The Finality Problem

Warlock Holmes #5

by G.S. Denning

Warlock Holmes is dealing with a jerk, who just so happens to be a stockbroker. There may be a link. He's also trying to hunt down some tokens to control something magical (it's all rather complicated), and Moriarty just won't stop taking over people's bodies. And of course Dr. John Watson is by his side (mostly), but not quite as useful as he once was...

Genres: Fantasy, Mystery, Audiobook, Humor, Paranormal, Horror, Fiction

432 pages, Paperback

First published May 19, 2020

About the author

Gabriel Denning was born and raised in Seattle. He has published articles for the popular games company Wizards of the Coast, worked as a editor, written a video-game script for Nintendo, and scripted and performed shows at the Epcot Center, Walt Disney World. He now lives in Las Vegas with his family.

Reviews

[K.J. Charles]

The next installment (don't start here) in this entirely bonkers alt-Holmes where Watson is the brains, Holmes is an idiot / incredibly powerful sorceror, and everything is a parody. It's good fun and it's also the first fiction I've managed to read in over a month, and I glommed it with huge enjoyment. I think I needed the absurdity.

[Mogsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2020/12/06/...

Until I read this, I didn’t realize how much I needed the laugh. Also considering The Finality Problem is the fifth book in the Warlock Holmes series, I was pleased to find this was one of the funniest and most entertaining installments yet!

Picking up from the end of the previous book, The Finality Problem begins with an agitated John Watson feeling quite lost and cast adrift following his ban from 221B Baker Street, which Warlock Holmes had enacted for his partner’s own safety. Furthermore, the wizard had taken an extra step and soul-bound Watson to a wealthy wife he cannot stand, in the hopes that his new domestic duties would keep him out of trouble, but that plan soon proved to be unsuccessful. Now that his eyes have been opened to the magical world, nothing can keep Watson from seeking out his own supernatural cases to solve. After all, in this humorous retelling by G.S. Denning, it is Watson who is the real brains behind the operation while Holmes is a dopey but well-meaning demonologist detective who often stumbles into his successes by accident.

Still, what is Holmes without Watson, and Watson without Holmes? The two of them need each other, and despite his partner’s insistence on keeping him away, Watson is determined to prove to he is not afraid of a bit of danger. No sooner had the duo reunited for their next adventure, however, than that conviction is about to be tested. As always, the shadow of Moriarty looms over our characters, which may or may not have something to do with the unleashing of a great terrible evil, heralding the coming of a demon apocalypse.

Once again, it was a joy to return to this uproariously funny series which reimagines Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic characters with a unique and magical twist. Besides the first book, because nothing can beat the original, this might be my favorite one so far. I continue to delight in how Denning has remained true to the source material while still adding plenty of new and original ideas to make this world his own. The version of Holmes and Watson seen here may have a completely different dynamic, but they nonetheless share a bond that is rich and genuine, a point that still comes through despite the series’ lighter, tongue-in-cheek tones. It’s also tempting to underestimate Warlock or write him off to be a complete nitwit, but his protectiveness of Watson in this book reveals a depth of character that’s easy to miss unless you dig deeper.

I also think the fact that the storyline is so strong despite the two main characters spending so much time apart is a testament to how far this series has come. Like the other novels, The Finality Problem is written from Watson’s point-of-view and is structured in a way that ties together a sequence of mini-vignettes containing their own mystery in order to make a whole. However, there’s also an all-encompassing series arc that I believe is only working as well as it is right now because of how invested readers have been made to feel towards the characters. Both Warlock and Watson have strong motivations and individual goals that help keep the overall narrative interesting even when they are not working a case together.

Another pleasant surprise was that the humor has not subsided a single bit. More than once I found myself laughing out loud at many of the clever jokes, and it’s good to see that Denning’s wit and sense of timing has only grown sharper over time. Since the comedy and entertainment value is one of the main reasons I keep returning to this series, I’m so glad to see this aspect remain strong. It’s nice that I can always count on the hilarity of a Warlock Holmes book to brighten up my day, or to help lift me out of a reading slump.

