Sherlock Holmes And The Shadwell Shadows
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''Sherlock Holmes and the Shadwell Shadows'' is a
mystery novel Mystery is a fiction genre where the nature of an event, usually a murder or other crime, remains mysterious until the end of the story. Often within a closed circle of suspects, each suspect is usually provided with a credible motive and a re ...
by
James Lovegrove James M. H. Lovegrove (born 1965) is a British writer of speculative fiction. Early life Lovegrove was educated at Radley College, Oxfordshire, and was one of the subjects of a 1979 BBC television series, ''Public School''. A follow-up progr ...
. It is a Sherlock Holmes pastiche that involves
H. P. Lovecraft Howard Phillips Lovecraft (, ; August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American writer of Weird fiction, weird, Science fiction, science, fantasy, and horror fiction. He is best known for his creation of the Cthulhu Mythos. Born in Provi ...
's
Cthulhu Mythos The Cthulhu Mythos is a mythopoeia and a shared fictional universe, originating in the works of American Horror fiction, horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. The term was coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent and protégé of Lovecraft, t ...
. It is the first book in the '' Cthulhu Casebooks'' series. The second novel, '' Sherlock Holmes and the Miskatonic Monstrosities'', was released in November 2017 and a third, '' Sherlock Holmes and the Sussex Sea-Devils'', in November 2018.


Plot

A series of mysterious deaths inspire
Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...
and
Dr. Watson Dr. John H. Watson is a fictional character in the Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Along with Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson first appeared in the novel ''A Study in Scarlet'' (1887). "The Adventure of Shosc ...
to investigate the criminal element of the East End of London. Their investigation leads to crime lord Gong-Fen Shou but further opens their eyes to the existence of something much worse.


Reception

Reviewers have praised Lovegrove's use of Doyle's characters within a
Lovecraftian Lovecraftian horror, also called cosmic horror or eldritch horror, is a subgenre of horror, fantasy fiction and weird fiction that emphasizes the horror of the unknowable and incomprehensible more than gore or other elements of shock. It is na ...
conceit. Glenn Dallas of ''Seattle Book Review'' said "Lovegrove does an outstanding job of evoking Doyle’s style and mixing in healthy dollops of the macabre and fantastic that define the Cthulhu Mythos." ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' said of the novel, "The pastiche is pitch-perfect; Lovegrove tells a thrilling tale and vividly renders the atmosphere of Victorian London." '' Starburst'' magazine said of the book "It retains the spirit of classic Holmes, while the integration of Lovecraft mythos is handled with careful aplomb." Bob Byrne for '' Black Gate'' said "If you like your Holmes with some horror: or if you like Cthulhu tales, I think you are going to like this book." Byrne particularly liked that Lovegrove showed a "unpolished Holmes" early in his career.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sherlock Holmes and the Shadwell Shadows 2016 British novels Sherlock Holmes novels Sherlock Holmes pastiches Novels set in England Crossover novels