Los años perdidos de Sherlock Holmes

by Jamyang Norbu, Roser Vilagrassa Sentís (Translator)

En 1891, el público se quedó horrorizado al saber que Sherlock Holmes había muerto, en un mortal forcejeo con el profesor Moriarty, en las cascadas de Reichenbach. Dos años más tarde, la demanda popular hizo que Conan Doyle resucitara para el mundo al gran detective: «Viajé durante dos años por el Tíbet, y pasé un tiempo entretenido en Lhasa», dice Holmes a un estupefacto Dr. Watson. Nada se había sabido sobre estos años perdidos hasta que Jamyang Norbu descubrió, en el interior de una caja, un manuscrito donde Hurree Chunder Mookerjee cuenta sus viajes con el célebre detective a través de los adustos caminos de China a Simla, por el medieval esplendor de Lhasa, y por el remoto y helado Himalaya, donde el Bien y el Mal lucharán por su hegemonía. Norbu nos ofrece una nueva aventura de Sherlock Holmes con la fascinación de quien, admirador del mundo creado por Conan Doyle, sabe recrearlo con talento.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, India, Adventure, Historical Fiction, Crime, Thriller

328 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Jamyang Norbu (འཇམ་དབྱངས་ནོར་བུ) is a Tibetan political activist and writer, who lived for over 40 years as an exile in India. He now resides in America.

He founded and directed the Amnye Machen Institute, Tibetan Centre for Advanced Studies, Dharamsala. He is the author of Warriors of Tibet, the biography of a Khampa warrior; Illusion and Reality, a collection of his political essays, and the editor of The Performing Traditions of Tibet. He was also the director of the Tibetan Institute for Performing Arts and has written five plays and a traditionall opera libretto.

Norbu has lectured on Tibetan culture and the freedom struggle at more than a hundred universities and institutions in the USA, Canada, Australia, France, India, Japan, and the UK. He has also appeared on a number of television and radio shows and interviews all over the world to argue the case of Tibet.

Reviews

[Ensiform · Rating 2 out of 5]

A pastiche of Holmes, set in India and Tibet. Taking as his starting-point the return of Holmes after his supposed death in the canon, wherein the detective reveals that he was traveling in Tibet under the name Sigurson, Norbu recreates those lost years in the Holmes chronicles. His narrator this time is none other than Hurree Mookerjee, from Rudyard Kipling’s Kim (which, lamentably, I’ve not read). For the first half of the book, Norbu succeeds in weaving the two worlds, that of Victorian super-sleuth and the Raj, brilliantly. The puzzle of the brass elephant, the way Holmes pulls a fast one on some Thugs who are sent to attack the stalwart pair, and Holmes’ skills at disguise are all classic Doyle with an Indian flavor. So far, so good — and the comic relief from the pudgy but proud Hurree adds even more color, as does the fine old Raj language (“a pukka villain,” indeed).

But suddenly, the book turns, and I can even pinpoint the exact location things begin to sour. It’s at the beginning of chapter 17, under the apt rubric "...And Beyond." As in, beyond the rational world of Holmes, and into a world where Holmes springs into action spurred on not by deduction but by "an odd feeling" which, of course, turns out to be a mystical premonition. It’s a world of the mystic, of magic (hellfire, healing, magic crystals and energy shields!). I felt as if by that point, Norbu was using a character named Holmes, but who wasn’t anything like the Holmes of the canon, to propel his story into a bizarre fantasy blend of Tibetan myth and New Age occult theories. Indeed, Holmes’ personality changes altogether, and it’s hard to believe that this super-powerful mystic could be the same character who goes back to England and solves murder cases. Too bad, because judging from the first two thirds or so, Norbu’s got a real flair for language, pacing, suspense and mystery. A shame.

[Philip · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book. In Doyles' short story “The Adventure of the Empty House,” Holmes explains that he spent much of his “missing years” (following his faked death after going over the Reichenbach Falls) in India and Tibet, and so the idea of discovering a “lost manuscript” adventure set on the Roof of the World and written not by John Watson but rather Hurree Chunder Mookerjee, the “Babu” of Kipling's Kim seems in retrospect like a no-brainer. But alas, its spotty execution did not live up to its brilliant concept.

The plot itself is hit-or-miss, being both slim and convoluted (if such is possible). There was no central mystery, and Holmes’ whole rationale for going to India and then on to Simla and Tibet is never convincingly explained, (or was at least lost on me). And then the whole last third of the book reads more like a bad “Doctor Strange” comic than a Victorian mystery - not helped by my now being unable to picture anyone other than Benedict Cumberbatch in either role.

So to use a Chinese phrase (I'm not sure if the Tibetans have anything similar), this book was a classic example of “bu san bu si” (不三不四) ; literally “neither three nor four,” but in English more like “neither one thing nor the other” - something that IMHO would fully satisfy neither a serious student of Holmesiana or of Tibet itself.

That said, there is enough interesting trivia related to this story to justify at least a paragraph of two of my typical peripheral observations.

