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The Watson Letters #1
Something Wicker This Way Comes
In a not quite Post-Victorian, steampunk parallel universe, Holmes and Watson continue their fight against crime.
Based on the infamous Blog of the same name, this indecorous take on the Holmes and Watson stories pitch the detecting duo into Whitechapel, the Western Isles and the Village of the Damned. Adult humour throughout.
If you love historical mysteries, buy something else instead, but if you're into fart-gags and innuendo this'll be right up your Victorian street.
Based on the infamous Blog of the same name, this indecorous take on the Holmes and Watson stories pitch the detecting duo into Whitechapel, the Western Isles and the Village of the Damned. Adult humour throughout.
If you love historical mysteries, buy something else instead, but if you're into fart-gags and innuendo this'll be right up your Victorian street.
133 pages, Paperback
Published March 7, 2016
10 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
About the author
Colin Garrow
50 books142 followersColin Garrow grew up in a former mining town in Northumberland. He has worked in a plethora of professions including taxi driver, antiques dealer, drama facilitator, theatre director and fish processor, and has occasionally masqueraded as a pirate.
He has published more than thirty books, and his short stories have appeared in several literary mags, most recently in Witcraft, and Flash Fiction North. Colin lives in a humble cottage in Northeast Scotland where he writes novels, stories, poems and the occasional song.
He plays several musical instruments and makes rather nice vegan cakes.
He has published more than thirty books, and his short stories have appeared in several literary mags, most recently in Witcraft, and Flash Fiction North. Colin lives in a humble cottage in Northeast Scotland where he writes novels, stories, poems and the occasional song.
He plays several musical instruments and makes rather nice vegan cakes.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 21, 2019
I became a big fan of Colin Garrow's The Watson Letters through his blog of the same name. I found this book to be an extremely funny take off of the solving of interesting cases by Holmes and Watson. This particular book makes references to other famous historical and literary characters like Jack the Ripper, Jane Eyre and John Wyndham's The Midwich Cookoos. While you don't have to have read these literary works or be knowledgable of these characters to enjoy this book, it certainly added to my entertainment that I did know them. I was able to appreciate the full spectrum of Garrow's clever wit.
Watson is depicted as the real hero of these adventures which he painstakingly writes down in the form of letters. Watson has a incredibly passionate love affair going on with his wife, Mary, which I thought was great fun. All in, this is a humerous and enjoyable novella.
Watson is depicted as the real hero of these adventures which he painstakingly writes down in the form of letters. Watson has a incredibly passionate love affair going on with his wife, Mary, which I thought was great fun. All in, this is a humerous and enjoyable novella.
April 22, 2019
I chanced upon Colin Garrow while on Twitter.. I’m nosy so had a look at the books he’s written..Sherlock Holmes? YES PLEASE!.
Sherlock has always been a favourite of mine, his humour dark as well as the subjects he explores.
This collection is written from Watson’s viewpoint as he chronicles the cases he and Sherlock examine. More often than not Holmes leaves Watson in the dark and this is where the adult humour really comes in. The relationship between the two was so much fun.. humorous..witty..
I really enjoyed the short sharp style diary entries which made it easy to read. It was exciting and riveting, a thoroughly enjoyable read!
It can’t be easy writing a story based on a well-known figure..how can you live up to expectations? For me Garrow got it spot on and I immediately felt at home with the tale and I loved it from the first page to the last!
Why did I choose to read this book you might wonder? Well I read a lot and sometimes I need a change of pace or an easy quick read. At under 150 pages this filled my needs for a quick read..but what I got was so much more than I could have expected and I’m so glad I took the time to enjoy this beauty of a book.
Sherlock has always been a favourite of mine, his humour dark as well as the subjects he explores.
This collection is written from Watson’s viewpoint as he chronicles the cases he and Sherlock examine. More often than not Holmes leaves Watson in the dark and this is where the adult humour really comes in. The relationship between the two was so much fun.. humorous..witty..
I really enjoyed the short sharp style diary entries which made it easy to read. It was exciting and riveting, a thoroughly enjoyable read!
It can’t be easy writing a story based on a well-known figure..how can you live up to expectations? For me Garrow got it spot on and I immediately felt at home with the tale and I loved it from the first page to the last!
