Reading Anthony Horowitz’s 2011 sequel to the Sherlock Holmes stories really makes me appreciate the skill of Arthur Conan Doyle — both in terms of plot and in terms of character development.. The House of Silk is very long-winded, while Doyle’s original stories don’t include surplus details or descriptions. The House of Silk has numerous characters and subplots, while Doyle was very focused. I did read Horowitz’s entire book, but it made me kind of impatient. Over the years I’ve reread the original stories a few times, but I wouldn’t want to reread the imitation.
9 comments:
I didn't know Horowitz had written a Sherlock Holmes book. I'm now curious about it, even though you didn't give it high praise. Thanks fro passing this along Mae. Happy weekend. hugs-Erika
Anthony Horowitz is known for his complex and intricate plots, so I guess he was at it again with this book!
I always wonder when an author like Horowitz writes and publishes so many books in a short amount of time---Is he really writing everything? Is what he is writing being carefully edited?
I love most of Horowitz's books -- his Hawthorne and Magpie/Moonflower books, but I've never read any in his Moriarty series. I think I'd like to read that series in order, but when?!
Yeah... I haven't loved any of the attempts to do "new" Golden Age crime books, like the Jill Paton Walsh efforts to do Lord Peter. It's just not the same!
I really don't care who writes about Sherlock Holmes. I have never been a fan.
I've read quite a few Horowitz books (as mentioned above, Hawthorne and Horowitz and the Magpie series) but have avoided his continuation Sherlock books. I am glad to be vindicated. In my opinion, the one author who has managed a good series continuation is Jill Paton Walsh with her additions to Dorothy Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey. You may, or may not, agree. She was invited to do this by the Dorothy Sayers' fan club (I may not have got that title quite right) and I think they chose well.
We heard him live at a Richmond Literary Lunch event, shortly after he'd moved into the area. He's a bundle of energy, and I think is a compulsive writer which accounts for his prodigious output. He seems to have the talent to keep several projects on the go simultaneously.
I am reading a very long book with too many descriptions...it is driving me crazy and I keep thinking about DNFing it, but I have heard the ending is worth it. We will see.
I have a tough time with books that meander and have too much detail. I always think "get on with it!"
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