Young Sherlock Holmes (books)

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Young Sherlock Holmes
Death Cloud
Red Leech
Black Ice
Fire Storm
Snake Bite
Knife Edge
Stone Cold
Night Break
Author Andrew Lane
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Genre Thriller, Spy fiction
Publisher Macmillan Books (UK)
Published4 June 2010 – Ongoing
Media typePrint (hardcover and paperback)
Audiobook
Website www.youngsherlock.com

Young Sherlock Holmes is a series of young adult thriller novels by British author Andrew Lane featuring Arthur Conan Doyle's detective Sherlock Holmes as a teenager in the 1860s and 70s that is faced with numerous mysteries, crimes and adventures throughout the series.

Contents

Books in the series

So far there have been eight books released in the series, with the eighth book released in September 2015.

Background

Based on the success of Charlie Higson's bestselling Young Bond series, the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle authorised a series of books detailing the life of the teenage Sherlock Holmes'. [1] [2]

One of Andrew Lane's key aims is to explain some of the complexities of Holmes' character, who is scientific and analytical on the one hand, and artistic and moody on the other. [3] Two new characters introduced in this series, his two tutors, Amyus Crowe and Rufus Stone, will help shed light on the formation of the two sides of his character evident in later life. [2]

Lane also wanted to ensure that his stories jibed with the original Doyle stories as it bothered him that Watson was presented as a young friend of Holmes in Young Sherlock Holmes which contradicts the events of A Study in Scarlet . [3]

In the 10-page proposal that I put together, it was important that the series took Sherlock from being a 14-year-old boy at school, through university, and leads seamlessly to the opening lines of the first of Doyle's Sherlock novels. I didn't want them to be seen as period pieces with Victorian wood-cut-style covers, but as contemporary, 21st-century books. [3]

Lane's initial proposal provided ideas for potential plots for entries in the series; [2]

Reception

Chicago Tribune gave Death Cloud a positive review stating:

For a reader who has outgrown the Hardy Boys' adventures but still seeks mystery-solving plots, Andrew Lane's invention of a teenage Sherlock Holmes will seem timely. [4]

Graham Moore, author of The Sherlockian , [5] reviewed Death Cloud for The New York Times and stated:

Lane is attempting a curious feat: to update and adapt Sherlock Holmes for a new generation, much the way Guy Ritchie has done with a swashbuckling Sherlock on screen....Yet, in the end, the novel strives to rescue Holmes from the prejudices of his creator, and thereby expand the pool of Holmes devotees. For that we can all be grateful. [6]

See also

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<i>Young Sherlock Holmes: Death Cloud</i> Book by Andrew Lane

Young Sherlock Holmes: Death Cloud is the first novel in the Young Sherlock Holmes series that depicts Arthur Conan Doyle's detective Sherlock Holmes as a teenager in the 1860s and 70s. It was written by Andrew Lane and released in the UK on June 4, 2010 by Macmillan Books.

<i>Young Sherlock Holmes: Red Leech</i>

Young Sherlock Holmes: Red Leech is the second novel in the Young Sherlock Holmes series that depicts Arthur Conan Doyle's detective Sherlock Holmes as a teenager in the 1860s. It was written by Andrew Lane and released in the United Kingdom on 5 November 2010 by Macmillan Books. It is a sequel to Young Sherlock Holmes: Death Cloud and was followed by Young Sherlock Holmes: Black Ice which was released on 26 May 2011.

<i>Young Sherlock Holmes: Black Ice</i>

Young Sherlock Holmes: Black Ice is the third novel in the Young Sherlock Holmes series that depicts Arthur Conan Doyle's detective Sherlock Holmes as a teenager in the 1860s. It was written by Andy Lane and released in the United Kingdom on June 3, 2011 by Macmillan Books. It is preceded in the series by Young Sherlock Holmes: Red Leech and is followed byYoung Sherlock Holmes: Fire Storm.

<i>Young Sherlock Holmes: Fire Storm</i>

Young Sherlock Holmes: Fire Storm is the fourth novel in the Young Sherlock Holmes series. It was written by Andy Lane and released in 2011.

<i>Young Sherlock Holmes: Snake Bite</i> Fifth novel in the Young Sherlock Holmes series

Young Sherlock Holmes: Snake Bite is the fifth novel in the Young Sherlock Holmes series that depicts Arthur Conan Doyle's detective Sherlock Holmes as a teenager in the 1860s. It was written by author Andy Lane and released in 2013.

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References

  1. Alison Flood (March 18, 2009). ""Macmillan reveals adventures of young Sherlock Holmes": 18 March 2009". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
  2. 1 2 3 "Young Sherlock Holmes Official Site: Andy Lane's Original Proposal for the series". Youngsherlock.com. Archived from the original on 7 March 2012. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
  3. 1 2 3 Blezard, Paul (13 June 2010). "Elementary, my dear boy: An investigation into Sherlock Holmes' early years" . The Independent . Archived from the original on 2022-05-07. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  4. Mary Harris Russell (March 7, 2011). ""Death Cloud" by Andrew Lane". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved March 16, 2011.
  5. Janet Maslin (December 15, 2010). "A Sherlock Holmes Tale That's Hardly Elementary". New York Times . Retrieved March 16, 2011.
  6. Graham Moore (March 11, 2011). "The Teenage Sherlock Holmes". New York Times . Retrieved March 16, 2011.