THE AUTHOR: “Jamyang Norbu” sounded familiar, and sure enough it turns out he is the author of Warriors of Tibet: The Story of Aten and the Khampas' Fight for the Freedom of their Country, which I read way back in 1986, during my first “Tibetan period.” Norbu is a respected Tibetan refugee and commentator, more famous for his anti-China books such as Buying the Dragon's Teeth - How your money empowers a Cruel and dangerous Communist Regime in China, and while Missing Years is his most popular book, it is also his only work of fiction. Norbu today lives in Tennessee, and you can read more about him at his excellent “Shadow Tibet” blog, https://www.jamyangnorbu.com/blog/, (where my favorite article is “Bill Gates And The Ancient Secret Of Tibetan Toilets,” which may well be the source material for the upcoming fifth Indiana Jones movie.)

THE BABU: Kim’s Hurree Chunder Mookherjee, was based on a real-life character, Sarat Chandra Das, “scholar, spy and explorer extraordinaire” who, along with Kinthup (also a character in Missing Years), was one of the more famous “pundits” – or explorer-spies – used by the British to conduct their late 19th century Great Trigonometric Survey of India, both a geographical study of “the forbidden lands” north of India as well as an attempt to keep an eye on Russia’s and China’s plans to penetrate the region – a major part of “The Great Game” that continued well into the 20th (and indeed 21st) century. So while we have no idea what the fictional Holmes and Watson might truly look like, we do have actual photographs of “Babuji”:



REALLY OBSCURE REFERENCES: Norbu places himself in the story as the co-discoverer of Mookerjee’s manuscript (hidden away in the wall of his crumbling Darjeeling villa), and thereafter includes numerous contemporary footnotes to reference other Holmes stories or elucidate various Tibetan/Buddhist concepts as needed. In one of the earlier footnotes, he references an extremely obscure book (only 11 GR ratings) from the early ‘70s called Foreign Devil: Thirty Years Of Reporting In The Far East by Richard Hughes, who was a correspondent for “The Far East Economic Review” during my early years in Asia; although he is better remembered today (if at all) as the model for both Ian Fleming’s reporter/spy “Dicko” Henderson in You Only Live Twice, and “Old Craw” in John le Carré's The Honourable Schoolboy – he was truly the last of a breed.

And then in Norbu’s acknowledgements, he thanks author John Ball – best known for In the Heat of the Night – for helping plant the seed for this story “on a cold winter night in Dharmsala in 1970.” Apart from being a martial artist and nudist (according to his Goodreads bio), Ball was also a member of several obscure Sherlock societies - but my own connection to Ball is through an even more obscure book (only 6 GR ratings) called Dragon Hotel, about his own adventures in Taiwan in 1968, just about a decade before my own life there began a decade later.

FINAL NOTE (WHEW!): Major points off for this terrible jacket design - at least with this edition. Bloomsbury had the full range of Tibetan imagery to choose from - the mountains, Lhasa and the Potala, various mandalas, Shambala, all of them described in detail in the book - and they went with this fuzzy partial image of what I assume is Holmes? I know I can't blame the author for his publisher's decisions, so no stars removed - but man, this is such a missed opportunity.

[notyourmonkey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alas. Alas and alack. The first half, three-quarters of this novel were awesome, a really lovely pastiche, maybe the best I've read so far, and the last few chapters veered off into an entirely different story that I was far less inclined to enjoy.

Holmes in India, with an Indian scholar-spy filling the role of Watson yet not trying to be Watson oh frabjous day, a cracking good mystery, all sorts of atmospherics - A+A+A+. A real treat to read, especially hard on the heels of the Russellian The Game, with a similar heavy dollop of Rudyard Kipling's Kim, but for once with an Indian narrator - a slightly different, very welcome perspective. Lovely. The way the author plays with the narrative voice and dialogue is a delight.

And there were footnotes.

Then. Then. Um.

Spoilers for the end.

Then the author chose to make Holmes the reincarnation of a Tibetan monk, battling a not-quite-dead Moriarty, who was in fact an evil Tibetan monk before the monk-later-known-as-Holmes, um, brain-zapped him to stop his evil ways, leaving him drastically wounded psychically and convinced he was English. The final battle was all about Moriarty attacking Holmes (and the Dalai Lama) with a magic stone while Holmes fought him off with powerful mudras.

And, okay, I'm totally all about taking a classic story, a classic character and recasting that story/character in another culture, another history. It's a remix! I love remixes! Which is why I loved the first chunk of this book so much. New setting! Everything seen through a new prism! Lovely!

But in the context of all of the reincarnation and Buddhist warrior magic, Holmes at one point rushes to the rescue of the Dalai Lama because he "just knows" the lama is in danger.

Just. Knows.

Explicitly states he has no evidence but is going only on gut feeling and certainty.

Which is ultimately explained by his reincarnated/soul transferred/magic Buddhist warrior status, but that's the point at which it stopped being a Sherlock Holmes story for me. The whole point of Holmes is that he never "just knows." Reading a Holmes story should be a rollicking adventure, driven by a dash of crazy logic. Sure, there can be an epic showdown in a deserted temple beneath a glacier, and I'll even give you a supernatural battle for the climax and conclusion, but for me, at least some part of that battle should be a battle of wits. A battle of figuring things out. And as much as I loved Moriarty getting taken down by Huree's umbrella, Holmes's suddenly-revealed superpowers just threw me right out.

(Seriously. There is a point at which, during a moment of danger and crisis, one of the monks begs Holmes to "remember who you are!", at which point he does, and magical shenanigans ensue. It verged on Neo's "I know kung fu.")

