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The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Titan Books #4
Sherlock Holmes a Ztracená závěť
Zbrusu nový příběh o Sherlocku Holmesovi z pera oceňovaného autora série Newbury & Hobbes.
Na dveře bytu Sherlocka Holmese a Dr. Watsona na Baker Street zaklepe mladý muž jménem Peter Maugham. Maughamův strýc nedávno zemřel po nešťastném pádu ze schodů a jeho závěť se vytratila. Maugham se proto obává, že přijde o dědictví a v brzké době se ocitne zcela bez prostředků. Sherlock, jehož případ zaujme, souhlasí, že si ho vezme na starosti.
Zatímco se Holmes a Watson noří hluboko do kalné minulosti rodiny Maughamových, dochází v Londýně k sérii vloupání tajuplných železných mužů, kteří násilím vnikají do domovů bohaté smetánky a odnášejí si jejich nejcennější majetek. Dokáže Holmes vyřešit oba případy dříve, než někdo zemře?
Na dveře bytu Sherlocka Holmese a Dr. Watsona na Baker Street zaklepe mladý muž jménem Peter Maugham. Maughamův strýc nedávno zemřel po nešťastném pádu ze schodů a jeho závěť se vytratila. Maugham se proto obává, že přijde o dědictví a v brzké době se ocitne zcela bez prostředků. Sherlock, jehož případ zaujme, souhlasí, že si ho vezme na starosti.
Zatímco se Holmes a Watson noří hluboko do kalné minulosti rodiny Maughamových, dochází v Londýně k sérii vloupání tajuplných železných mužů, kteří násilím vnikají do domovů bohaté smetánky a odnášejí si jejich nejcennější majetek. Dokáže Holmes vyřešit oba případy dříve, než někdo zemře?
200 pages, Hardcover
First published November 5, 2013
115 people are currently reading
693 people want to read
About the author
George Mann
360 books674 followersGeorge Mann is an author and editor, primarily in genre fiction. He was born in Darlington, County Durham in 1978.
A former editor of Outland, Mann is the author of The Human Abstract, and more recently The Affinity Bridge and The Osiris Ritual in his Newbury and Hobbes detective series, set in an alternate Britain, and Ghosts of Manhattan, set in the same universe some decades later.
He wrote the Time Hunter novella "The Severed Man", and co-wrote the series finale, Child of Time.
He has also written numerous short stories, plus Doctor Who and Sherlock Holmes audiobooks for Big Finish Productions. He has edited a number of anthologies including The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction, The Solaris Book of New Fantasy and a retrospective collection of Sexton Blake stories, Sexton Blake, Detective, with an introduction by Michael Moorcock.
A former editor of Outland, Mann is the author of The Human Abstract, and more recently The Affinity Bridge and The Osiris Ritual in his Newbury and Hobbes detective series, set in an alternate Britain, and Ghosts of Manhattan, set in the same universe some decades later.
He wrote the Time Hunter novella "The Severed Man", and co-wrote the series finale, Child of Time.
He has also written numerous short stories, plus Doctor Who and Sherlock Holmes audiobooks for Big Finish Productions. He has edited a number of anthologies including The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction, The Solaris Book of New Fantasy and a retrospective collection of Sexton Blake stories, Sexton Blake, Detective, with an introduction by Michael Moorcock.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
June 6, 2017
This book was far more enjoyably that I was expecting - and I do not mean that in a bad way just I have seen - and occasionally read - all sorts of Sherlock Holmes fiction, both sanctioned and not in the style of Conan Doyles original work.
Well this is part of modern series (which I have subsequently found out is being added to) by a new generation of authors of the fantastic and the strange. This book is a perfect example being both part of the Sherlock Holmes canon and part of the Newbury and Hobbes shared world.
But what of the book - well you can never really say oh its in the style of Mr Doyle but what I will say is that it has all the energy and excitement you would find in reading one of Mr Doyles stories its just in a different way.
The story itself goes at a pace and does feel as though it came from the same pulp origins as the original stories which ran in the Strand. I think the only thing that was a little strange was the twin stories which ran in it - they felt as though if not in competition with each other certainly didnt seem well fitting along side each other but I suspect that they fit in to a larger scheme which reflects the Newbury and Hobbes angle- now I will state for the record I have not read any (yet) of the Newbury and Hobbes stories but I suspect I will do but I do not feel in anyway I was hampered in this stories enjoyment - rather I think there is still more to discover - but when is there not?
Well this is part of modern series (which I have subsequently found out is being added to) by a new generation of authors of the fantastic and the strange. This book is a perfect example being both part of the Sherlock Holmes canon and part of the Newbury and Hobbes shared world.
But what of the book - well you can never really say oh its in the style of Mr Doyle but what I will say is that it has all the energy and excitement you would find in reading one of Mr Doyles stories its just in a different way.
The story itself goes at a pace and does feel as though it came from the same pulp origins as the original stories which ran in the Strand. I think the only thing that was a little strange was the twin stories which ran in it - they felt as though if not in competition with each other certainly didnt seem well fitting along side each other but I suspect that they fit in to a larger scheme which reflects the Newbury and Hobbes angle- now I will state for the record I have not read any (yet) of the Newbury and Hobbes stories but I suspect I will do but I do not feel in anyway I was hampered in this stories enjoyment - rather I think there is still more to discover - but when is there not?
April 23, 2018
There are some very enjoyable Sherlock Holmes pastiches out there but this one missed the mark for me. The author failed to summon up the atmosphere of Victorian London and the characters of both Holmes and Watson lacked the charisma of the originals. Towards the end of the story I lost count of the number of times Holmes was described as 'throwing back his head' and indulging in some form of laughter. It made me want to throw back my head and howl in irritation but I managed to restrain myself and succeeded in finishing the book in a more adult fashion!
February 23, 2015
An elderly man is found dead at the bottom of a flight of stairs and his Will is missing. Meanwhile a series of jewel robberies is taking place across London; carried out by "iron men". Scotland Yard is at its wits end. Enter Sherlock Holmes.
"The Will of the Dead" could be considered pre-steampunk as it ties into George Mann's Newbury and Hobbes series of books, with the events taking place many years prior to "The Affinity Bridge". The link between the worlds, however, is via Charles Bainbridge, who in this book is an Inspector at Scotland Yard and a friend of Lestrade's.
"The Will of the Dead" is also an excellent Sherlock Holmes pastiche. Mann has captured the friendship between Holmes and Watson perfectly.
The book is also well plotted and well written enough to satisfy even the fussiest Sherlockian.
Highly recommended.
"The Will of the Dead" could be considered pre-steampunk as it ties into George Mann's Newbury and Hobbes series of books, with the events taking place many years prior to "The Affinity Bridge". The link between the worlds, however, is via Charles Bainbridge, who in this book is an Inspector at Scotland Yard and a friend of Lestrade's.
"The Will of the Dead" is also an excellent Sherlock Holmes pastiche. Mann has captured the friendship between Holmes and Watson perfectly.
The book is also well plotted and well written enough to satisfy even the fussiest Sherlockian.
Highly recommended.
July 15, 2014
I am a huge Sherlock Holmes (more specifically a Doyle fan). I'm also very picky about my Sherlock Holmes stories. This story was actually fairly well put together but I gave it only two stars because the book's two mysteries were disjointed and didn't mesh together at all. The actual mystery of the dead man's will was typical Holmes. But the "iron men" mystery read more like a steam punk novella and was completely unlike Holmes' stories or anything remotely realistic for the Victorian London era. The "iron men" neither added to the story nor flowed with the rest of the story at all. If not for that part, I would have given the book three stars.
While Mann does write engaging stories, I didn't really feel like he captured the true essence of Holmes and Watson. He relied heavily on three or four specific words throughout the story and often used the same words repeatedly in the same paragraph, i.e.: "detritus" to describe his breakfast remnants and then later the leaves and dirt on the sidewalk- something an editor should have changed. He also made Holmes out to be a little more gleeful than his typical sombre personality. All-in-all this was much better than another neo-Holmes book called the "House of Silk" but not nearly as good as "The Italian Secretary".
While Mann does write engaging stories, I didn't really feel like he captured the true essence of Holmes and Watson. He relied heavily on three or four specific words throughout the story and often used the same words repeatedly in the same paragraph, i.e.: "detritus" to describe his breakfast remnants and then later the leaves and dirt on the sidewalk- something an editor should have changed. He also made Holmes out to be a little more gleeful than his typical sombre personality. All-in-all this was much better than another neo-Holmes book called the "House of Silk" but not nearly as good as "The Italian Secretary".
tried-to-read
July 29, 2014My new resolve, when I find myself on the fence about a new book I'm reading, is to give it fifty pages to convince me, one way or the other, if it and I are going to get along. It was thanks to this method that I continued to try the Phryne Fisher book "Unnatural Habits" even after one or two bits gave me pause; by page 50, however, I was hooked, and it's become a series I'm elated to read the rest of.
