09 November, 2017

REVIEW: SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE PLAGUE OF DRACULA by Stephen Seitz


Title: Sherlock Holmes and the Plague of Dracula
Author: Stephen Seitz
Series: -
Genres: Horror, Vampires, Mystery
Publisher: MX Publishing
Release: 2012 May 28th
Source: eBook
Pages: 204

// Goodreads // BookDepository // Amazon //

BLURB:
Bram Stoker's "Dracula" told only part of the story. "Sherlock Holmes and the Plague of Dracula" recounts the Great Detective's search for Jonathan Harker, his confrontation with the Count, the truth behind the Great Hiatus, and Dracula's terrible legacy.

After Mina Murray asks Sherlock Holmes to locate her fiancee, Holmes and Watson travel to a land far eerier than the moors they had known when pursuing the Hound of the Baskervilles. The confrontation with Count Dracula threatens Holmes' health, his sanity, and his life. Will Holmes survive his battle with Count Dracula?

EXPECTATIONS: I said this before, I'll say it again, I usually expect plenty of books on Dracula, but the more cynical side of me is always there to mock that expectation. In this case, I thought, hey, Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, what could be better? Well, I was mighty wrong. Mighty, mighty wrong.

THE WORLD: The times when Jack the Ripper, Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, and many more scary things roamed England untamed. The usual setting, one we know well from Bram Stoker's "Dracula", and any Sherlock Holmes novel ever written and/or rewritten. Except, Sherlock dies here a time extra. "Dies". And for once, it seems, he can't be sure he's not seeing the real-deal monsters, rather than tricks of smoke and mirror, as it usually is.

CHARACTERS: This is one serious crossover between Sherlock Holmes stories, and Bram Stoker's "Dracula, thus the characters come from both of those. We've Mina Harker in distress. After Jonathan Harker disappeared with only a couple short, vague, and cryptic letters from his last days, she runs to no other than Sherlock Holmes. Who, then, is accompanied to Transylvania, Romania, by no other than Doctor John Watson. Later on, on their return, we meet the other crew too. Van Helsing, as mad and deluded as ever. Lord Godalming, as suspiciously married and widowed on almost the same day, and whoever that man in the asylum was, can never recall his name... Steward?

ROMANCE: Doctor Watson loves his wife dearly. So much, in fact, that Dracula easily uses her as bait to make them get off his cape once and for all. And they do, ending all episodes with Dracula then and there. Other than that there is no romance, as is pretty usual with Sherlock's stories.

GOOD: Not a damned thing. 

BAD: Most of it. Starting with title hype, lack of Dracula, two pages of action, two thirds of the book being Watson's inner balance search in journals for he's either mourning a friend, or working.

OVERALL: This was a pretty upsetting book as both a Dracula's book, and as Sherlock's book. 



What do you think about SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE PLAGUE OF DRACULA?

 

0 comments:

Post a Comment