I've got no problem with the political message or the spiritual content or weaving Holmes into the history of Tibet. I've got no beef with Sherlock Holmes suddenly plunged into a supernatural world, even with his own supernatural powers. But when those supernatural powers are suddenly more important than Sherlock Holmes being, y'know, Sherlock Holmes, then you lose my delight as a reader.

And, oh my god, how did I go from being an idly interested reader of Sherlock Holmes a year ago to someone who has intense. feelings. about the very essence of the character and what he means? I blame you, Laurie R. King. I blame you, Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss. And, yes, I must blame you, too, Arthur Conan Doyle. ::shakes fist::

ETA: I've figured it out. My problem is that this book fails to adhere to the oath of the Detection Club: "Do you promise that your detectives shall well and truly detect the crimes presented to them using those wits which it may please you to bestow upon them and not placing reliance on nor making use of Divine Revelation, Feminine Intuition, Mumbo Jumbo, Jiggery-Pokery, Coincidence, or Act of God?" I assumed I was reading a novel that adhered to these standards, so the Divine Revelation took me by (unpleasant) surprise.

Ah, leave it to Dorothy Sayers to hit the nail on the head. Jiggery-Pokery, indeed.

[Gintautas Ivanickas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Turiu silpnybę. Negaliu ramiai praeiti pro knygą ar filmą bent kažkiek kabinančią Šerloko temą. Dažniau, aišku, nusiviliu, bet silpnybė yra silpnybė ir ką jau ten su ja bekovosi.
Norbu pradėjo lyg ir gerai. Visų pirma labai apdairiai pasirinko veiksmo vietą ir laiką, nesipjaunančius su kanonu. Užsikabino už sakinio, kur užsiminta, kad po Reichenbacho krioklio ir savo feikinės mirties Holmsas kurį laiką praleido Tibete. Be Holmso, įpynė dar ir Rudyardo Kilpingo literatūrinius herojus, o tai tikrai žadėjo visai gražų žaidimą. Pradėjo nuo detektyvinės intrigos, kurią gana greitai ir išnarplioja. Bet paskui... Paskui detektyvas baigiasi ir prasideda kažkokios „Karaliaus Saliamono kasyklos“. Ne tai, kad Hagardas būtų blogai, bet silkę užgerti pienu – ne pats geriausias sprendimas.
Dar iš pliusų – Norbu labai pagarbiai elgiasi su kanonu. Viskas puikia dera ir įsipaišo. Iki netikėto posūkio kulminacijoje, kai Norbu tiesiog deda skersą ant viso kanono ir palieka klausimų daugiau nei atsakymų.
Bendras įspūdis – buvo visos prielaidos padaryti gerai. Bet negaliu pasakyti, kad žanrų suplakimas išėjo į naudą. Pažadai, kuriuos autorius duoda knygos pradžioje, turėtų būti ištesėti. Kai nutinka atvirkščiai – natūraliai skaitytojas nuviliamas.
Tai du iš penkių. Ir tas dvejetas ne tik kad labai skystas, bet dar ir labiausiai pelnytas pirmojo knygos ketvirtadalio. Nes paskui viskas darėsi tik blogiau ir blogiau.

[Fiona Ingram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sherlock Holmes aficionados refer to the period from 1891 to 1894--the time between Holmes's disappearance and presumed death in The Adventure of the Final Problem (at the hands of Moriarity at Reichenbach Falls) and his reappearance in The Adventure of the Empty House--as "the Great Hiatus."

So, what really happened during these lost years?

Holmes tells Dr. Watson in laconic fashion: "I travelled for two years in Tibet, therefore, and amused myself by visiting Lhasa and spending some days with the head Lama."

Two years is a long time. There must have been more to it than that, but without Dr. Watson as the faithful scribe, how could anyone know the truth?

Author Jamyang Norbu offers an explanation in The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes, a non-canonical Sherlock Holmes pastiche novel.

After surviving the incident at the Reichenbach Falls, Holmes travels east to escape Moriarty's henchmen. One wonders, if Holmes survived, what happened to Moriarty? His agents are still active, it seems. In India, Holmes meets a Bengali spy, Huree Chunder Mookherjee, assigned to accompany and protect Holmes during his mission to Tibet, for mission it was. Holmes has adopted the disguise of a Norwegian explorer called Sigerson so that he is able to protect the young 13th Dalai Lama from assassination by a Chinese-backed evil sorcerer, whose secret identity will come as no surprise when revealed. Holmes, ever pragmatic, finds himself at the mercy of mystical elements that almost (but not quite) overpower him as his expedition leads him into the fabled Shambala and events beyond common understanding. Mookherjee admirably takes on the role of narrator, with a quaint turn of phrase and shocked exclamations as things become considerably more dangerous with every passing day. A helpful glossary at the back of the book assists readers with unfamiliar words and phrases.

The author draws heavily on books and descriptions of the era, notably Kipling's Kim and Plain Tales from the Raj. I loved this book, although the plot veers into a kind of mysticism, which Conan Doyle is more famous for, than his creation. However, the Great Game is wonderfully evident. Holmesian aficionados will not be disappointed although some Baker Street purists might disapprove. The author has perfectly captured Holmes' dry wit and abrasive, often mercurial personality. Added to this is Holmes' particular manner of speech and deduction.

