Sherlock Holmes: The Army of Dr Moreau by Guy Adams
When bodies start appearing on streets of London, the newspapers report it as a result of gang violence but after a visit from Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock and Watson realise there is far more to the story than meets the eye. Mycroft informs them that the victims had suffered from large animal attacks and that one of the victims wounds had been caused by a shark. Mycroft also admits to The Department’s funding of experiments to improve humans survival by attempting to speed up the evolutionary process. And who was funded to carry out these experiments? None other than the medical outcast, Dr Moreau.
When Dr Moreau’s inhumane experiments were exposed to the public, he was shunned by the worlds medical profession. So when The Department offered to fund (slightly) more civilised research, he agreed. After a while, both Moreau and his assistant (sent by Mycroft) disappeared and no one knew if they were alive or dead. Years later a man returns to England, insisting Moreau had continued his sick and twisted experiments, creating a collection of monsters that eventually turned again their creator and killed him. But surely these are the ramblings of a madman?
A number of different authors have taken on the character of Sherlock Holmes and pushed him into varying directions and for that reason, I have generally stayed away from them. The idea of mixing characters from other classics appealed to me though after reading similar styles in Anno Dracula by Kim Newman, so I decided to give this a go. I am very glad I did as this is a very enjoyable read. Although there may not be quite as many witty and jaw-dropping deductions as some may expect from Sherlock, the plot bounces along at great speed and never leaves you with a dull moment. Sherlock and Watson’s banter is fun and witty, with occasional grumpiness just as one would desire. For me, this was more of a science fiction novel than an investigation mystery which may rankle with some original Holmes lovers but in my opinion, this is still a great fun read.
Buy Sherlock Holmes: The Army of Dr Moreau by Guy Adams