Why did I choose to read this book you might wonder? Well I read a lot and sometimes I need a change of pace or an easy quick read. At under 150 pages this filled my needs for a quick read..but what I got was so much more than I could have expected and I’m so glad I took the time to enjoy this beauty of a book.
February 25, 2018
Quick witted short story
Told through a series of letters between Watson and Holmes this is a well written fun read. Lots of modern day twists with great use of other stories such as 39 Steps, Fu Manchu, Jane Eyre plus hilarious reference to The Slaughtered Lamb!! Very funny, a must read.
Told through a series of letters between Watson and Holmes this is a well written fun read. Lots of modern day twists with great use of other stories such as 39 Steps, Fu Manchu, Jane Eyre plus hilarious reference to The Slaughtered Lamb!! Very funny, a must read.
March 15, 2017
Have you ever wondered what the cases of Sherlock Holmes would be like in a steampunk alternate universe? No, can’t say I have either. But apparently Colin Garrow has and the result is a wild, entertaining romp. Recommended for more adventurous (and less traditional) fans of Sherlock Holmes.
May 13, 2017
My review of Something Wicker This Way Comes, written by Colin Garrow.
I read Something Wicker This Way Comes straight after reading the author’s Demon of Devilgate Drive, as I was in the mood for more of Colin Garrow’s work. I’m glad I did because his witty words in this madcap Sherlock Holmes spoof had me laughing like Muttley. I read it in a couple of nights as the style was easy to read, despite it being written in the language of the times, yet with incongruous, hilarious mentions throughout of modern references and people. I have always been a fan of this author’s irreverent, clever humour and, at times, his pure silliness. He has a satisfying way with the names of people and places. I particularly like the nod to one of my favourite Ray Bradbury books, Something Wicked This Way Comes. Colin Garrow can certainly tell an imaginative, cracking good yarn and I will no doubt be reading more of his books. I always enjoy reading a book where the author has obviously had fun writing it, and I’d bet good money that he has had a ball writing Something Wicker This Way Comes.
I read Something Wicker This Way Comes straight after reading the author’s Demon of Devilgate Drive, as I was in the mood for more of Colin Garrow’s work. I’m glad I did because his witty words in this madcap Sherlock Holmes spoof had me laughing like Muttley. I read it in a couple of nights as the style was easy to read, despite it being written in the language of the times, yet with incongruous, hilarious mentions throughout of modern references and people. I have always been a fan of this author’s irreverent, clever humour and, at times, his pure silliness. He has a satisfying way with the names of people and places. I particularly like the nod to one of my favourite Ray Bradbury books, Something Wicked This Way Comes. Colin Garrow can certainly tell an imaginative, cracking good yarn and I will no doubt be reading more of his books. I always enjoy reading a book where the author has obviously had fun writing it, and I’d bet good money that he has had a ball writing Something Wicker This Way Comes.
June 28, 2018
I find it impossible to disagree with or add much to any of the five star reviews Colin Garrow has received for this work.
Writing spoof of any famous historical character might seem easy, but it is not. Garrow has a talent that locks into Sherlock Holmes and particularly Watson unerringly. We see Holmes as somewhat of a self absorbed dilettante ... no that's wrong... a selfish git, and the long suffering Watson as the real hero of the story. Garrow's literary allusions are bang on the money and his writing hilariously precise. In fact, it is this precision that makes the set piece comedy so wonderful, unlike some other spoof writers who tend to go for a shotgun approach in the faint hope that something might stick.
I'm not going to pick out favourite bits, because there are so many. I would only say that I will read more of Colin Garrow's work when I feel like a good laugh and so should you if you have a developed funnybone or the least sense of the absurd!
March 21, 2021
"The Watson Letters Vol 1: Something Wicker This Way Comes" is a quirky and hilarious romp.
The book comprises correspondence between Watson and Holmes (and others), Watson's diary entries, and some delightful passages that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle could have written. It's not a narrative as such, but the tale it tells is one that reduced me to tears of helpless laughter on many occasions.
The book is loaded with more double entendres than a Carry On film. Not to mention people historical and fictional.
