Doyle incorporated into a couple of his own original Holmes novels, namely that of a secondary narrative. During the course of the Miskatonic Monstrosities Holmes and Watson come to a point in their own investigation and tale that enables a recounting of past events (namely that of the expedition down the Miskatonic river) pivotal to the present storyline. This works really well as firstly, it gives us a break from the current storyline and focus on Holmes and Watson before we revert back to focus on them and the conclusion of the story. And, secondly, it allows another voice and character to take over and gives us a first-hand telling of the journey down the Miskatonic and what really transpired on the voyage.
There’s lots to like about the Miskatonic Monstrosities, it’s an absorbing page-turner of a book, well-written and paced and just like with its predecessor the merging of the Conan Doyle and Lovecraft creations work really well staying true to the original while creating something unique and new.
I’m not a fast reader, in fact, I’m far closer to being a sedate paced reader but I devoured the Miskatonic Monstrosities in three days (it’s a 450-page plus book) which is a testament to how much I was engaged and engrossed by the story.
What Lovegrove has done with the Miskatonic Monstrosities is blend together two classic canons to create a gripping and thoroughly entertaining read.
December 21, 2019
A novel that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would have enjoyed reading.
February 25, 2020
3 STARS
November 25, 2017
Last year I really enjoyed the first in this series (review HERE), which seemed to capture the essence of Sherlock Holmes’ Victorian London and suffused it with Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos. It was much more successful than I was expecting it to be, and so I picked this one up with some anticipation.
As the second book in the series, this one does what’s required of a sophomore novel, in that it takes the characters further than the first one did and broadens the scope of the imaginary world we are visiting. In this one we move away from London to involve that American icon of eldritch educational learning, Arkham’s Miskatonic University.
There is relatively little preamble here. Set fifteen years after the first, there’s a brief reintroduction made before we are launched into this new story. Watson’s rather dour matter-of-fact descriptions keep the story fairly grounded in its rather fanciful developments and things happen that definitely change our perspective and our understanding of Holmes in this alternate version. Having made the rather startling proclamation that the supernatural is real in the first book (not the sort of thing usually expected from this icon of deductive reasoning!) this book examines the revelation further and tests Holmes’ understanding of reality further.
At the beginning of this novel it is clear that the constant battle for order has worn down Holmes and Watson. They are tetchy with each other. Holmes resents the intrusions made by the popularity of Watson’s mundane accounts, and the disappearance of the fictional Holmes fighting Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls had been at Holmes’s request. Watson, usually the voice of reason and the ardent supporter and benefactor of Holmes, finds himself wishing for a life away from Holmes and the cases he accumulates.
At this point Holmes and Watson are invited to investigate an American patient held in Bedlam Asylum, one whose insane rantings involve phrases of Cthulhu-ian language. The patient, Bostonian Zachariah Conroy, is abruptly kidnapped by what Holmes and Watson believe to be a nightgaunt, a huge bat-like creature under the thrall of one with connections to the Outer Gods. Tracking the creature, our two heroes are led across the Rainham Marshes to a lonely farmhouse where they are discovered and held by the owner of the nightgaunt, Nathaniel Whateley.
Here the book takes an abrupt left turn by becoming a journal within a journal. For the next two hundred pages we are given a manuscript that is an account allegedly written by Conroy. We discover how Whateley and Conroy met at Miskatonic University and how the pair fell in league with other. As his experiments on animals become more and more extreme, Conroy is expelled from Miskatonic U and, in order to pursue his studies further, agrees to accompany Whateley on a trip up the Miskatonic River to discover new and unusual species to experiment on.
As you might expect, this does not end well but eventually leads back to the present (1895, anyway) and Holmes and Watson’s predicament. There’s a nicely unexpected twist towards the end of the book and things are set up nicely for the final book in this trilogy.
The book’s a lot of fun, and I’m pleased that James has managed to continue the style and tone of the first. Interestingly, the fact that nearly half of the book does not directly involve Holmes and Watson was not an issue. The journey upriver, in true Heart of Darkness style, is as gruesome a horror story as you might expect and works admirably well as a Lovecraftian tale rather than a Holmes and Watson one. There’s even an element of Mary Shelley in there too. James cleverly echoes the style of HPL in this part of the book with physical horrors as well as cosmic ones. I liked the interesting little observations made on racism and class here too, reflecting Lovecraft’s own background and culture.
