Customer Reviews

The West End Horror: A Posthumous Memoir of John H. Watson, M.D.

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

 

 

Brilliantly done. I've been reading Doyle's Holmes stories for nearly thirty years; I read Meyer's _The West End Horror_ when it was new and I still have my original copy. I've also read some of the other attempts to bring Holmes to life again in full-length novels, and in my own view Meyer is the only one who nails it.

He had come out of the gate hard with _The Seven Per Cent Solution_ (of which I also still have my original copy). With a tough act to follow, he meets the same standards in the present volume.

Without giving away details, I can tell you only that the case involves a pair of grisly murders on London's West End. Holmes is brought into the matter by a friend whose name I will not divulge -- a certain then-unknown Irish playwright who resembles a giant leprechaun, detests Shakespeare, and far from recompensing Holmes for his services, has an annoying habit of allowing the detective to buy him dinner.

The resulting adventure takes Holmes and Watson all over the theater district, where they meet with a number of well-known personages whose presence explains why this case has never seen the light of day before: it would simply have been impossible for Watson to follow his usual practice of disguising this cast of characters for publication. ("I shall change the names," Watson tentatively suggests in seeking Holmes's permission to commit the tale to print. "That is precisely what you cannot do," Holmes rejoins. The details of this exchange may be found in the volume's introduction.)

Meyer handles the entire project with wit and panache, remaining loyal to the Holmesian oeuvre and even improving on Doyle's own treatment of his memorable characters. All in all, a very impressive work that will delight fans of the original Holmes stories. It can be read quite independently of _The Seven Per Cent Solution_, by the way, though that one is highly recommended too. (I was less impressed with _The Canary Trainer_.)

[P.S. Most of you probably already know this, but just in case somebody doesn't: Yes, this is the very same Nicholas Meyer who directed the best of the _Star Trek_ movies. You'll find a bit of Holmes homage in _Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country_, which Meyer helped to script. Spock even quotes Holmes's dictum that "when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth" -- attributing it to one of his "ancestors."]

This novel is somewhat anti-climactic. (Not just because it's a Holmes novel, which generally means 80% of the story is investigative dead ends, followed by 2% Holmes having a brainstorm and throwing Watson into a cab, leading to 10% villain's confession, ending with 8% denouement.) Having read Meyer's first Holmes homage, "The Seven Percent Solution," I was hoping for another effort of similar quality. "The West End Horror" does not quite live up to such lofty expectations. Clearly, it is well-written, capturing (and possibly improving on) the flavor of the original Doyle stories, and it is only by comparison to Meyer's brilliant first book that this one seems to struggle. Unfortunately, Meyer just tried too hard with this one to be clever. The "famous people" cameo in "Seven Percent Solution" made perfect sense. Sigmund Freud is a character because he was the most logical person for Watson to seek out, given that situation; he needed a medical consultation in the field in which Dr. Freud first made his reputation before the whole psychoanalysis fad took off. In "The West End Horror," however, the same trick is overdone, making the entire plot seem excessively like a gimmick. Oscar Wilde drops in and interacts with George Bernard Shaw, Bram Stoker reluctantly introduces Holmes to Henry Irving, and Gilbert and Sullivan are on hand to be interviewed about a murder victim. It's a little bit like the beginning of "Titanic," where Rose brings some paintings by Picasso aboard the doomed ship, wondering aloud if one day they'll ever be worth anything. In the hands of a lesser writer this would be a recipe for disaster; Meyer being an excellent writer, it's still a four-star novel. Still, the plot would have worked just as well, and possibly better, had the theater critic been named Bob, the famous actor Fred, the comic opera tandem Frank and Joe, and the gloomy novelist Aloysius, instead of throwing the famous personages into the mix and allowing the readers to become distracted by such unhelpful musings as "Is Meyer suggesting that Bram Stoker and Henry Irving are lovers?" (A: Probably not, but when Oscar Wilde tells Holmes that Irving is possessive of Stoker's time, one does wonder.) Freud's appearance added to the first book. The appearance of the entire membership of "Who's Who in London Theater, 1895 Edition" detracts from this one.

As a postscript, although the story does begin with a stabbing death in London, and although the synopsis on the book cover does point out that the killer is nicknamed "Jack," readers should be aware that this is NOT a Jack the Ripper novel.

I've read The West End Horror 3 times and absolutely love it. I would recommend it to anyone who likes Sherlock Holmes and I think Nicholas Meyer writes even better than Conan Doyle! I used part of the solution as an example in a project I did recently on the... well if I give you the topic, I'll also give you the solution to the mystery so I won't spoil it.

