This collection of Sherlock Holmes stories just didn't work out for me. As a long-time Sherlock Holmes fan did I look forward reading a collection of stories that places the detective in situations one usually doesn't find him in. I love science fiction and the idea of the famous detective tackling more supernatural crimes sounded very interesting.

However, I just didn't find the stories in the collection to be especially memorable or interesting to read. too many of them was just frankly boring to read, with very few of them catching my interest.

So, in the end, this was just not a collection that suited me, there were some stories that were a bit better than the rest, but not really any fantastic stories.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a free copy for an honest review! ( )

As I made my way through David Thomas Moore's anthology "Two Hundred and Twenty-One Baker Streets: An Anthology of Holmesian Tales Across Time and Space" I couldn't help but think 'I wish I had edited this book'. Not because I think it's poorly edited, needed work, or anything like that, but because I'm bloody envious of how good it is while being so far off the beaten track of a typical Sherlock Holmes anthology. Of the 14 stories presented, all of which are more or less 'alternate universe' takes on Holmes and Watson, there is only one clunker, which is mighty impressive given the ease with which most stories could have gone wildly off the rails. Be aware, in some stories you will not find anyone named Sherlock Holmes. This antho isn't about mimicry of ACD's writing style, or structure of stories; it's about characters, iconic characters whose bundle of traits are 'universal' in a literary, not literal, sense, and work in any place or time. I like this book. Its smart. It's challenging. It's an exploration. The concept behind it and the various ideas that drive it, work for me. Easily the best book of Sherlock Holmes related fiction I've read this year. ( )

The deerstalker’s not necessary, but it’s cool

Two Hundred and Twenty One Baker Streets: An Anthology of Holmesian Tales Across Time and Space, edited by David Thomas Moore (Abbadon Books, $9.99).

The sleuth in the deerstalker hat isn’t back; he never left. Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective is the taproot of mystery and crime fiction, and, as anthology aptly demonstrates, he’s equally good in any dimension, time, or on any planet.

We’ve been prepped for this by the popular BBC series Sherlock and the almost-as-popular CBS series Elementary, so Two Hundred and Twenty-One Baker Streets isn’t nearly as surprising as it might be.

That said, this collection offers us Holmes and Watson as teenaged girls, aliens, cowboys, muscle-y sword-wielding barbarians, and wizards. What’s more, the premise works in almost every story, which probably tells us that Holmes and Watson also set the standard for buddy movies.

Bottom line: To solve a mystery, it takes two. And the cap, cape and pipe aren’t all that necessary.

Reviewed on Lit/Rant: www.litrant.tumblr.com ( )

www.readingbifrost.com

Mature-Content Rating: Language, Violence, Drugs, Mention of Rape, Homosexual themes

Two Hundred And Twenty-One Baker Streets is an anthology of fourteen Holmesian stories all written in a variety of genres and times.

While some of the stories focus on the mystery like the original books, others focus on the familiar yet outrageously creative characters of Sherlock and Watson or the new worlds constructed by the author. Even Ms. Hudson has a go at being a bioengineer instead of her mildly fascinating landlady persona. And how is a collection complete without a few gender-bending fics in which Sherlock and Watson are teenage schoolgirls? College campuses, 70’s New York, modern day London, a traveling circus, and many other times and places are included in this anthology.

As for the plots, some of the authors created their own mysteries, some reinvented old ones, and others had a combination of both. How can you have an anthology of Holmesian stories without at least one touching on how Sherlock survived The Reichenback Fall? Answer: You can’t, and it was brilliant. One story had a strong philosophical feel to it when Watson and Sherlock were forced to question the world they lived in and their own existence within it.

One thing that disappointed me was in the title it states that it is ‘An Anthology of Holmesian Tales Across Time and Space’, and although it contains plenty of the ‘across time’ part I was really disappointed that it didn’t have a Sherlock space opera. One story did touch on space but it didn’t have enough of that futuristic feel to be completely counted as a ‘space’ story.

Overall, Two Hundred And Twenty-One Baker Streets has a story for everyone. It’s full of brilliantly written tales that any fan of Sherlock can appreciate.
(Advance copy provided by NetGalley.) ( )