On the HahaFiction shelf
Warlock Holmes: A Study in Brimstone
Warlock Holmes · Book 1 · 2016
At 221b Baker Street, Watson has the powers of observation and his flatmate has the demons. Warlock Holmes can call on formidable magic, but solving a case sensibly falls to the doctor. Six familiar Sherlock Holmes investigations acquire monsters, occult hazards and a very different division of labor.
From the publisher’s blurb
“Warlock Holmes, however, is an idiot.”Read the full description at Titan Books publisher description
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What makes it funny?
Publishers Weekly describes Watson having to step backward over the threshold of his new rooms. The opening investigation also makes a baked-goods wrapper an essential murder clue. Book-group readers recommend the pairing of Holmes humor with fantasy creatures.
The comedy at work
Denning gives the celebrated detective’s job to his supposedly secondary companion. The magical threats leave Watson managing Victorian manners as well as dangerous cases, while his powerful flatmate needs help with ordinary reasoning.
Try this if…
Holmes pastiche readers who welcome literal vampires and ogres have plenty of familiar details to recognize. Readers in book groups single out that mixture of detective-story humor and supernatural creatures. Readers also recommend listening to it for a change of pace, describing their enjoyment of the audio version.
Good to know
The volume revisits six Conan Doyle cases, so its structure moves between investigations. It opens the Warlock Holmes series, which continues through four more volumes.
More funny historical mystery
Sources & further reading
- Reader discussion
Reader discussion
- Publisher: paperback cover
Publisher
- Publishers Weekly review
Review
- Fantastic Fiction: reading order
Book information
- Publisher: book description
Publisher
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