Welcome to Gaia! :: View User's Journal | Gaia Journals

I think I'm in love with Shadows over Baker Street. The idea of an anthology of Sherlock Holmes/Lovecraft mythos crossover fiction is so brilliant, I'm surprised there isn't more of it. As always with anthologies, not all the stories are brilliant, but I enjoyed all but one of them. (The weak link was interesting, but had no real plot or clear explanation of WTF and a very abrupt ending). It was interesting to see what the likes of Neil Gaimen and Poppy z. Bright made of the theme. most people took the Doyle form and style and ran with mythos related mysteries. Most of these even got the tone and feel of the originals down pretty well, though a couple authors struck a false not here and there or tried a little too hard to make the formula fit, but all of them were well done and quite readable. A few, like the Gaimen alternative universe one or Tiger, Tiger came at the theme from odd angles or messed delightfully with expectations. As a group, they do a beautiful job of exploring the mythos from an unusual angle. Of course, Mr. Holmes sort of has to survive and to one degree or another prevail because he's Holmes, so that one rather loses the prevailing despair of the Lovecraft originals, but given how much better these are written then actual Lovecraft originals, I didn't particularly mind. The literary/history geek in me wildly enjoyed playing spot the reference. (The Gaimen story was extra good for this and rather reminded me of Kim Newman's </i>Anno Dracula</i>, of which I am terribly fond.) I really enjoyed this.