The Cthulhu Casebooks: Sherlock Holmes and the Shadwell Shadows

The Cthulhu Casebooks, Book 1

De: James Lovegrove

Narrado por: Dennis Kleinman

It is the autumn of 1880, and Dr. John Watson has just returned from Afghanistan. Badly injured and desperate to forget a nightmarish expedition that left him doubting his sanity, Watson is close to destitution when he meets the extraordinary Sherlock Holmes, who is investigating a series of deaths in the Shadwell district of London. Several bodies have been found, the victims appearing to have starved to death over the course of several weeks, and yet they were reported alive and well mere days before. Moreover, there are disturbing reports of creeping shadows that inspire dread in any who stray too close.

Holmes deduces a connection between the deaths and a sinister drug lord who is seeking to expand his criminal empire. Yet both he and Watson are soon forced to accept that there are forces at work far more powerful than they could ever have imagined. Forces that can be summoned, if one is brave - or mad - enough to dare …

©2016 James Lovegrove (P)2019 Blackstone Publishing

It Was Ok

I'm a fan of Sherlock and have heard/read all of the original ones and thought this would be a nice twist to the stories. That being said I didn't care for the way this story Retcon's the original stories. I would have perfered this as a whole new untold story, with new enemies that blended in with the original. But that is only my opinion and I'm glad I did listen to the whole thing but I wouldn't give it a re-listen.

Could not finish

Same old story with little details added. Not interesting enough. Narrator was not my favorite either. (But not the worst) Didn’t keep the story moving with his voice. If you looking for the same old Homes Sherlock story this maybe for you. If not move on as I did.

Watson the imbecile

Is Watson in the canon such an acting imbecile? Very interesting spin on the mythos.

Average fan fiction of superlative canon

The narrator was delightful and delivered a pronounced, blustery first-person account in a very believable Watson voice. The story was compelling enough to finish out, but the pacing was inconsistent and, in retrospect, plodding at times.

No adaptions of either Doyle or Lovecraft could ever be as beloved as the original works. With that said, the author has clearly read and understood both authors at large. I appreciated the reverence to Holmes’ character as compared to other “mere mortals.” If I’m nitpicking, I’d say this Holmes rendition relied even more unrealistically on fisticuffs than the original.

The author felt compelled to preface his stories (he’s written three) with the caveat that he disavows Lovecraft’s evil racist views. I find this common bit of theater so tedious, disrespectful, and downright unimaginative. I understand that it’s ‘de rigeur’ these days and you might just get your book burned if you’re not careful. Still, the Lovecraft brand is the reason at least half of your audience paid for your wares! If you think you’ve transcended HP’s perspective for establishing psychological horror, why trade on his name? Oh right, because you need it. I dinged the story down to a three for this pandering, but will probably buy at least the next book in the series, especially if done by the same narrator.

Sherlock and cosmic horror done brilliantly

If you are a fan of Sherlock Holmes and Lovecraft cosmic horror. This is be a treat. If you are a Sherlock purist all I can say is maybe it’s time you broaden your horizons. Cheerio well done Watson.