I’ve recently become a real fan of short stories so I was thrilled when Lydia Gittins at Titan sent me a copy of James Lovegrove’s new collection The Manifestations of Sherlock Holmes in return for an honest review.

The Manifestations of Sherlock Holmes is published today, 21st January 2020, and is available for purchase in all the usual places including through these links.

The Manifestations of Sherlock Holmes

Tales of treachery, intrigue and evil…

Maverick detective Sherlock Holmes and his faithful chronicler Dr John Watson return in twelve thrilling short stories

The iconic duo find themselves swiftly drawn into a series of puzzling and sinister events: an otherworldly stone whose touch inflicts fatal bleeding; a hellish potion unlocks a person’s devilish psyche; Holmes’s most hated rival detective tells his story; a fiendishly clever, almost undetectable method of revenge; Watson finally has his chance to shine; and many more – including a brand-new Cthulhu Casebooks story.

My Review of The Manifestations of Sherlock Holmes

Twelve Sherlock Holmes short stories; some previously published, some new to this collection and one even written as a drunken bet.

I had intended to dip in to James Lovegrove’s The Manifestations of Sherlock Holmes over several days, but I began reading and before I knew it I had devoured the entire collection. I thoroughly enjoyed these stories as I found myself transported to an atmospheric world of crime and intrigue.

James Lovegrove has pitch perfect prose that emulates Conan Doyle utterly convincingly. Both Holmes and Watson’s voices ring out clear and true so that any fan of Doyle’s original stories will love The Manifestations of Sherlock Holmes. The style works brilliantly and I think James Lovegrove goes beyond a pastiche and brings a fresh vibrancy to much loved characters. He draws on details that traditional Holmes readers will recognise in both character and plot but adds other elements that create further interest too, making for a very entertaining read.

Whilst each story is satisfying and engaging, being meticulously plotted and crafted, I particularly liked the added details from the author about the origins of each tale. There’s a dry wit and insight into James Lovegrove’s own life as well as links with, and information about, Conan Doyle – though if I were James Lovegrove’s wife I’d avoid flying insects! I loved the attention to social and historical detail so that there is also quite a Dickensian feeling to the settings of The Manifestations of Sherlock Holmes and I think that fits perfectly with the more supernatural element James Lovegrove weaves in to this collection.

The Manifestations of Sherlock Holmes is a collection any Sherlock Holmes lover would be delighted to own. I’m not normally especially keen on Conan Doyle or Sherlock Holmes but I thought The Manifestations of Sherlock Holmes was super and really recommend it for those wanting some cracking entertainment in their reading.

About James Lovegrove

James Lovegrove is the New York Times bestselling author of The Age of Odin. He was short-listed for the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 1998 and for the John W. Campbell Memorial Award in 2004, and also reviews fiction for the Financial Times. He is the author of Firefly: Big Damn Hero with Nancy Holder and Firefly: The Magnificent Nine, and several Sherlock Holmes novels for Titan Books. He lives in south-east England.

For more information, follow James on Twitter @JamesLovegrove7, visit his website and find him on Facebook.