'A brand new Sherlock Holmes anthology to sit alongside George Mann's successful Encounters of Sherlock Holmes anthologies, and Titan's Further Adventures and New Adventures series.
'A brand-new collection of Sherlock Holmes stories from a variety of exciting voices in modern horror and steampunk, edited by respected anthologist George Mann. Stories are told from the point of view of famous associates of the great detective, including Lestrade, Mrs Hudson, Sherlock himself, Irene Adler, Langdale Pike, and of course, Professor Moriarty...'
Associates of Sherlock Holmes is a book designed for fans of Sherlock Holmes fiction. I now that that could be said about any new Sherlock Holmes book, but this book really appeals to those who've read the original works, with each of the stories being presented here being about, or told by, characters who have appeared in the stories before. Some of these are better known characters such as Inspector Lestrade or Mycroft Holmes, but they also include those smaller one-off characters like Violet Hunter. Thankfully, each of the stories comes with a small introduction from the individual authors, so that readers get a little understanding about the character being featured, and why they've been picked.
George Mann brings together a number of well known Sherlock Holmes writers together to tell a variety of stories, some that vary quite a bit in tone and genre. There are stories that feel like they'd fit easily into the original works, whilst others take on a much darker, even horror feel.
'Heavy Game of the Pacific Northwest' by Tim Pratt tells one of the more unusual stories in the collection, following Professor Moriarty's right hand man, Colonel Sebastian Moran, all the way to the United States. Set after the death of Moriarty, and before the return of Holmes, Moran has travelled to the Pacific Northwest at the invitation of a friend in order to hunt. An avid hunter, and a man known for going after big game, Moran is somewhat surprised to learn that his firend has summoned him to help track down and kill a mysterious ape-man said to inhabit the forests of Washington State.
The story certainly plays with your expectations, giving the reader an explanation for the mysterious ape-man; before pulling the rug out and leaving a lingering question of whether or not Moran does in fact encounter a Bigfoot. The story plays out well, slowly teasing the reader in as Moran enters the dense woodland, and has a very creepy air as he spends his time in the forests as both the hunter and the hunted.
'A Dormitory Haunting' by Jaine Fenn is a story that catches up with Violet Hunter, one of the main characters from the Conan Doyle story The Adventure of the Copper Beeches. Having only recently watched the Jeremy Brett adaptation of this particular story days before reading this book it was a pleasant surprise to see Violet return. Despite being something of a pawn in that story, being used by a vile man in his plots, she was a very clever young woman. She had the knowledge to seek out Sherlock's help even before realising how bad things were, and was quite active in that initial story at finding the truth.
Here we see her as the head of a private school in Walsall, something that Holmes mentions in the original story. We see a slightly older and more confident Violet, one who when confronted with a mystery makes a decision to get to the bottom of it and protect the girls under her care. We get to see how her experiences in the original story have shaped her, and made her a great amateur detective in her own rights.
Cavan Scott's 'Nor Hell A Fury' features one of the most memorable and prominent female characters from the world of Holmes, Irene Adler. Often celebrated as a woman who was able to best Sherlock Holmes, and earning his respect in doing so, we get to see what happened next for her in this story set in France.
One of the most interesting things that Scott does here, however, is allude to the idea that Watson has had to alter some of his stories for publication so as not to embarrass certain public figures. In this case, it appears that Irene Adler is not even her real name, and was a name that Watson gave her in the story, and that it was not the King of Bohemia who was involved in that particular scandal but a member of the Russian royals. It makes complete sense that Watson would need to alter certain facts and events in order for them to be published, but it's an idea that doesn't often come up in Holmes stories. It was also enjoyable to see that whilst Irene didn't win like she wanted here, she was still smart enough to end up with an insurance measure at the end, proving that even if she doesn't win she's smart enough not to lose.
'The Vanishing Snake' by Jefferey Thomas tackles one of the better known Sherlock Holmes stories, The Speckled Band, and takes the opportunity to correct a few things that were factually incorrect with the original story. Thomas points out that there's no such snake as a Swamp Adder, and that snakes don't drink milk, but instead of using these inconsistencies to damage the original story, uses them to take it in a new and interesting direction. The explanation for these mistakes skirts on the supernatural, yet works incredibly well, and offers readers an unusual alternative theory.
My favourite story in the collection, however, would have to be 'peeler' by Nick Kyme. The story centres on Holmes' best known ally, other than Watson of course, Inspector Lestrade. In this story Lestrade begins to investigate a number of attacks across London, where the victims are left killed and large portions of their skin removed.
The story has a very Jack The Ripper feel to it, and cashes in on the creepy horror of Victorian era London well. The plot advances at a pace quick enough to remain exciting throughout, yet also gives you time to slow down and see how the police investigate the kind of crimes that Sherlock and Watson ultimately get called in on. It's great to see how Lestrade teams up with the consulting detective from the opposite side, and how he feels about Holmes. The story is so well done that it's one that I could easily see expanded upon into a much bigger story, one that could easily be a book in itself.
These are just some of the stories on offer in the book, however, and there are a lot of others too. There are stories that feature Billy the Page, Shinwell Jones, Mycroft Holmes, Inspector Barnes, and many others. Each of the writers manages to take these small characters, some even having a single appearance in the original work, and manages to craft engaging and engrossing tales. The stories highlight how interesting and diverse the supporting cast were in Conan Doyle's original stories, and shows how great writers like those on offer here can take these characters and make them leads in their own tales.
Whether you're a fan who knows all of the original stories and can name all the side characters, or someone with only a passing knowledge of the Sherlock Holmes cannon, this book is sure to offer you something. Even if for some reason you don't enjoy every story (which I would be hard pressed to believe as they're all amazing) there will definitely be something here that will entertain.
