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The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes #29
The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - The Martian Menace
A new addition to the Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes series from science fiction and crime author Eric Brown. A DEADLY PLOT For the second time in human history, Martian invaders occupy planet Earth. After a common terrestrial virus thwarted the first deadly invasion, another Martian armada arrived six years later to make peace. Now, mankind enjoys unprecedented prosperity due to the aliens’ scientific wonders and technology, and an entente exists between the two races. But when Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson are called upon to investigate the death of an eminent Martian philosopher, they unravel an intricate web of betrayal and murder that leaves no one – human or Martian – beyond suspicion…
352 pages, paperback
First published February 11, 2020
12 people are currently reading
175 people want to read
About the author
Eric Brown
375 books186 followersEric Brown was a British science fiction author and Guardian critic.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
October 9, 2022
Forever Autumn when your not here. Peace the Martians return 6 years later humbled. Lies all lies as Holmes and Watson find out when they go to Mars. Here we have H. G. Wells, C. K. Chesterton, George Burnard and Shaw and Prof Changer. But also have 100s of Profs of another sort.not sort Holmes wants one Moriarty but 100!!
This complex, the Martians are like Cybermen
This complex, the Martians are like Cybermen
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 20, 2020
I love The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes series, as they are pretty close to the original Arthur Conan Doyle books. When I read the blurb I was thinking how is this going to work? I was expecting to feel a bit meh with this story, but I'm happy to say that it did work and I really enjoyed it. It's fast paced and well written with a great twist.
The relationship between Holmes and Watson was spot on.
I would definitely recommend this... Sherlock vs Aliens... What's not to like.
The relationship between Holmes and Watson was spot on.
I would definitely recommend this... Sherlock vs Aliens... What's not to like.
June 8, 2020
Ziemlich unterhaltsame Crossover aus einer klassischen "Sherlock Holmes"-Geschichte und dem Wells'schen "War of the Worlds"-Universum. Macht Spaß!
January 13, 2021
I have mentioned before that the detective story/crime fiction isn’t really my thing – nor Shelock Holmes for that matter. This however is by my friend Eric Brown who, although he has written in the crime genre, started off in the SF field and this certainly counts as Science Fiction. It is, as its title suggests, a mash-up (I was going to say curious mash-up but that is its whole point) of the work of H G Wells and Arthur Conan-Doyle. As is the way of such things we have many references throughout, starting early with the presence of Mr Herbert Wells himself - here a scientific liaison officer in the Martian Embassy to Great Britain and an aspiring writer whose output is deemed too fanciful to appeal to the public - and his love interest, Cicely Fairfield, whose writing efforts have been more successful.
This is a world where the Martians of War of the Worlds have returned, complete with their signature tripods and nightly cries of “Ulla, ulla,” and armed with antibodies to Earthly pathogens, transforming life on Earth with technological advances. This is a good brand of Martian, who came in peace, having overthrown their acquisitive predecessors. Or so they say. Some people on Earth doubt this story and there is an active political resistance to the Martian influence. Among their number are George Bernard Shaw and G K Chesterton.
Holmes, having established his credentials by solving the case of the murder of the Martian ambassador two or so years before the main plot of this tale begins - albeit by concealing the identity of the true culprit - is invited to Mars to investigate the murder of Delph-Aran-Arapna, one of the finest Martian minds of the era. Curiously no reference to this creature can be found in any of the Martian literature which Holmes has read. (The great detective has of course made himself fluent in Martian.) Our narrator, as is customary, is Dr Watson, who in an anti-Martian public meeting has made the acquaintance - or rather by design been made her acquaintance - of a Miss Freya Hamilton-Bell, a prominent member of the anti-Martian faction.
The journey to Mars having been made (also making his appearance here is a certain Professor Challenger,) Holmes and Watson are soon contacted by Miss Hamilton-Bell and told of the Martians’ plan to replace well-known or powerful men from Earth (or mostly men) with simulacra - with all the attributes, memories and brain-power of their originals’ but controllable at a distance - as a means to taking over Earth and eradicating humans entirely. Fortunately there is an underclass of Martians who were recently at war with the dominant aggressive faction who are able to help.
