by Stephen Volk

PS Publishing, out now

A young Sherlock Holmes is taken under the wing of one of literature’s other great detectives…

I won’t spoil the surprise in the first of these stories for anyone who hasn’t encountered them before up front in this review; if you’ve not read any of Stephen Volk’s stories involving Holmes before, then get onto PS’ website and order it now. We’ll wait.

For those – like me – who have read at least one of the stories contained in this anthology in their original volumes, it’s a treat to have all of Volk’s tales together. Who was it that taught Holmes the science of ratiocination? Who was there when Holmes made the same sort of elementary blunders that he castigates Watson for in Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories? The answer is Edgar Allan Poe, who didn’t die as history recorded in 1849, but is living in Paris under the name C. Auguste Dupin – a name that should be instantly recognisable to genre fans.

Those who know Volk’s Dark Masters trilogy of tales featuring Cushing, Hitchcock and Wheatley will know that he wears his meticulous research lightly when telling the tale – but every background detail feels authentic to the period being evoked. That applies to these stories too. Volk, through Holmes’ narration, appeals to all our senses, and brings all levels of Parisian society to vivid life. There’s an occasional satirical edge (the discussion of opera had me grinning), and even before you read the story notes at the end, you will recognise some elements that Volk has repurposed in some way.

One of the major drawbacks of the plethora of new Sherlock Holmes stories is that sadly most of the writers aren’t able to emulate Watson’s style but by using Holmes as the primary narrator, Volk doesn’t face that problem. Holmes is writing these accounts for the benefit of one of the other key personnel in the official canon, and the style matches the dialogue and occasional narration that Conan Doyle gave Holmes. There’s plenty of horrific elements throughout and Volk never shies from painting as full a picture of those as any other.

The collection includes all the originally published stories, plus two new ones that raise an already high bar higher. Throughout this canon, Volk has teased other adventures that Poe and Holmes have together, and we’re assured there are still plenty more potentially to come.

Verdict: A gripping set of tales recounting a very different side to Sherlock Holmes. 9/10

Paul Simpson

Click here to order from PS Publishing