There are several extremely amusing references in this helter-skelter tale of darkness and derring-do. Note: readers who wondered about the Giant Red Leech, hinted at by Watson, will have their questions answered here. I thought the book admirably echoed the tradition of Watson and Holmes' many adventures.

A sad, one could say tragic element of the story is the author's concern with China's occupation of Tibet. He weaves in a pertinent political message, but in a subtle way that never interferes with the story.

[Cris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book because it appears in “Around the world in 80 novels”. It started well as a Holmes/Kim pastiche, but it ended up being slow, clumsy and not that faithful to Holmes’ nature. I appreciate the sentiment about Tibet’s freedom, and wholeheartedly agree with it, but this ideological backing does not make the book any better.

[M Sahi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before I begin, I would like to say that Sir Doyle was and still is the finest writer on Holmesian stories. But now, I have to try with all my might and dare to extend this and say that Mr Norbu’s novel succeeded in showing the Holmesian tradition in a different yet interesting light. He even managed to replicate S.H behaviour and conversational style. “On the contrary my dear Huree!”

Also, this is my first fiction based on Tibetan lands. Being a practicing Hindu, I’ve always been fond of the majestic Himalayas and the mount Kailash. When Hindus say “It is the humble abode of the Gods”, there is certain chill to it. A pleasant curiosity surges through my mind to go and visit these places and find out for myself.

Having always marvelled at the scenic shots taken of the Himalayas; the vast mountain ranges, layers and layers of thick white snow, the tall glaziers gleaming in the morning sun, the clear cool waters of the Manasarover. It was indeed a pleasure to read the words that so beautifully captured these images. For a while I thought I was Huree with Sherlock Holmes sitting at the back of a wagon listening to him playing the violin with the scenic beauty around me. This scene moved me so much, that I hope one day I get to paint this.

Throughout all the Sherlock Holmes stories, I have believed him to be a man who is non-spiritual. A man who is solves crimes through observation, facts and scientific analysis. But this book shows S.H in a different light. There were words like salvation, incarnation and magical powers. I am not saying thats a bad thing, it is different and interesting as well. But this is not the kind of story I had in mind for him. Never the less the elements of mystery and adventure is always fun, please give this book a chance, it really is worth a read.

[Stephen Robert Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is all tied up with string.Found in lost papers in India by Jamyang here we have the missing years of Holmes set in India.

[Bernie Gourley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave this book the lowest rating that I’ve ever given a book I reviewed. However, there’s a selection bias at work. I don’t finish (and rarely start, for that matter) books that are so horrible that they’d get a lesser rating. Ergo, any book that I finish and review has some redeeming qualities. I’ll leave it to the reader to determine whether these redeeming qualities will outweigh the deficiencies of story in this book.

The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes takes our beloved detective out of London and onto a trip from Bombay to Shangri La by way of Shimla (India) and Lhasa (Tibet.) It’s one of several pieces of Great Hiatus fan fiction out there. (I recently saw an addition that took Holmes to Japan.) Fans of Sherlock Holmes will be aware that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle became tired of the character at one point and killed him off (along with Professor Moriarty) at Reichenbach Falls. Holmes was “revived” several years later due to popular demand (and—perhaps—Doyle’s need for funds), leaving fans / authors to speculate what the detective did during his time in hiding (i.e. the so-called Great Hiatus.) This particular work tells us that Holmes spent his time in the Himalayas. It’s as good a setting as any, given that fascination with the esoteric Himalayan world was building in the West during this time. In an interesting feature, Norbu’s book brings in a fictional character from Rudyard Kipling’s Kim, Hurree Mookherjee, to serve as Holmes’s sidekick. (FYI: Kim was published during the Great Hiatus years.) The story involves shadowy plots against both Holmes and a young 13th Dalai Lama (this was the predecessor of the current Dalai Lama) that are incidental to obtaining a powerful mandala.

I’ll begin with the strengths of the work before I tear into what I found objectionable about the book. The author, Jamyang Norbu, clearly did his research, and there are some fascinating tidbits and insights into that era of South Asia history. As a Tibetan, Norbu, paints an intriguing travelogue of the territory that Holmes and Hurree traverse. Also on a positive note, I’d rate the readability of this work to be high. It doesn’t follow the 19th century so closely that it falls into the purple prose and general verbosity of that century’s literature, and I think that’s a good thing. The author manages to create a bit of the feel of 19th century literature without falling off the abyss.

The book’s negative qualities are disproportionately loaded toward the back of the book. (Part of what keeps one reading and engaged is that it seems like the book could turn out well.) Let me begin with one minor character defect of the book which is that not all of the chapters advance the story; a few are descriptive like travelogues. However, most of said chapters are so short that it’s not that problematic.

I should note that one star that might’ve been obtained for originality must be forfeited because there’s no shortage of books following the same general premise.

But the story’s major flaw is that devolves into supernatural speculative fiction done poorly. Let me say, I’m not against the supernatural genre in theory. However, as with stories about Superman, these tales are exceedingly easy to do poorly and extremely difficult to do well. In the real world, tension is easily created because the reader knows many of the limits that characters face, and a good writer forces his characters up against some of those limits. However, when characters seem to be limited by the laws of physics, but then just start pulling magic rabbits out of their hats, the tension drains. We assume our protagonist will prevail and the antagonist will be thwarted. The odds stacked against our hero(es) don’t matter if one expects they’ll pull out a—proverbial or otherwise--magic wand and claim a cheap victory. If one wants to do the supernatural well, one needs to not only make the antagonist stronger (which Mr. Norbu does), but one has to know what everybody’s limits are. Otherwise, it’s just a cheap spectacle. [I should point out that Hurree does engage in a non-magical action that is critically timed during a key moment of the story, and some readers may feel that this absolves the novel of its ham-handed introduction of the supernatural.]

There’s another problem with the degree to which the book hinges on the supernatural, and that is specific to the domain of Holmes. The supernatural is usually something to be debunked in the Holmesian domain. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Holmes is a product of the dawning of the age of rationality, and he is a man of science. Doyle’s Holmes may accept the possibility of the supernatural and apparently supernatural elements may make appearances, but Holmes is always looking for an explanation rooted in logic and favoring the possible. While Norbu goes to great lengths to capture the flavor of Holmes in many aspects, he abandons the character altogether in favor a world that looks neither like our own nor the one Arthur Conan Doyle created.

The disappointment of this book is that it looks like it’s on a trajectory to hit its mark, but then sails wildly off target.

If you like supernatural fiction and you don’t mind that magic suddenly pops up to shape the climax of the book out of the blue, by all means pick this book up. Otherwise, I can’t say that I’d recommend it for Holmes’ fans.

[Empress Reece (Hooked on Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the better patische's Ive read. If you like Sherlock Holmes, then its a must-read!

[Devero · Rating 4 out of 5]

L'autore è un tibetano, in esilio come molti del suo popolo dovo l'invasione e l'annessione cinese del 1950. Questo fatto è importante per comprendere l'impostazione di questo romanzo, che tratta del periodo del Grande Iato holmsiano.
Pur essendo un unico romanzo, con una trama ed un filo conduttore preciso, si svolge in due momenti diversi. Il primo è l'arrivo di Holmes in India, sotto il nome del norvegese Sigurdson, ed il suo sfuggire ai tentativi di omicidio del colonnello Moran. Qui Holmes avrà l'aiuto del narratore, preso di peso da Kim romanzo che mi riprometto di leggere prima o poi.
Il secondo è il viaggio in Tibet, a Lhasa, e lo scontro con Moriarty e la vera natura dei due, entrambi reincarnazioni di precedenti lama tibetani.
La prima parte è decisamente ben fatta e ben scritta, molto holmsiana. Una lettura da centellinare e gustare come un buon liquore. La seconda parte, sebbene ancora ben scritta, vira nel sovrannaturale e tradisce l'anima e lo spirito del personaggio. Inoltre rispolverando Moriarty in questo modo, diventa scontato e prevedibile. Scontato il finale, prevedibile l'azione, e poco coerente con gli anni del ritorno a Londra di Holmes.
E pensare che fino agli ultimi 4 o 5 capitoli era sulle 5 stelle. Invece, a questo punto, arriverei alle 4 stelle con fatica, 3 stelle e mezza sarebbe un giudizio migliore.

[Rein · Rating 2 out of 5]

I quite liked the beginning of this book, as the author is really good at imitating the style of the Holmesian era and also of evoking the Indian colonial atmosphere - but somewhere in the middle of the book things start to go awfully wrong. Holmesian deductions and insights are replaced by something like an early Tsui Hark film (don't get me wrong, I like early Tsui Hark films, I just don't see the point of inserting a Sherlock Holmes into them, unless you do it for a reason) without even trying to seriously explore the possible conflict between the scientific mindset represented by the narrator and the cliché-stricken depiction of the Tibetan worldview. Wherever the author is relying on works by others he admires, he does a fine job - but when he starts moving he pieces on the board himself, he proves to be unable to be quite up to the challenge. That said, the story has its twists and turns - quite a few of them unexpected, because nothing in the text has suggested their remotest possibility - and the voice of the main narrator does not falter in presenting the story even when the author does in making it believable. All in all, not an achievement, but quite ok if you weren't expecting one.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories that most Holmes fans think of as the canon - that is, those written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - have a gap in them. That is, for the 2-3 years between the sleuth's apparent death at Reichenbach falls and his reappearance in The Empty House.

The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes is an attempt to fill that gap. We read of his travels in India and Tibet and of yet another encounter with his nemesis, Moriarty.

It nearly works. The account of Holmes's sojourn in India is fun and fast moving. Once we get to Tibet (spelt "Thibet" in the text), things get bogged down somewhat, reaching their resolution in a rather silly finale with Moriarty in which supernatural forces play a part.

Well worth reading nonetheless.

[Nolina · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable read. I appreciate how the writer skillfully conjured up an authentic but also a little more humane Holmes, but then the climax messed it all up.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting tale of how Sherlock Holmes spent the two years between his “death” at Reichenbach Falls and his return to public life in India and Tibet. With some books the ending makes the book but I did not find that the case here. I enjoyed the entire book except for the ending although I suspect that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would have appreciated it.

[Rogue Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm delighted to report (and embarrased to admit) that it was Sibyl R with our Monday Night Mystery group who put the name to the game, and made me aware of the Sherlock Holmes pastiche, a genre of mystery that's a mashup of new fiction based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's character and setting. Browsing Bookwagon the next weekend - there it was, a table-top of Sherlock Holmes pastiches, where I found Norbu's The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes. Perfect.

