Sherlock Holmes: The Last Act

Sherlock Holmes (Big Finish) #1.1

by David Stuart Davies, Roger Llewellyn (Narrator)

It is 1916 and Sherlock Holmes has returned to his rooms in Baker Street after attending the funeral of his long time associate, Dr John H. Watson. Holmes reflects on the old days and comes to realise that not only was there so much that he had shared with Watson in his lifetime but also there was so much that he had not revealed to him: things he had kept hidden, including his deep affection for his friend. Imagining that Watson is present, Holmes addresses this failing and touches on aspects of past cases and the various characters he encountered during his investigations, including ‘The Woman’ Irene Adler and of course Professor Moriarty.

Holmes delves deeper into the darker aspects of his own history, revealing at last a shocking secret. Realising now how lonely and isolated he is without his old comrade, adrift in a new modern and war-ravaged age, he comes to wonder whether, like Watson, he too has come to the end of his time…

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Audiobook, Historical Fiction, Historical, Classics, Fiction

2 pages, Audio CD

First published June 1, 1999

About the author

David Stuart Davies was a British writer. He worked as a teacher of English before becoming a full-time editor, writer, and playwright. Davies wrote extensively about Sherlock Holmes, both fiction and non-fiction. He was the editor of Red Herrings, the monthly in-house publication of the Crime Writers' Association, and a member of The Baker Street Irregulars and the Detection Club.

Reviews

[Kati · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story: 4 stars. The story, told entirely from Sherlock Holmes' POV, starts with John Watson's funeral after which Holmes returns to Baker Street and ruminates about his past and about the cases and adventures he shared with his friend. Bits and pieces from Doyle's work are used and explained from Holmes' POV, like "The Speckled Band" or "The Hound of Baskervilles". The story is incredibly touching, especially when Holmes forgets that Watson's not there and just turns to where his friend should be to tell him something funny or interesting and just... stops. You literally feel just how much Holmes loved his friend - in this the story reminds me of Anthony Horowitz's "The House of Silk". On the other hand, some of the stuff borrowed from Doyle is just too long and the part about Holmes' childhood - though interesting - feels a bit off, it jars, this transition from commonly known cases to something entirely new.

Narration: 2 stars. Well. As Roger Llewellyn himself admits in the interview at the very end, he's not a character actor. And I simply didn't like the way he read the story. I understand that he needed to set the various characters apart, but sometimes I could barely understand him and... well, let's just say that in some places, his reading was so full of pathos it was laughable, not dramatic. If I had been the director, I would've asked him to tone it down. It really affected my enjoyment of the story.

Overall? A really good story - David Stuart Davies is a fantastic Sherlock Holmes author - but I would've preferred to read it myself instead of listening to it.

[Yosef Shapiro · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first of Big Finish Audio's Sherlock Holmes audio plays. This one is based on a one man show set right after Watson's funeral. The first act is really just a rehash of many if the classic Holmes stories from. Holmes 's point of view. The second act is more interesting. For one thing , it explores Holmes's childhood and provides a motivations for his battle against crime. The lead does multiple voices and characters . In some cases, his choice if accents is quite interesting . For example, he gives Watson a Scottish accent . In the interviews , in the extras, he explains some of his characterizations. The second act redeems the story.

[Kirsten · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to the audio version of this book. It was only two hours long. This is the style of book you’ll either love or hate. I didn’t particularly enjoy it. But I’ve been searching for A replacement for BBC’s Sherlock. This book is a great example of how chaotic Sherlock Holmes’ mind must be. It was so here and there and everywhere that I found myself getting twitchy. Not my cup of tea. 😉

[Steven Shinder · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this is the first Sherlock Holmes audio that Big Finish ever did, it’s the last one chronologically our of the ones I have. So the first shall be last, so to speak. I found some of this to be too much of a retread of familiar stories as Holmes recalls them from his point of view. But the ending was very emotional.

[Gretchen Altabef · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is stellar entertainment. Davies writing is superbly above the writing curve for most Sherlock Holmes pastiche, as usual. Roger Llewellyn is the perfect actor for this play, his performance gratefully captured here. Don't miss this!

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was sort of a retrospective of a few of the high points of Holmes's career. It was bit disjointed.

[Jb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intimate Holmes. Great writing and performance.

[Kash · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was quick bit very odd read! A very Hyper sherlock!