Once again, I just can’t praise these books enough and feel as a whole that this series is severely underrated and deserves more attention. I always finish each volume wishing it didn’t have to end so soon and praying that it won’t be the last, so here’s hoping the author will continue writing more Warlock Holmes adventures.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent collection of adventures. I especially enjoyed "The adventure of the f*** men", in which Watson's delicate sensibilities are severely tested. The absurdity of this world where Watson is the brains and Holmes a bumbling idiot was just what I needed. I just hope Warlock's absence won't last as long as Sherlock's after a certain meeting with a certain person in Switzerland...

[Wiebke (1book1review) · Rating 4 out of 5]

And another fun installment in the series. Now I am caught up and not completely sure there will be a next book.

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good final book is this very different version of Sherlock Holmes and Watson. Fun entertaining read. Recommended

[Jeff Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't get enough Warlock. It was a joy to be back with the characters Denning has created. I smiled often and laughed out loud as well. I read it as slow as I could because I didn't want it to end.

[Syn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book chock full of zany adventures and the final one in the series. I was sad to see it end, it was like saying goodbye to your slightly crazy friend who lived in liminal spaces and places.

This ended on somewhat of a cliffhanger so one can hope that maybe some way or some how this series will start up again in the future. Who knows? It also said in the beginning of the book that the author would be going on hiatus, but it's been four years so who knows? This is the part where my brain whispers to me, "It took Stephen King a span of 30 years to write the Dark Tower series." So who knows, maybe Warlock Holmes will be back?

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soooooo I put off reading this one for a little while, because I've been enjoying the series so much and didn't want to get caught up. And then I read the opening and saw G.S. Denning blithely announce that he'll be pausing his series just like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle did.



I was not pleased. But it's not like I could just not find out what happened in Book 5, especially after how Book 4 ended, so I went ahead and finally read it. It was everything I've enjoyed so much about the series, although with some melancholy interjected and some truly touching moments between Holmes and Watson. It was just as bonkers as I've come to expect, full of twisted takes on the original stories and demons and humor (and sometimes humorous demons! Like the one that comes bellowing through a portal and then goes 'ohmygosh what happened'). Groggson and Lestrade are back, as is the unpleasant Mary Morstan (now Watson, thanks to some interference by Holmes at the end of the last book), and Irene Adler makes an appearance along the way. As for the demon Moriarty, do you even have to ask? But it also introduced my new favorite side character, Best Horse.
I know these books are billed as "Watson is the brains of the operation and Holmes is kinda stupid," but the way it's written is much more that Watson understands how to navigate the logical world as it exists in Victorian England and Holmes understands how to navigate several sideways illogical dimensions. In this book his affection for Watson is on full display, as he tries in his own peculiar way to protect his closest (and very human and very mortal) friend from harm. Of course, since he's using Holmes logic, his efforts probably made everything worse.
There's so much in here for fans of the original stories. There's the best take on "The Adventure of the Dancing Men" (I'm just gonna say "dancing" is replaced with another verb-ending-in-ing that almost gives Watson an aneurysm in this version and let you find out for yourself), and a few affectionate jabs at Doyle for reusing plots and for the unfortunate names of some of his characters. The thing is, if you've read the original stories, you know approximately how this one is going to end. It ends right around where you would expect, and right where you most want the next book to be coming out in a few months instead of who knows when.
Denning wrote that his hiatus would be shorter than Conan Doyle's. Here's hoping.

[Hans · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you liked the previous ones you will probably like this one, too, although the concept is arguably beginning to become a bit strained.

Also, Denning doesn't seem to be entirely sure whether he wants to go on with his spoof versions of the original stories by Arthur Conan Doyle or whether he wants to tell the larger story about the dangerous magical practioner Warlock Holmes and his equally dangerous adversaries. Thus, the jumps between the typical silliness of the previous books, especially the first ones, and the darker and more dramatic overarching plot can make The Finality Problem feel a bit uneven.