While shorter than Meyer's First Holmes Pastiche (The Seven Per Cent Solution), the West End Horrors is a much better book. Meyer still uses real figures (Oscar Wilde, Bernard Shaw, and Bram Stoker etc), which is silly and seems like a poor attempt at making Holmes less fiction and more reality. And while this volume doesn't have any action sequences like "Seven Per Cent", it is an excellent mystery that puzzles the reader until it builds to an intriguing and believable climax.

One thing that the buyer should take note of is that this is not "The White Chapel Horrors" (Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper) as many reviews have confused the two.

The West End Horrors is a really well-written Holmes Pastiche. I am looking forward to reading Meyer's Latest Holmes offering, the Canary Trainer.

Meyer is an amazing writer, that's all there is to it! I just got this book, after reading several positive reviews here on Amazon. I was even more pleased to discover how brilliantly this book is written. What a joy it is to see Holmes and Watson brought to life again, so fresh yet familiar: exactly the characters so known and loved. This book distills all the best of the Holmes culture. Holmes is exactly as I know him to be from the original works as well as Rathbone performances. Watson as well. Victorian London is rich and realistic. It feels as if you are there yet not back in time, which sounds impossible. Famous characters such as George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, Henry Irving and Gilbert & Sullivan vibrantly flower the story. It is exciting and well paced, never boring or slow. This is my first Holmes sequel as well as first Nicholas Meyer book. I plan to read more of his books as soon as I finish this!

Before reading this novel I had already completed Nicholas Meyer's "The Seven-Per-Cent Solution" which I thought was a very enjoyable Sherlock Holmes pastiche. I looked forward to reading Meyer's follow-up which seemed to boast an intriguing roster of real-life characters. It all begins when Holmes's friend, George Bernard Shaw, comes to Holmes requesting help in solving the murder of a theater critic. It isn't long before Holmes is knee-deep in mystery and intrigue and then there's a second murder, Holmes and Watson are assaulted in the street and a police officer goes missing.

"The West End Horror" is an enjoyable Holmes pastiche. Meyer excellently duplicates Conan Doyle's writing style. This version of Holmes is a very likable man, which in a way is an improvement on Doyle's original. It was also enjoyable to read about Holmes and Watson speaking with real-life characters among them the aforementioned George Bernard Shaw as well as Gilbert and Sullivan, Sir Henry Irving, Bram Stoker and others.

"The West End Horror" is an enjoyable read. However, to be quite frank this novel is not as good as "The Seven-Per Solution." This time around, Meyer has included just too many characters. And most of them have no real baring on the plot which is a truly fantastic one. Otherwise, if you enjoyed Meyer's previous novel than you should try "The West End Horror."

Review by Ben M. Wolk

"The West End Horror" is a thoroughly clever story, and one whose premise makes a lot of sense.

We all know that famous people congregate with other famous people. So what would be more logical than Sherlock Holmes (if he was real) socializing with the celebrities of his day?

Accepting that, it's equally logical that George Bernard Shaw should come to Holmes for investigative help (a particularly nasty murder has been perpetrated in a London theater) and that the inquiries should also turn up Henry Irving, Bram Stoker, Ellen Terry, Gilbert and Sullivan, Oscar Wilde, and so on.

The fun of this book is this intermingling of well-known historical figures in unlikely circumstances. Unfortunately, Nick Meyer isn't quite skillful enough to maintain the novelty. He captures the surface of such personalities as Shaw, Irving, Stoker, etc, but never goes beyond that. The result, as the book proceeds, is that the story feels increasingly thin. The characters aren't fully-realized enough to give it depth.

As for Holmes and Watson themselves, Meyer does a fair job of replicating their speech as originated by Conan Doyle, though the occasional modernism creeps in.

On the whole, "The West End Horror" is a breezy, enjoyable read. It's not of the caliber of the original Holmes stories, but one wouldn't expect that, either.

This story has all the elements I have enjoyed in the original adventures. I really liked Meyer's "editorial" comments.

An excellent pastiche of Conan-Doyle's Holmes and Watson.

After enjoying "7 % solution" as a manna sent from heaven, I tasted stale bread in reading the aforesaid title. It was a huge let down, in terms of everything. The theatrical environs made the work overtly sensational and reduced Holmes' stature(can you imagine it?)to that of a novice trying to assess the world with the help of GBS. Sorry, but I just can not digest it.