Free Downloads Warlock Holmes - A Study In Brimstone
Sherlock Holmes is an unparalleled genius. Warlock Holmes is an idiot. A font of arcane power, certainly. But he’s brilliantly dim. Frankly, he couldn’t deduce his way out of a paper bag. The only thing he has really got going for him are the might of a thousand demons and his stalwart companion. Thankfully, Dr. Watson is always there to aid him through the treacherous shoals of Victorian propriety… and save him from a gruesome death every now and again.
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Titan Books (May 17, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1783299711
ISBN-13: 978-1783299713
Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.9 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #200,910 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #41 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Mashups #388 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery > Supernatural > Witches & Wizards #1905 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Historical > Mysteries
I loved this book.It's quite funny (both with some obvious jokes and also subtle or dry humor), the story is entertaining and kept me interested (and up too late on occasion), and it's got pretty pictures spattered throughout.The author has an amazing ability to write in the style of Sherlock Holmes stories, but keeping it light, readable, and enjoyable. It's an amazing touch on the genre and while I've read only a few of the original Sherlock stories, I appreciate the style.Okay, between you and me, the entire internet, I am not even sure I have read any Sherlock Holmes stories and if I did it was long ago. But still, I enjoyed this, and it read like what I assume a Sherlock story reads like. I'm sorry I lied to you before.I'm reading this on the Kindle edition and the occasional picture shows up pretty well on my Kindle reader (some books have illustrations that don't). The words show up nicely too, which is important.
Brought to you by OBS Reviewer ScottAs the saying goes, Sherlock Holmes was the worldâs greatest detective. Warlock Holmes is not. Where Sherlock used powers of deductive reasoning, Warlock sort of bumbles into the oft bizarre and strange realms of flights of fantasy that make up his world, with only Dr. John Watson, fresh out of Afghanistan, as the voice of reason. Coupled with the fact that where Sherlock uses mind craft to carve his way to success, Warlock conversely is a sorcerer, with the voice of Moriarity inside his head (not that Moriarity â an entirely different, magic wielding warlock, who uses it for the life of crime), and the power of a thousand demons (of which Warlock poisons himself to still their voices). Bake this in a series of cases that often break your suspension of disbelief, whether overt or covert, and you have Warlock Holmes: A Study in Brimstone.The writing in the book is set up in a parallel with the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Each case basically of short story or novella length. Whimsy, however, is the order of the day in this spoof on the timeless classics, and there is no greater display of a keen wit here at play. That being said, it is primarily this wit that holds the novel together. Anachronisms and out of place (for Victorian times) diction, runs par for course, and the simplest (and often inconsequential) fact, is the modus operandi of the âvillainsâ if you can call them that, gets obscured by clouds. Stylistically, this is not Sir Arthur Conon Doyle, nor should it be. Most readers will recognize the tropes and references made to Sherlock Holmesâ cases, and will be perfectly clear in the wash. There is an immediate connection with the reader who is familiar to Sherlockâs exploits, but it is neither necessary, nor applicable to the comedic writing of C.S. Denning.Over the course of the six âcasesâ that make up the novel, the characterization of the denizens of Warlock Holmes world, are remarkably well done. Dr. John Watson is the prominent leader of deductive reasoning; Warlock Holmes has a few bats in his belfry, and the vampires and creatures of Scotland Yard, and the voice of Moriarity that always speaks the truth (even if it is too much to bear) are fresh pickings off of a historic literary masterpiece. In juxtaposing the roles the characters play, Jennings breathes near life in them. Not new life, but near life. There just isnât the three dimensionality (except for perhaps, the case of Watson) youâd come to expect in a work like this that treads so haphazardly over perhaps the most three dimensional iconics in the last century (give or take a few years) of literature.Dialogue, is perhaps the key to this book. The âwhat should havesâ and âwhat should have notsâ are redundant queries here, and the key way the reader is informed as to happenstance from the journals of Dr. John Watson. Watson only lets on what he recounts from firsthand experience (which breaks the fourth wall in âA Study in Brimstoneâ) and displays quite the remarkable shift in dynamics in their pairing â Holmes and Watson here. Watson stands as the voice of scientific reasoning, and Warlock, well he bumbles along. Throughout the course of the dialogue, we revisit Watsonâs keen observation of mannerisms and font of Victorian thought. Even the âvillainsâ in Warlock Holmes: A Study in fire and Brimstone, (itâs quite a stretch to call them that here), are well put together as mouthpieces to either delve into their psyche, or proliferate the plot.All and all, if youâre looking for a light, airy, often comical read, this is right up your alley. C.S. Jennings has crafted a parody of a timeless classic. Warlock Holmes: A Study in Fire and Brimstone will appeal to some and not to others. If you like 221B Baker Street (yes, thatâs correct), with sorcery and a Victorian fantasy element â for aficionados of Sherlock Holmes original adventures, however, be warned: this is not the book youâre looking for. For those who it does interest, there is a sequel coming out in 2017. Watch for it.
I got about 20% into it before I got bored and quitIt had a very interesting start, with Watson the normal human meeting Warlock Holmes and ending up rooming with him out of necessity. And the prediction of doom promised something interesting going on.But after a while it just seemed to have no real point to it. It was more silly than funny, and after a while the oddness just got old. It seemed that it tried too hard to put a twist to -everything- in the Holmes universe, thus making it feel more like reading a kids comic book rather than reading a story. It became a one-trick pony pretty quickly.I think it would have done a lot better as a short story, one case, and only picked a few things to twist up. There just wasn't enough to keep it going for me after a certain point.
Funny stuff. I'd like to say what genre it is but it's sort of a mystery-fantasy-comedy-spoof that's unlike anything I've ever read. It also had me laughing out loud. The humor is definitely slapstick, Monty Python-esque, which is normally not my thing but I enjoyed it nonetheless. The stories (it's a series of interrelated stories, not a novel per-se) move quickly. Some very nice light reading.
I was thoroughly entertained. I loved the Sherlock Holmes stories and was relieved to find that the author clearly does as well - the whole feel is as if Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is being mercilessly roasted by someone who loves him. Like you're at Sascha Baron Cohen's roast and Will Ferrell is talking. Obviously the guy would be skewered, but it would be hilarious, and spot on, and professional respect and admiration would still shine on through. If you're familiar with the Holmes canon you'll love the book, and if you're unfamiliar you'll still love it. You don't really need to know anything of the original, other than perhaps that Holmes' deductions are so uncanny as to not actually belong in the natural world. Holmes makes so much more sense as a warlock! Who knew?!? The book is narrated by Watson and this imagining of the character is charming, sympathetic,and so very likable. The language is in the Victorian style, echoing the original, but doesn't get pretentious or fussy. The author doesn't insult the reader's intelligence with simplification of the language or over-explaining, but does maintain smooth readability throughout. Fantastic!!!
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