Despite those points of criticism, there is a lot to love here, whether you are fan of the series or of the original Holmes stories. The book feels a lot less weird than its direct predecessor with the Dream Journals of Doctor Watson, although there is definately a lot of weird stuff going on.

I'll admit that the overarching plot doesn't really work for me and I would have prefered it if Denning would have just continued to do his crazy hilarious versions of the original stories, but this is a fun ride nonetheless.

[Rune Clausen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strong return to form in this 5th installment in the Warlock Holmes series. Really hope there'll be more. This universe is so enjoyable.

[Redsteve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Final installment in the "Warlock Holmes" series, culminating in Denning's take on Doyle's "The Final Problem" and Holmes and Moriarty's deadly encounter at the Reichenbach Falls. Much of the stories in this book deal with Holmes' increasingly extreme attempts to get Watson out of the supernatural detective business (as kicking him out of 221B Baker Street and magically arranging his marriage to a wealthy heiress in the previous book have had limited success), and Watson's attempts to get BACK into the business. While I wasn't a fan of all of these stories (especially "The Adventure of the Stockbroker Jerk"), I did enjoy most of them and felt that the last story "The Finality Problem" did an excellent job of wrapping things up. 3 stars (a little uneven, but still enjoyable).

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Watson narrates (most of) the final adventures of Warlock Holmes as the world of man draws to an inevitable end. For Moriarty has risen in the most surprising of host bodies and Holmes is summoned at last to the Reichenbach Falls.

A smart and funny pastische of Conan Doyle's seminal works. Enjoyable for fans of the real Holmes and light fantasy. Denning must continue, as this cannot be the end.

[Cheesie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feels like a pipe dream in which I am very very confused

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pip! Pip! Pop! Derby derby

[Amy Caudill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This paranormal, comic tribute to Arthur Conan Doyle’s original characters includes a simple-minded yet incredibly powerful mage in Warlock Holmes, a John Watson that is the real deductive genius behind the duo’s adventures, and a cast of assorted supernatural sidekicks and baddies.

Picking up where the last book left off, the fifth volume of the spoof series, Warlock Holmes: The Finality Problem, finds Watson ensconced with the wife Holmes selected to be soul-bonded to him and banned from helping Holmes for his own safety. Off course, a little thing like not being able to find 221B Baker Street is not going to keep Watson out of trouble for long.

After all, Watson has become so accustomed to the supernatural world that it seeks him out in his own home; it is invited to his wife’s parties, and seeks his council. Naturally Groggson and Lestrade need Watson as well, and only Warlock’s insistence and vanishing spells can keep them away for so long.

In tribute to the original books, Watson and Holmes are reunited just in time for Holmes to make a fateful visit to Reichenbach Falls, but the book ends on a, pardon the pun, cliffhanger, as the greatest of evil spirits are released with no Warlock to stop them. (Thus Watson’s fatalistic retelling of events as if the world is about to end. He believes it to be true.)

I’ve read every book in this series so far, and I have greatly enjoyed every minute of them. As a fan of Sherlock Holmes and paranormal stories, I love the mash-up Denning has created, and am impressed with how he’s largely stayed true to the style and time of the original work, while inserting his own tweaks and complicated plots that link each story with the next and prior volumes. While there are countless imitators of Conan Doyle out there, this author has managed to put and keep an original spin on the series that adds elements of horror, humor, and potential world-altering events.

I award this book five stars and wait to see if Warlock Holmes, like his namesake, will rise again in another book.

[Charley Robson · Rating 4 out of 5]

First things first - that cliffhanger is not fair, Mr Dennings, and you have upset me mightily.

Secondly - I don't think this is the strongest of the entries, overall. Most of the book feels a little aimless, and some of the adventures are a bit lacking in the usual fun, intelligence and wackiness. Not to say they're bad - they aren't, and even the weakest aren't long enough to egregiously outstay their welcome - but they aren't quite as complex or thoughtfully underpinned as adventures in the previous books.

The titular The Finality Problem is both the exception and the absolute highlight. I just wish we'd had a bit more of that sort of brilliance present in some of the preceding material at times. But what a story it was. And what an ending.

I will sit and wait patiently through the 'great hiatus'. Or not so patiently. But I will sit. And wait. Because I really, really want to see what happens next.

[Amy Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable continuation. For most of it, Watson is trying to reinsinuate himself into Holmes' cases, with varying degrees of success. Denning continues to treat every Conan-Doyle "Mary" as the same character, to odd and hilarious result. And, of course, the world keeps unraveling due to overuse of magic, particularly by Holmes (though not exclusively).

Highly recommended, but in sequence (and when you're in the mood for madcap paranormal Holmesian nonsense, which I was not for most of 2021).

The audiobook narrator is excellent as usual, but I disagree with his choice of voice for Hall Pycroft. I didn't think it needed to be as different from Watson's voice as it was, as they are using the same vocal cords, but, then again, this is one narrator doing both voices, so I guess it's plausible? YMMV, and otherwise I quite enjoyed the narration.

[Peter Kalnin · Rating 1 out of 5]

An Attempt at a Humorous Version of Holmes - DNF

If I could give this 0.5 stars, I would. It is definitely bush league. I made it halfway through before I quit.

The story is not just absurd, which might have made it a fun romp, but it is full of historical inaccuracies: e.g. a black mariah "is put into reverse." In the horse and carriage era, this kind of anachronistic oversight is laughable. Such errors keep happening throughout and for me continually detract from what could have been an enjoyable story.

I am personally not a fan of the narrator. His stylistic reading is not for me. It belongs to a Punch-and-Judy show.

For a less-than-fastidious reader/listener this might be a fun way of telling a Holmes story, but if you are interested in historical accuracy then avoid this version of the classic detective story. This rubbish, unfortunately, is a complete waste of time.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this whole series is funny and off beat in the best way, this last (hopefully not but it's been years since we have gotten an update from the author it looks like) captures the magic of the first again. It doesn't take itself too seriously while also letting connect with the characters, and bring back the relationship between Watson and Warlock (Watlock? Warson? what are we doing here?) that honestly the last two books have been lacking. This does end on a cliff hanger (ha) technically and there is obviously suppose to be more to the story, but I kind of think this is a good ending too, if we dont ever get a book 6. Or maybe the author is doing a ACD and waiting for a few years to make the fans ravenous for a return. Either way I am happy and will absolutly be visiting this series again when I need a Holmes and Watson fix.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent installment.

Watson struggles against Holmes' arrangement to keep him out of trouble. However, mysteries still exist to be solved and the demons keep trying to take over the world. Oh, and Holmes' greatest enemy is still around.

Plus there is a cat. It does cat things.

Denning's Warlock Holmes series is part fantasy Sherlock Holmes, part send up. It's clever because of the close use of the original stories. Yet, despite its humor and parody, the characters are moving. If you have seen the Brett version of Holmes, the relationship between Warlock and Watson here mirrors that relationship. There is a level of emotion that is missing from the more recent Cumberbatch version.

[Carlos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the obvious appeal that kept me coming back through 5 volumes, there comes a time when a reader can’t help but feel that he is being strung along from one cliffhanger to another. Denning’s twist on the Holmesian stories is fun but, to my estimation, not enough to carry 5 volumes, which is why I was quite taken with the overarching arc he builds through each volume’s “season finale” story. Yet the amount this overarching story progressed in the last 2 volumes was far from satisfying and a dread starts to grow that the next volume will be equally unfulfilling. Thus, while I liked the volume it might be the last one I read in the series.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since he became the roommate of the broken-powerful wizard Warlock Holmes, the stalwart Dr. Watson has been subjected to every conceivable horror, and a good few that surpass imagination. To protect his friend, Holmes has banished him from 221B Baker Street and saddled him with a dreadful wife. Somehow, though, Watson keeps getting sucked into adventures involving demons, cultists, holes in reality, and adventuresses. Clearly stronger measures are called for, which for Holmes inevitably means more demons. Another gleeful deconstruction of the Canon, one that finally makes real progress towards that long-promised apocalypse.

