Shadows Over Baker Street
Shadows Over Baker Street, edited by Micheal Reaves and John Pelan, is a collection of stories based on one idea: What if Sherlock Holmes lived and had to deal with the world of H.P. Lovecraft? I think it was the premise that attracted me although I have no clue why. I don't think I've read Sherlock Holmes since high school and I've never read any Lovecraft. So I came at this with a desire for mystery and horror and no preconceived notions.
Like most anthologies there were some entries that pleasantly surprised, some I enjoyed, and some that were just, well, there. Despite the Lovecraftian mythos there were no stories here that made me go WTF? Usually the WTFery is in direct response to a story that is either very poorly written, tries too hard to be "art" or both. I am happy to say that I didn't encounter either here. Sure, some of the entries are written better than others - that is always true in anthologies - but none of the stories made me try too hard to understand them and none had that pretentious feeling of trying to be more arty or literary than thou. So all was good.
Since I didn't have any stories here that triggered by bullshit meter or made me say WTF I'm only going to call out the ones I enjoyed the most. My favorite here has to be Neil Gaiman's A Study In Emerald, which shouldn't be surprising to anyone. I have always loved me some Neil, especially his short stories, and this one doesn't disappoint. Gaiman brings alive a world where Lovecraft's Old Ones have conquered humanity and are now the royal families of the world. There is murder, treason, and a delicious twist on the typical Holmesian genre. Lovely. I can see why it won a Hugo.
Along with Gaiman's entry I was quite pleased with Tiger! Tiger by Elizabeth Bear, The Case Of The Wavy Black Dagger by Steve Perry, The Adventure Of The Antiquarian's Niece by Barbara Hambly, The Horror Of The Many Faces by Tim Lebbon, and The Drowned Geologist by Caitlin R Kiernan. All were solidly entertaining in their own right without having to have an extensive familiarity with either the Sherlock Holmes stories or Lovecraft. I'm sure my opinion as to which stories were the best and of the anthology as a whole would have been different if I were more familiar with the theme. As it is I was just looking to be entertained and the stories mentioned above did so admirably.
Like most anthologies there were some entries that pleasantly surprised, some I enjoyed, and some that were just, well, there. Despite the Lovecraftian mythos there were no stories here that made me go WTF? Usually the WTFery is in direct response to a story that is either very poorly written, tries too hard to be "art" or both. I am happy to say that I didn't encounter either here. Sure, some of the entries are written better than others - that is always true in anthologies - but none of the stories made me try too hard to understand them and none had that pretentious feeling of trying to be more arty or literary than thou. So all was good.
Since I didn't have any stories here that triggered by bullshit meter or made me say WTF I'm only going to call out the ones I enjoyed the most. My favorite here has to be Neil Gaiman's A Study In Emerald, which shouldn't be surprising to anyone. I have always loved me some Neil, especially his short stories, and this one doesn't disappoint. Gaiman brings alive a world where Lovecraft's Old Ones have conquered humanity and are now the royal families of the world. There is murder, treason, and a delicious twist on the typical Holmesian genre. Lovely. I can see why it won a Hugo.
Along with Gaiman's entry I was quite pleased with Tiger! Tiger by Elizabeth Bear, The Case Of The Wavy Black Dagger by Steve Perry, The Adventure Of The Antiquarian's Niece by Barbara Hambly, The Horror Of The Many Faces by Tim Lebbon, and The Drowned Geologist by Caitlin R Kiernan. All were solidly entertaining in their own right without having to have an extensive familiarity with either the Sherlock Holmes stories or Lovecraft. I'm sure my opinion as to which stories were the best and of the anthology as a whole would have been different if I were more familiar with the theme. As it is I was just looking to be entertained and the stories mentioned above did so admirably.