Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
New York : Ace, 2019.
Description
"Upon returning to the city of Khelathra-Ven after five years fighting a war in another universe, Captain John Wyndham finds himself looking for somewhere to live, and expediency forces him to take lodgings at 221b Martyrs Walk. His new housemate is Ms. Shaharazad Haas, a consulting sorceress of mercurial temperament and dark reputation. When Ms. Haas is enlisted to solve a case of blackmail against one of her former lovers, Miss Eirene Viola, Captain Wyndham finds himself drawn into a mystery that leads him from the salons of the literary set to the drowned back-alleys of Ven and even to a prison cell in lost Carcosa. Along the way he is beset by criminals, menaced by pirates, molested by vampires, almost devoured by mad gods, and called upon to punch a shark. But the further the companions go in pursuit of the elusive blackmailer, the more impossible the case appears. Then again, in Khelathra-Ven reality is flexible, and the impossible is Ms. Haas' stock-in-trade"--… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member ablachly
Holmes and Watson, but where Sherlock is the sorceress Shaharazad Haas. The book is (of course) narrated by Ms. Haas’s housemate, the fumbling Captain John Wyndham, whose gentle sensibilities frequently require him to to censor his account. This is a queer fantasy world, with sky-pirates,
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vampires, underwater cities, necromancers, fishmongers, and luxury express trains. It is weird and ridiculous and I loved it. Show Less
LibraryThing member sleahey
Combine Sherlock Holmes and space fantasy and time travel, and you get The Affair of the Mysterious Letter. Written in the style of Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by the Watson-esque John Wyndham, this romp begins with Wyndham becoming the tenant of Shaharazad Haas, an arrogant sorcerer with no
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boundaries. The client is being blackmailed, sending the Haas and Wyndham duo to other universes and times to find the culprit. Each escapade and escape is more outrageous than the last, and clearly more installments describing these two characters are likely. The number of strong female and gender-bending characters (and pronouns) is appreciated. A listing of characters and a glossary would be helpful. Fans of Doyle's writing will love this book, while those who find it tedious will not. Show Less
LibraryThing member N.W.Moors
Before this, I knew Alexis Hall as a writer of 'kissing books,' like the wonderful Boyfriend Material and Glitterland. This is entirely different, a weird and fantastical homage to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. John Wyndham is the Watson in the story but here he is a shy gay trans man, who is writing his
Hall is a terrific writer and is able to mimic the style of Doyle without losing the freshness of his own style. The descriptions are lush and imaginative. Though I must admit I love Wyndham's primness, each character is distinctive and fun. I generally read very quickly, but here I took my time and savored each chapter. I hope the series continues because it sounds as if Captain Wyndham has a lot more adventures to relate.
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memoirs in serial form twenty years after the events. Shaharazad Haas, the Sherlock Holmes of the book, is a pansexual sorceress who is currently investigating the blackmail of a former lover. This all takes place in a complex fantasy land that includes undersea cities, dream off-worlds, and vampires on an Orient Express-type train. Hall is a terrific writer and is able to mimic the style of Doyle without losing the freshness of his own style. The descriptions are lush and imaginative. Though I must admit I love Wyndham's primness, each character is distinctive and fun. I generally read very quickly, but here I took my time and savored each chapter. I hope the series continues because it sounds as if Captain Wyndham has a lot more adventures to relate.
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LibraryThing member Jean_Sexton
This book tickled my funny bone far too often. Written in a tongue-in-cheek quasi-Victorian style, it is a Sherlock Holmes pastiche of a sort. Dr. John Wyndham is the narrator, the "Watson" of the story. He is sweet and bumbling and kind and quite proper. Our "Holmes" is Shaharazad Haas, a
The author tosses us into the deep end of the pool with numerous references to other worlds -- many of which I definitely recognized as published Lovecraft, fantasy, or science fiction. The mystery is a good one: who is trying to break off the engagement of Miss Eirene Viola (one of Haas's former lovers) and her fishmonger fiancée? The quest sends them on different adventures (under the sea in a drowned city, Carcosa, sky pirates, vampires, sharks, and Elder Gods, to name a few).
If you are a Holmes purist, this may not be to your liking. But if you are flexible about your Holmesian fiction, this could be right up your alley. I definitely would read a sequel.
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sorceress who is more than a bit plain spoken (the good doctor must frequently use euphemisms to remain socially acceptable), pays no attention to the social mores, and is easily bored. Much like Holmes, I believe she comes to care somewhat for her chronicler and tenant. The author tosses us into the deep end of the pool with numerous references to other worlds -- many of which I definitely recognized as published Lovecraft, fantasy, or science fiction. The mystery is a good one: who is trying to break off the engagement of Miss Eirene Viola (one of Haas's former lovers) and her fishmonger fiancée? The quest sends them on different adventures (under the sea in a drowned city, Carcosa, sky pirates, vampires, sharks, and Elder Gods, to name a few).
If you are a Holmes purist, this may not be to your liking. But if you are flexible about your Holmesian fiction, this could be right up your alley. I definitely would read a sequel.
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LibraryThing member rivkat
John Wyndham, a trans man recently returned from a mystic war that left him with a migrating wound, lodges with the sorceress Shaharazad Haas at 221B Martyr Street, and accompanies her on her adventures. When an old flame gets Haas to investigate a blackmail attempt designed to end her impending
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marriage to a respectable woman, the suspects include underwater denizens, vampires, and a functionary in the revolutionary regime that overthrew the Yellow King in Carcosa. A bit of Cthulhu, a bit of fairy tales, and a lot of quasi-Victorian disapproval of Haas’s salty language. Wyndham himself is a refugee from the deeply anti-theocratic regime that he fled after the revolution against its corrupt theocratic predecessor, and deeply prudish despite his awareness of the charms of young men. (Nobody is homophobic; he’s just been raised not to approve of sex outside marriage.) The background politics alone are a kick, is what I’m saying. Show Less
LibraryThing member dreamweaversunited
The worldbuilding was exceedingly clever, but I wasn't able to finish, because the book lacks a crucial element of a Sherlock Holmes pastiche: strong interpretations of the characters. The Watson equivalent character was much too stuffy and straight-laced, and the Holmes equivalent was murdering
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and seducing people left and right. Those are not the Holmes and Watson I know and love. Show Less
LibraryThing member samnreader
So, I have mentioned how well Hall's romances work for me. How brilliant I think he is. Creative....
And now that's painfully obvious with the release of this full-fledged fantasy retelling. Most astounding though, is I've read three thoroughly different styles from Hall-and with the exception of
I've mentioned how well Boulton works for me as a narrator (though in this he isn't adopting his usual voice 90% of the time, which was a good choice for Wyndham's character).
This book put them together. So um-was there any doubt?
It's zany and fun and really really delightful. It spans monsters and sexuality and verses.....It's a huge ball of imagination wrapped in a tiny little book and PLEASE tell me there will be more.
Also, might be my favorite introduction scene for two characters.
And now that's painfully obvious with the release of this full-fledged fantasy retelling. Most astounding though, is I've read three thoroughly different styles from Hall-and with the exception of
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pieces of this feeling slightly repetitive, probably with good reason and not that I minded. Because...I've mentioned how well Boulton works for me as a narrator (though in this he isn't adopting his usual voice 90% of the time, which was a good choice for Wyndham's character).
This book put them together. So um-was there any doubt?
It's zany and fun and really really delightful. It spans monsters and sexuality and verses.....It's a huge ball of imagination wrapped in a tiny little book and PLEASE tell me there will be more.
Also, might be my favorite introduction scene for two characters.
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Language
Original publication date
2019-06-18
Physical description
340 p.; 21 cm
ISBN
9780440001331