Unsurprisingly in a series of novels trading on the Holmes mythos, Professor Moriarty - indeed a whole series of Moriartys as the Martians have cloned his body multiple times - is a pivotal figure. More surprisingly he is less of an antagonist to Holmes than the reader might have thought.
All first-person novels (all novels, perhaps?) are an act of ventriloquism but that act is surely more difficult if the voice being simulated is not of the author’s own devising. Brown has made a good fist of the mash-up, capturing the stilted, repressed, awkwardnesses of “Watson’s” style and character, but also made it more accommodating to a modern audience. (Words like antibodies, pathogens and feisty seem unlikely for the 1910s. The agency of Miss Hamilton-Bell as active and important in the anti-Martian movement seems also to be a more modern note - but then again the book is set in the age of the suffragettes, who could be an unruly lot - though they are unmentioned.)
Holmes fans might hanker for more of the supposed deductive reasoning powers of Conan-Doyle’s hero (which are used sparingly here) but the Wells influence, the flavour of the scientific romance, is more to the fore. Brown is primarily an SF writer after all.
An enterprise like this is surely not meant to be conceived as a serious work of fiction and should not be read as such. As an entertainment, though, it succeeds admirably.
This is a world where the Martians of War of the Worlds have returned, complete with their signature tripods and nightly cries of “Ulla, ulla,” and armed with antibodies to Earthly pathogens, transforming life on Earth with technological advances. This is a good brand of Martian, who came in peace, having overthrown their acquisitive predecessors. Or so they say. Some people on Earth doubt this story and there is an active political resistance to the Martian influence. Among their number are George Bernard Shaw and G K Chesterton.
Holmes, having established his credentials by solving the case of the murder of the Martian ambassador two or so years before the main plot of this tale begins - albeit by concealing the identity of the true culprit - is invited to Mars to investigate the murder of Delph-Aran-Arapna, one of the finest Martian minds of the era. Curiously no reference to this creature can be found in any of the Martian literature which Holmes has read. (The great detective has of course made himself fluent in Martian.) Our narrator, as is customary, is Dr Watson, who in an anti-Martian public meeting has made the acquaintance - or rather by design been made her acquaintance - of a Miss Freya Hamilton-Bell, a prominent member of the anti-Martian faction.
The journey to Mars having been made (also making his appearance here is a certain Professor Challenger,) Holmes and Watson are soon contacted by Miss Hamilton-Bell and told of the Martians’ plan to replace well-known or powerful men from Earth (or mostly men) with simulacra - with all the attributes, memories and brain-power of their originals’ but controllable at a distance - as a means to taking over Earth and eradicating humans entirely. Fortunately there is an underclass of Martians who were recently at war with the dominant aggressive faction who are able to help.
Unsurprisingly in a series of novels trading on the Holmes mythos, Professor Moriarty - indeed a whole series of Moriartys as the Martians have cloned his body multiple times - is a pivotal figure. More surprisingly he is less of an antagonist to Holmes than the reader might have thought.
All first-person novels (all novels, perhaps?) are an act of ventriloquism but that act is surely more difficult if the voice being simulated is not of the author’s own devising. Brown has made a good fist of the mash-up, capturing the stilted, repressed, awkwardnesses of “Watson’s” style and character, but also made it more accommodating to a modern audience. (Words like antibodies, pathogens and feisty seem unlikely for the 1910s. The agency of Miss Hamilton-Bell as active and important in the anti-Martian movement seems also to be a more modern note - but then again the book is set in the age of the suffragettes, who could be an unruly lot - though they are unmentioned.)
Holmes fans might hanker for more of the supposed deductive reasoning powers of Conan-Doyle’s hero (which are used sparingly here) but the Wells influence, the flavour of the scientific romance, is more to the fore. Brown is primarily an SF writer after all.
An enterprise like this is surely not meant to be conceived as a serious work of fiction and should not be read as such. As an entertainment, though, it succeeds admirably.
