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Solar Pons #11
The Secret Files of Solar Pons
"The Adventure of the Crawling Horror"
"The Adventure of the Anguished Actor"
"The Adventure of the Ignored Idols"
"The Adventure of the Horrified Heiress"
"The Adventure of the Anguished Actor"
"The Adventure of the Ignored Idols"
"The Adventure of the Horrified Heiress"
- GenresMystery
210 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 1979
3 people are currently reading
47 people want to read
About the author
Basil Copper
185 books41 followersBasil Copper was an English writer and former journalist and newspaper editor. He has written over 50 books and scripts. In addition to fantasy and horror, Copper is known for his series of Solar Pons stories continuing the character created by August Derleth.
Copper edited a 1982 two-volume omnibus collection of Derleth's stories of the 'Pontine' canon, published by Arkham House, a publishing firm founded by Derleth himself and chiefly publishing weird fiction (such as Cthulhu Mythos tales); in that edition, Copper "edited" most of the tales in ways that many Pontine aficionados found objectionable[citation needed]. A later omnibus, The Original Text Solar Pons Omnibus Edition, was issued in 2000 under the imprint of Mycroft & Moran (a name which is itself a Holmesian jest).
He also wrote the long-running hard-boiled detective stories of "Mike Faraday" (58 novels from 1966 to 1988).
Copper has received many honours in recent years. In 1979, the Mark Twain Society of America elected him a Knight of Mark Twain for his outstanding "contribution to modern fiction", while the Praed Street Irregulars have twice honoured him for his work on the Solar Pons series. He has been a member of the Crime Writer's Association for over thirty years, serving as chairman in 1981/82 and on its committee for a total of seven years.
In early 2008, a bio-bibliography was published on him: Basil Copper: A Life in Books, compiled and edited by Stephen Jones.
In March 2010, Darkness, Mist and Shadow: The Collected Macabre Tales of Basil Copper was launched at the Brighton World Horror Convention as a two-volume set by PS Publishing.
Copper edited a 1982 two-volume omnibus collection of Derleth's stories of the 'Pontine' canon, published by Arkham House, a publishing firm founded by Derleth himself and chiefly publishing weird fiction (such as Cthulhu Mythos tales); in that edition, Copper "edited" most of the tales in ways that many Pontine aficionados found objectionable[citation needed]. A later omnibus, The Original Text Solar Pons Omnibus Edition, was issued in 2000 under the imprint of Mycroft & Moran (a name which is itself a Holmesian jest).
He also wrote the long-running hard-boiled detective stories of "Mike Faraday" (58 novels from 1966 to 1988).
Copper has received many honours in recent years. In 1979, the Mark Twain Society of America elected him a Knight of Mark Twain for his outstanding "contribution to modern fiction", while the Praed Street Irregulars have twice honoured him for his work on the Solar Pons series. He has been a member of the Crime Writer's Association for over thirty years, serving as chairman in 1981/82 and on its committee for a total of seven years.
In early 2008, a bio-bibliography was published on him: Basil Copper: A Life in Books, compiled and edited by Stephen Jones.
In March 2010, Darkness, Mist and Shadow: The Collected Macabre Tales of Basil Copper was launched at the Brighton World Horror Convention as a two-volume set by PS Publishing.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 8, 2017
The tenth volume of Sherlock Holmes knock-off, Solar Pons.
While not quite as good as the stories by August Derleth, these stories are still entertaining pastiches.
While not quite as good as the stories by August Derleth, these stories are still entertaining pastiches.
December 17, 2024
Of the plethora of Holmes pastiches, pons is a near perfect stand in for that most prestigious of all private dicks... The character was, of course, created by and the books originally written by August Derleth (of Arkham House fame.) This is the third volume of Pons stories penned by Basil Copper, authorized by Derleth.
The stories are longer than Derleth's, which, personally, I think works very well- I prefer it, even. Copper, being a horror writer, doesn't spare the reader the grisly details of the crime scenes, as these stories are a little more explicitly violent than the originals.
True to the Sherlockian formula, the stories are peopled with a colorful cast of eccentric characters, and the weather is as important to the scene as anything else.
If you like Sherlock Holmes, you will prob like Solar Pons. The author had a job to do and he did it well.
The stories are longer than Derleth's, which, personally, I think works very well- I prefer it, even. Copper, being a horror writer, doesn't spare the reader the grisly details of the crime scenes, as these stories are a little more explicitly violent than the originals.
True to the Sherlockian formula, the stories are peopled with a colorful cast of eccentric characters, and the weather is as important to the scene as anything else.
If you like Sherlock Holmes, you will prob like Solar Pons. The author had a job to do and he did it well.
August 1, 2020
Four short stories. First three pretty good. The fourth a clunky, tedious read.
May 19, 2018
I appears to me and maybe, clearly to all, this owes much to Sherlock Holmes however I find there are distinctive differences in the Pon's books. That being said, this series is a fun read. Mr. Copper has captured the flavor that makes the Holmes' books a great series (for me). I highly recommend this series......and, I should mention, this is a great series for the Kindle.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews