Con fanfiction crossover si intende quella fanfiction, cioè una storia creata da un fan, che unisce due o più serie.Ecco quello che mi è sembrato questo libro: una fanfiction, scritta da un grande fan di Holmes, in cui fa scontrare il detective con Dracula.Le mie aspettative per questo libro erano altissime, erano mesi che lo conservavo con cura nella libreria, in attesa di essere letto.Mi aspettavo il grande Sherlock Holmes collaborare con Van Helsing per sconfiggere il malefico vampiro, Watson che racconta le vicende assieme a Jonathan Harker, aiutati dalle rispettive mogli.Sbagliato!!Iniziamo con due pecche: troppe introduzioni, prefazioni e note finali ecc. e le note del testo spiegate a fine volume. Io odio dover continuamente andare a fine volume per leggere le note, alcune delle quali veramente stupide. Un esempio su tutti: dopo averci ripetuto migliaia di volte che Mary è la moglie di Watson, ecco una nota in cui ci viene ribadito il concetto.Lo sappiamo già, molte grazie.31 pagine di spiegazioni su quanto sia stato bravo l'autore a studiare e mettere insieme le trame, banalità in cui ci viene a dire che a lui Gary Oldman non piace (fatti tuoi) e invenzioni come l'asta dei beni dell'ultimo parente di Holmes.Aha. Divertente.Passando al romanzo: innanzitutto per leggerlo bisogna, ovviamente, aver letto sia Dracula sia almeno i 4 romanzi principali di Sherlock, altrimenti non si capisce niente.La storia poi, come ci spiega Estleman, è "quello che nel romanzo di Stoker non viene raccontato: cioè cosa fa Dracula mentre non compare nel romanzo." E cosa fa Dracula nel tempo libero?Semplice, scappa da Holmes.Scappa e ci chiacchiera insieme.Oh, che cattivone!Aspettavo con ansia l'incontro tra Van Helsing e il detective, ma nonostante sia una scena ben fatta e con della tensione, rimane una sola scena e basta, poi Holmes viene liquidato dal Professore.Ci sono delle scene di azione, ma molte sono copiate dai racconti di Conan Doyle, come l'inseguimento in barca, e le scene di scontro con Dracula sono piuttosto ridicole.E non fa per nulla paura, anche se il curatore dell'introduzione ci suggerisce di non leggerlo col buio.Sicuramente è scritto bene, in stile con l'epoca e con l'autore originale, ma mi ha deluso moltissimo.Troppo breve, troppo superficiale, per niente coinvolgente.Il finale non lo svelo, ma chi conosce il Dracula lo conosce già, anche perchè qui la storia finisce prima, perchè ovviamente Holmes non va in Transilvania.Per me è bocciato, e di sicuro non leggerò "Lo strano caso del Dottor Jeckyll e di Mr Holmes" dello stesso autore.Non voglio farmi rovinare anche Stevenson.
First published on Radiant Attack - Sci Fi, Fantasy, Weird and Big Freakin' SquidSherlock Holmes and Dracula are two of the greatest fictional characters ever created. No other characters have lived for so long in the popular imagination. So it wasn’t unexpected that eventually someone would pair the brilliant detective and nefarious vampire together. Enter Loren D. Estleman’s Sherlock Holmes vs Dracula. The newly released book is a reprint of the 1978 version of the same name.After the dramatic crash of a ship at Whitby, Sherlock Holmes is asked to investigate. He and his constant partner Dr Watson uncover an almost unbelievable truth: vampires do exist, and one has come to England. And not just any vampire. Holmes must face Count Dracula himself. In the immortal words of Holmes, “When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”Usually I’m a little suspicious of gimmicky crossover stories. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies didn’t really carry the same flair for me as Austen’s original novel. But Estleman skillfully nails the voice of Dr Watson, setting the premise through a lost set of manuscripts in an estate auction. The author is clearly a devotee of Holmes, setting a brisk pace for the “game afoot”. I was very impressed by his grasp of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s writing style. Estleman himself is an award winning crime writer, having written both contemporary and historical crime novels.On the other hand, I am a Dracula devotee; I felt that while the Holmesian aspects of the novel were fairly authentic, the Dracula character was a little one-dimensional. The notion of Dracula has developed beyond that of staring red eyes and sweeping capes. Of course, being a blood sucking vampire intent on taking over Britain may be a one-dimensional career. He really should get into plasma donation.It’s a quick and easy read and includes all the markers of a Holmes mystery. There are the Baker Street Irregulars, a colourful coach driver and a dashing bloodhound. At 200 pages you’ll breeze through the book, which makes it ideal for holiday reading. On another note, I love the cover redesign Titan Books have done for the re-released Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.Despite my leanings towards Team Dracula, it seems he’s met his match in the indomitable Sherlock Holmes. Yet Holmes will need a lot more than the Reichenbach Falls to kill the vampire king. Sherlock Holmes vs Dracula is an entertaining tome, which will appease fans of both hero and villain alike.
Do You like book Sherlock Holmes Vs. Dracula (1979)?
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective meets Bram Stoker’s vampire in this hugely enjoyable Gothic Victorian romp. As usual opinion will be divided between those that only want to see their favourite literary creations left alone, and those who revel in seeing them in new adventures and settings.I for one, thoroughly enjoy this series, each guest author gives the Sherlock Holmes canon a new twist or reimagining. Yes, I love the original fifty six short stories and four novels of Conan Doyle, but appreciate modern authors’ efforts to pit Holmes and Watson against new adversaries and into unexplored territory. I read Bram Stoker’s Dracula as a boy, and remember being captivated by the dark tale with its malevolent count, the eccentric vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing and the strong-willed Mina Harker. I began this novel with a few misgivings, worried that it could be a misstep. These are giant, iconic characters from fiction after all, and to take them both on is very brave of author Estleman. His experience and passion as a fiction writer shines through – he manages the enviable feat of seamlessly blending the Dracula story with a Dr John H. Watson chronicle.He has also captured the tone and personality of Watson, who serves as narrator here. This is a short adventure, but it rattles along at a thundering and thrilling pace. Many of the events that transpire in Stoker’s masterful novel are given a fresh perspective with the inclusion of Holmes and Watson. Estleman has even managed to make an old established story seem fresh.The greatest detective mind versus the supernatural cunning of Dracula is a showdown anyone would pay admission for. Estleman’s imaginative novel does not let the reader down. With no clunky exposition or scene setting, this starts fast and does not let up. Blending two beloved characters in this way, providing readers with a thrilling adventure, is quite an achievement. Fans of vampires and crime fiction will thoroughly enjoy this.
—Daniel Cann
I thought this novel was great. A warning to anyone who hasn't read it yet: I do recomend reading Bram Stoker's Dracula first. If you have never read it before read it now it will provide a lot of context that you otherwise would be missing out on. Also if you have picked up this book please be familiar with the Sherlock Holmes stories as written by Conan Doyle. Estleman does an excelent job of copying the good Doctor's (Dr. Doyle that is) writing style and you need to be able to appreciate that fact.And on that note I congradulate Mr. Estleman for staying so close to Stoker's novel. Instead of just writing a parody of the two classic Characters his novel provides added depth and really stays true to images that the reader fell in love with. A lot of the action in this novel is concerned mostly with the question of What was Dracula doing during all of that time Londen? The answer is trying to stay one step ahead of the world's greatest detective.Now I can't wait find Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Holmes. I have high hopes that it will be equaly as good.
—Cathrine Bonham
A rather clever retelling of the Bram Stoker tale with Holmes as a character, narrated, of course, by Watson, and purporting to be a part of the main canon.Estleman is good at recreating the Holmesian aspect: the boughs howling in moonlit graveyards, the gas-lamps’ blobby light in thick fog, etc. He's done his research as to the period and the writing style, and it does work. (Less present is the macabre horror of Stoker’s novel.) On the whole, it's a great idea, and the book presents Victorian thrills and action and chase scenes aplenty. Only the end of the book is a disappointment: in order not to rewrite too disruptively the Dracula side, Esteleman must leave Holmes out of the finale altogether, making for a rather anticlimactic ending.
—Ensiform
