Customer Reviews

Faction Paradox: Erasing Sherlock (Faction Paradox)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Kelly Hale's novel is an early Sherlock Holmes story, told from the point of view of his housemaid. At least at first, but the reader quickly realises the maid is a time-traveller, studying the great detective's early methodology. Except the people who offered her access to time travel have their own agenda: to erase Sherlock Holmes from history.

Holmesian apocrypha comes in all sorts of forms. This novel takes the starting premise of viewing Holmes not from the 'official' viewpoint of Watson but from the view of a modern woman transported into the past. By not pastishing Watson's style, Erasing Sherlock also allows us to see Holmes as the young man he was (he was in his late 20s during A Study in Scarlet - something which we tend to forget due to the ages of the actors used in most adaptations). Hale creates a convincing voice from a near future for her narrator and a plausible threat for the protagonists. We cannot know Holmes will survive because it is time travellers - and the time-traveller's paradox - which is threatening him.

Don't be put off by the banner on the book: this is a standalone novel and the time travelling elements are explained within the prose. How does Holmes - the great rationalist - cope with anachronistic evidence is one of the question it raises.

The first thing I did after reading this novel was to pick up my collected Holmes book and reread the canonical stories with new eyes. For the first time, I've fallen for Sherlock (and developed a real affection for Watson).

I just finished this read - and ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! LOL, have to confess, the other reviewer's scathing comments left me much more intrigued than terrified.

For me, I can take just about any stretching of the pastiche boundaries, so long as the writing is good, the dialogue intelligent, the characters true, the period details researched and if there is any sci-fi thrown in, it plays by the rules it establishes in the beginning.

This novel has all that in spades. One measure for me of how engrossing a book is, is if I can get lost in it while I'm supposed to be running the show I stage manage. Well, this puppy nearly made me miss every cue! It's a great, sassy, rollicking read, with lots of danger, adventure and yes, sex. I bought into this last because the author handled it well, and set up the fact that this was a very unusual circumstance and woman - Holmes latches on quickly to the fact that she is not what she seems, and confesses later that he's afraid 90% of the attraction is due to her being such a puzzle. Their relationship is really quite dynamic, believable and rocky. Holmes is...well, HOLMES, and reacts to this unique circumstance the way you'd expect him to - alternately suspicious, cruel, passionate, gentle, insecure, nervous, courageous, furious and infuriatingly cold, but ultimately a champion. He's also pretty damn attractive! His deductions are really well done, and you can practically FEEL Gillian's trepidation as he gets closer and closer to finding out her secrets.

Some folks may accuse Hale of writing a Mary Sue character with Gillian. How can an original female character written by a woman these days NOT be branded as a Mary Sue? You might as well as say Kinsey Millhone is a Mary Sue,or Kay Scarpetta or Mary Russell (ok bad example...;-) )
For me, Gillian was a scrappy, smart, contemporary character thrown into a situation that turned out to be much more dangerous and emotional than she'd bargained for. She makes BIG mistakes, she's no supergirl, and is never written as being superior to or smarter than the other characters. I really liked her, and laughed a LOT at her salty perspective on Victorian mores and one problematic detective in particular.

Finally, Watson is written quite well, and very sympathetically. He's referred to by the heroine as 'the one true gentleman' she'd ever met. He's compassionate, heroic and yes, 'sexy as hell'. There are a few scenes that Gillian eavesdrops on in her role as maid that are quite ...illuminating...in regards as to how Victorian men view women and sex, but I bought into these as being something that Watson would of course never put into his OWN stories, but heck, in the privacy of his own sitting room...

Another indicator for me as to how much I enjoyed a book is how sorry I was to finish it. I'm already wishing there was a sequel or that Hale would write more about the boys.

So...guilty pleasure? Perhaps! But one I'd gladly indulge in again!

This wonderful story has a little bit for everyone: time travel, romance, murder mysteries to be solved, fictional characters made real, action and adventure, historical, and lovely character-based drama.

You don't need to be a fan of any genre (science fiction, mystery, historical, etc.) to enjoy this story of a 20th-century woman sent back in time to study a younger Sherlock Holmes just on the cusp of becoming famous. Adjusting to the time period and to her thankless role (a maid in Holmes's house) with a great deal of trouble, the protagonist gets caught up in a series of murders, Holmes's efforts to solve them, and lots of nefarious doings by dodgy characters, culminating in an exotic travel adventure on the eve of the famous Krakatoa volcanic explosion. The writing sparkles and the dialog is delightful.

One important point, as well -- you don't need to have read other books in the Faction Paradox series; this novel stands alone.

Kelly Hale did an interesting job in setting up a premise, a very neat plot setup. A young future social scientist attempting to earn a doctorate goes to the past to become a house maid in the home of a young Sherlock Holmes. She goes by various names, but her real name is Gillian Petra. Her purpose is a bit obscure and you assume she just wants to find out what made Sherlock Holmes the man he is. He is just beginning his career at this point. I will say she did fairly well in picturing Victorian London.

