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World Hotels - The Shadow of Reichenbach Falls
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List Price: $26.95
Our Price: $17.79
Your Save: $ 9.16 ( 34% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Forge Books
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780765318015
ISBN: 0765318016
Label: Forge Books
Manufacturer: Forge Books
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 352
Publication Date: 2008-08-05
Publisher: Forge Books
Release Date: 2008-08-05
Studio: Forge Books
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Editorial Reviews:
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Probably the most infamous story in the Sherlock Holmes canon is “The Final Problem” as it relates the facts of the death/murder of the master detective at Reichenbach Falls. On May 4, 1891, the detective met his archenemy Professor Moriarty on a ledge above the falls; the two became locked in a titanic hand-to-hand struggle before both tumbled over the precipice, presumably to their deaths, as witnessed afar by Dr.Watson. The outcry against the death of such a popular character was so great that in 1901 Conan Doyle was forced to give in to the pressure of his fan mail. He resurrected the detective by claiming that Holmes had managed to grab a tuft of grass during the fall into the “dreadful cauldron” and so had lived to solve another mystery. But what really happened that infamous day at Reichenbach Falls and why did Holmes disappear in the aftermath? And what of the infamous Moriarty? How did a noble mathematician become the Napoleon of Crime? The Shadow of Reichenbach Falls provides these answers and more. It turns out that the events were not just witnessed by Watson but by another young detective of the Victorian era—Carnacki the Ghost Finder. Carnacki rescues an amnesiac gentleman from the base of the falls only to find himself and his companion doggedly pursued by an evil mastermind whose shadowy powers may reach from the bloody crime scenes of White Chapel to far beyond the grave. Filled with Holmesian lore and thrilling encounters evocative of Doyle’s work in the Strand magazine, The Shadow of Reichenbach Falls will undoubtedly join the ranks of such successful Holmesian pastiches as The Seven Percent Solution, The West End Horror, and Murder by Decree.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: Exciting opening, mildly interesting middle, deteriorating to absurdity - not Holmes, by any measure
Comment: I'm really glad I got this book from the library. It starts out with excitement, the struggle at Reichenbach Falls, the rescue of a drowning man who turns out to have traumatic amnesia and turns out to be Holmes. Then there is the rescue from a doctor, blackmailed by Moriarity, who attempts to kill Holmes, and other rescues from Moriarity himself. Key actors are Anna, Moriarity's daughter, along with Carnacki, who is writing this letter to - Watson, I guess. The book then segues into Moriarity's biography, in which he recalls his history and why he turned to crime. He turned to crime when he tracked and killed Jack the Ripper who - oh horrors! - turns out to be demon-possessed, and the demon possesses Moriarity. Things plod along, Moriarity conducts his life of crime (using research created by his wife, who was killed by the Ripper), battles with Holmes, the events of this story occur, Moriarity is killed, and the demon possesses Holmes, who then turns to crime. In the end, Holmes is rescued by Carnacki dissipating the demon through an electricity driven pentacle.
This is so far from what writing about Holmes should be, I can't find enough derogatory words. If you want to read stories much closer to Holmes, postulating his post-retirement life and without supernatural beings, try Laurie King's novels. But don't, please don't waste your money on this book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Sherlock meats Carnacki, the ghost finder
Comment: This book presents a revised version of the events in "The Final Problem." It begins beside a rubbish heap in Meiringen with a young Thomas Carnacki, William Hope Hodgson's "Ghost Finder," negotiating with a fat old rat for a lump of moldy Gruyère cheese. Later in the day Thomas is piknicing near the Reichenbach Falls with one "Anna Schmidt" when they witness a struggle atop the Falls and rescue a fallen combatent.
The other combatent pursues them in an effort to shoot his rival and events take off from there. "Anna Schmidt" turns out to be "Anna Moriarty" and events move on to Bern and then to Paris. Dr. John Watson appears and saves Thomas from an assassination attempt and the truth about Professor Moriarty, his wife and their daughter is revealed. The end of Jack The Ripper is explained and the creation of the Professor's criminal empire is related along with some details of the struggle between Holmes and Moriarty.