[ezra · Rating 5 out of 5]

as always, this book has brought me nothing but joy. i describe this series as “silly books” (meant in the most positive way, of course) and i have yet to find anything like them. most definitely in my top 5 favourite book series of all time, and i should think that says a lot.

will forever keep recommending these books for when you need a fun, lighthearted read. please read them, i’m being so serious, no one ever takes my recommendation of these seriously :(

anyway, i was so very upset over this being the last book that i kept putting off starting it, but that ending has given me quite a bit of hope, and i very much do pray that there will be a sixth book one day, please Mr. Denning 🥹.

[Melissa Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have happily devoured every previous book in the Warlock Holmes series, and this book was no different! It is the perfect mash up of humor, Sherlock, and the occult. I hope the great hiatus isn’t too long, as I have much loved these books and look forward to the next. I would write more, but it’s very late at night after an all afternoon reading binge of this book. It is my favorite retelling of Sherlock, and I recommend it to anyone with a sense of humor. Thank you, G. S. Denning! Enjoy your well earned break.

[Lokita · Rating 4 out of 5]

The absurdity meter gets dialed to 11 when Warlock decides that Watson is in too much danger to keep around, and the shenanigans Watson gets into without Warlock's help SHOULD be proof enough that he can handle himself. But it's funny how the emotional core of these two idiots caring about each other in a world that certainly doesn't care about them drives the crazy bus all the way to the predictable, and no less depressing, conclusion. DENNING, WE NEED THE SEQUEL. YOU DO NOT GET TO DO A CONAN DOYLE.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

This installment was going to be 3 stars until the ending. I almost cried. I knew exactly what was going to happen and yet it still almost made me cry. Automatic additional star for that.

I liked this installment better than the previous one although the first 3 books of this series are still the strongest entries. Still a very enjoyable installment and I will probably reread this series from time to time because I had a lot of fun with it.

I listed to the Graphic Audio version of this novel and it was fantastic. I adore the actor who voiced Holmes. The rest of the cast was also wonderful.

[R. Andrew Lamonica · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books just crack me up. The ridiculous characters, the sly anachronistic-modern-day-culture references, the injection of silliness into the normally straight-and-proper Holmes stories. It's all just great fun. Also, the balance between individual episodes/stores and a larger plot is so much like popular television series of the 90's and 00's that I get a feeling of nostalgia just from the format.

[Jc · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fifth volume in the BEST comic pastiche series since Robert Fish’s Schlock Holmes (1970s). The combination of mock-horror and Holmesian mystery-spoof makes for some fun reads. I love finding the little in-jokes for Holmes fans, the many twists of Doyle’s story details, and the gentle stabs at his many little errors and contradictions (Watson’s Jezail bullet, anyone?). Denning has already promised us at least one more volume, and I will be in line at the bookstore the day it comes out.

[L & J Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 5th book in the Warlock Homes series doesn’t disappoint! This Holmes is a bit of a silly and blundering warlock while Dr Watson is the logical mastermind. The stories are hilarious and many of the characters from the Sherlock Holmes books are reimagined as paranormal creatures including vampires, trolls and demons. I purchased all of the audiobooks and read the 5th book and the print versions align well with the Audiobooks.

[Marfita · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just needed something to read and finished this series rather quickly. I do so enjoy the parody of the canon, and Denning not only includes over-the-top silliness, but waxes philosophical-ish at times. I now have to go back to the canon (narrated by Stephen Fry) to remind myself of what the stories were really about.