The trick's served me well with "The Will of the Dead," too -- just the other way.
I confess I didn't make it quite 50 pages -- more like 45 -- but when I realized I'd started skimming whole sections, I knew the final five or six pages wasn't going to be enough to win me back over. A steampunkified Sherlock Holmes novel that actually features "Iron Men" seems like something that was written *specifically* for me, and I was so excited to get it from the library to try. The opening chapter was properly intriguing, too; I liked the writing style, and was interested to see where the story went.
Alas, the one thing that is most important to me is characterization (perhaps particularly so in a pastiche, but it's really the driving force behind making me love any story). And the portrayal of Holmes and Watson just didn't work for me.
In this book, Holmes is *rude*. And, I mean: in the original stories, it is true that he often makes quite rude remarks, particularly to Watson or to Scotland Yard. But Sherlock Holmes is a character of contradictions, and his occasional rude remarks (which are often, it must be said, more a result of his twisted sense of humor than any outright hostility) are more than balanced by his general manner of extreme politeness, not to mention his deep compassion.
But here, we get a Holmes who leaves Watson to tidy 221-B and receive a caller while Holmes himself disappears (and Watson is not living at 221-B at the time), a Holmes who volunteers Dr. Watson to examine a body at a morgue without asking Watson's permission (and making him do it anyway after Watson expresses extreme unhappiness at the notion), a Holmes who leaps out of carriages and runs ahead without waiting for his friend to join him, a Holmes who (this is where they lost me) picks up a Scotland Yarder by the elbows to make some point about an attacker. (Why the visual aid is necessary, particularly when done without ascertaining permission from the Yarder first, is never mentioned.)
All this might be okay -- after all, I am highly amused by the onscreen antics of Miller and Downey's Holmesian interpretations -- except that the Dr. Watson of "The Will of the Dead" is no Liu or Law. _He puts up with it all_. He is the worst of all Watson portrayal cliches: slightly bumbling (but without Nigel Bruce's sweet friendliness), thoroughly exasperated and put upon (but without Freeman's occasional outbursts of frustration at Holmes's treatment of him). There is no, "You know that it is my greatest joy and privilege to help you" here, just, "I suppose I have no choice" and "sighing in exasperation" and so forth.
(ALSO: Based on my brother's tales of medical school, it is a very rare doctor indeed who would be so squeamish about doing a postmortem. I understand that forensic doctors have different jobs and lives than medical doctors, and I heard Watson's point about making a choice to work to save lives and not to deal so closely with death -- and I concede freely that there are certainly doctors who may have felt just like Watson did here about the task. But it was really hard for me to buy into, all the same. Especially as a veteran, Watson has seen far worse than what he saw at the victim's postmortem -- and since there's nothing to suggest that his reluctance came from PTSD, which I _would_ have accepted, it just fell flat.)
So, even with promises of iron men, I just couldn't. If you're a particular fan of Cumberbatch and Brett, perhaps this brusquer, gleeful Holmes will work for you. But for me, not so much.
The trick's served me well with "The Will of the Dead," too -- just the other way.
I confess I didn't make it quite 50 pages -- more like 45 -- but when I realized I'd started skimming whole sections, I knew the final five or six pages wasn't going to be enough to win me back over. A steampunkified Sherlock Holmes novel that actually features "Iron Men" seems like something that was written *specifically* for me, and I was so excited to get it from the library to try. The opening chapter was properly intriguing, too; I liked the writing style, and was interested to see where the story went.
Alas, the one thing that is most important to me is characterization (perhaps particularly so in a pastiche, but it's really the driving force behind making me love any story). And the portrayal of Holmes and Watson just didn't work for me.
In this book, Holmes is *rude*. And, I mean: in the original stories, it is true that he often makes quite rude remarks, particularly to Watson or to Scotland Yard. But Sherlock Holmes is a character of contradictions, and his occasional rude remarks (which are often, it must be said, more a result of his twisted sense of humor than any outright hostility) are more than balanced by his general manner of extreme politeness, not to mention his deep compassion.
But here, we get a Holmes who leaves Watson to tidy 221-B and receive a caller while Holmes himself disappears (and Watson is not living at 221-B at the time), a Holmes who volunteers Dr. Watson to examine a body at a morgue without asking Watson's permission (and making him do it anyway after Watson expresses extreme unhappiness at the notion), a Holmes who leaps out of carriages and runs ahead without waiting for his friend to join him, a Holmes who (this is where they lost me) picks up a Scotland Yarder by the elbows to make some point about an attacker. (Why the visual aid is necessary, particularly when done without ascertaining permission from the Yarder first, is never mentioned.)
All this might be okay -- after all, I am highly amused by the onscreen antics of Miller and Downey's Holmesian interpretations -- except that the Dr. Watson of "The Will of the Dead" is no Liu or Law. _He puts up with it all_. He is the worst of all Watson portrayal cliches: slightly bumbling (but without Nigel Bruce's sweet friendliness), thoroughly exasperated and put upon (but without Freeman's occasional outbursts of frustration at Holmes's treatment of him). There is no, "You know that it is my greatest joy and privilege to help you" here, just, "I suppose I have no choice" and "sighing in exasperation" and so forth.
(ALSO: Based on my brother's tales of medical school, it is a very rare doctor indeed who would be so squeamish about doing a postmortem. I understand that forensic doctors have different jobs and lives than medical doctors, and I heard Watson's point about making a choice to work to save lives and not to deal so closely with death -- and I concede freely that there are certainly doctors who may have felt just like Watson did here about the task. But it was really hard for me to buy into, all the same. Especially as a veteran, Watson has seen far worse than what he saw at the victim's postmortem -- and since there's nothing to suggest that his reluctance came from PTSD, which I _would_ have accepted, it just fell flat.)
So, even with promises of iron men, I just couldn't. If you're a particular fan of Cumberbatch and Brett, perhaps this brusquer, gleeful Holmes will work for you. But for me, not so much.
February 8, 2025
An enjoyable trip back into my reading youth!!
December 12, 2013
Mann is more well known (in certain niche literary circles) for his Newbury and Hobbes steampunk series, is a wonderfully talented writer who has a way with words that only British authors seem to be able to pull off.
In my mind there are two ways to write a Sherlock Holmes pastiche; you either do your best Doyle impersonation and try to write something that would be difficult to discern from something Doyle himself would have written, or you throw caution to the wind and do something completely different. I love both approaches but in the latter case I prefer it when the the characters stay true to form and it's the stories or the setting that take the brunt of the creative divergence. This is what Mann has done with The Will of the Dead.
While the true grandfather of steampunk may be Jules Verne, Doyle and Sherlock Holmes have undoubtedly been a huge influence on the genre. In fact, Mann's Newbury and Hobbes series borrows heavily from Sherlock Holmes. It contains a brilliant detective who has a tendency to use narcotics and is heavily educated in the occult. Okay, maybe that last part doesn't fit very well, but trust me, the homage to Holmes is clear.
In The Will of the Dead, Mann has undertaken a Sherlock Holmes story and while the use of steampunk is minimal, it's still present. Doyle purists will likely have already stopped reading, but I for one enjoy it when authors take poetic license with the Great Detective and bring some of their own creative flair to the story. If you're afraid the story is filled with steam powered cars, clockwork automatons, cyborgs, and zeppelins don't worry the only steampunk element are men in iron suits powered by steam.
In fact if you took the iron men out of the book it would be a fairly traditional Sherlock Holmes story. The main story is of a missing will of a wealthy uncle, the suspect circumstances of his death, his bickering niece and nephews, and a mysterious heir to the family fortune who know one knows. And then of course there are several high profile robberies carried out in broad daylight by men in iron suits.
But Mann can't resist tying in his popular steampunk series with this book by placing a younger version of the police detective from his Newbury and Hobbes stories as the police detective assigned to the case that Holmes is working on. It's a nice touch if your a fan of his other books but not distracting or obvious if you're not.
So if you're a fan of steampunk and Sherlock Holmes, this is an easy recommendation. If you enjoy creative Sherlock pastiches with a hint of sci-fi, then this I think you'll also be pleased with The Will of the Dead.
This review originally appeared on I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2013/1...