March 18, 2022
In the last years of the nineteenth century, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and H. G. Wells launched two seemingly immortal literary creations: the great detective Sherlock Holmes and The War of the Worlds. Over the more than a century that’s followed, authors ranging from Manly Wade Wellman with his son Wade to Alan Moore and even this reviewer have brought together these two creations. So too did British author Eric Brown with his 2020 Holmes pastiche The Martian Menace, published as part of Titan Book The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes range.
It's worth mentioning that this isn't the first time Brown had explored this territory. Indeed, the first 27 pages of the novel reprint his short story The Tragic Affair of the Martian Ambassador from the 2011 Encounters of Sherlock Holmes anthology. This opening section, set in 1910, is the closest to Doyle, with the pair investigating the death, its circumstances, and coming into contact with Wells (and a young woman employed there, as well. The story is a deft piece of work, neatly combining the two with hints of steampunk while remaining indisputably a Holmes pastiche.
What follows, and takes up the remaining 300 plus pages, moves events to 1912, and it's here that Brown's narrative moves away from Doyle. Holmes and Watson receive an invite to come to the Red Planet, ostensibly to investigate the death of an esteemed Martian philosopher. The trip, and Watson's encounter with anti-Martian activist Miss Freya Hadfield-Bell, instead open their eyes to a new threat. What the Martians could not take in those last years of the nineteenth century by force, they are now taking by stealth and substitution, resisted by a faction of Martians and humans in the know. Thus, Brown combines two different strands of alien invasion fiction: the overt invasions and the insidious infiltration.
Doing so gives the novel its single biggest issue. The Martian Menace, despite at least notionally being a Holmes pastiche, doesn't feel much like a Holmesian tale. Yes, it features the characters and is narrated in the first person by Watson in the Doyle style, but beyond the opening reprint and the inclusion of a particular aspect of the canon toward the end, the novel could just as easily be a steampunk adventure novel featuring entirely different characters. While Holmes's fountain of knowledge and ability to disguise himself comes into play, there is little deduction and detection in the remaining 300 odd pages.
Instead, The Martian Menace is a thriller, one featuring Holmes and Watson in a sequel to The War of the Worlds. As such, it's a perfectly readable novel. Though it isn't perhaps as strong as it ought to have been as a result.
It's worth mentioning that this isn't the first time Brown had explored this territory. Indeed, the first 27 pages of the novel reprint his short story The Tragic Affair of the Martian Ambassador from the 2011 Encounters of Sherlock Holmes anthology. This opening section, set in 1910, is the closest to Doyle, with the pair investigating the death, its circumstances, and coming into contact with Wells (and a young woman employed there, as well. The story is a deft piece of work, neatly combining the two with hints of steampunk while remaining indisputably a Holmes pastiche.
What follows, and takes up the remaining 300 plus pages, moves events to 1912, and it's here that Brown's narrative moves away from Doyle. Holmes and Watson receive an invite to come to the Red Planet, ostensibly to investigate the death of an esteemed Martian philosopher. The trip, and Watson's encounter with anti-Martian activist Miss Freya Hadfield-Bell, instead open their eyes to a new threat. What the Martians could not take in those last years of the nineteenth century by force, they are now taking by stealth and substitution, resisted by a faction of Martians and humans in the know. Thus, Brown combines two different strands of alien invasion fiction: the overt invasions and the insidious infiltration.
Doing so gives the novel its single biggest issue. The Martian Menace, despite at least notionally being a Holmes pastiche, doesn't feel much like a Holmesian tale. Yes, it features the characters and is narrated in the first person by Watson in the Doyle style, but beyond the opening reprint and the inclusion of a particular aspect of the canon toward the end, the novel could just as easily be a steampunk adventure novel featuring entirely different characters. While Holmes's fountain of knowledge and ability to disguise himself comes into play, there is little deduction and detection in the remaining 300 odd pages.
Instead, The Martian Menace is a thriller, one featuring Holmes and Watson in a sequel to The War of the Worlds. As such, it's a perfectly readable novel. Though it isn't perhaps as strong as it ought to have been as a result.