The writing is very well done and the characters are clearly and precisely drawn. The action is intricate and complex and the story is engrossing. The reason for the inclusion of Thomas Carnacki becomes clear about halfway through the book. Events take a supernatural turn with the confrontation between the Professor and Jack The Ripper. From that point on, the action revolves around the cause of the Ripper murders and their effects on the Professor and his life and, ultimately, on Holmes through the Professor.
The events in the book are crafted with careful attention. For example, although Dr. Watson saves Thomas Carnacki from assassination by his prompt medical actions, Holmes and Watson are kept separate and the continuity of the events as known to Watson is maintained. The entire tale is revealed to the good Doctor in this manuscript, sent some twenty years later by Carnacki. For readers who follow the motto "No ghosts need apply," this tale will be a disppointment. Hodgson fans will, no doubt, be delighted.
Reviewed by: Philip K. Jones; October, 2008
Customer Rating:
Summary: As Good a Holmes Story as Can be Got
Comment: This should be subtitled "The Reichenbach Incident." Involving Sherlock Holmes, Prof Moriarity, and Dr. Watson, it tells the story of the space between the moment Sherlock Holmes fell over the Falls and he appeared again in London, and introduces another character who will later become a well-known fictitious detective in his own right, Thomas Carnacki. A devil-may-care girl-chasing student at this time, with little money but a taste for adventure, Thomas Carnacki--on holiday in Switzerland--invites himself on a picnic with a young lady he's just met. They stop at Reichenbach Falls, just in time to see a man throw another into the water. They fish out the victim and--the game's afoot! The drowning man is Sherlock Holmes, of course, but a Holmes stricken with amnesia, and Carnacki and his lady friend must help the Great Detective regain his memory while keeping him and themselves alive and out of the Professor's deadly clutches. This story can easily fit into the space left on your bookshelf right after "His Last Bow". It's fast-paced and entertaining. The story behind Moriarity's rise as a teacher and fall as a master criminal is a well-constructed background, though I would have preferred to have him do it under his own power rather than with supernatural assistance. Still...even with that, it's a tale that will be satisfying for Holmes lovers and readers of "chase" stories in general.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The explanation of Holmes' disappearance at last!
Comment: King does an amazing job here of perfectly capturing the essence of a Sherlock Holmes story while not getting bogged down with out-of-date language or scenery. The story begins at the "final" confrontation between Holmes and Moriarty at Reichenbach Falls (thus the name of the book) and carries us on from there.
One thing this author does so well is finally giving us a reason to sympathize with Moriarty! We are given what could technically be called Moriarty's origin story here, and it's a tragic tale that actually makes us feel sorry for the man and understand his motivations behind becoming the criminal mastermind he would one day be. I've never read another author who did that, and the unique slant gives King high marks.
The book moves along at a great pace, and even during the bits of back story enough happens to keep you interested. Moriarty's confrontation with Jack the Ripper is great storytelling, and it's a wonderful explanation for both the identity of the Ripper and what eventually happened to him.
The book comes to a powerful conclusion and I honestly couldn't find anything to complain about. I hope King revisits Holmes in the future with another great novel.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great read and connects the dots in the saga of Holmes..
Comment: Prof Moriarty has been an enigma so far for intelligent mystery readers worldwide and this book makes a very clever attempt at unravelling this mystery and I must add, quite successfully !!
The book has a very clever premise set in the matters of heart, passion, history and ties several historical and fictional events of the era and that of the Holmes saga. The use and recent scientific theories ( such as Chaos ) help the story, which probably was difficult to imagine about 100 years ago.
The book is a bit cumbersome from a narration perspective and is a nice device as it helps the story as its more about the villain that about the hero. This is in tune with the recent developments at the comic world and makes good sense. Without giving too much away, it was great to see that the resolution offered was in tune with the enigma and mystery around the Moriarty character.
I have read some books by Laurie R King, who writes about the older Holmes ( strange, both writers last names are R King :-). I find this book a better story and fitting the saga as it was created by Doyle.
Some paragraphs and chapters reminded me of Pendergast, the FBI agent creation by Preston / Child.
Strongly recommend this book !
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