The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes is the tale of Holmes' missing years in Tibet and India as written by Hurree Chunder Mookerjee (Kipling's pride of Bow Bazar) and discovered years later by Norbu. It's a delightful account of the master detective in these exotic countries, where his amazing skills and intuition are as effective as they are in merry old England. Mookerjee, who is Holmes' Watson in these travels, is a marvelous narrative device to explain the strangeness of the lands and customs, and detail Holmes' deductions.

This passage from Chapter 17, where Mookerjee and Holmes are in Lhassa City, the life of the Grand Lama at risk. "'Come, Hurree," he cried, 'the game's afoot. Not a word! Into your clothes and come.' 'Why, Mr Holmes? What is the...' I began to ask, but he had already left the room. I did as I was ordered and was ready in a trice. Tying the lappets of my old rabbit-skin cap under my chin, I ran out through the living room to the courtyard, where some of the servants were hurriedly saddling our ponies. In a short time Mr Holmes, Tsering and I were on our steeds."

The fun, authenticity of the work is continued with an explanatory preface, maps of Tibet and Llassa City, footnotes and a glossary. Highly recommended!

-Ashland Mystery

[Rozonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is only recently that people has started to realize that, being a "creature" of one of the most notorious spiritualists ever, Sherlock Holmes must have a spiritual side. People have been too busy with his brains and his heart (or lack thereof) and the orientation of his sexuality. There is much more of Doyle in Sherlock than the author himself would have liked to admit- when he wrote to Joseph Bell to thank him for being the model for Holmes, the wise physician replied "Sherlock Holmes is yourself and well you know it"

Norbu bulids a story about the "lost" years of Holmes that shows us a new look on the detective- not as a reasoning machine,as many see him, but as a seeker for truth with lots of questions about himself and the world. With another delightful literary character (Hurree form Kipling's "Kim") as his Watson, historical facts and characters, and seasoned with a battle with Holmes' perpetual enemy, this pastiche is at the same time entertaining and deep-cutting.

[Anita · Rating 2 out of 5]

An explanation of Holme's disappearance. He was a Tibetan Lama--still living. Ponderous.

[Marijan Šiško · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moram se na žalost pridružiti većini drugih koji su ovu knjigu ocjenjivali. Počinje kao zabavan Holmesovski pastiche, u kiplingovskom okruženju, s daškom haggarda. no, nakon 2/3 knjige autor počinje buncati, mistificirati, telepatija, telekineza, 'neobjašnjive moći uma', reinkarnacije i izgubljene civilizacije. šteta. mogla je biti solidna četvorka. Ovako je malo jača trojka. A neću ni spominjati različite faktuane greške poput otpuštanja sigurnosne kočnice na revolveru, ili punjenja Martini-Henry puške.

[Tariq Mahmood · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was too predictable and Raj retro. I found the attempts by the author to explain the Tibetan brand of Buddhism too difficult to understand. I also thought that the supernatural powers displayed by both Holmes and Professor Morriety too far fetched and fantastic and did not rhyme at all with Holmes established rational style of deductions. By the end of the book I found I was skipping paragraphs without really missing out much.

[Janellyn51 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. Shelock as it turns out didn't die in Riechenbach Falls. I was never particularly iterested in Tibet, Nepal or the Himmalayas before, but this book took me there and I really enjoyed the trip. It is an able tale in the continuation of Doyle's Sherlock Holmes.

[Shobha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the book. Holmes & Hurree from Kim. The colonial love of a Bengali babu towards the imperialists, portrayal of India during the Raj, the writing style, everything about this book charms me. I've read and re-read and re-read it a hundred times so far.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure it entirely lives up to the promise of the idea: the lost years of Sherlock Holmes after the Reichenbach Falls, narrated by the Babu from Kipling's Kim, and very well-done. The denouement, perhaps, evokes Rider Haggard. But still, very enjoyable.

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was ticking along fine until the introduction of the Dark One, at which point the entire story lost the essence of Sherlock Holmes. A really poor ending, to what had the potential to be a decent book.

[P C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this so much more than I expected. I haven't read sherlock holmes & generally avoid ~british lit~ but this book shows how much potential there is in tibetan fiction writing. Our futurisms are tibetan sci fi. yup.

[Jools.Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

what can I say? It's Holmes, it's a great pastiche and it's Holmes! :)