March 16, 2020
The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes series by Titan Books is one of my favourite series of Sherlock Holmes books. The series gives readers a broad mixture of stories, some very similar to the original books and could fit in nicely with the tales written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, others, such as this one, mix things up and present weird and wonderful new versions of the Holmes universe.
The Martian Menace combines the classic detective with the science fiction classic of The War of the Worlds, by H. G. Wells. I've adored this series when it's combined Sherlock Holmes with other classic Victorian era books, such as Sherlock Holmes vs Dracula, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Holmes, and this story continues that tradition.
Set more than a decade after the events of the original War of the Worlds, readers are dropped into a world where the Martians returned following their initial defeat. This time, however, they came with the offer of friendship, explaining that the Martians involved in the initial invasion were part of an aggressive, rogue faction. With these new, benevolent Martians welcomed to Earth a new age of technological development has begun, and Humanity have started to work alongside their new allies to create a better future for themselves.
When Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson are approached by the Martian ambassador to England, Grulvax-Xena-Goran, to help investigate the strange murder of one of Mars' most eminent and respected philosophers the two of them jump at the chance. Having previously worked with the ambassador in the past, and desiring to see the red planet for themselves, they quickly find themselves whisked off world and into a much deadlier mystery than they first thought. When the two detectives discover that the new martian friends might not be so different than those in the first invasion, they get drawn into a battle for the very survival of humanity itself.
Before getting into the meat of the story, readers are given a short prologue story where Holmes and Watson investigate the murder of the current Martian ambassador, a story that features H. G. Wells himself. Whilst this was a good introduction to this new world, I was a little worried that the main story would become a similar rehash, though over a longer page count. This was especially worrying as I didn't think Holmes and Watson would be able to investigate a murder on Mars in the same way they normally would. As such, I was hugely happy when it turned out that this case was just a ruse, hiding a much bigger and grander story beneath.
Holmes and Watson aren't big heroes, they're not going to be on the front lines of a fight against the Martians, especially during this time period when they're older men. However, they're both incredibly intelligent and resourceful people, who have ruined far too many evil plans in the past for the Martians to just ignore them completely. This means that we get to see the heroic uprising story told from a point of view of someone other than the leader, or the front-line hero. They dip in and out of the greater story, working in the shadows on small details that ultimately make a big difference to the overall survival of humanity. The two of them just wouldn't work as figureheads leading the charge, and Eric Brown knows this, using them in a much cleverer way instead.
The story draws upon some of the history of Holmes too, with some surprise characters appearing during the narrative. It also throws in some real world figures for the two heroes to interact with, such as George Bernard Shaw and G. K. Chesterton. Brown even throws in another Arthur Conan Doyle hero, Professor Challenger, much to my immediate delight. The book is filled with literary and historical nods that it'll keep any fan of the Victorian era smiling.
The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Martian Menace is a great example of why this series is not just full of great books, but some of the best Sherlock Holmes books around. It manages to seamlessly put the iconic duo into this wonderful sci-fi setting without it feeling weird or out of place, in a story that's a worthy follow up to the classic tale. An absolute pleasure to read from start to finish.
Read more book reviews at www.trans--scribe.blogspot.com``
The Martian Menace combines the classic detective with the science fiction classic of The War of the Worlds, by H. G. Wells. I've adored this series when it's combined Sherlock Holmes with other classic Victorian era books, such as Sherlock Holmes vs Dracula, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Holmes, and this story continues that tradition.
Set more than a decade after the events of the original War of the Worlds, readers are dropped into a world where the Martians returned following their initial defeat. This time, however, they came with the offer of friendship, explaining that the Martians involved in the initial invasion were part of an aggressive, rogue faction. With these new, benevolent Martians welcomed to Earth a new age of technological development has begun, and Humanity have started to work alongside their new allies to create a better future for themselves.
When Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson are approached by the Martian ambassador to England, Grulvax-Xena-Goran, to help investigate the strange murder of one of Mars' most eminent and respected philosophers the two of them jump at the chance. Having previously worked with the ambassador in the past, and desiring to see the red planet for themselves, they quickly find themselves whisked off world and into a much deadlier mystery than they first thought. When the two detectives discover that the new martian friends might not be so different than those in the first invasion, they get drawn into a battle for the very survival of humanity itself.
Before getting into the meat of the story, readers are given a short prologue story where Holmes and Watson investigate the murder of the current Martian ambassador, a story that features H. G. Wells himself. Whilst this was a good introduction to this new world, I was a little worried that the main story would become a similar rehash, though over a longer page count. This was especially worrying as I didn't think Holmes and Watson would be able to investigate a murder on Mars in the same way they normally would. As such, I was hugely happy when it turned out that this case was just a ruse, hiding a much bigger and grander story beneath.
Holmes and Watson aren't big heroes, they're not going to be on the front lines of a fight against the Martians, especially during this time period when they're older men. However, they're both incredibly intelligent and resourceful people, who have ruined far too many evil plans in the past for the Martians to just ignore them completely. This means that we get to see the heroic uprising story told from a point of view of someone other than the leader, or the front-line hero. They dip in and out of the greater story, working in the shadows on small details that ultimately make a big difference to the overall survival of humanity. The two of them just wouldn't work as figureheads leading the charge, and Eric Brown knows this, using them in a much cleverer way instead.
The story draws upon some of the history of Holmes too, with some surprise characters appearing during the narrative. It also throws in some real world figures for the two heroes to interact with, such as George Bernard Shaw and G. K. Chesterton. Brown even throws in another Arthur Conan Doyle hero, Professor Challenger, much to my immediate delight. The book is filled with literary and historical nods that it'll keep any fan of the Victorian era smiling.
The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Martian Menace is a great example of why this series is not just full of great books, but some of the best Sherlock Holmes books around. It manages to seamlessly put the iconic duo into this wonderful sci-fi setting without it feeling weird or out of place, in a story that's a worthy follow up to the classic tale. An absolute pleasure to read from start to finish.
Read more book reviews at www.trans--scribe.blogspot.com``
April 7, 2023
This is a fun Sherlock/War of the Worlds crossover, and I really enjoyed it. It's a couple decades after the first failed invasion, and supposedly the Martians are trying to make up for their ill-advised attack. The truth, though, is they are still at it (which is kind of a spoiler except that it's in the title) and they want to remove Sherlock (older here) from the picture. It's silly, of course; the science fiction part, with a thriving civilization on Mars, is impossible, as we know, but the story still works, IMO.
Watson and Sherlock are still the men we know, and so this is still sufficiently plausible in their world to make the plot hold together. We get only a couple new minor characters and a couple call-backs from vintage stories, but it's enough, with the action plot, to make it a fun read. In fact, I almost gave it all 5 stars (which for me means "enjoyed reading," not necessarily "our grandchildren will read this book"), except there are a couple slower parts that dragged it down just a bit. Overall, though, it's clever and entertaining, and the conclusion is satisfying. I would definitely look for other books penned by this author.
I wouldn't recommend this for Sherlock readers who prefer traditional stories, as they'd likely find it too silly to enjoy. Honestly, they're not likely to read past the title anyway. But Sherlock readers who are intrigued by the premise and enjoy pulp fiction would probably find a lot to like here.
Watson and Sherlock are still the men we know, and so this is still sufficiently plausible in their world to make the plot hold together. We get only a couple new minor characters and a couple call-backs from vintage stories, but it's enough, with the action plot, to make it a fun read. In fact, I almost gave it all 5 stars (which for me means "enjoyed reading," not necessarily "our grandchildren will read this book"), except there are a couple slower parts that dragged it down just a bit. Overall, though, it's clever and entertaining, and the conclusion is satisfying. I would definitely look for other books penned by this author.
I wouldn't recommend this for Sherlock readers who prefer traditional stories, as they'd likely find it too silly to enjoy. Honestly, they're not likely to read past the title anyway. But Sherlock readers who are intrigued by the premise and enjoy pulp fiction would probably find a lot to like here.
