 First edition | |
| Author | John R. King |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Adventure, Mystery |
| Published | 2008 (Forge Books) |
| Media type | Novel |
| Pages | 352 |
| ISBN | 978-0765318015 (first edition) |
The Shadow of Reichenbach Falls is a 2008 mystery pastiche novel written by John R. King, that presents an alternate history of the battle between Sherlock Holmes and his nemesis Professor Moriarty. [1]
As he tours Europe, Thomas Carnacki ends up in Meiringen, Switzerland and upon visiting Reichenbach Falls he stumbles upon Holmes and Moriarty locked in mortal combat. One man goes over the falls and as Carnacki comes to his assistance he is fired upon by the other. [2]
The story is told in three distinct parts: the first is narrated by Carnacki, the second from the memoirs of Moriarty, and the final section by Sherlock Holmes. [3]
Publishers Weekly described the book as "muddled" and "gimmicky". [1] Kirkus Reviews was more positive and claimed the novel may create new fans of William Hope Hodgson's Carnacki. [4]
Professor James Moriarty is a fictional character and criminal mastermind created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to be a formidable enemy for the author's fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. He was created primarily as a device by which Doyle could kill Holmes and end the hero's stories. Professor Moriarty first appears in the short story "The Adventure of the Final Problem", first published in The Strand Magazine in December 1893. He also plays a role in the final Sherlock Holmes novel The Valley of Fear, but without a direct appearance. Holmes mentions Moriarty in five other stories: "The Adventure of the Empty House", "The Adventure of the Norwood Builder", "The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter", "The Adventure of the Illustrious Client", and "His Last Bow".
Irene Adler is a fictional character in the Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A former opera singer and actress, she was featured in the short story "A Scandal in Bohemia", published in July 1891. Adler is one of the most notable female characters in the Sherlock Holmes series, despite appearing in only one story. While not technically a criminal and bearing no malice towards Holmes, she outsmarts him and evades his traps. Sherlock Holmes refers to her afterward respectfully as "the Woman."
The Reichenbach Falls are a waterfall cascade of seven steps on the stream called Rychenbach in the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland. They drop over a total height of about 250 metres (820 ft). At 110 metres (360 ft), the upper falls, known as the Grand Reichenbach Fall, is by far the tallest segment and one of the highest waterfalls in the Alps, and among the forty highest in Switzerland. The Reichenbach loses 290 metres (950 ft) of height from the top of the falls to the valley floor of the Haslital. Today, a hydroelectric power company harnesses the flow of the Reichenbach Falls during certain times of year, reducing its flow.
"The Final Problem" is a short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle featuring his detective character Sherlock Holmes. It was first published in The Strand Magazine in the United Kingdom, and McClure's in the United States, under the title "The Adventure of the Final Problem" in December 1893. It appears in book form as part of the collection The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.
The Canary Trainer: From the Memoirs of John H. Watson is a 1993 Sherlock Holmes pastiche by Nicholas Meyer. Like The Seven Percent Solution and The West End Horror, The Canary Trainer was published as a "lost manuscript" of the late Dr. John H. Watson. In "The Adventure of Black Peter", an original Arthur Conan Doyle Holmes story from 1904, Watson mentions that his companion recently arrested "Wilson, the notorious canary-trainer, which removed a plague-spot from the East-End of London." This Wilson is not related to the eponymous character of Meyer's novel. Meyer's "trainer" is Erik, the principal figure of Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera. It is from this unchronicled tale that The Notorious Canary Trainers take their name.
Baritsu is the name given to a form of martial art described by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the 1903 Sherlock Holmes story "The Adventure of the Empty House", the first of The Return of Sherlock Holmes. Baritsu was used to explain how Holmes had managed to avoid falling into the Reichenbach Falls with Professor Moriarty as described in the 1893 story "The Final Problem". "The Adventure of the Empty House" was first published in Collier's on 26 September 1903.
Colonel Sebastian Moran is a fictional character in the stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle. An enemy of Sherlock Holmes, he first appears in the 1903 short story "The Adventure of the Empty House". Holmes once described him as "the second most dangerous man in London", the most dangerous being Professor Moriarty, Moran's employer.
The Italian Secretary is mystery fiction by Caleb Carr featuring Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. This literary pastiche had the approval of the Doyle estate having originally been commissioned as a short story for the collection Ghosts of Baker Street which then expanded into a novel.
Sherlock Holmes has long been a popular character for pastiche, Holmes-related work by authors and creators other than Arthur Conan Doyle. Their works can be grouped into four broad categories:
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is a 2011 period mystery action film and the sequel to the 2009 film Sherlock Holmes, both which star Robert Downey Jr. as the titular character. The film is directed by Guy Ritchie and produced by Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram, Susan Downey and Dan Lin. The film's screenplay was written by Michele Mulroney and Kieran Mulroney. Downey Jr. and Jude Law reprised their roles as Holmes and Watson, respectively, alongside Noomi Rapace as Simza, Stephen Fry as Mycroft Holmes, Jared Harris as Professor Moriarty, and Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler. Although the film follows an original premise, it incorporates more closely elements of Conan Doyle's short stories, including "The Final Problem" (1893) and "The Adventure of the Empty House" (1903). In the film, Holmes and Watson travel across Europe with a Romani adventuress to foil an intricate plot by their cunning nemesis, Professor Moriarty, to instigate a major European conflict.
Sherlock Holmes: The Unauthorized Biography is a Sherlock Holmes pastiche novel by Nick Rennison, originally published in 2005.
Sherlock Holmes: The Breath of God is a Sherlock Holmes pastiche novel by Guy Adams, originally published in 2011.
The Veiled Detective is a 2004 mystery pastiche novel written by David Stuart Davies, that presents an alternate history of the life of Dr. John Watson and his relationship with Sherlock Holmes.
The Whitechapel Horrors is a 1992 mystery pastiche novel written by Edward B. Hanna, featuring Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson investigating the Jack the Ripper murders.
Sherlock Holmes and the Hapsburg Tiara is a novel and Sherlock Holmes pastiche by Alan Vanneman, published in 2003 by Carroll & Graf Publishers. The book has received reviews from the Historical Novel Society, Publishers Weekly, and Kirkus Reviews.
The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols: Adapted from the Journals of John H. Watson, M.D. is a Sherlock Holmes pastiche novel by Nicholas Meyer, published in 2019. It takes place after Meyer's other Holmes pastiches, The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, The West End Horror, and The Canary Trainer. It is Meyer's first Holmes pastiche in 26 years.
Moriarty: The Hound of the D'Urbervilles is a Sherlock Holmes pastiche novel by Bram Stoker Award–winner Kim Newman.
The Revenge of the Hound is a Sherlock Holmes pastiche novel by Michael Hardwick, originally published in 1987. It is Hardwick's second Holmes novel after 1979's The Prisoner of the Devil.
The Return of the Pharaoh: From the Reminiscences of John H. Watson, M.D. is a Sherlock Holmes pastiche novel by Nicholas Meyer, published in 2021. It takes place after Meyer's other Holmes pastiches, The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, The West End Horror, The Canary Trainer and The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols.
