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www.bestofsherlock.com/books-dvds-movies-2018.htm
Best 2018 Sherlock Holmes Books, Movies, DVDs, & More
By Randall Stock, December 23, 2018 (History)
Sherlock Holmes is more popular than ever, which means there are lots of new books, movies, and Sherlockiana. The reviews and recommendations below can help you focus on the best ones from 2018. If you're just getting started with Holmes, see the Top 10 Choices for New Fans. This site also reviews newer Sherlockian items to consider.
New in 2018: Top Holmes Items
| Category | # of Items |
|---|---|
| 2018 Holmes Fiction | 5 |
| 2018 Holmes DVDs, Movies, and Related | 3 |
| 2018 Books About Holmes & Conan Doyle | 5 |
Newer Recommended Sherlockiana and the Best Holmes books, DVDs, & Blu-Ray from other years
Best 2018 Sherlock Holmes Books – Fiction
The year's best fictional Holmes books published in 2018. Listed in order by author, see also About the Choices and E-books.
Prices as of November 2018; subject to change.
A Knife in the Fog by Bradley Harper
Jack the Ripper struck less than a year after Holmes's debut, and many pastiches put Holmes on the Ripper case. In a twist reminiscent of Murder Rooms, Harper has Conan Doyle and Joseph Bell investigate the Ripper murders. They team up with socialist/feminist Margaret Harkness, who displays aspects of Irene Adler. This mashup of real historical figures in fictionalized roles works pretty well, although Harper pushes the limits when he includes Mark Twain. Harkness ends up as the most interesting character, and the fast pace should please thriller readers and Ripper fanatics. ($15.95 SRP; Amazon US listing $10.97)
Sherlock Holmes and the Miskatonic Monstrosities by James Lovegrove
With rather more than a wink and a nod to the reader, Lovegrove mixes Holmes with H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos. While more of a supernatural adventure than a mystery, Holmes does make some good deductions. It includes many references to the original Holmes tales, and we learn those are actually based on more macabre events in this alternate universe. Like A Study in Scarlet, the second part of this book tells a separate backstory. You don't have to read the first book in this series to enjoy this one, and a third volume arrived in November 2018. However, it certainly helps to have a basic background on Cthulhu. ($14.95 SRP; Amazon US listing $10.37)
The Irregular by H.B. Lyle
Wiggins, the former head of Holmes's band of street-urchin assistants, is a British Army veteran who reluctantly becomes a secret agent investigating a terrorist conspiracy. Grittier than the Holmes tales, this fast-paced spy thriller offers a compelling blend of action and deduction, with vivid characters and excellent descriptions of 1909 London. Holmes makes a brief appearance. The book should appeal to Sherlockians as well as fans of historical mystery or espionage. A fine start for what promises to be a fascinating series, the sequel The Red Ribbon was released in November 2018. ($16.99 SRP; Amazon US listing $11.55)
Holmes Entangled by Gordon McAlpine
Conan Doyle knows that someone is trying to kill him, and turns to Sherlock Holmes for help. By no means a traditional Holmes mystery or pastiche, this work of metafiction is imaginative with clever insights and speculations on the Canon and its characters. It is mostly narrated by Holmes with a sophisticated style and a dry sense of humor. Featuring a story within a story, as well as aspects of quantum physics and the multiverse, you're more likely to enjoy this tale if you have some wider knowledge of literature and/or science. ($13.95 SRP; Amazon US listing $10.23)
The Further Chronicles of Sherlock Holmes (Vol. 1 & 2) by Denis O. Smith
You simply cannot beat Denis O. Smith for traditional Holmes stories that capture the style and characters of Conan Doyle. Several of the tales in this collection are excellent, and all the rest are very good. If you've never read Smith, get this collection now! You'll also want to consider his New Chronicles and Lost Chronicles. Smith fans should note that 6 of the 12 stories in the Further Chronicles have appeared in other books. The paperback version of Further Chronicles (also in Kindle format) is split into two books, with Volume 2 perhaps slightly better. ($34.95 SRP; Amazon US listing; or $14.95 paperback Volume 1 and Volume 2.)
See also the current Year's Best Holmes fiction and the Best Holmes fiction from other years for more excellent choices.
Best 2018 Sherlock Holmes DVDs, Blu-ray Movies, and Related
The year's best DVDs, Blu-ray Discs, videos, movie-related and audio items released in 2018. See also About the Choices.
Prices as of November 2018; subject to change.
Elementary: The Sixth Season Starring Jonny Lee Miller (DVD)
Just released on DVD, season six offers the fine acting and inventive stories that, as with prior seasons, makes this series must-see network TV. The extended subplot involving a serial killer and Holmes's battle with post-concussion syndrome is better than last year's story arc. Episode quality is more variable than prior years, and there are more plot holes than before, but overall the season provides solid entertainment and finishes with a delightful twist. ($44.99 SRP; Amazon US listing $42.49)
Sherlock Gnomes (DVD / Blu-ray)
In this sequel to Gnomeo and Juliet, Sherlock Gnomes helps to protect London's garden gnomes from an evil plot. While lacking the Victorian setting and Canonical ties of The Great Mouse Detective, this computer-animated comedy-adventure has some nice touches for Sherlockians, including references to Sherrinford movers, Wisteria Lodge flower shop, and Doyle's Doll Museum. It's not Pixar quality, but it's reasonable fun and better than many reviews claim. One standout element is the voice performance of Emily Blunt, who brings depth and life to Juliet. ($22.98 SRP; Amazon US listing $12.96 DVD, Blu-ray $17.66)
Der Hund von Baskerville Starring Carlyle Blackwell (DVD / Blu-ray)
American audiences never saw the last silent film featuring
Holmes, a lavish 1929 German production. Like Gillette's Sherlock
Holmes, a copy was discovered in Europe, restored, and finally released in San
Francisco in 2018. A DVD/Blu-ray was planned for December but delayed until February 5. I have not seen the film or discs yet, but I'm provisionally
including it on this list based on reports from Sherlockians who attended the
premiere. With English title cards, this energetic and exciting thriller
should appeal to American audiences.
Updated 11/1/19: See my 2019 review for more details.
See also the current Year's Best Holmes DVDs & movies and the Best Holmes movies from other years for more excellent choices.
Best 2018 Books About Holmes & Conan Doyle
The year's best books about Holmes or Conan Doyle published in 2018. Listed in order by author, see also About the Choices and E-books.
Prices as of November 2018; subject to change.
The Serpentine Muse on CD-ROM
Old issues of Sherlockian journals are often difficult to find, and even if you own copies, they typically lack cumulative indexes. A few, such as the eBSJ v2, have been scanned, and this new CD-ROM from the archives of the Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes is a most welcome addition. It contains the complete run of 134 issues of The Serpentine Muse from its inception in April 1975 through Spring 2017. The scanned PDFs feature searchable text provided via good-quality OCR, and it includes a searchable Acrobat index. This mix of scholarly articles and fun reading at a great price is a must-buy! ($15 and free shipping; not on Amazon, see ASH website)
Conan Doyle For The Defense by Margalit Fox
Conan Doyle intervened in a number of real-life crimes, including the case of Oscar Slater. Fox excels at providing context and background for American readers, and goes well beyond the Slater affair to discuss the evolution of detection and forensics. Even if you don't care about Slater, people interested in history or true-crime should find this a fascinating read. Its main weakness is an overemphasis on police bias, given later allegations that the police knew the actual murderer and covered it up. But Fox tells this history very well indeed, and holds your interest through the entire book. ($27.00 SRP; Amazon US listing $18.36)
Trenches by Robert Katz and Andrew Solberg (eds.)
While Conan Doyle once said that Holmes was too old to serve in WWI, he did involve Holmes as a secret agent in "His Last Bow." This volume examines Holmes and Conan Doyle in the First World War. It reproduces the extant manuscript for "His Last Bow," five original drawings by Frederic Dorr Steele for the story, and Conan Doyle's manuscript of a poem about the war. Transcriptions, annotations, and discussions of the origins of these items provide context for the creations. A fine collection of essays, both historical and playing "the game," explore many related topics. ($39.95 SRP; not on Amazon; see BSI website)
A Chronology of the Life of Arthur Conan Doyle by Brian W. Pugh (fourth edition, 2018)
When writing about Conan Doyle, or fact-checking someone's claim about him, Pugh's Chronology is the place to start. It provides a master index to more than 2,000 books, articles and select primary sources about Sir Arthur. The chronological listing of events includes the sources for dating each event. This 2018 edition expands the book's main entries by 40 pages, offers citations with more detail than prior editions, and has an improved index. Online stores might carry older editions, so be sure to get the book with "2018" in the upper right corner, as linked here. ($34.95 SRP; Amazon US listing $34.95)
The Complete Paget Portfolio by Nicholas Utechin
As something of a Sidney Paget coffee-table book, this volume consists mostly of illustrations and photos, along with some interesting but sporadic commentary. It includes reproductions of all of Paget's Holmes illustrations, and photos of most of his extant Holmes drawings. The illustrations look quite good, and the publisher offers essential information on the challenges of reproducing them. The Holmes drawings provide the real highlight, with most in color. This oversized 10x8.5 inch book uses quality paper to show the illustrations and photos to good effect. For the price, one wishes it had been a hardcover. ($46.95 SRP; not on Amazon, see Wessex Press website)
See also the current Year's Best Books About Holmes & Doyle and the Best Books About Holmes & Doyle from other years for more fine choices.
This site first published its "Best of Year" reviews and recommendations in 2009. See the current Year's Best Sherlock Holmes books and movies and the Other Years' Best Sherlock Holmes books and DVDs. People just getting started with Holmes should see the best choices for new Sherlockians.
This page's 2018 list was first posted on November 8, 2018. New information on three items was added on December 23, 2018
About Kindle and Other E-books
A Kindle version of most of these books is available, but I don't list the e-book or its price unless it's hard to find on Amazon. Typically the Kindle Edition will be listed in the Formats box to the right of a book's cover photo.
When a book is available in both print and e-text, I review the print edition.
Return to Holmes Fiction or to Books About Holmes & Doyle.
My choices are based on 30+ years of reading and collecting Sherlockiana. I'm a member of the Baker Street Irregulars, have written numerous Sherlockian articles, and have spoken about Conan Doyle rarities for conferences at Harvard and the University of Minnesota.
I limited the number of items in order to make this list easier and faster for people to use. Items released near the end of 2018 may not be on this list, so be sure to check my 2019 recommendations as well. And see these details on my selection process and criteria.
In most cases I've given both the U.S. suggested retail price (SRP) and the price at Amazon as of November 2018; those prices are of course subject to change.
The 10 Best Gifts for New Sherlock Holmes Fans
The Current Year's Best Sherlock Holmes books and DVDs / Blu-ray
Best Sherlock Holmes books and DVDs / Blu-ray from prior years
The 10 Best Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes Movies and DVDs
The Best Sherlock Holmes Stories
The Top 10 Quotes from the Sherlock Holmes stories
Other Top 10 Lists for Sherlock Holmes and Conan Doyle
Vers. 2.1cx-RN Original work
Copyright ©2018
Randall Stock. All Rights Reserved.