In my mind there are two ways to write a Sherlock Holmes pastiche; you either do your best Doyle impersonation and try to write something that would be difficult to discern from something Doyle himself would have written, or you throw caution to the wind and do something completely different. I love both approaches but in the latter case I prefer it when the the characters stay true to form and it's the stories or the setting that take the brunt of the creative divergence. This is what Mann has done with The Will of the Dead.
While the true grandfather of steampunk may be Jules Verne, Doyle and Sherlock Holmes have undoubtedly been a huge influence on the genre. In fact, Mann's Newbury and Hobbes series borrows heavily from Sherlock Holmes. It contains a brilliant detective who has a tendency to use narcotics and is heavily educated in the occult. Okay, maybe that last part doesn't fit very well, but trust me, the homage to Holmes is clear.
In The Will of the Dead, Mann has undertaken a Sherlock Holmes story and while the use of steampunk is minimal, it's still present. Doyle purists will likely have already stopped reading, but I for one enjoy it when authors take poetic license with the Great Detective and bring some of their own creative flair to the story. If you're afraid the story is filled with steam powered cars, clockwork automatons, cyborgs, and zeppelins don't worry the only steampunk element are men in iron suits powered by steam.
In fact if you took the iron men out of the book it would be a fairly traditional Sherlock Holmes story. The main story is of a missing will of a wealthy uncle, the suspect circumstances of his death, his bickering niece and nephews, and a mysterious heir to the family fortune who know one knows. And then of course there are several high profile robberies carried out in broad daylight by men in iron suits.
But Mann can't resist tying in his popular steampunk series with this book by placing a younger version of the police detective from his Newbury and Hobbes stories as the police detective assigned to the case that Holmes is working on. It's a nice touch if your a fan of his other books but not distracting or obvious if you're not.
So if you're a fan of steampunk and Sherlock Holmes, this is an easy recommendation. If you enjoy creative Sherlock pastiches with a hint of sci-fi, then this I think you'll also be pleased with The Will of the Dead.
This review originally appeared on I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2013/1...
June 28, 2014
In The Will of the Dead Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are called on to determine if the sudden demise of Sir Theobald Maugham, who other than being elderly was in fairly good health, was a natural one or a murderous one. It was well known that Sir Maugham had prepared a will that left his estate to be equally divided among four nieces and nephews, but the will cannot be found. What's worse, a long lost relative shows up claiming to be the deceased gentleman's rightful heir. Watson and Holmes must also figure out how to stop the mysterious mechanical steam-powered men who have been robbing people in their homes. Nothing seems to stop them, not even bullets.
The Will of the Dead is a Sherlock Holmes story but it is not by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It was written by George Mann, published by Titan Books and includes a steampunk element. Despite these changes The Will of the Dead still felt more or less like a Sherlock Holmes story. It was fun and had me guessing at who was behind the various crimes. If I could change anything it would be to up the steampunk element. The mechanical men plot line was a B story that felt like an afterthought.
I don't know much about this new series of Sherlock Holmes stories from Titan Books but I will definitely be checking more of them out.
The Will of the Dead is a Sherlock Holmes story but it is not by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It was written by George Mann, published by Titan Books and includes a steampunk element. Despite these changes The Will of the Dead still felt more or less like a Sherlock Holmes story. It was fun and had me guessing at who was behind the various crimes. If I could change anything it would be to up the steampunk element. The mechanical men plot line was a B story that felt like an afterthought.
I don't know much about this new series of Sherlock Holmes stories from Titan Books but I will definitely be checking more of them out.
December 19, 2017
Nicely written in Arthur Conan Doyle's style, this entry by George Mann does a decent job with the standard Holmes mystery, but the steampunk stuff just seems thrown in on the side. Less a mash-up than two stories allowed to coexist in the same book.
December 12, 2015
*Special Content only on my blog, Strange and Random Happenstance, during Sherlocked. (October - December 2015)
Watson has left his wife in the capable hands of her mother and has returned to 221B Baker Street. Mrs. Hudson had warned him that Sherlock was in quite a state, which often happens when he has no case to focus his mind on. Luckily for both Watson and Holmes a case is about to walk in the door. Peter Maugham has come to Sherlock Holmes because the will of his Uncle Theobold, who died after a tragic fall, has gone missing. The will has long been known to divide his substantial assets to his three nephews and his niece. Without the will the assets will go to the eldest nephew, Joseph, whose own sister fears for her two cousins and herself if this were to happen. Therefore finding the will is paramount. Though in trying to locate the will, Holmes also realizes that Theobold Maugham's death wasn't an accident, so the disappearance of the will may a have nefarious meaning. And when the son of Theobold's disinherited sister, Hans Gerber appears, he instantly becomes the chief suspect. Older than Joseph, he would inherit the vast estate, and he's making sure his relatives know that this new world order is to be accepted at all costs. Yet no one is willing to accept this change and soon things become dire as Peter Maugham is murdered! The inspector in charge from Scotland Yard, Charles Bainbridge, seems to be less useless than most police officers in Holmes's mind, but he is stretched thin, with his boss not wanting to sign off of Theobold Maugham being murdered, and with the wealthy of London being plagued by large iron men who are breaking into their houses and stealing their most precious possessions. If Holmes can wrap up the Maugham case, perhaps he'd be willing to lend Bainbridge a hand with these devilish iron men?
By now, being readers of this blog, you should have realized I'm a big fan of George Mann. His Newbury and Hobbes series is definitively what Steampunk is to me. He has helped shaped this new Victorian era for me so it seems only logical that he would eventually get around to writing a book in homage to the author and character that shaped the Victorian era in literature the first time around. I'm talking about Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes. Reading George's work you can see how he is indebted to Conan Doyle and even if the world's greatest consulting detective were to never grace the pages of his books George has a way to evoke the spirit of Sherlock Holmes with these new steam-powered adventures. This natural progression of combing these two worlds sees it's fruition in The Will of the Dead. It doesn't hurt that this book is able to be enjoyed within the context of the Newbury and Hobbes universe or as a stand-alone. Those who haven't read George's previous work won't know that Charles Bainbridge, one of the first police officers to not completely offend and exasperate Holmes, is a staple of those other adventures, because he blends so well into this new story. This is a wonderful tribute to the enduring legacy of Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle and will hopefully capture George a few readers he might otherwise not have caught, this book handily being shelved in the "mystery" section of Barnes and Noble where that certain type of reader would never bother to go the few aisles over to "science fiction and fantasy." But more than anything this book has tried to derail my well thought out reads for this month by making me want to delve back into the world of George's books. Or at the very least read Sherlock Holmes: The Spirit Box!
The Will of the Dead is an odd little book in that it's precariously balanced between straight up Sherlock Holmes adventure and Steampunk and there's a part of me that wants to tip the scales one way or the other. I get that this is a nice introduction to Steampunk for those who aren't inclined to pick up a book in this genre and lean towards the traditional gaslight mystery, but this was an opportunity to fully mesh Holmes with Steampunk and instead it came off as a dalliance. The thing is, Steampunk goes well with Holmes. It's just one of those facts of life, like peanut butter and jelly. It just is. Even Guy Richie got this when making his films with Robert Downey Jr. So it's disconcerting that instead of forming a cohesive Steampunk whole George instead creates a traditional adventure running alongside a Steampunk one. The two stories never meet and make a satisfying whole. Each story is great on it's own, but that's just it, it's on it's own. If George had wanted to do this he should have approached the book more like the traditional adventures and written them both as short stories and added in that little extra story from The Casebook of Newbury and Hobbes to complete the book. This would have worked better in my mind then some story that tries to bridge the gap and instead just seems to emphasis the gap versus closing it. But perhaps my persnickety self just had issues that despite how different the two cases were they ended up being concluded in similar manners. I should point out though that I don't think this is a fault of George's; it's a fault of Conan Doyle! Conan Doyle often had similar endings and themes, in fact I created my own shorthand to categorize the stories when reviewing them back in October and there were many stories categorized similarly. But still, wouldn't it be better to go further and better than the creator? Perhaps one day that will happen, because I don't think George is about to stop writing about Sherlock Holmes...
