|
Sherlock Holmes and the Tomb of Terror by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Reader Reviews 3 of 4 people found the following review helpful: Holmes in the Sahara..., November 28, 2000 Reviewer: Rory Coker from Austin, TX USA British journalist and magician Val Andrews has written too many Holmes pastiches for me to easily count, during the past decade and a half. Most have been published lately by British magic publisher Martin Breese, who says this particular novel is his favorite. It is told in a somewhat more leisurely manner, with more attention to period detail and style, than the usual Andrews offering. Holmes and Watson are basically blackmailed into a dangerous expedition to a little-known Saharan kingdom, where they wind up being buried alive in the tomb of a recently dead king! Despite the carefully wrought motif of Victorian adventure throughout (H. Rider Haggard is explicitly referred to), Holmes is treated according to the Conan Doyle Canon pretty much, although at novel's end Mycroft is seen doing something utterly preposterous--- at least for Mycroft. The payoff regarding a "mysterious mineral" in the lost kingdom is also pretty thin stuff. In general I enjoyed it, and if you like other novels by Andrews, you're certain to like this one. By the way, magician Andrews has Holmes use a couple of sideshow magic stunts in the course of the novel; watch for them.
|
