The Shadow of Reichenbach Falls

Firstly I want to thank Ruth for hosting this fantabulous challenge and for letting me post my thoughts on Holmes and Holmes related books. I've long had a love affair with the great detective. Come now, I even named my dog after him.


I just finished reading John R. King's The Shadow of Reichenbach Falls. I was intrigued by the premise of the book. What ensued in the aftermath of Holmes dire confrontation with Moriarty at Reichenbach Falls? Not but a few pages into the book, the reader is introduced to young Thomas Carnacki. Yes, William Hope Hodgson's Thomas Carnacki. He is instrumental in saving the now amnesiac Holmes from his plunge off the falls. The cast of characters is rounded out by Moriarty and his daughter Anna. King does a good job of presenting multi-faceted and sympathetic characters and I admire his ambition in providing a background for such monumental men as Moriarty and Carnacki. However I was disappointed in the back stories he presented here and the subsequent esoteric plot line. No matter how well paced the adventure, I just couldn't get past the pairing of Holmes and the young ghost finder. I like paranormal detecting, just leave Holmes out of it. This novel wasn't for me but it did encourage me to reread Hodgson's work.

Has anyone else read it? I would love to know what you think.

Off to start my next Sherlock adventure.

Laurie R. King Guest Post at Bookish Ruth

I'd like to invite everyone to check out Laurie R. King's guest post on my blog, Bookish Ruth. Ms. King has just launched The Fifteen Weeks of Bees, which celebrates the fifteenth anniversary of the publication of The Beekeeper's Apprentice, the 150th birthday of Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and the release of the ninth Mary Russell book, The Language of Bees (April 28, 2009).

Click here for a fascinating look at the genesis of Mary Russell.

Welcome to the Baker Street Challenge! (Rules & Information)

Welcome to the Baker Street Challenge, a 2009 reading challenge for one of the most iconic and enigmatic literary figures, Sherlock Holmes. This year will mark Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 150th birthday. Join us as we celebrate Doyle's original stories as well as the rich world of new adventures his work has inspired.

The Rules

1. Choose a goal from the reading tier below and add your name to the sign up page.

2. The challenge will run from January 1 to December 31, 2009. You can sign up for the challenge at any time before December 31, 2009.

2. You do not have to choose your books in advance. You may change your reading list at any point in the challenge.

3. Overlapping with other challenges is fine.

4. Audio books and eBooks are allowed.

5. Feel free to post reviews or general thoughts about your reading to the Baker Street Challenge blog. Please e-mail me at bookishruth [at] gmail [dot] com to be added as a contributor.

Reading Tier

Three Pipe Problem: 3 books
The Sign of Four: 4 books
Five Orange Pips: 5 books
Seven Percent Solution: 7 books

Book Guidelines & Suggestions

The Canon: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes novels (A Study in Scarlet, The Sign of Four, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Valley of Fear) and 56 short stories (compiled in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, The Return of Sherlock Holmes, His Last Bow and The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes).
Pastiches: Sherlock Holmes stories by authors other than Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, such as The Seven-Per-Cent Solution by Nicholas Meyer, The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King, The Montana Chronicles by John S. Fitzpatrick, etc.
Non-Fiction: Books about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle or the Holmes phenomenon.
Other Doyle Works: Books such as The Lost World, The Coming of the Fairies, The Maracot Deep, and non-Holmes short stories do count for this challenge.

Sign Up for the Challenge

Please be sure to read the Rules post before signing up. After reading the rules, please sign Mr. Linky. If you have a specific post on your blog to keep track of your progress in this challenge, please leave the link to that entry, not your main URL. Thank you!

Also, if you'd like to be added as a contributor to this blog so you can post your book list and reviews here, please send me an e-mail at ruth [at] bookishruth [dot] com for posting access.

Updated June 6, 2009: There have been some issues with Mr. Linky lately. If you're a new participant looking to sign up and there's no form visible on this post (I've upgraded to a gold membership so you should see a form and list of participants) please leave a link to your challenge entry in the comments and let me know that Mr. Linky is not working. Thanks!