As for tipping the scales towards Holmes versus towards Steampunk, I think George could have easily gotten away with this. I have read A LOT of writers failing to make even the most easy of stories convincingly part of the Holmes canon. In fact, big, best selling authors who have been endorsed by the Conan Doyle estate haven't created such a compelling mystery as George does here with the death of Theobald Maugham. But what I really liked is how he wrote the mystery in a very traditional way but omitted the most tedious of Conan Doyle's habits, such as the clients retelling their plight in front of the fire at 221B Baker Street. Instead we are given little testimonial vignettes that get us inside the heads of other characters while also deepening the mystery. This is a genius idea and is one of many ways that George maintains the original feeling of the adventures while also switching it up. I particularly like how Holmes's inscrutability visibly annoys Watson and how he occasionally calls Holmes out or at least elicits the sympathy of his readers, who have also, over the years, tired of some of Holmes's shtick. And this is why it annoys me that the book could have all gone this way, because it would have so worked! As for the omissions of the Steampunk? Well, just having Bainbridge there would be the link! By then including the aforementioned short story at the end readers not familiar with Steampunk could see the way stories like Holmes's could be developed into something new. Plus, a riveting little short story at the end? I didn't expect that little bonus, and though I had read the story previously, I found myself instantly captured by the narrative once more, sitting there with Bainbridge on the edge of his seat. That's how you convert them to Steampunk! Bait them with a tantalizing story after telling them the story they were expecting in the best possible way.
I have the need here to go on a bizarre tangent; it's on the naming of characters. The naming of characters is an art. The perfect name will become enshrined on our hearts, like Harry Potter, Jane Eyre, Veronica Hobbes. These are just perfect names. They flow, they are original, they are iconic, like the name Sherlock Holmes itself. An interesting aside, but did you know he was originally named Sherrinford Hope? Now that just doesn't ring true for the world's most famous consulting detective now does it? So that shows that even the best of authors have crazy ideas every once in awhile, Sherrinford Hope, really!?! There is a subcategory to naming characters in which the name strikes a cord with us, maybe because we know someone with that name, or with a similar name. This is always disconcerting seeing that name out of context, and it's even weirder if it's your own name! But what if the character is named similar to someone famous or iconic? Apparently that's the real reason for us not knowing about the adventures of Sherrinford Hope, because Sherrinford was a famous cricketer. Hans Gerber gave me no end of annoyance in The Will of the Dead. Let me set the stage. It's a few weeks till Christmas, I'm reading a book with a German character named Hans Gerber, which EVERY TIME I read it morphs into Hans Gruber, he of Die Hard fame. Yes. Hans Gruber as played by Alan Rickman was incongruously walking around Victorian England. Of course there's a chance that this was on purpose and George put it in as a joke? Please say it's true, because otherwise, well, I have weird images in my head right now. End mini rant.
Reading SO MANY books centered around Sherlock Holmes I have started to become some sort of Sherlock Holmes purist. Well, to an extent. My basic approach is anything is fair game so long as it doesn't go against canon without explaining it. For example I just started reading The Beekeeper's Apprentice and Laurie R. King takes time out to explain why her Holmes will appear different than the canonical Holmes as set down by Watson. This is totally fine with me, I was given a reason, I was told up front not to lose my shit when something different appeared, fair play to Laurie R. King. As for Steampunk seeping to the canon, again, it's George Mann, it's to be expected, and therefore enjoyed. It's the little details that are gotten wrong that crawl under my skin. George nails everything pretty well but there is one detail that has gotten under my skin and it's driving me up the wall. So Watson married his first wife, Mary Morstan in 1889. According to George's website and the timeline of the Newbury and Hobbes universe The Will of the Dead takes place in the 1880s. It's important to know that it's the 1880s because if it was later George could be referencing Watson's second wife that we know next to nothing about. The same can't be said about Mary, as she was an integral part of The Sign of the Four and we know her history, mainly that she's an orphan. Her mother died shortly after her birth and her father, well, to say what happened to him would ruin a decent story... but the key here is she is an orphan. In other words SHE CAN NOT BE VISITING HER MOTHER! Every time Watson said that Mary was off visiting her mother I got a little nervous twitch right below my eye. Seriously, to get everything so spot on and have this one thing just there. Yes... I might be taking this too seriously, but still, Holmes wouldn't let it slid so why should I?
Watson has left his wife in the capable hands of her mother and has returned to 221B Baker Street. Mrs. Hudson had warned him that Sherlock was in quite a state, which often happens when he has no case to focus his mind on. Luckily for both Watson and Holmes a case is about to walk in the door. Peter Maugham has come to Sherlock Holmes because the will of his Uncle Theobold, who died after a tragic fall, has gone missing. The will has long been known to divide his substantial assets to his three nephews and his niece. Without the will the assets will go to the eldest nephew, Joseph, whose own sister fears for her two cousins and herself if this were to happen. Therefore finding the will is paramount. Though in trying to locate the will, Holmes also realizes that Theobold Maugham's death wasn't an accident, so the disappearance of the will may a have nefarious meaning. And when the son of Theobold's disinherited sister, Hans Gerber appears, he instantly becomes the chief suspect. Older than Joseph, he would inherit the vast estate, and he's making sure his relatives know that this new world order is to be accepted at all costs. Yet no one is willing to accept this change and soon things become dire as Peter Maugham is murdered! The inspector in charge from Scotland Yard, Charles Bainbridge, seems to be less useless than most police officers in Holmes's mind, but he is stretched thin, with his boss not wanting to sign off of Theobold Maugham being murdered, and with the wealthy of London being plagued by large iron men who are breaking into their houses and stealing their most precious possessions. If Holmes can wrap up the Maugham case, perhaps he'd be willing to lend Bainbridge a hand with these devilish iron men?
By now, being readers of this blog, you should have realized I'm a big fan of George Mann. His Newbury and Hobbes series is definitively what Steampunk is to me. He has helped shaped this new Victorian era for me so it seems only logical that he would eventually get around to writing a book in homage to the author and character that shaped the Victorian era in literature the first time around. I'm talking about Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes. Reading George's work you can see how he is indebted to Conan Doyle and even if the world's greatest consulting detective were to never grace the pages of his books George has a way to evoke the spirit of Sherlock Holmes with these new steam-powered adventures. This natural progression of combing these two worlds sees it's fruition in The Will of the Dead. It doesn't hurt that this book is able to be enjoyed within the context of the Newbury and Hobbes universe or as a stand-alone. Those who haven't read George's previous work won't know that Charles Bainbridge, one of the first police officers to not completely offend and exasperate Holmes, is a staple of those other adventures, because he blends so well into this new story. This is a wonderful tribute to the enduring legacy of Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle and will hopefully capture George a few readers he might otherwise not have caught, this book handily being shelved in the "mystery" section of Barnes and Noble where that certain type of reader would never bother to go the few aisles over to "science fiction and fantasy." But more than anything this book has tried to derail my well thought out reads for this month by making me want to delve back into the world of George's books. Or at the very least read Sherlock Holmes: The Spirit Box!
The Will of the Dead is an odd little book in that it's precariously balanced between straight up Sherlock Holmes adventure and Steampunk and there's a part of me that wants to tip the scales one way or the other. I get that this is a nice introduction to Steampunk for those who aren't inclined to pick up a book in this genre and lean towards the traditional gaslight mystery, but this was an opportunity to fully mesh Holmes with Steampunk and instead it came off as a dalliance. The thing is, Steampunk goes well with Holmes. It's just one of those facts of life, like peanut butter and jelly. It just is. Even Guy Richie got this when making his films with Robert Downey Jr. So it's disconcerting that instead of forming a cohesive Steampunk whole George instead creates a traditional adventure running alongside a Steampunk one. The two stories never meet and make a satisfying whole. Each story is great on it's own, but that's just it, it's on it's own. If George had wanted to do this he should have approached the book more like the traditional adventures and written them both as short stories and added in that little extra story from The Casebook of Newbury and Hobbes to complete the book. This would have worked better in my mind then some story that tries to bridge the gap and instead just seems to emphasis the gap versus closing it. But perhaps my persnickety self just had issues that despite how different the two cases were they ended up being concluded in similar manners. I should point out though that I don't think this is a fault of George's; it's a fault of Conan Doyle! Conan Doyle often had similar endings and themes, in fact I created my own shorthand to categorize the stories when reviewing them back in October and there were many stories categorized similarly. But still, wouldn't it be better to go further and better than the creator? Perhaps one day that will happen, because I don't think George is about to stop writing about Sherlock Holmes...