April 4, 2020
While I am a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes - both the original Arthur Conan Doyle cannon and the modern pastiches written by countless others - I certainly am NOT a fan of sci-fi. So I debated even getting this entry in Titan Publishing's "The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" series.
But I've read every other book in the series. So I broke down and read this one.
The story takes place in 1910 and 1912 London...and on Mars (eye roll). But as long as I ignored the impossibility of the overall plot and locations, I was able to enjoy large sections of the novel. And the ending, which involves Holmes' arch-enemy Professor James Moriarty, was both surprising and interesting.
Overall, I'm glad I read it. But it's definitely not a book I'd ever read again. Do I recommend it? Yes, with the following qualifications: 1) if you're a Holmes' purist like me, you might want to skip it, but 2) if you love Holmes AND sci-fi, you may really love it.
But I've read every other book in the series. So I broke down and read this one.
The story takes place in 1910 and 1912 London...and on Mars (eye roll). But as long as I ignored the impossibility of the overall plot and locations, I was able to enjoy large sections of the novel. And the ending, which involves Holmes' arch-enemy Professor James Moriarty, was both surprising and interesting.
Overall, I'm glad I read it. But it's definitely not a book I'd ever read again. Do I recommend it? Yes, with the following qualifications: 1) if you're a Holmes' purist like me, you might want to skip it, but 2) if you love Holmes AND sci-fi, you may really love it.
June 6, 2025
The set up and the world building are interesting. If looked at granularly, the writing is fine. But Holmes doesn't really get to do any Holmesing, and that kills the book right there. This isn't a mystery, but a pulp adventure. It's not a pulp adventure in which our erstwhile heroes have any driving agency. For the most part things happen to them. I believe this book was conceived on the back of the the cool thing that happens to Moriarty. That cool thing does not carry the book, I'm sorry to say.
March 18, 2020
Never before have I read such a simple book with such intense vocabulary. I mean, this was pretty horrible. In saying that.. I did finish it so I guess it wasn't all that bad.
This was a random read of a book just released at my library so I guess I deserved to not be thoroughly entertained.
Holmes + Science Fiction was something I just couldn't resist.
This was a random read of a book just released at my library so I guess I deserved to not be thoroughly entertained.
Holmes + Science Fiction was something I just couldn't resist.
December 25, 2022
Follows, and stays true to Sherlock to a T. I do wish it had broken a few more doors, would have been fun to see more Sherlock and Watson on Mars in an alien environment and more outside their comfort zones but ultimately quite enjoyable!😁
May 6, 2020
Pulled off a great plot w Martians - believable for the time!
June 22, 2021
This was one of the stranger books I've read and I enjoyed it.
May 5, 2022
Well I will not spoil the roller coaster of a read. However the old saying the enemy of enemy is my friend holds ever so true in this story
January 24, 2023
More Wells than Doyle.
March 28, 2025
Titles says it all. Not bad.
February 28, 2020
Brown manages to recreate the flavour of Holmes and Watson particularly in their exhanges. He is quite playful with the characters, the plot (which moves apace) and the Martians.
April 26, 2023
I loved the old Sherlock Holmes/War Of The Worlds crossover book by Manly Wade Wellman so I was looking forward to this one but I thought it was kind of a dud. This tries to act as a sequel to War Of The Worlds but does a pretty lame job of that while also not being a very good Holmes story either. Like most follow-ups to War Of The Worlds I've read it's more obsessed with being an alternate history using alien technology to create a steampunk Victorian era than telling a good story. And like I said it's not much of a Holmes story either with him acting more as spy and adventure hero than detective. Just read the Wellman book, it puts Holmes on the ground during the Martian invasion and is much more entertaining than this garbage of humans wearing Martian disguises and robot versions of Holmes/Watson. Might sound like a good/dumb fun time of a book but it takes itself to seriously to even pull that off. I've read WAY worse War Of The Worlds tie-in books though so I gave it 2 stars instead of 1 for being superior to the likes of Stephen Baxter's "Massacre Of Mankind" or Kevin J. Anderson's "The Martian War".
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews