Review: Sherlock Holmes The Stuff of Nightmares

When we were approached by Titan books asking of we wanted to review a new Sherlock Holmes novel, it piqued my interest. When I read the description, “Sherlock Holmes believes this strange masked man may hold the key to the attacks. He moves with the extraordinary agility of a latter-day Spring-Heeled Jack. He possesses weaponry and armour of unprecedented sophistication. He is known only by the name Baron Cauchemar, and he appears to be a scourge of crime and villainy. But is he all that he seems?” – How could I say no? Sherlock Homes The Stuff of Nightmares  by James Lovegrove sounds like it’s Sherlock Homes and BATMAN.

I tucked into the novel and was happy that it read in a voice still reminiscent of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I was transported back to when I was young and reading many Sherlock Holmes stories for the first time. Written to take place prior to The Final Problem, but with the expectation that the reader has already read all about Reichenbach Falls. All the characters you would expect are here: Mrs. Hudson, Mary, Mycroft, Lestrade, and more.

London is in troubling times; there are bombings happening at random by some unknown terrorist who seems to be hiding lit dynamite in crowded areas. The public is troubled, but at the same time the east end seems to have a new vigilante that is stopping criminals in their tracks – his 8 foot tall demonic steam powered, piston whirling, booming suit serves to incapacitate criminals in the act, and even stop them from going out due to fear of running into the scary Baron Cauchemar. Mycroft wants to secure the royal family in the midst of the terrorist bombings and a public that is frothing for answers and justice, while Sherlock thinks the answer will come from finding out the secrets of Baron Cauchemar.

Let’s get to the heart of the matter – you’ll enjoy this book! But, it isn’t without it’s own way of halting your suspension of disbelief. The best way I could describe the flavor of this book is if somehow Jules Verne was transported into a comic shop for a few hours, and then he described the stories to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Steampunk Batman, an atrium that transforms it’s glass ceiling and walls into spinning fans of doom, are truly the smallest of the confusing and somewhat jarring spectacles in Stuff of Nightmares. (Spoiler: There is a moment, where you want the song “You’ve Got the Touch” playing because there is a very Transformers-esque moment in the 2nd half of the novel)

This is a novel that I am sure to encourage my friends to read, even with the caveat that they will at some point put the book down, laugh at it, and then grab it to read more. Grab it on Amazon, you’ll enjoy it!