I had high hopes for this 2020 Sherlock Holmes pastiche The Martian Menace. Sadly, the book does not live up to my expectations, but that doesn't mean it's not a worthy effort. The story in this one begins soon after the first Mars invasion, when as we all know the invaders were defeated by the smallest thing God in his wisdom had put upon the Earth -- disease germs. Well, it turns out the Martians came back a few years later and this time they came seeking rapprochement with mankind, claiming the first wave of noxious killers were not representative of the true Martian breed. Still the Martians effectively began colonizing the planet, using their advanced technology to lure mankind into complacency. It's at this moment when a Martian consults the famous detective about the violent death of a high-ranking Martian. Sherlock solves that case swiftly but that's only the beginning of a tale which sees the boys from Baker Street rocket to the Red Planet. And that's the weakness.
Brown does not present the Martian culture with much imagination. Aside from their bizarre appearance (and that seems to fade away as the tales progresses), they might well pass for an advanced Earth culture. With startling few changes in detail, Holmes and Watson might just as well have been battling Mongo. The communications between species seems much too simple and the nature of the Martian cities seems frankly not alien enough. The Martians feel too much like humans, and not a truly bizarre alien being with thoughts and feelings unlike those of human beings.
Much of the action of the book is supplied by Holmes and Watson, along with select human allies like C.K. Chesterton and George Bernard Shaw against "Simulacrums" or robotic duplicates of human beings who have been devised by the Martians to help along with humanity's acceptance of the Martian presence. Their ultimate goal is the destroy mankind and take over the planet and that threat is only staved off by a combination of human and Martians who seek to stop this heinous act.
In its favor is that the novel reads quite swiftly, and events happen with express speed. I didn't get bored reading the novel, but I was always wishing for more invention and novelty. It all seemed too predictable for a book about alien invaders. I suspect too that Sherlock Homes fans will be disappointed too in that the great detective does little actually detecting. On the upside the infamous Professor Moriarty plays an important role in the story as well, many roles as it turns out.
This is a breezy read, good for passing the time, but like any such fare will be forgotten almost as soon as it is consumed. I cannot recommend it save to those diehards who like Sherlock Holmes or War of the Worlds or both. To those of us in that category it's a novelty to be enjoyed despite its flaws.
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I remember reading a novel back in the late '70s wherein Sherlock Holmes meets Dracula. Can't remember whether it was any good, but I don't recall it being bad either. You ever read that one, RJ?
ReplyDeleteThere are several novels in which Holmes encounters Dracula, but I bet you're thinking of Fred Saberhagen's
Delete"The Holmes-Dracula File". It's a good read. The novel "Sherlock Holmes Meets Dracula" by Loren Estlemen is not as good.
And do you recall a Holmes 'stand-in' called Solar Pons, who featured in at least one novel?
DeleteI think I've only ever read one Solar Pons story. He was created by August Derleth and there are dozens of stories and books dedicated to him. I only learned of him about a dozen years ago when I was on a full-blown Sherlock Holmes binge.
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