Audio Review: Sherlock Holmes: The Tangled Skein

[wshaffer]

Sherlock Holmes: The Tangled Skein by David Stuart Davies

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is basically Sherlock Holmes versus Dracula, and how you react to that capsule description will tell you most of what you need to know about how you'll feel about the play. My own reaction was more or less, "Well, the two don't really seem to belong in the same universe, but it could be fun."

The story starts off with Holmes dealing with an adversary who's trying to kill him, and who nearly succeeds a couple of times. The plot then takes a turn as Holmes and Watson suddenly have to deal with the more pressing threat of vampires. Of course, the two plots turn out to be connected. Although I find myself wishing that they'd been connected in a more interesting way, or that the original adversary had remained more central to the story, because I thought he was actually more interesting than Dracula. The final showdown between Holmes/Watson and Dracula is suitably dramatic, though.

I like Nick Briggs and Richard Earl as Holmes and Watson, and I thought the more traditional Holmesian parts of this were quite good, so I'll definitely be checking out other titles in Big Finish's Holmes range.



View all my reviews

Comments

[neadods.livejournal.com]

I run very hot and cold on the Big Finish Holmeses. I find the meta ones too far from canon, the canon ones too like all the other canon adaptations, and the pastiche ones a little eyebrow-raising. Yet I know from the Doctor Who range that once they got past the first 10 or so, things took a major upswing in quality, so I hope that if they move forward, their pastiches will take a similar leap.

But what I've decided I really, really like is what they did with Speckled Band - full cast, but also full text, with "Watson" saying all the things in narrative voice. There is and has been nothing like that elsewhere on the market; it's completely unique. I was going to make a rather big deal at ChicagoTARDIS that I would like more of that, please, much more, following up an email I've already sent on the subject.

[wshaffer.livejournal.com]

I've already decided to skip the meta ones, and if I pick up "Holmes and the Ripper" it will be more because I love India Fisher than out of any great expectations for the play.

I really liked The Speckled Band as well - I should send an email to add my voice to the "more like this, please" chorus.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Do it! The more they hear from the audience, the more likely they'll be to make more.