Review of 'The Martian Simulacra: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery (NewCon Press Novellas Set 3)' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
(I got this book from LibraryThing Early Reviewers program)
Part of NewCon Press quartet of novelettes set on Mars. In this case Eric Brown writes a Sherlock Holmes pastiche, set in 1907: it's ten years since Martians reached the Earth for the second time, this time allegedly in peace - remember War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells? - and Holmes is asked to go to the Red Planet to investigate about a murder of a philosopher for whom no trace can be found. The prose reminds me enough of the style of Conan Doyle, and the touch of adding professor Challenger as a character is nice; I read the book with pleasure. But I found the plot really thin, and I cannot stand reading Watson solving a crossword puzzle; they were only created in 1913. Overall, I have mixed feelings about it.