So, despite the absence of Holmes and Watson for a significant portion of the novel, did I enjoy this one as much as the first? Hell, yes. The pages turned as fast as they did with the first and there’s a set-up that makes me eager to read the next novel in the series now. (Unfortunately not due until this time next year.)
If you liked the first book you will not be disappointed with this one. Well done James for managing a difficult task again.
As the second book in the series, this one does what’s required of a sophomore novel, in that it takes the characters further than the first one did and broadens the scope of the imaginary world we are visiting. In this one we move away from London to involve that American icon of eldritch educational learning, Arkham’s Miskatonic University.
There is relatively little preamble here. Set fifteen years after the first, there’s a brief reintroduction made before we are launched into this new story. Watson’s rather dour matter-of-fact descriptions keep the story fairly grounded in its rather fanciful developments and things happen that definitely change our perspective and our understanding of Holmes in this alternate version. Having made the rather startling proclamation that the supernatural is real in the first book (not the sort of thing usually expected from this icon of deductive reasoning!) this book examines the revelation further and tests Holmes’ understanding of reality further.
At the beginning of this novel it is clear that the constant battle for order has worn down Holmes and Watson. They are tetchy with each other. Holmes resents the intrusions made by the popularity of Watson’s mundane accounts, and the disappearance of the fictional Holmes fighting Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls had been at Holmes’s request. Watson, usually the voice of reason and the ardent supporter and benefactor of Holmes, finds himself wishing for a life away from Holmes and the cases he accumulates.
At this point Holmes and Watson are invited to investigate an American patient held in Bedlam Asylum, one whose insane rantings involve phrases of Cthulhu-ian language. The patient, Bostonian Zachariah Conroy, is abruptly kidnapped by what Holmes and Watson believe to be a nightgaunt, a huge bat-like creature under the thrall of one with connections to the Outer Gods. Tracking the creature, our two heroes are led across the Rainham Marshes to a lonely farmhouse where they are discovered and held by the owner of the nightgaunt, Nathaniel Whateley.
Here the book takes an abrupt left turn by becoming a journal within a journal. For the next two hundred pages we are given a manuscript that is an account allegedly written by Conroy. We discover how Whateley and Conroy met at Miskatonic University and how the pair fell in league with other. As his experiments on animals become more and more extreme, Conroy is expelled from Miskatonic U and, in order to pursue his studies further, agrees to accompany Whateley on a trip up the Miskatonic River to discover new and unusual species to experiment on.
As you might expect, this does not end well but eventually leads back to the present (1895, anyway) and Holmes and Watson’s predicament. There’s a nicely unexpected twist towards the end of the book and things are set up nicely for the final book in this trilogy.
The book’s a lot of fun, and I’m pleased that James has managed to continue the style and tone of the first. Interestingly, the fact that nearly half of the book does not directly involve Holmes and Watson was not an issue. The journey upriver, in true Heart of Darkness style, is as gruesome a horror story as you might expect and works admirably well as a Lovecraftian tale rather than a Holmes and Watson one. There’s even an element of Mary Shelley in there too. James cleverly echoes the style of HPL in this part of the book with physical horrors as well as cosmic ones. I liked the interesting little observations made on racism and class here too, reflecting Lovecraft’s own background and culture.
So, despite the absence of Holmes and Watson for a significant portion of the novel, did I enjoy this one as much as the first? Hell, yes. The pages turned as fast as they did with the first and there’s a set-up that makes me eager to read the next novel in the series now. (Unfortunately not due until this time next year.)
If you liked the first book you will not be disappointed with this one. Well done James for managing a difficult task again.
August 28, 2019
Only three stars but it’s not bad for a sequel. It hasn’t the raw energy or pace of the first and at times it feels as if parts had been revisited in order to pad out and increase the word count.
I feel as if the first was an interesting exercise but (and as stated from the outset) the plan for three is a bridge - or two - too far.
I feel as if the first was an interesting exercise but (and as stated from the outset) the plan for three is a bridge - or two - too far.
February 17, 2019
Et si Sherlock Holmes n'avait en réalité jamais combattu le crime, mais des forces bien plus sombres et occultes ? Et si Watson avait consacré sa vie à réécrire leurs aventures pour en gommer le paranormal et justifier leurs activités aux yeux du grand public ?
C'est ce que nous propose avec brio James Lovegrove dans ses Dossiers Cthulhu et notamment dans ce second tome, "Sherlock Holmes et les monstruosités de Miskatonic". Dès le départ, il est difficile de ne pas se laisser embarquer car l'auteur joue vraiment le jeu à fond en annonçant en préface qu'il ne fait que retranscrire un manuscrit dont il aurait hérité du Dr Watson via un parent éloigné, un certain H.P. Lovecraft ... ! Bref, dès les premières lignes, l'ambiance est posée, une délicieuse angoisse s'installe et le lecteur ne peut que tomber tête la première dans ce mashup dément.
Dans ce roman, nos deux célèbres comparses sont appelés à Bedlam, asile psychiatrique londonien où est enfermé un patient mutilé qui parle le r'lyehen, la langue des Grands Anciens. Peu après, celui-ci sera enlevé par une entité surnaturelle et cela mènera Holmes et Watson sur le chemin d'horribles révélations et de monstruosités tapies dans les noirs recoins de notre planète ...
Les références aux romans de A.C. Doyle et H.P. Lovecraft sont nombreuses et savoureusement remaniées et imbriquées les unes dans les autres, créant ainsi un univers ultra riche où on se plonge avec délice, allant parfois jusqu'à oublier que Watson n'est qu'un personnage de fiction et que ces horreurs lovecraftiennes ne sont que pures inventions ! Le rythme du roman nous laisse peu de répit, notamment grâce à la deuxième partie qui fait intervenir un autre narrateur, et c'est comme ça qu'en deux jours, j'ai englouti cette histoire. Je suis épatée par cette création en hommage à ces deux grandes oeuvres littéraires, j'ai bien envie d'aller lire un Lovecraft maintenant, ou le premier tome de cette saga !
C'est ce que nous propose avec brio James Lovegrove dans ses Dossiers Cthulhu et notamment dans ce second tome, "Sherlock Holmes et les monstruosités de Miskatonic". Dès le départ, il est difficile de ne pas se laisser embarquer car l'auteur joue vraiment le jeu à fond en annonçant en préface qu'il ne fait que retranscrire un manuscrit dont il aurait hérité du Dr Watson via un parent éloigné, un certain H.P. Lovecraft ... ! Bref, dès les premières lignes, l'ambiance est posée, une délicieuse angoisse s'installe et le lecteur ne peut que tomber tête la première dans ce mashup dément.
Dans ce roman, nos deux célèbres comparses sont appelés à Bedlam, asile psychiatrique londonien où est enfermé un patient mutilé qui parle le r'lyehen, la langue des Grands Anciens. Peu après, celui-ci sera enlevé par une entité surnaturelle et cela mènera Holmes et Watson sur le chemin d'horribles révélations et de monstruosités tapies dans les noirs recoins de notre planète ...
Les références aux romans de A.C. Doyle et H.P. Lovecraft sont nombreuses et savoureusement remaniées et imbriquées les unes dans les autres, créant ainsi un univers ultra riche où on se plonge avec délice, allant parfois jusqu'à oublier que Watson n'est qu'un personnage de fiction et que ces horreurs lovecraftiennes ne sont que pures inventions ! Le rythme du roman nous laisse peu de répit, notamment grâce à la deuxième partie qui fait intervenir un autre narrateur, et c'est comme ça qu'en deux jours, j'ai englouti cette histoire. Je suis épatée par cette création en hommage à ces deux grandes oeuvres littéraires, j'ai bien envie d'aller lire un Lovecraft maintenant, ou le premier tome de cette saga !
April 15, 2022
The second volume of James Lovegrove’s Sherlock Holmes series does not achieve the heights of the first. The biggest problem with the book is that it is really two books in one with seventeen chapters being devoted to the journal of one of the people Holmes is investigating. In other words, Holmes and Watson disappear for nearly half the book as Lovegrove traces the adventures with things man was not meant to know of a party they are interested in. Frankly, it was a very poor way to give the reader the information in that journal and for most of those seventeen chapters I lost all interest in the story.
The story, of course, is that Sherlock Holmes is trying to track down some evil supernatural activity in the region of London. The investigation is pretty much what you would expect, until interrupted by the journal. There are two great surprises at the end of the novel—one of which the journal is important to uncovering—and those surprises made me glad I read the story, but I still regret the long diversion into the journal.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
The story, of course, is that Sherlock Holmes is trying to track down some evil supernatural activity in the region of London. The investigation is pretty much what you would expect, until interrupted by the journal. There are two great surprises at the end of the novel—one of which the journal is important to uncovering—and those surprises made me glad I read the story, but I still regret the long diversion into the journal.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
November 8, 2023
Mixing Cthulhu with Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson, who could ask for more? This is the second volume in the trilogy of the Cthulhu Casebook & I enjoyed it again immensely.
February 12, 2019
Another gripping tale that I had trouble putting down. I cannot wait to read the concluding story!
October 22, 2018
A marvelous pastiche of H.P. Lovecraft and Arthur Conan Doyle, with a touch of Joseph Conrad to boot! The writing was period-picture perfect, and the story was exciting and satisfying. The second book in a trilogy, I am certain to read Parts 1 and 3. Great fun.
January 1, 2018
Book 2 in the Cthulhu Casebooks.
What do you get when you take an Elder God, a madman, Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson? A fabulous Sherlock Holmes tale with a supernatural twist.
Looking forward to the next.
What do you get when you take an Elder God, a madman, Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson? A fabulous Sherlock Holmes tale with a supernatural twist.
Looking forward to the next.
April 24, 2019
I have definitely decided that James Lovegrove is a good writer... as he says himself in the prologue, anyone trying to mimic two different classics in the same book is either very bold or very foolhardy.
While he does pull it off, this one is far more Lovecraft than Doyle, so it didn't engage me nearly as much... perhaps once I get around to reading Lovecraft I'll appreciate it more.
I also kinda hated the ending. He fell into the fan fiction trap, and while it was a surprise, it wasn't a welcome one.
I'm not sure if I'll read the final installment or not... he already has fast forwarded through the Doyle catalog, so the last book is likely to be more yet another version of 'the last Sherlock Holmes story' that every pastiche writer seems to love.. we'll see.
While he does pull it off, this one is far more Lovecraft than Doyle, so it didn't engage me nearly as much... perhaps once I get around to reading Lovecraft I'll appreciate it more.
I also kinda hated the ending. He fell into the fan fiction trap, and while it was a surprise, it wasn't a welcome one.
I'm not sure if I'll read the final installment or not... he already has fast forwarded through the Doyle catalog, so the last book is likely to be more yet another version of 'the last Sherlock Holmes story' that every pastiche writer seems to love.. we'll see.
December 7, 2020
Ever wonder what a mashup of Finding Bigfoot, Frankenstein, and Gotham’s Arkham Asylum would look like?
// Big Ideas
- A Story-Within-a-Story Structure
- Strong Racial Themes / Who are the True Monsters?
- The Odd Middle Child
// Synopsis
Fifteen years following the incident of the Shadwell Shadows, Holmes and Watson are summoned to the Bedlam lunatic asylum. Can they unravel the secrets enshrouding the asylum’s newest inmate before the truth claims their lives?
Horrible scars cover his face, he’s missing his arm, and his memory is gone. Through deduction, Holmes learns the man is an ex-student of Miskatonic University in Arkham, Massachusetts, and a member of a mysterious failed journey along the Miskatonic river to capture a shoggoth. How, then, did this brilliant American scientist end up In Bedlam with half a face and even less of a mind?
Holmes and Watson must unravel this doomed individual’s secrets if they hope to save themselves and the world from the demons of the past.
// Review
From the bowels of Shadwell, this story jumps right into the action fifteen years later with one of my new favorite opening lines:
Following the style of The Sign of the Four and The Valley of Fear, this odd sequel follows Holmes and Watson before delving into a narrative for most of the second half of the book. If a story is only as good as its villain, this form enables the villain to flourish!
While the monsters are terrifying, there are some monstrous, racist clucks in this book. To steal a line from the next book in the series, "Behold," said Sherlock Holmes. "The monster is a man." If a guy is black, he’s less than second class. If he’s Native Americans, he’s savage.
The book treats this as products of the time, but the fate of each bigot shows a more modern narrative where karma can be a bitch. A prominent Native American character’s clap back was the most “savage” thing we saw from the Native American’s in this book:
Like its first installment, this book dives deep into the alternative storyline, starting with a true account of The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans, a story also covered in BBC’s Sherlock. From there, it dwells long over previous cases and even covers Watson’s marriage to Mary, giving it a sinister twist. It’s a lot of telling, which can be excused through the time jump, but didn’t amount to the best reading experience.
Still ~ this one was weird, a total middle child, and more enjoyable for it! It truly packs an exciting punch and meaningfully expands the story introduced in the first book while setting up the final conflict.
// Big Ideas
- A Story-Within-a-Story Structure
- Strong Racial Themes / Who are the True Monsters?
- The Odd Middle Child
// Synopsis
Fifteen years following the incident of the Shadwell Shadows, Holmes and Watson are summoned to the Bedlam lunatic asylum. Can they unravel the secrets enshrouding the asylum’s newest inmate before the truth claims their lives?
Horrible scars cover his face, he’s missing his arm, and his memory is gone. Through deduction, Holmes learns the man is an ex-student of Miskatonic University in Arkham, Massachusetts, and a member of a mysterious failed journey along the Miskatonic river to capture a shoggoth. How, then, did this brilliant American scientist end up In Bedlam with half a face and even less of a mind?
Holmes and Watson must unravel this doomed individual’s secrets if they hope to save themselves and the world from the demons of the past.
// Review
From the bowels of Shadwell, this story jumps right into the action fifteen years later with one of my new favorite opening lines:
"It was early one morning in the spring of 1895, and Sherlock Holmes and I were, as usual, running for our lives."
Following the style of The Sign of the Four and The Valley of Fear, this odd sequel follows Holmes and Watson before delving into a narrative for most of the second half of the book. If a story is only as good as its villain, this form enables the villain to flourish!
While the monsters are terrifying, there are some monstrous, racist clucks in this book. To steal a line from the next book in the series, "Behold," said Sherlock Holmes. "The monster is a man." If a guy is black, he’s less than second class. If he’s Native Americans, he’s savage.
The book treats this as products of the time, but the fate of each bigot shows a more modern narrative where karma can be a bitch. A prominent Native American character’s clap back was the most “savage” thing we saw from the Native American’s in this book:
"Would that white men could be confined to reservations, as we Indians are, so that they may stay where they are safe and can bring harm neither to themselves nor to others."
Like its first installment, this book dives deep into the alternative storyline, starting with a true account of The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans, a story also covered in BBC’s Sherlock. From there, it dwells long over previous cases and even covers Watson’s marriage to Mary, giving it a sinister twist. It’s a lot of telling, which can be excused through the time jump, but didn’t amount to the best reading experience.
Still ~ this one was weird, a total middle child, and more enjoyable for it! It truly packs an exciting punch and meaningfully expands the story introduced in the first book while setting up the final conflict.
January 16, 2025
In the second volume of author James Lovegrove’s trilogy The Cthulhu Casebooks, he once again combines the characters from the classic author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle with creatures and situations from another classic author, H.P. Lovecraft.
The second book opens approximately fifteen years after the conclusion of the events of the first, as the author shares a somewhat edited manuscript he supposedly inherited from Lovecraft himself, which was written by the real Dr. John Watson. As before, the text is told in one continuous linear story line, and bears only passing resemblance to Watson’s “fictional” published stories, which are supposedly both a source of income for Watson and Holmes and a sanitized outlet for Watson to share the horrific events the duo have endured.
In “reality,” the “true” events Watson and Holmes have participated in and resolved are much more terrifying than dealing with thieves, murderers and forgers. They are the main champions in a very small selective group of men who are aware that the Old Gods and Gods from Outer Realms are alive, present, and capable of enacting and reacting to events and beings on Earth. They remain dedicated to not only thwarting and containing this evil, but protecting the world at large from knowledge and panic over its existence.
The first and third parts of this narration are the usual for Holmes and Watson; an event causes a spark of concern, an investigation that leads into danger, a clue appearing at an opportune moment, and a confrontation that may become deadly.
The second part of the story is actually a journal read aloud by the heroes that was written by Zachariah Conroy, depicting his own encounters with the arcane through a fellow student and colleague, Nathaniel Whateley, at the fictional Miskatonic University, an Ivy League school in Massachusetts. Whateley possesses a copy of the same book that Holmes has fiercely guarded, that allows him to conjure and control various creatures of the supernatural order. Unfortunately, Whateley does not possess Holmes’ strength of will and moral constitution, and Conroy is too involved in his experiments to understand the true nature of the beast they will release, until it consumes him.
In the end, we see a return of a supposedly dead body-jumping nemesis, as two lives are forever destroyed, and a great threat upon humanity is held back, but for how long?
This novel, as with the first, is faithful to the characterizations of Holmes and Watson while placing them into situations Doyle never envisioned, and at the same time contains enough Lovecraftian horror to satisfy die hard fans of that genre. Overall a well done and engaging story, that I give four stars. I will definitely check out the third volume of The Cthulhu Casebooks in the future, and perhaps some of James Lovegrove’s other Sherlock Holmes stories.
The second book opens approximately fifteen years after the conclusion of the events of the first, as the author shares a somewhat edited manuscript he supposedly inherited from Lovecraft himself, which was written by the real Dr. John Watson. As before, the text is told in one continuous linear story line, and bears only passing resemblance to Watson’s “fictional” published stories, which are supposedly both a source of income for Watson and Holmes and a sanitized outlet for Watson to share the horrific events the duo have endured.
In “reality,” the “true” events Watson and Holmes have participated in and resolved are much more terrifying than dealing with thieves, murderers and forgers. They are the main champions in a very small selective group of men who are aware that the Old Gods and Gods from Outer Realms are alive, present, and capable of enacting and reacting to events and beings on Earth. They remain dedicated to not only thwarting and containing this evil, but protecting the world at large from knowledge and panic over its existence.
The first and third parts of this narration are the usual for Holmes and Watson; an event causes a spark of concern, an investigation that leads into danger, a clue appearing at an opportune moment, and a confrontation that may become deadly.
The second part of the story is actually a journal read aloud by the heroes that was written by Zachariah Conroy, depicting his own encounters with the arcane through a fellow student and colleague, Nathaniel Whateley, at the fictional Miskatonic University, an Ivy League school in Massachusetts. Whateley possesses a copy of the same book that Holmes has fiercely guarded, that allows him to conjure and control various creatures of the supernatural order. Unfortunately, Whateley does not possess Holmes’ strength of will and moral constitution, and Conroy is too involved in his experiments to understand the true nature of the beast they will release, until it consumes him.
In the end, we see a return of a supposedly dead body-jumping nemesis, as two lives are forever destroyed, and a great threat upon humanity is held back, but for how long?
This novel, as with the first, is faithful to the characterizations of Holmes and Watson while placing them into situations Doyle never envisioned, and at the same time contains enough Lovecraftian horror to satisfy die hard fans of that genre. Overall a well done and engaging story, that I give four stars. I will definitely check out the third volume of The Cthulhu Casebooks in the future, and perhaps some of James Lovegrove’s other Sherlock Holmes stories.
November 16, 2018
I am glad I persevered beyond the first 1oo pages or so. If I had not, I might have missed a rather fine story in the Cthulhu mythological tradition. This is the second of a trilogy but I am taking it as a work in itself for this review.
Lovegrove (not, of course, to be confused with Lovecraft) is writing in a sub-sub-genre of horror - the mash up Lovecraftian tale, in this case the mash-up of the rational Sherlock Holmes stories with those of Lovecraft or rather a more Derlethian reading of Lovecraft perhaps.
The trouble is that Lovegrove loves his own joke so much and perhaps his own hard work and cleverness in intertwining the two wholly separate worlds that we, the reader, are in danger of tiring of it until Page 116 (a quarter the way through the book).
As my first boss said, 'if you try to sell two things, you sell neither'. Luckily Lovegrove summarily drops the attempt to do so and goes straight into the Cthulhu mythos through the intermediation of Baker Street irregulars who are sewer based reptilians in the lower Thames reaches.
From this point on, it is a fine and rollicking entertainment, clearly and well written with much incident and an ending, that, though it be no surprise and has all the neatness of a detective tale, still has its aspect of true horror. He is also rather good at characterisation and plotting (mostly).
This is only an entertainment. Lovegrove does not even try (thankfully) to offer us a pastiche of Lovecraft's writing with its 'eldritch' style. It is just fun as the bulk of the second half gives us a story within a story about a yoggoth hunt up the Miskatonic River by a crypto-zoological Whateley.
Lovegrove's good humour can even make a Nightgaunt appear like a pet but the pleasure comes from the seamless way he interweaves Cthulhian tropes into a story that doesn't really need a lot of Holmes in it. Don't expect great literature but do expect well written fun.
June 29, 2025
Sure, yeah, I guess it is what the name and the summary suggests it to be. And it was amusing enough. But I couldn't help but be a little disappointed with the book.
I liked the atmosphere and the vibe of this story a lot. I can tell that the book was written with love and passion for Sherlock Holmes. The characters were interesting and compelling, but it is just a bit... lame (I couldn't think of another word), in my opinion, to have such a big plot twist in the end that low-key makes no sense at all. It certainly is a compelling concept to have someone ascend to "godhood" by consuming another god from the inside out, but really? Here? Now? Like this?