As for tipping the scales towards Holmes versus towards Steampunk, I think George could have easily gotten away with this. I have read A LOT of writers failing to make even the most easy of stories convincingly part of the Holmes canon. In fact, big, best selling authors who have been endorsed by the Conan Doyle estate haven't created such a compelling mystery as George does here with the death of Theobald Maugham. But what I really liked is how he wrote the mystery in a very traditional way but omitted the most tedious of Conan Doyle's habits, such as the clients retelling their plight in front of the fire at 221B Baker Street. Instead we are given little testimonial vignettes that get us inside the heads of other characters while also deepening the mystery. This is a genius idea and is one of many ways that George maintains the original feeling of the adventures while also switching it up. I particularly like how Holmes's inscrutability visibly annoys Watson and how he occasionally calls Holmes out or at least elicits the sympathy of his readers, who have also, over the years, tired of some of Holmes's shtick. And this is why it annoys me that the book could have all gone this way, because it would have so worked! As for the omissions of the Steampunk? Well, just having Bainbridge there would be the link! By then including the aforementioned short story at the end readers not familiar with Steampunk could see the way stories like Holmes's could be developed into something new. Plus, a riveting little short story at the end? I didn't expect that little bonus, and though I had read the story previously, I found myself instantly captured by the narrative once more, sitting there with Bainbridge on the edge of his seat. That's how you convert them to Steampunk! Bait them with a tantalizing story after telling them the story they were expecting in the best possible way.
I have the need here to go on a bizarre tangent; it's on the naming of characters. The naming of characters is an art. The perfect name will become enshrined on our hearts, like Harry Potter, Jane Eyre, Veronica Hobbes. These are just perfect names. They flow, they are original, they are iconic, like the name Sherlock Holmes itself. An interesting aside, but did you know he was originally named Sherrinford Hope? Now that just doesn't ring true for the world's most famous consulting detective now does it? So that shows that even the best of authors have crazy ideas every once in awhile, Sherrinford Hope, really!?! There is a subcategory to naming characters in which the name strikes a cord with us, maybe because we know someone with that name, or with a similar name. This is always disconcerting seeing that name out of context, and it's even weirder if it's your own name! But what if the character is named similar to someone famous or iconic? Apparently that's the real reason for us not knowing about the adventures of Sherrinford Hope, because Sherrinford was a famous cricketer. Hans Gerber gave me no end of annoyance in The Will of the Dead. Let me set the stage. It's a few weeks till Christmas, I'm reading a book with a German character named Hans Gerber, which EVERY TIME I read it morphs into Hans Gruber, he of Die Hard fame. Yes. Hans Gruber as played by Alan Rickman was incongruously walking around Victorian England. Of course there's a chance that this was on purpose and George put it in as a joke? Please say it's true, because otherwise, well, I have weird images in my head right now. End mini rant.
Reading SO MANY books centered around Sherlock Holmes I have started to become some sort of Sherlock Holmes purist. Well, to an extent. My basic approach is anything is fair game so long as it doesn't go against canon without explaining it. For example I just started reading The Beekeeper's Apprentice and Laurie R. King takes time out to explain why her Holmes will appear different than the canonical Holmes as set down by Watson. This is totally fine with me, I was given a reason, I was told up front not to lose my shit when something different appeared, fair play to Laurie R. King. As for Steampunk seeping to the canon, again, it's George Mann, it's to be expected, and therefore enjoyed. It's the little details that are gotten wrong that crawl under my skin. George nails everything pretty well but there is one detail that has gotten under my skin and it's driving me up the wall. So Watson married his first wife, Mary Morstan in 1889. According to George's website and the timeline of the Newbury and Hobbes universe The Will of the Dead takes place in the 1880s. It's important to know that it's the 1880s because if it was later George could be referencing Watson's second wife that we know next to nothing about. The same can't be said about Mary, as she was an integral part of The Sign of the Four and we know her history, mainly that she's an orphan. Her mother died shortly after her birth and her father, well, to say what happened to him would ruin a decent story... but the key here is she is an orphan. In other words SHE CAN NOT BE VISITING HER MOTHER! Every time Watson said that Mary was off visiting her mother I got a little nervous twitch right below my eye. Seriously, to get everything so spot on and have this one thing just there. Yes... I might be taking this too seriously, but still, Holmes wouldn't let it slid so why should I?
November 16, 2023
Iv'e read The will of the dead, belonging to a series of bookmade around Sherlock Holmes.
I had the book suggested to me by my brother, so thats why I chose it.
I didn't quite know what to expect from the book, but it certainly didn't meet my expectations.
Although I thought the book would be easy to read and comprehend because of my good English, if I say so myself, but I actually had quite some difficulties reading it. It was very common that I had to search up words that I didn't understand, which kind of ruined the reading experience for me.
I had also expected more from the story itself, I felt like I was thrown straight into the book and had the feeling the book missed 50 pages of the introduction of the book. This could be because the books in the series built on each other? I wouldn't know as this is the only one I read. Apart from that the story was OK. Nothing to special in my opinion, as i said in the beginning the book kind of underperformed for me, maybe due to the fact that I normally don't read these kind of books, or don't read allot at all. The ending also seems kind of weird, to me it felt like some of the characters die so sudden, like they are forgotten about after the page they died on. Although in the end the characters kind of rethink the whole situation and bring up some of the deceased, but that's all.
About the ending, it's definitely a cliff hanger, 2 lovers are separated and left to be brought together agian, which in my opinion could be added to the book. Or again, is this in another book that follows after this one in the series? I wouldn't know. I think Mann left some opportunities.
I don't think i would recommend this book to my friends, I don't think i would've read it if i know more about it either. I gave the book 3 out of 5 stars because, maybe just personally, i think the story could be improved and ofcours the looking up the words is my problem but it certainly effected the reading experience. The Will of the Dead
I had the book suggested to me by my brother, so thats why I chose it.
I didn't quite know what to expect from the book, but it certainly didn't meet my expectations.
Although I thought the book would be easy to read and comprehend because of my good English, if I say so myself, but I actually had quite some difficulties reading it. It was very common that I had to search up words that I didn't understand, which kind of ruined the reading experience for me.
I had also expected more from the story itself, I felt like I was thrown straight into the book and had the feeling the book missed 50 pages of the introduction of the book. This could be because the books in the series built on each other? I wouldn't know as this is the only one I read. Apart from that the story was OK. Nothing to special in my opinion, as i said in the beginning the book kind of underperformed for me, maybe due to the fact that I normally don't read these kind of books, or don't read allot at all. The ending also seems kind of weird, to me it felt like some of the characters die so sudden, like they are forgotten about after the page they died on. Although in the end the characters kind of rethink the whole situation and bring up some of the deceased, but that's all.
About the ending, it's definitely a cliff hanger, 2 lovers are separated and left to be brought together agian, which in my opinion could be added to the book. Or again, is this in another book that follows after this one in the series? I wouldn't know. I think Mann left some opportunities.
I don't think i would recommend this book to my friends, I don't think i would've read it if i know more about it either. I gave the book 3 out of 5 stars because, maybe just personally, i think the story could be improved and ofcours the looking up the words is my problem but it certainly effected the reading experience. The Will of the Dead
July 29, 2020
In this novel, Holmes is drawn into the case of a missing will after the death of elderly Sir Theobald Maugham, a wealthy bachelor whose only surviving family consists of his niece and three nephews. The will, dividing his wealth equally among the four, is missing, and Holmes is called in to determine what has become of the document.
In this Sherlock Holmes series, the stories all include an aspect of either the supernatural or science fiction. In the case of this novel, a parallel comes in the form of a series of bold robberies of wealth homes by mechanical automata, metal men powered by steam and unstoppable.
In this Sherlock Holmes series, the stories all include an aspect of either the supernatural or science fiction. In the case of this novel, a parallel comes in the form of a series of bold robberies of wealth homes by mechanical automata, metal men powered by steam and unstoppable.
September 21, 2021
The story is well-written but predictable, following the usual formula. The brilliant detective who is not fooled by feminine wiles, the hapless sidekick who underestimates the devious nature of women and is easily manipulated I to defending the helpless creature crying on his shoulder.
I expected a conspiracy but not not of all the suspects so I suppose that was a twist. The real problem is, I didn’t care. There was no shock or surprise.
At least Mr. Mann didn’t make Watson seem like a bumbling fool but there was a bit of overawed sycophant. Watson seems dumbfounded by Holmes’s most basic deductions and Mann’s explanations of Sherlock’s observations are watery.
The graveyard scene gave away the Hans Gerber red-herring. The revelation that the lawyer was not who he claimed to be was unexpected and Mann did a good job of making the reader feel there was something off about the lawyer without giving it away.
The iron men plot line was frustrating because the people dealing with them were stupid. The homeowners can be forgiven their shock-induced lack of reasoning but you’d think the police would realize that hitting the iron men is ineffective & attempt to think of an alternate strategy for their next encounter. Did no one think to trip these things & hit them with a bucket of water?
Even a person of reasonable intelligence would assume the “machines” were just elaborate costume run by men so Watson & Bainbridge should not have been so surprised.
I suppose we can rely on the “criminals are dumb” theory to explain how’d the iron men would fall for the Star of India ploy but Watson should’ve at least suspected.