[Alejandra Guajardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Como podrán ver se trata de un llamado “pastiche”, es decir aquel trabajo que trata de imitar abiertamente el estilo de un autor. Como sucede con muchas obras de la literatura, se toma un personaje o una historia periférica y poco desarrollada y a partir de ella se desarrolla una obra independiente. En este caso concreto, la premisa es muy interesante: La obra nos relata lo que le sucedió a Sherlock Holmes durante aquellos dos años en los cuáles todo el mundo lo creía muerto, después de su mortal enfrentamiento con su archienemigo Moriarty, quien perece en el encuentro. La referencia a lo que pasó durante ese tiempo sólo ocupa unas pocas líneas en el episodio de La casa vacía: “Viajé durante dos años por el Tíbet, y pasé un tiempo entretenido en Lhasa y unos días con el Gran Lama.”
El autor, Jamyang Norbu es un escritor y activista político tibetano que vive en Estados Unidos. Norbu nos presenta la historia a través del relato de Huree Chunder Mookherjee, un intelectual y académico, pero a la vez espía bengalí, enviado por su gobierno a seguir los pasos de Sherlock Holmes. Después del desencuentro inicial, Huree compartirá las aventuras y desventuras del célebre detective -en India y luego en el Tíbet- mientras éste trata de eludir a sus enemigos que lo vienen siguiendo desde Inglaterra para matarlo. En el camino, Holmes, Huree y un grupo de leales tibetanos tratarán de salvar al Gran Lama de una terrible amenaza.
Me parece que el autor logra recrear el estilo de Conan Doyle en su relato de los sucesos y la caracterización de Sherlock Holmes está muy lograda. Incluso podemos encontrar la dupla Holmes-Watson, donde Huree toma el rol del doctor Watson, tanto como compañero de aventuras -y amigo-, como relator de los sucesos. La historia fluye de forma ágil y los diálogos son muy creíbles y pertinentes. Quizás las numerosas explicaciones y aclaraciones sobre diversos aspectos de la cultura india y tibetana, la historia pasada, el acontecer internacional actual, flora, fauna, etc. podrían resultar un poco tediosos o distractores para el elector. Sin embargo pienso que están justificados por dos razones. Primero, la acción se da en un lugar y tiempo muy distante al nuestro y las aclaraciones sobre las costumbres y religión budista, por ejemplo, son muy útiles para comprender lo que está sucediendo (además debo añadir que al final hay un glosario de términos muy útiles). En segundo lugar, esta información extra da credibilidad a la historia, a sus personajes, y nos causa esa increíble sensación de estar siguiendo las aventuras de gente de la vida real. De hecho, cronológicamente la historia se sitúa en los años previos a la cruenta invasión china al Tíbet y la huída del Dalai Lama para vivir y gobernar en el exilio en la India.
Otro punto algo débil para algunos lectores, pudiera ser el hecho de que no hay la resolución de un caso, tal como sucede en las historias de Sherlock Holmes (sólo se da un un par de veces en realidad), si no que más bien se trata de una historia de aventuras -muy entretenidas- con varios hechos misteriosos, pero que sin embargo no explotan las mayores cualidades detectivescas por las que es conocido Sherlock Holmes: su agudo sentido de observación, análisis y deducción lógica a partir de los hechos.
Sin embargo la gran novedad de esta obra es que enfrenta a Sherlock Holmes (y a los lectores) con un tema (o temas) que no se toca (o brevemente en algunas historias) en el canon holmesiano: fe, religión, magia, esoterismo, el destino y la existencia de planos superiores de existencia. En este punto la historia se aleja totalmente del canon y seguramente los lectores más puristas moverán la cabeza en total desaprobación. Por mi parte, he tratado de mantener la mente abierta durante toda la lectura, aunque debo confesar que la parte final de la obra me ha parecido bastante audaz.
Luego de todo lo dicho, debo finalizar diciendo que la obra me gustó mucho (no me decepcionó), me pareció muy entretenida y bien escrita. A los que se animen a leerla, les recomiendo hacerlo con la mente abierta, y con la flexibilidad y libertad para dejarse sorprender por la historia y disfrutarla.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the moment I heard that Tibetan Independence leader Jamyung Norbu was the author of one of the most well-regarded post-Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes novels - set, of course - in the missing Tibet years, I knew I was going to read it. To discover that Norbu had placed Rudyard Kipling's Huree Mookerjee in the role of Watsonian narrator was just icing on the cake. The book did not disappoint: Norbu is every bit as good at capturing Arthur Conan-Doyle's voice as his reputation suggested. This is a really *good* Holmesian novel, which is yet being told from a Tibetan perspective. And yes, that really is both incredibly odd and totally natural.
It isn't just the Sherlockiana which is brilliantly done: Mookerjee's dash of Kipling adventure and intrigue suits the tone perfectly. Holmes in the British Raj, ably supported by a Bengali Gentleman spy, all just ... works. The book blends adventure fiction tropes into the detective fiction tropes, which makes the tonal shift to the Himalayas relatively smooth. Inevitably, the book explores rationalism, the enlightenment and the world that fueled both Arthur Conan Doyle and Kipling's worldview. Especially, this moment in time when scientific and spiritualist ideas had no clear boundary between them. It is clear from the reviews here that many feel the explicit Tibetan Buddhist religious elements to this plot are a big break from the tradition, but I'm not so sure. I'm not really a fan of the science/mystical pastiche featured here, but frankly, Conan Doyle was, and Holmesian novels always hovered on the edge. And the delight of having Sherlock's arrogance drain away as he admits to his less-than-proficient approach to the spiritual, is again, wonderfully evoked in a way that feels very true to the character. The book hardly moves away from the rigid deduction approach - Norbu proves a master at devising and then resolving devilish plots - but it exposes the underlying philosophical debates, before claiming them for Tibetan stories. Even the structure - where Holmes is the innovator against our protagonist's conventionality, works, but with the twist of Holmes as the foreigner in a strange land.
The approach to imperialism is similar. Mookerjee certainly faces more explicit racism than I remember Kipling acknowledging, but this is a surprisingly positive gloss on the Raj (although I can't imagine it is a spoiler to point out that the Chinese Empire is, of course, the Big Bad here). But this is a reimagining of the Europeans from the perspective of their occupied, and somehow, those stories have changed ownership. It reminds me of Cathy Park Hong's essay on broken English, and how English has gone beyond the property of England - and become a globally owned language. So too, have the stories of England become the cultural property of Indians and Tibetans. It's all just interesting and cool. The climax of the plot revolves around Mookerjee's clever use of an umbrella. In a Tibetan arctic environment.
But to be clear - this is *not* a highbrow book. This is, basically, Sherlock Holmes done faithfully and extraordinarily well, with a big twist of adventure novel to finish up. It won't be the most memorable book I read this year, but the experience was pure fun.
(Also, it is very hard to get hold of. Took me months. Someone should reprint!)