From what starts as a rousing good tale proceeds to violate every law of a good Sherlock Holmes story. Only one who is insecure about writing a Holmes novel will go so overboard with descriptive sex scenes and violence. Those things have their place in books I am sure, however not my kind of books and the great majority or writers who cover Holmes try to keep him as true to the original character as possible. There have been great books written in which Holmes is involved with a woman with the best being the Mary Russell series in which an older Holmes mentors and later marries a brilliant young woman who is his equal. There is nothing about the heroine in Faction Paradox: Erasing Sherlock that would appeal to the Sherlock Holmes we all know or even Dr. John Watson.

The most damaging criticism I have of the book is that it is totally unsatisfying at the conclusion. There are terrible acts committed and while most, but not all, of the villains meet their end there is no real explanation of their crimes. The Professor Moriarity of the story is in the future of 2018. Is it the same one and how did he get there? How will he be dealt with? What are his motives?

This definitely won't be a part of my Sherlock Holmes collection which is held on several shelves. Nor can I recommend it to others. I only gave it two stars for premise. Sadly this could have been a real contender.

My copy of Erasing Sherlock is battered and beaten thing. It's creased, dog-eared, bent and stained. This makes it a great book. What it means is that, for the three days I was reading this book, it did not leave my side. It travelled to work, errands, and restaurants, waiting for a spare half a minute so I could squeeze one more paragraph out of it.

This is the part of most book reviews where there's a plot synopsis that tells you way too much about the book and spoils your enjoyment of at least the first half. Erasing Sherlock is about a woman that travels back in time to research the life of Sherlock Holmes. That's all you're getting out of me. Enjoy the tight little twisty plot, that never cheats, the way I did, with no preconceptions. It's better that way. Trust me.

It's not just that the book is well-plotted. Every character is deep and believable. Author Kelly Hale does a better job of making Sherlock Holmes and John Watson seem like real human beings than any other writer I've seen and the original characters are just as good, if not better. Especially our narrator. The narrator makes the book what it is: sardonic, sexy (Oh yes. Considering the histories of the two mythologies converging here, I'd love to see the reaction from some fans for the sheer amount of ****ery of all kinds going on here), and bitchy in all the best kinds of way.

This is the last book in the Mad Norwegian era of Faction Paradox. It's fitting that it ends with a book that not only equals Philip Purser Hallard's Of the City of the Saved as the best book of the line but manages to be subversive in a mythology about subversion.

It's brilliant. Buy it if you know what's good for you.

Not being a huge Sherlock Holmes enthusiast, I was incredibly surprised to find that I was devouring this book. It really has not much to do with Sherlock Holmes but more about the fragile yet strong lead female character. I have what you call a "girl-crush" on her because she reminds you that while life and love are nothing but endless tragedy you can carry on and strengthen and grow. You can grow and push through like that tiny little sprout of a wonder of plant-life botany that you see that somehow pushes it's way through a concrete slab.

A great exit for the Faction Paradox book series. Though I was wondering when they would show-up; and when they did they weren't named directly, only hinted at.

This really makes me want to read the original stories by Arthur Conan Doyle.

I'm typically hard to please when it comes to reading, and I was pleasantly surprised with this book. I love that Kelly has written in a way that portrays how life 'really' was, or likely was. I love fantasy and science fiction, but I demand 'real connections' with the characters. That means they aren't perfect, aren't always goody-goody, and they might even perish in a non-glorious manner.

That's one of the main reasons I like this book; it really puts you there with dirt and all. Erasing Sherlock is also quite humorous in many places, and also humbling, but without guilt. Kelly does a fine job of dangling the carrot, so to speak, without leading you along too much before dropping more hints in the plot.

Definitely give this book a try, you won't be disappointed!

I had been looking forward since, well, forever to get this book from those lovely people at Amazon. I took it with me on the train and bus getting in/out of Oxford.

The books is FAB! Plot, characters, the constantly revolving scenery su-u-u-cks you in, bigtime! I laughed out loud lots, and people on the train stared at me. Which would have been okay except that when the ticket inspector came round, he informed me I was on the wrong train. Don't read this while trying to find your way home...

My copy is already dog eared and I have read it loads - twice in the first week after it arrived. It lives under my pillow in my bed.

Scrumptious. Sexy. The whole universe goes on total hold while I read. This is a different Sherlock to the one I knew when I was 12. Read. Laugh. Cry. Enjoy!

It took a few pages to realize that Rose was back in time, but that was part of the fun. Seeing Sherlock Holmes as a young person and believable, in that he could see the possibilities of her predicament once it appeared to him what that was.
AND that it ended where I could see her moving into another fascinationg scenario. A sequel I guess. Many books, I hate to see end, but when you can see a continuation down the road it is even more fun and less sad to end the book.
Well written!