The book is a quick read, the story is not particularly entertaining and there are better Sherlock Holmes story tellers. Parts of the book were engrossing.
I will say his writing was intriguing enough that I might check out his original Steampunk series.
I expected a conspiracy but not not of all the suspects so I suppose that was a twist. The real problem is, I didn’t care. There was no shock or surprise.
At least Mr. Mann didn’t make Watson seem like a bumbling fool but there was a bit of overawed sycophant. Watson seems dumbfounded by Holmes’s most basic deductions and Mann’s explanations of Sherlock’s observations are watery.
The graveyard scene gave away the Hans Gerber red-herring. The revelation that the lawyer was not who he claimed to be was unexpected and Mann did a good job of making the reader feel there was something off about the lawyer without giving it away.
The iron men plot line was frustrating because the people dealing with them were stupid. The homeowners can be forgiven their shock-induced lack of reasoning but you’d think the police would realize that hitting the iron men is ineffective & attempt to think of an alternate strategy for their next encounter. Did no one think to trip these things & hit them with a bucket of water?
Even a person of reasonable intelligence would assume the “machines” were just elaborate costume run by men so Watson & Bainbridge should not have been so surprised.
I suppose we can rely on the “criminals are dumb” theory to explain how’d the iron men would fall for the Star of India ploy but Watson should’ve at least suspected.
The book is a quick read, the story is not particularly entertaining and there are better Sherlock Holmes story tellers. Parts of the book were engrossing.
I will say his writing was intriguing enough that I might check out his original Steampunk series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 8, 2017
I bought this book in a second hand book store without realizing it is not written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. All I noticed on the cover was "Sherlock Holmes" and I wanted it. I had no idea that there are stories of his not written by him, so when I finally did clue in that it was in fact written by a George Mann and not Sir Arthur Canon Doyle, I was most impressed! I felt like I was reading a true Sherlock Holmes mystery. George Mann had the characters, the time period and the mystery down packed. The only complaint I would say is about the two very different stories that don't intertwine with one another. They were so different and I was confused at first because I kept wondering how they would relate, to find out that in fact, they never do. The joke was on me! Ha Ha.
One of the great mysteries that has been asked since Sir Arthur Conan Doyle put pen to paper in these wonderful series is what kind of Doctor is Dr. Watson? In George Mann's version, we aren't asking ourselves, we are told Dr. Watson is a General Practitioner.
When the mysteries are solved, Holmes and Watson are discussing going back to Holmes' place for a cup of tea and a slice of Mrs. Hudson's Madeira cake. Well, that got this girl (okay woman) asking herself what is a Madeira cake, maybe I've had it before because my grandparents lived in London, England and I went there many times when I was a girl. Upon googling it, I know exactly what that cake is. I can even taste it in my mouth, and I plan on making a loaf very soon. Yum!
If I come across anymore Sherlock Holmes by George Mann books, there isn't even a hesitation, I'm buying his books.
One of the great mysteries that has been asked since Sir Arthur Conan Doyle put pen to paper in these wonderful series is what kind of Doctor is Dr. Watson? In George Mann's version, we aren't asking ourselves, we are told Dr. Watson is a General Practitioner.
When the mysteries are solved, Holmes and Watson are discussing going back to Holmes' place for a cup of tea and a slice of Mrs. Hudson's Madeira cake. Well, that got this girl (okay woman) asking herself what is a Madeira cake, maybe I've had it before because my grandparents lived in London, England and I went there many times when I was a girl. Upon googling it, I know exactly what that cake is. I can even taste it in my mouth, and I plan on making a loaf very soon. Yum!
If I come across anymore Sherlock Holmes by George Mann books, there isn't even a hesitation, I'm buying his books.
December 4, 2018
I rather enjoy some of the non Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes stories. I've dabbled in some great ones (House of Silk - Anthony Horrowitz) to some slightly more eccentirc types (Stuff of Nightmares - James LoveGrove) and Will of the Dead definitely fits into the latter category.
It's entertaining enough following the dynamic duo Holmes and Watson as they investigate a case of what appears at first glance to be an accidental death of a gentleman falling down the stairs in the night however with his will missing it is somewhat suspicious. At the same time many houses are being robbed by a group known as the 'Iron Men". Automonous steampunk machines that are seemingly unstoppable.
I would say the author George Mann manages to capture the writing style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle relatively well and the stories are interesting ideas but the issue I have is that they just aren't especially interesting to see unraveled and Holmes never quite shines like I feel he should. Both sets of crimes seem unneeded with the second especially seemingly tacked on at the end and was even pretty predictable who the culprit was and what was happening. It just lacked the mystery and flair I expect in a Holmes novel.
All in all, it's an ok quick read that will entertain but I imagine will be forgotten fairly quickly afterwards.
It's entertaining enough following the dynamic duo Holmes and Watson as they investigate a case of what appears at first glance to be an accidental death of a gentleman falling down the stairs in the night however with his will missing it is somewhat suspicious. At the same time many houses are being robbed by a group known as the 'Iron Men". Automonous steampunk machines that are seemingly unstoppable.
I would say the author George Mann manages to capture the writing style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle relatively well and the stories are interesting ideas but the issue I have is that they just aren't especially interesting to see unraveled and Holmes never quite shines like I feel he should. Both sets of crimes seem unneeded with the second especially seemingly tacked on at the end and was even pretty predictable who the culprit was and what was happening. It just lacked the mystery and flair I expect in a Holmes novel.
All in all, it's an ok quick read that will entertain but I imagine will be forgotten fairly quickly afterwards.
February 12, 2024
Sherlock Holmes: The Will of the Dead by
Challenging, funny, hopeful, informative,
mysterious, reflective, sad, and tense.
Fast-paced
Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5 Stars
This was the best told story of Sherlock Holmes, that I've read...that wasn't written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (himself).
As for most of the stories about Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson...there are TWO mysteries happening at the same time...and how they intertwine is always amazing.
This novel did everything just right. I was glued to wanting to know more...and it not allowing me to set down the book...for very long, before me wanting to pick it up...and learn more of the story.
Like Dr. Watson says at the beginning of the story, it was not an easy mystery to solve, but Holmes did it in his expert way.
I also loved the police Inspector Charles Bainbridge. He replace Inspector Lestrade, so that was cool.
After I finished the novel, there was a short story from George Mann's own series of The Casebook of Newburry and Hobbes called The Hambleton Affair...and we get a little bit more from the Inspector. Like the crossover and how seemless it is from Sherlock Holmes to Newbury and Hobbes.
Now, I will have to pick up that series, too.
Challenging, funny, hopeful, informative,
mysterious, reflective, sad, and tense.
Fast-paced
Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5 Stars
This was the best told story of Sherlock Holmes, that I've read...that wasn't written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (himself).
As for most of the stories about Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson...there are TWO mysteries happening at the same time...and how they intertwine is always amazing.
This novel did everything just right. I was glued to wanting to know more...and it not allowing me to set down the book...for very long, before me wanting to pick it up...and learn more of the story.
Like Dr. Watson says at the beginning of the story, it was not an easy mystery to solve, but Holmes did it in his expert way.
I also loved the police Inspector Charles Bainbridge. He replace Inspector Lestrade, so that was cool.
After I finished the novel, there was a short story from George Mann's own series of The Casebook of Newburry and Hobbes called The Hambleton Affair...and we get a little bit more from the Inspector. Like the crossover and how seemless it is from Sherlock Holmes to Newbury and Hobbes.
Now, I will have to pick up that series, too.
December 31, 2018
Hmmm. This is sadly another attempt to hijack the popularity of Holmes and Watson by abducting and pushing them into a story that they would have no interest in. Firstly the good, the story is interesting if a little obvious, there are no shocks or surprises, the atmosphere and description of the Victorian era is very good, I could easily picture the foggy dark streets of London and the bite of the cold, the author clearly has a love for the era as he does for steampunk, with lots of descriptions of whirring cogs and puffing steam. The bad, why oh why do authors writing Holmes insist on stopping the story being told from Watson's perspective? The stories are hugely successful for a reason, this author has segments that cut away from the story so that different characters can offer their evidence directly to the reader, why? its distracting and stops the flow of the narrative, the story then carries on and reiterates what has just been said but this time from Watson's point of view! Its disappointing that Holmes and Watson have been attached to this, if the author had placed a different hero centre stage, this book would have scored higher, as more of a young adult story. As a Sherlock adventure though, it comes very short.
December 12, 2022
Vrátila jsem se ke své letní výzvě a přečetla další příběh s Sherlockem. Tentokrát šlo o hubený kousek, ale v celkovém ohlédnutí si myslím, že délka byla tak akorát.