[Shalini M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhere between 2.5 to 3 stars for this one, most of which are contributed by my biased interest in this topic. The gap years, which Conan Doyle left unexplained (except the cursory statement that Holmes spent most of the time in India and Tibet), are a source of great interest to any Sherlockian. And yet, though I have read quite a few Pastiche works, and know of many more, I am not aware of any other work that attempts to tell the story of this time. And so, being an Indian, an admirer of Tibetan culture and a sympathizer of Tibetan cause, this book held a great appeal for me.

I felt that thus uniquely positioned, it had a great potential, and the first half fulfills it. I enjoyed reading about the Bombay of those times, the train journey, and the journey through the hills to Tibet. I liked even more, reading about the Tibetan cultural and political context, glimpse into their religious and spiritual beliefs. Overall, it recreates the period very well, and I did learn a few things about the history of the region.

Although I haven't read Rudyard Kipling's 'Kim', I was amused to note that the author weaved in the setting from it so well into the story, specially positioning the character of Hurree Chander as Holmes's sidekick (one who is much more effective than Dr Watson). Even though I didn't appreciate the obsequious attitude of Hurree towards any Englishman or his being a great proponent of the British system (no admirer of the Raj myself), I liked the fact that the author gave him a dignity and intelligence that earned him regard even from his commanding officers.
A few incidents in the story borrow inspiration from the canon rather heavily, and I was both amused and a bit annoyed by these - when Holmes infers Hurree's chain of thoughts, burglary of an important paper followed by fire, being the most striking ones.

However, it was the last 40% that killed it for me (and also for many others, as I see from the reviews). It is heavy on occult and supernatural, combined with thrilling chase sequences. There is no deductive reasoning by Holmes - which is his USP, that makes him the most famous fictional detective of all times, or possibly even the most famous character. Holmes is more of an action hero, more of a James Bond, but with psychic abilities. Within this context, the author managed to bring in one really quirky twist (no spoilers!). There are two more twists, but one is what you could call 'too much of a good thing' and the other one could be seen miles ahead.

I so wish that the author had kept the story line within the scope of rationale thought and logical reasoning, because it had so much going for it.

[Henry Douthwaite · Rating 2 out of 5]

SPOILERS (sorry, but have to explain why)

This book had a great concept and promised so much, but in the end it ultimately left me flat and disappointed.

What did Holmes do in the 2 years between 'The Final Problem' and 'The Empty House'? He mentions to Watson that under the guise of a Norwegian named Sigurdsson he journeyed to Tibet. Jamming Norbu (a Tibetan scholar himself) takes this concept and opportunity and connects Holmes with a character from Rudyard Kiplings 'Kim' - Hurree Chander Mookerjee - who then plugs the gap which Watson ordinarily fills. The setting of a potentially fabulous escapade begins.

For the first 75 (odd) pages, the tale very much falls into the Conan Doyle bracket. Although slightly elaborated, you very much grasp the sense of Holmes overseas. He's solving problems and using his powers of deduction, whilst remaining on the run from Moriaty's surviving associates (namely Colonel Moran, the villain of The Empty House) and also slips into a period of inactivity where his addictive habits sends him into a depressive seclusion before he and Mookerjee look for a way out. A hard fought trip to Lhasa to meet the Dalai Lama.

It is here when the novel started to fall apart for me. During the journey, Holmes ceases to become Holmes and instead takes the mantle of a British Indiana Jones. Appealing may be? Yes, if that had been advertised. Then the ultimate in letdowns. The journey, a long one is achieved in double quick time after brief episode of trouble. Then, after meeting the Lama and his associates comes the ultimate flaw - Moriaty returns. Frustrating as Holmes never mentions this in The Empty House, but also, he returns with supernatural powers... something explained away that he'd forgotten until the Reichenbach falls where the impact of the fall suddenly helped him recall the years of training he'd gone through to gain them. A race against time then happens to seek out a forbidden temple that houses a great power. Moriaty gets there first, harnesses that power, before it's revealed that Holmes has been infiltrated by the spirit of Moriaty's former Tibetan rival. So, from outthinking the most intelligent man, it then becomes out sorcering the most powerful sorcerer. Guess who wins? It felt like Norbu had reached a point where he didn't know what to do when reaching Lhasa and how to end Moriaty. This was the only way out.

Post this, Mookerjee returns to his work whilst Holmes goes to visit his new mental possessor's old monastery where he remains till returning to England. The whole problem with this is...if this is now Holmes's new way of life...why does he return to the rational being he was before?

I repeat, a book that promised so much (to the point where a Bollywood friend and I thought it would make a great film) to becoming one of the greatest letdowns I've ever had. I feel sorry for having to write a review like this as I like to be positive, but as a Holmes fan and a keen traveler, this was a great disappointment.

As I say, the concept is great and I would love someone who is closer to the essence of Holmes to have another go at it.