Not one of his best. Very convoluted and doesn't bring it all together until the final pages, at which point I had ceased to care. ( )

This was a brief, and somewhat whimsical, story by Twain about revenge and murder. It also features Sherlock Holmes and Watson inserted as characters. I felt it was interesting, and not a bad read, but besides that I did not really see any everlasting value.

3 stars. ( )

I'm not sure what to say about this one. I can't say I'm particularly well read in Mark Twain's works, but I've read enough that I expected a level of satiric humor that I didn't immediately find. In fact, the story started out rather dark, tragic and confronting. About 10% of the way through, a hint of absurdity, but still dark.

It's not until midway through Part II of the story that it started to really feel like something written by Twain, and mind you, I've still not seen a hint of Sherlock Holmes. I was starting to feel robbed. It's also at this point that it sort of feels like Twain lost the reigns of the story; it scatters all over the place with suddenly changing POVs and focus. Not so scattered, though, that it wasn't apparent where Twain was going, the set-up for the twist of irony.

Then, finally, Sherlock Holmes enters the scene. Twain is known for his scathing satire, so it's no surprise that Holmes does not come out looking like the paragon he is, but at the same time, Twain is skewering everyone else too, and somehow it makes it easier to sit back and laugh at the absurdity of it all. Even though the plot had lost most of its focus, it was still the most enjoyable part of the story for me.

I'm glad I discovered this book and story - I thoroughly enjoyed it - but it's clear why it's not a well-known work of Twain's. It's worth reading for Holmes fans for the sheer novelty, if nothing else, and I adore my copy. But for those without the sentimental streak for Holmes, it's best experienced via Gutenberg or an anthology of Twain's work. ( )

Fun, silly. Not Mark Twain's best, but very enjoyable. ( )

"Uncle Sherlock! The mean luck of it!—that he should come just when...." He dropped into a reverie, and presently said to himself: "But what's the use of being afraid of him? Anybody that knows him the way I do knows he can't detect a crime except where he plans it all out beforehand and arranges the clues and hires some fellow to commit it according to instructions.... Now there ain't going to be any clues this time—so, what show has he got? None at all.

This novella contains two linked revenge stories. In the first, Archie Stillman acts as is mother's bloodhound, hunting down the father he never knew and harrying him from town to town and across the world.

The second story takes place in a mining camp where Archie and Sherlock Holmes vie to discover the murderer of an unpopular miner. I don't think Mark Twain can have been a fan of Holmes, as his portrayal of him is uncomplimentary in the extreme and he does not seem to be the same man as in Conan Doyle's stories.

The first part is quite depressing and although the second has much more humour in it, I don't think I would choose to re-read this book. ( )