Příběh je tvořen ze dvou případů. U prvního jsem padoucha nenašla, protože autor to vždy zaonačil tak, že vina v každý moment ukazovala na někoho jiného. Takže mě to dokonale mátlo. Navíc Sherlockovo mlžení situaci s odhalením ještě víc komplikovalo. Druhý případ byl spíš pro pobavení, i když jsem ráda, že se vyřešil zrovna tímto způsobem. Kdyby totiž závěr působil nereálně, tak bych knihu neohodnotila vůbec dobře.
Samozřejmě konečný výsledek, když už ho znáte, působí dost jednoduše a postup k vyřešení do očí bijící. Ale během čtení to tak člověku nikdy nepřipadne. Holt, hlavní zásluhy musí vždycky získat Sherlock Holmes... :-D Kniha se nese v klasickém duchu a působí jako něco, co zachovává klasickou šablonu. Postavy působí věrohodně, drží se svých pozic, i když číst o Sherlockovi, jak zaklání hlavu a hlasitě se směje, trošku vybočuje. Přesto jsem si to užila a rozhodně mě to bavilo více než třeba takový Boží dech, který zklamal na plné čáře...
Příběh je tvořen ze dvou případů. U prvního jsem padoucha nenašla, protože autor to vždy zaonačil tak, že vina v každý moment ukazovala na někoho jiného. Takže mě to dokonale mátlo. Navíc Sherlockovo mlžení situaci s odhalením ještě víc komplikovalo. Druhý případ byl spíš pro pobavení, i když jsem ráda, že se vyřešil zrovna tímto způsobem. Kdyby totiž závěr působil nereálně, tak bych knihu neohodnotila vůbec dobře.
Samozřejmě konečný výsledek, když už ho znáte, působí dost jednoduše a postup k vyřešení do očí bijící. Ale během čtení to tak člověku nikdy nepřipadne. Holt, hlavní zásluhy musí vždycky získat Sherlock Holmes... :-D Kniha se nese v klasickém duchu a působí jako něco, co zachovává klasickou šablonu. Postavy působí věrohodně, drží se svých pozic, i když číst o Sherlockovi, jak zaklání hlavu a hlasitě se směje, trošku vybočuje. Přesto jsem si to užila a rozhodně mě to bavilo více než třeba takový Boží dech, který zklamal na plné čáře...
November 25, 2019
Not as engaging as others in the series.
From PW:
Set in 1889, Mann’s solid steampunk pastiche gives Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson a fantastical mystery to solve.
They are consulted by Peter Maugham, whose uncle, Sir Theobald, has just died from a fall down the stairs of his London home. As the only copy of Sir Theobald’s will vanished simultaneously with his death, Peter, whose inheritance hinges on that document, asks Holmes to look into the possibility his uncle was murdered. While the investigation proceeds, London is plagued by a series of burglaries committed by the so-called “iron men,” powerful glowing-eyed machines that display sophisticated intelligence. Most of the sections involving the criminal automatons are told from the perspective of Insp. Charles Bainbridge, who, later in in life, is a key player in Mann’s Victorian fantasy books (The Casebook of Newbury & Hobbes, etc.), making this a good entry to that series.
The denouement disappoints, but Mann does a decent job of capturing Watson’s narrative voice.
From PW:
Set in 1889, Mann’s solid steampunk pastiche gives Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson a fantastical mystery to solve.
They are consulted by Peter Maugham, whose uncle, Sir Theobald, has just died from a fall down the stairs of his London home. As the only copy of Sir Theobald’s will vanished simultaneously with his death, Peter, whose inheritance hinges on that document, asks Holmes to look into the possibility his uncle was murdered. While the investigation proceeds, London is plagued by a series of burglaries committed by the so-called “iron men,” powerful glowing-eyed machines that display sophisticated intelligence. Most of the sections involving the criminal automatons are told from the perspective of Insp. Charles Bainbridge, who, later in in life, is a key player in Mann’s Victorian fantasy books (The Casebook of Newbury & Hobbes, etc.), making this a good entry to that series.
The denouement disappoints, but Mann does a decent job of capturing Watson’s narrative voice.
June 6, 2020
This was a rather enjoyable novel by the author of the Newbury & Hobbs series of steampunk books. A Sherlock Holmes novel not written by Arthur Conan Doyle (is to me at least) in danger of falling into the category of being nothing more than fan fiction, and I guess to a degree this is what that is, the main case being a decent enough mystery involving squabbling families, the death of a rich elderly relative, and the disappearance of his will. What saves this though is the fact that Mann has set the story in his own fictionalised universe, that occupied by Newbury & Hobbs (although it is set several decades prior to those stories, and said investigators do not appear), throwing in a subplot involving sinister mechanical iron men carrying out audacious robberies across London. It’s very entertaining, and even the Baker Street Boys (street urchins who help Holmes) make an appearance, just to add to the sense of fun.
November 27, 2024
I chose the book because I founded the title very interesting and it appealed to me. I read the back of the book and I thought tis is a book for me because I love things that have to do with crimes. I was expecting a detective story and that they investigate how he died and all the steps they took to know what happened to him and the will. Normally I hate reading but when I founded this book I couldn’t wait to start reading, I really enjoyed it, there were some plot twist that I was confused what was happening but it made it more fun to read. I really loved the end of the story we know what happened and everything became clear, it was also a bit exciting I didn’t want to stop reading because I wanted to know what happened next. I would for sure recommend it to a friend who loves books with crimes and is a little mysterious.
December 12, 2013
originally posted at: http://thebookplank.blogspot.com/2013...
The Will of the Dead is the latest addition to the growing line up of Titan Books Sherlock Holmes series. In order it is the fourth book in the “series” but each one can be read as a standalone. The Will of the Dead is written by George Mann who is well known for his other Sherlock Holmes stories as well as his best selling Newbury and Hobbes series, that focuses on a different investigative duo in the same time span as Sherlock Holmes. I haven’t read any of the other Sherlock Holmes stories of George Mann but was very impressed by his short story collection of Newbury and Hobbes, and have been since looking forward to read more of his stories.
Something that I really have come to like of the Sherlock Holmes stories is the introduction of Watson, where he recounts several dealings of the story you are about to read. This just put you right there in the story. The Will of the Dead is a short read with only 214 pages, however, it feels way shorter than that but moreover the story is very rich and I hadn’t anticipated that a story like this could have been told in just these few pages. This could ofcourse be partially owed to the fact that Sherlock Holmes is an established genre by itself, everyone must have heard about him at one point, but it is also owed to the fact that George Mann knows how to write. I have read several other Sherlock Holmes stories from other authors and yes Sherlock is in the large lines comparable the scene is the same, but I can see that George Mann gently exerts his own influence on the world of Sherlock Holmes in The Will of the Dead. Might not be in the way of changing Sherlock drastically but more with the story itself.
Which now brings me to it. There are two different storylines in The Will of the Dead, one focusing on Sherlock Holmes and the other on detective Bainbridge. I haven’t seen this so far in any of the Sherlock books that I have read but this dual investigative twist added a great overall pacing to the book, even more so was the usage of the different points of view to highlight each case. For the investigation lead by Sherlock, the narration was followed mostly through Watson’s point-of-view, but there are a nice few excerpts of confessions and the like by several other characters which really produced a well rounded feeling to the story. In the case of Bainbridge’s story it’s similar, a nice change in perspectives to add a few extra layers to the story telling. In the earlier confessions it was hard to pinpoint the culprit behind the affairs but later on in the book, the hints become more obvious and the scheming comes to show.
But back to the two stories. Sherlock is tasked with finding the person who has destroyed the only copy of the will of the rich Sir Theobald Maugham, and has left the cousins divided. Who in entitled to what? The story picks up with the murder scene and Sherlock setting out to investigate, as reader you are fully immersed in this investigation and get the full story from the different characters, but this wouldn’t be a Sherlock Holmes without some twists and turns and I have to say you are in for a really really big one! There is this interesting character, a fifth cousin to Theobald Maugham. This fifth cousin threw some extra coals on the fire of the story. He is presumed to be the murder and Sherlock and Watson are determined to catch this culprit. He leads the investigators on a merry chase, writing letters to the other cousins with quiet provoking texts. And then it’s like a door-slamming-you-in-the-face kind of feeling when you read the twist, man did it put a smile on my face, I was grinning ear to ear big time. It’s these kind of things that I like, totally out of the blue but directly in the lines of what you WANT to read surrounding the eccentric character Sherlock Holmes!!!