"Something Wicker This Way Comes" has a gorgeous weird steampunky vibe and is a truly delightful read. I will be adding the other volumes to my To Be Read list.
Highly recommended.
The book comprises correspondence between Watson and Holmes (and others), Watson's diary entries, and some delightful passages that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle could have written. It's not a narrative as such, but the tale it tells is one that reduced me to tears of helpless laughter on many occasions.
The book is loaded with more double entendres than a Carry On film. Not to mention people historical and fictional.
"Something Wicker This Way Comes" has a gorgeous weird steampunky vibe and is a truly delightful read. I will be adding the other volumes to my To Be Read list.
Highly recommended.
February 1, 2019
What an absolute joy to read! This is one of the funniest books I’ve read in ages. Holmes & Watson are busy traipsing up & down the country solving various crimes, all documented in these brilliantly funny letters, and their hilarious antics are cleverly twisted in Garrow’s genius version of events. Whilst Moriarty looms, there are more serious matters close to home such as who bakes a better doughnut & Watson’s pet hedgehog Gerald. Even after closing the last page I’m still sniggering & immediately purchased Volume 2.
October 6, 2017
Absolutely awful. Can I give zero stars? Conan Doyle will turn in his grave. Poor Holmes and Watson had to cope with so many spin offs and extra adventures, but this is surely one of the worst. I suppose it is meant to be funny but it is embarassing and painful. And there isn't even a real story.
March 21, 2018
I enjoyed this book as it was very entertaining and made me laugh.
I really enjoyed how the author used his knowledge of Sherlock Holmes and other characters from that time to produce such a funny and interesting book.
I really enjoyed how the author used his knowledge of Sherlock Holmes and other characters from that time to produce such a funny and interesting book.
August 20, 2017
OMG, I was wondering what I was reading. It is good and funny. Watson did like to brag about his sexual exploits LOL.
December 8, 2021
The adventures of Holmes and Watson continue in odd ways as depicted in Watson’s diary entries and letters to and from Holmes in Colin Garrow’s The Watson Letters (Volume 1): Something Wicker This Way Comes.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
A generally entertaining collection of loosely connected cases and adventures that Holmes and Watson become involved in, these letters and diary entries depict the most cursory and basic clues for deducing the answer to the intriguing cases that they’re embroiled in and they are filled with a sense of humor that’s quite at home with contemporary audiences. Though the synopsis and blog-based basis of this volume indicates that this version of Holmes and Watson takes place in a parallel steampunk universe, that wasn’t something that I was aware of going in to this book and with limited, if any, steampunk elements or world-building to indicate it was anything than a more traditional imagining of additional Sherlockian adventures I was pulled out of the narrative by the jarring anachronistic cultural references made, including John Wayne, Shaggy and Scooby-Doo, and Jane Eyre to name just a few; the references were clever and having a knowledge of them made it satisfying to witness how they were incorporated and played out within the tale but not having the framework firmly in place for why they exist in this manner in the first place was disconcerting.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
A generally entertaining collection of loosely connected cases and adventures that Holmes and Watson become involved in, these letters and diary entries depict the most cursory and basic clues for deducing the answer to the intriguing cases that they’re embroiled in and they are filled with a sense of humor that’s quite at home with contemporary audiences. Though the synopsis and blog-based basis of this volume indicates that this version of Holmes and Watson takes place in a parallel steampunk universe, that wasn’t something that I was aware of going in to this book and with limited, if any, steampunk elements or world-building to indicate it was anything than a more traditional imagining of additional Sherlockian adventures I was pulled out of the narrative by the jarring anachronistic cultural references made, including John Wayne, Shaggy and Scooby-Doo, and Jane Eyre to name just a few; the references were clever and having a knowledge of them made it satisfying to witness how they were incorporated and played out within the tale but not having the framework firmly in place for why they exist in this manner in the first place was disconcerting.
April 25, 2017
This is an entertaining and humorous read, which should delight fans of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.
The perfect writing 'voice' highlights the characters in such a way to bring a smile.
Nicely done.
The perfect writing 'voice' highlights the characters in such a way to bring a smile.
Nicely done.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews