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16 opere 496 membri 8 recensioni 1 preferito

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Opere di Sam Siciliano

Etichette

Informazioni generali

Nome legale
Siciliano, Sam Joseph
Data di nascita
1947-10-17
Sesso
male

Utenti

Recensioni

i have no idea when i read this one, but it was one of the first sh pastiches i ever read and i Loved It. i checked it out from the library at least three times and i remember it fondly. could i tell you what the plot was? something something sherlock holmes something something dr veneer something something phantom of the opera idk not really
 
Segnalato
cthuwu | 3 altre recensioni | Jul 28, 2021 |
In this outing, Siciliano transports us to the dramatic coastline of Yorkshire, where madmen still live in castles and an ancient beast, a "white worm," may (or may not) inhabit a bottomless pit in the middle of an ancient grove once frequented by Druids. Is Lady Verr, Holmes' hostess, merely a charming but misfortune-plagued widow, or is she a voluptuous bohemian seductress in search of a fortune at whatever cost, or is she something more ... perhaps even the reincarnation of an ancient family curse? Holmes' mission is to clear the name of Lady Verr's pretty ward, Diana Marsh, thus rendering her an eligible companion for the girl's eminently eligible but neurotic suitor Adam Selton.

This is a serviceable pastiche that combines elements of The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Lion's Mane. The gothic elements of the story are just about right: appropriately one-dimensional (the mysterious widow, the monster, the virgin, the knight, the madman in the tower) without disintegrating into camp. And besides substituting Holmes' kinsman Dr. Vernier for Dr. Watson (an inside Sherlockian reference to a hint in one of the original stories of a relationship between the Holmes family and the famous painter Vernier), Siciliano is careful not to take liberties with the canon. Never fear: Holmes isn't going to turn out to be a vampire, or secretly married, or in collusion with Cluthlu.

My main qualm is that Siciliano's Holmes fails to rise to his usual level of genius. In attempting to carve out a role for Vernier and his liberated wife Michelle, the author assigns some of the key deductions in the case to these minor characters. On the one hand, I appreciate what Siciliano is trying to accomplish, by providing Holmes with sidekicks that aren't just boobs, but have actual value-added (an insight into human psychology) to contribute. On the other hand, I had a hard time believing that the "real" Holmes (irony intended) would overlook clues so obvious, most readers are going to be able to figure them out on their own.

In summary, you might characterize this a better-than-usual episode of a familiar TV show: satisfying, entertaining, unobjectionable, but probably nothing you'll remember after a few months have passed.
… (altro)
 
Segnalato
Dorritt | Aug 8, 2018 |
This would have been 5 stars if it had not gotten so blasted repetitive: We know Henry wants and loves his Michele, we know Rose is a large woman, we know Dartmoor is cold and windy. Aside from those and a few other annoyances of a similar nature, this was a good story and I would recommend it.
 
Segnalato
LGandT | Jun 24, 2018 |
Watered down version of both Erik and Sherlock, but still a good light read. Not something that will require a visit with a therapist after. cough {Phantom}.

You should know, IMO anyway, you should be very familiar with both Erik and Sherlock to be able to appreciate this one.

I have heard many terrible things about it, but I personally really enjoyed it.

Update: Now that I actually have the book and can savor it slowly without being in a rush to get it back to the library, I bumped it up a star. I really enjoyed it much more, reading slowly.… (altro)
 
Segnalato
LGandT | 3 altre recensioni | Jan 25, 2018 |

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Statistiche

Opere
16
Utenti
496
Popolarità
#49,831
Voto
½ 3.3
Recensioni
8
ISBN
24
Lingue
1
Preferito da
1

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