The second story focuses on Bainbridge and features as a separate story. Bainbridge is solely in the lead of this investigation. Several robberies of the rich have been occurring in the streets of London by mysterious Iron Men. These automata that were designed for helping people with daily chores but some nefarious mastermind has gotten control over them. Though this investigation was more of a sidetrack in the book, there were some cool moments, it was good to see how Bainbridge was thinking in trying how to solve this case, when he questions the original creator there were some very strong points, that when you look back should have pointed me in the direction of who was the bad guy in this. After the story of Sherlock with the will has been concluded, Bainbridges case with the Iron Men soon follows. And just when you were allowed to catch your breath after the door slamming episode, you are again in for a surprise!! Both storyline are a true pleasure to read.
With The Will of the Dead George Mann again delivers an amazing story. I had anticipated a certain level for The Will of the Dead, but George Mann went far, far above it. Having read George Mann’s Casebook of Newbury and Hobbes and now The Will of the Dead I can clearly understand why he is so popular. George Mann writes with a definite confidence, the idea’s behind his stories are interesting and fresh and he knows how to come up with a brilliant plot twist that will set you mouth agape. Even in the established world of Sherlock Holmes, George Mann is a strong voice and sets himself apart! It’s a pity that The Will of the Dead is such a short book, it’s a true pleasure to read and I look forward to what else George Mann will be able to conjure next.
The Will of the Dead is the latest addition to the growing line up of Titan Books Sherlock Holmes series. In order it is the fourth book in the “series” but each one can be read as a standalone. The Will of the Dead is written by George Mann who is well known for his other Sherlock Holmes stories as well as his best selling Newbury and Hobbes series, that focuses on a different investigative duo in the same time span as Sherlock Holmes. I haven’t read any of the other Sherlock Holmes stories of George Mann but was very impressed by his short story collection of Newbury and Hobbes, and have been since looking forward to read more of his stories.
Something that I really have come to like of the Sherlock Holmes stories is the introduction of Watson, where he recounts several dealings of the story you are about to read. This just put you right there in the story. The Will of the Dead is a short read with only 214 pages, however, it feels way shorter than that but moreover the story is very rich and I hadn’t anticipated that a story like this could have been told in just these few pages. This could ofcourse be partially owed to the fact that Sherlock Holmes is an established genre by itself, everyone must have heard about him at one point, but it is also owed to the fact that George Mann knows how to write. I have read several other Sherlock Holmes stories from other authors and yes Sherlock is in the large lines comparable the scene is the same, but I can see that George Mann gently exerts his own influence on the world of Sherlock Holmes in The Will of the Dead. Might not be in the way of changing Sherlock drastically but more with the story itself.
Which now brings me to it. There are two different storylines in The Will of the Dead, one focusing on Sherlock Holmes and the other on detective Bainbridge. I haven’t seen this so far in any of the Sherlock books that I have read but this dual investigative twist added a great overall pacing to the book, even more so was the usage of the different points of view to highlight each case. For the investigation lead by Sherlock, the narration was followed mostly through Watson’s point-of-view, but there are a nice few excerpts of confessions and the like by several other characters which really produced a well rounded feeling to the story. In the case of Bainbridge’s story it’s similar, a nice change in perspectives to add a few extra layers to the story telling. In the earlier confessions it was hard to pinpoint the culprit behind the affairs but later on in the book, the hints become more obvious and the scheming comes to show.
But back to the two stories. Sherlock is tasked with finding the person who has destroyed the only copy of the will of the rich Sir Theobald Maugham, and has left the cousins divided. Who in entitled to what? The story picks up with the murder scene and Sherlock setting out to investigate, as reader you are fully immersed in this investigation and get the full story from the different characters, but this wouldn’t be a Sherlock Holmes without some twists and turns and I have to say you are in for a really really big one! There is this interesting character, a fifth cousin to Theobald Maugham. This fifth cousin threw some extra coals on the fire of the story. He is presumed to be the murder and Sherlock and Watson are determined to catch this culprit. He leads the investigators on a merry chase, writing letters to the other cousins with quiet provoking texts. And then it’s like a door-slamming-you-in-the-face kind of feeling when you read the twist, man did it put a smile on my face, I was grinning ear to ear big time. It’s these kind of things that I like, totally out of the blue but directly in the lines of what you WANT to read surrounding the eccentric character Sherlock Holmes!!!
The second story focuses on Bainbridge and features as a separate story. Bainbridge is solely in the lead of this investigation. Several robberies of the rich have been occurring in the streets of London by mysterious Iron Men. These automata that were designed for helping people with daily chores but some nefarious mastermind has gotten control over them. Though this investigation was more of a sidetrack in the book, there were some cool moments, it was good to see how Bainbridge was thinking in trying how to solve this case, when he questions the original creator there were some very strong points, that when you look back should have pointed me in the direction of who was the bad guy in this. After the story of Sherlock with the will has been concluded, Bainbridges case with the Iron Men soon follows. And just when you were allowed to catch your breath after the door slamming episode, you are again in for a surprise!! Both storyline are a true pleasure to read.
With The Will of the Dead George Mann again delivers an amazing story. I had anticipated a certain level for The Will of the Dead, but George Mann went far, far above it. Having read George Mann’s Casebook of Newbury and Hobbes and now The Will of the Dead I can clearly understand why he is so popular. George Mann writes with a definite confidence, the idea’s behind his stories are interesting and fresh and he knows how to come up with a brilliant plot twist that will set you mouth agape. Even in the established world of Sherlock Holmes, George Mann is a strong voice and sets himself apart! It’s a pity that The Will of the Dead is such a short book, it’s a true pleasure to read and I look forward to what else George Mann will be able to conjure next.
February 27, 2020
I was looking for an interesting Holmes pastiche, but I’ve read better ones than this. Mostly, the author did not get Watson’s “voice” correct, and consequently, Watson comes off an inauthentic. Other beefs...some of the expressions are too modern and Holmes is depicted using cocaine during an investigation - Holmes never does that ! The drug habit occurs only when there is no case to occupy his mind. I’m a Bootmaker (Toronto Sherlock Holmes Society) so I’ve spent a lot of time with these stories, and this one just doesn’t hold together.
I can live with some inconsistency, after all, it’s a pastiche, but there are lots of better ones than this.
I can live with some inconsistency, after all, it’s a pastiche, but there are lots of better ones than this.
November 7, 2020
The Great War has made Dr. Watson morose. His nephew was cut down in France, London is continually assaulted by zeppelins, and his country has no need of him. Then his dear friend Sherlock Holmes ropes him into investigating three shocking suicides on behalf of his brother, Mycroft. Two are quickly dismissed, but the third, a Member of Parliament with ties to both the local German population and spiritualists, merits closer examination. The aging pair prove their worth in a changing world. Set in Mann's Newbury and Hobbes universe, but works as a stand-alone. The characters ring true but the reason for the underdeveloped steampunk atmosphere is unclear.
July 11, 2018
The main case is a by the numbers mystery that easily fits into the official canon, however the B story of the 'Iron Men' terrorising London is very outlandish and seems like a poor attempt to shoehorn in a steampunk element to the book. A separate short story at the back is an enjoyable affair until it goes all a bit too scifi at the end.
June 20, 2019
Holmes & Watson with a dash of steampunk...it was bound happen. All the basic elements of a Holmes mystery though not necessarily the essence of the originals...but who could? Coming in with that understanding, this is a quick decent adventure tale. Steampunk elements not over the top or outrageous.
May 7, 2023
A pretty good dual mystery. A murder story involving four cousins and the fate of an inheritance from their deceased family member, and a series of robberies involving steampunk iron men smashing into the buildings of Victorian London. A bit surprised the two cases weren’t ultimately connected but still very entertaining.
April 20, 2024
A great read. The main mystery, the death of a family patriarch, is a well woven thriller. The characters are believable and many become suspect. There is a sub story about a gang of robots that seems a little out of place. But most of that doesn’t take place until after the main puzzle is solved ( page 190). Probably filler.
However it nice read.
However it nice read.
April 16, 2018
The will of the dead is a well written book, with 2 main plots.
With a perfectly built suspense the reader is going to know that Sherlock Holmes is involved in both and is going to solve both cases.
The only issue is that the 2 cases (the missing will and the iron men) are not enough entwined.
With a perfectly built suspense the reader is going to know that Sherlock Holmes is involved in both and is going to solve both cases.
The only issue is that the 2 cases (the missing will and the iron men) are not enough entwined.
July 30, 2022
I aver knew that Holmes and Watson were in the habit of laughing out uproariously so very frequently. Having read ALL of Sherlock, I am always looking for writers who have embraced the voice and context of Conan Doyle. Alas, this one did not do it for me.
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