To me, it's just a bit besides the point of lovecraftian horror to have man ascend to godhood (and have it so logically explained) and deal with it in such a banal way. Besides... I feel like Watson and Holmes don't even react to all of this information at all! Watson keeps writing that they were never the "heroes" that he wrote in the (canon) books he published. That the truth is "way more terrible" than he made everyone believe. But at the end of the day, they just do the same "hero" stuff that he said they didn't do.
I also thought it was a very interesting choice to have one-third of the book be the full and complete journal of a character that gets killed off two chapters after he explained everything he did and why in a monologue.
I read all of that for what exactly?
I guess they had to do it, so the title made sense because besides that journal entry, there was no "miskatonic" to the "monstrosity."
I'm still going to read the next book, keeping faith that it all leads up to something cool, but I'm not getting my hopes up anymore.
I liked the atmosphere and the vibe of this story a lot. I can tell that the book was written with love and passion for Sherlock Holmes. The characters were interesting and compelling, but it is just a bit... lame (I couldn't think of another word), in my opinion, to have such a big plot twist in the end that low-key makes no sense at all. It certainly is a compelling concept to have someone ascend to "godhood" by consuming another god from the inside out, but really? Here? Now? Like this?
To me, it's just a bit besides the point of lovecraftian horror to have man ascend to godhood (and have it so logically explained) and deal with it in such a banal way. Besides... I feel like Watson and Holmes don't even react to all of this information at all! Watson keeps writing that they were never the "heroes" that he wrote in the (canon) books he published. That the truth is "way more terrible" than he made everyone believe. But at the end of the day, they just do the same "hero" stuff that he said they didn't do.
I also thought it was a very interesting choice to have one-third of the book be the full and complete journal of a character that gets killed off two chapters after he explained everything he did and why in a monologue.
I read all of that for what exactly?
I guess they had to do it, so the title made sense because besides that journal entry, there was no "miskatonic" to the "monstrosity."
I'm still going to read the next book, keeping faith that it all leads up to something cool, but I'm not getting my hopes up anymore.
January 29, 2018
This, the second book in the Cthulhu Casebooks trilogy is set 15 years after the first The Shadwell Shadows and once again merges Arthur Conan-Doyle's fictional detective into the fantasy-horror world of Howard Phillips Lovecraft. Yet again, I have to admire the way Lovegrove almost seamlessly manages to combine the two genres. In this book, he also cleverly includes elements from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness.
Like a few books in the original Holmes canon ( most notably, The Sign Of Four and Valley Of Fear - both alluded to here), this one contains a narrative within a narrative. The central story recounts an expedition by a couple of anatomy students up the Miskatonic River in Massachusetts. The outer story concludes with a thrilling climax on the desolate Rainham Marshes in Essex to the east on London.
There are a couple of pointers in the final chapter about what the general theme of the third and final book in the series will be. I'm certainly looking forward to reading that in the future.
Like a few books in the original Holmes canon ( most notably, The Sign Of Four and Valley Of Fear - both alluded to here), this one contains a narrative within a narrative. The central story recounts an expedition by a couple of anatomy students up the Miskatonic River in Massachusetts. The outer story concludes with a thrilling climax on the desolate Rainham Marshes in Essex to the east on London.
There are a couple of pointers in the final chapter about what the general theme of the third and final book in the series will be. I'm certainly looking forward to reading that in the future.
March 1, 2020
If you are recruited for a "scientific" expedition up the Miskatonic River to find a Shoggoth, bring a Slayer. Also, if the recruiter encourages you to keep researching Intercranial Cognition Transference on board and speculates about situations that human trials might present themselves you PROBABLY should just take a flamethrower to your notes.
It didn't sparkle as much as the first one. I found myself vexed at the idea that Mycroft Holmes would not have arranged things so that the people defending the world from known Lovecraftian Horrors wouldn't have a modest stipend from Her Majesty to support their work. And the idea that breaks faith with the text in a way that took me right out of the story.
But the pages turned and it was a great bus book.
It didn't sparkle as much as the first one. I found myself vexed at the idea that Mycroft Holmes would not have arranged things so that the people defending the world from known Lovecraftian Horrors wouldn't have a modest stipend from Her Majesty to support their work. And the idea that breaks faith with the text in a way that took me right out of the story.
But the pages turned and it was a great bus book.
December 7, 2021
I may have enjoyed this more if I had put more space between it and the first one in the series. However, in any event, I did not enjoy it as much as the first, and I think I have some reasonable reasons why. There is a journal of a different author (not Watson) embedded within the middle of the Sherlock and Watson tale. So the Sherlock storyline serves as bookends. In the previous Cthulhu casebook, the Holmes story was more interwoven into the Lovecraft materials. Reading the journal narrative of mad experiments (mind transfer) and an ill-conceived journey down the Miskatonic River was not easy to endure. When the story circles back to Holmes and Watson, the wrap up is too fast paced and ultimately unsatisfying. I still might try the third book in the series, but I will not be in the hurry to do so.
November 19, 2024
James Lovegrove knows his HOLMES/LOVECRAFT lore. Holmes and Watson continue to protect London and indeed the world from the influence of The Old Ones and their worshippers. Their latest case puts them in the trail of two Americans. Zachariah Conroy and Nathaniel Hawley, both hailing from Arkham, Massachusetts...both former students of Miskatonic University. They both have dreams of scientific glory via unethical methods. Mind/Body transfer. And oh, yes, a copy of the infamous NECROMONICON is stolen from Arkham's library. But after their abject catastrophic failure on the Miskatonic River, what or WHO would bring them to England? A ripping yarn from a master story teller.
December 21, 2023
3.25 for a book that I really enjoyed 70% of the time. I listen to the audiobook and again the narrator Dennis Kleinman does a really good job bringing extra energy and emotion to the story line and really relishing the humor. Good stuff and truly it would have been a solid 4 if not for the fact that 2/3 of the way in the story gets hijacked by a “found journal “ that takes over a dozen chapters to slog through and then in a couple chapters the entire story wraps up!!!
I felt let down and hungry for a more substantial story, that I know could be there, I am hopeful for Part 3.
I felt let down and hungry for a more substantial story, that I know could be there, I am hopeful for Part 3.
April 10, 2022
A strong sequel, though not quite as fun as the first book. This book, I will say, really amped up the horror, especially in the latter half of the book. Everything to do with weirdo brain experiments truly captured the 'wrongness' of human experimentation and messing with nature. Good mad scientist shit right there. The ending was also a bit of a mind fuck I didn't see coming. Excited to read the third book and see how the series wraps up :)
September 26, 2025
Was gonna rate this 4 stars but honestly that final showdown twist entirely swayed me.
This is a funny, excellently crafted Sherlock Holmes/Lovecraft abomination. I’m quite impressed how Lovegrove managed to meld two voices into one (perhaps slightly too long) classic adventure.
The chapters dedicated to the Lovecraft style journal felt a bit tedious at times but the ending was worth it.
The mystery has some fairly obvious clues as well but as I said said before, that final twist was hilarious and inevitable in hindsight.
Who doesn’t want the lovable duo of Holmes and Watson battling eldritch beasts?
This is a funny, excellently crafted Sherlock Holmes/Lovecraft abomination. I’m quite impressed how Lovegrove managed to meld two voices into one (perhaps slightly too long) classic adventure.
The chapters dedicated to the Lovecraft style journal felt a bit tedious at times but the ending was worth it.
The mystery has some fairly obvious clues as well but as I said said before, that final twist was hilarious and inevitable in hindsight.
Who doesn’t want the lovable duo of Holmes and Watson battling eldritch beasts?
July 12, 2019
This is such a great mash up and I really want to read the last book in the trilogy. This is a must read for fans of Lovecraft and Holmes. Really good Victorian feel and lots of action and intrigue. This would make a great RPG campaign setting as well. Check it out.
October 15, 2020
Well that was a belter! After months and mon...STRANGE EONS the second one is finally in my possession and consumed with great relish.
A ripping adventure that does not let up. With a few forgivable hiccups here and there this has been a wild ride.
Highly recommended.
P.S. avoid friends and family, has this is assurdley a two dayer without LOTS of interruptions.
A ripping adventure that does not let up. With a few forgivable hiccups here and there this has been a wild ride.
Highly recommended.
P.S. avoid friends and family, has this is assurdley a two dayer without LOTS of interruptions.
July 30, 2023
Pas aussi emballée que par le précédent, mais une bonne lecture, assez divertissante. Le pastiche des oeuvres de Conan Doyle et de Loveceaft mêlés fonctionne bien, mais il m'a manqué un truc, peut-être un peu plus d'humanité dans les personnages.
June 30, 2019
The second book is just as well written as the first. A mixture of Lovecraft and Holmes, this is the best of both worlds.
February 3, 2022
CAWPILE 7.57
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