Customer Reviews (1)

Decent early work
Being a big fan of Perry's "Matador" series, I recently picked up a used copy of "Hellstar". While I enjoyed reading it, I can't really recommend it all that highly.

The book is set on a ship about halfway through a 50+-year journey from earth to Alpha Centauri. The ship is coasting at this point, and weight is provided by a rotating toroid. There are several subcultures specializing in things like working at the hub where there's no gravity, or working outside the ship, but there aren't any radical differences between groups. Most of the first generation crew members are still alive, so the ship still runs reasonably well, and the journey seems to be going pretty smoothly.

Then, of course, strange things start happening. There are weird temporary failures of basic laws of physics, escalating from subatomic particle experiments misbehaving, through failures in coriolis effects and eventually, far more serious things. The reasons for these failures are never really satisfactorily explained. There is some pseduo-physics mumbo-jumbo about macroscopic quantum effects and massless singularites, but it contains more than the usual proportion of handwavium[1].

The "science fiction" aspects of this story are, as a result, somewhat unsatisfactory. The description of the ship itself is good, but the "universe gone mad" eastern philosophy fusion bits really don't quite work. I've seen similar themes handled far better in many other works.

The real strength of the book is when it focuses on martial arts sequences or delves into Zen and the martial arts. There are major subplots involving a serial killer and political intrigue that are really the book's saving graces. Steve Perry has handled both far better in other works, however. You really can't beat his "Matador" series on that score.

I think Michael Reaves may be the weak point here. He was also a collaborator on "The Omega Cage", and that book also has some relatively weak science that detracts from the action. It could also be that this book was written fairly early in both authors' careers, and represents a time when they were still forming their respective styles.

I'd recommend this one only if you've already ready everything in the "Matador" series and are looking for something else by Steve Perry.

--
[1] Handwavium: n. 1. Any fictional substance or element used to explain how speculative technology might work. Example: "Dilithium crystals are made of pure handwavium." 2. Any argument known to be in contravention of one or more scientific principles, used to explain a technological plot device in a work of fiction. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Light versus demonic Darkness at the Millennium
"Babylon is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit." (Revelations)

Perhaps it was the advent of the new Millennium that inspired so many fantasies with Babylonian demons, but I've read three in the past year including "Hell on Earth."I think Michael Reaves originally wrote this book with Millennarians as a target audience, since it makes isolated references to Armageddon. However, if that was the original theme, it has been transformed into a generic (or perhaps I should say gnostic) battle of sublime Light versus demonic Darkness.

"Hell on Earth" is the type of professionally crafted fantasy that we've come to expect from Del Rey.The reader is subjected to more cliff-hangers than Pauline in all of her perils, and Pauline's exclamations of horror and disgust have been thoroughly modernized.The action never stops from the birth of a demon and the loss of a magical talisman, to the epilogue when a famous ball descends in Times Square.

Even though the author makes several biblical references, "Hell on Earth" is not at all preachy.Humorous and inventive touches abound, including a demon that likes to masquerade as Humphrey Bogart.The three major human characters are Colin the magician, Liz the author of a best-seller about a serial killer called `The Maneater,' and Terry, ex-Army Ranger and current bodyguard.They are all likeable, vulnerable, feisty, and willing to fight for the Right Side in the battle against evil.Although all three are battling current dilemmas, the reader is also treated to lengthy flashbacks---so lengthy that I began to wonder if there was a prequel to "Hell on Earth" that I had somehow missed.The book drops definite hints about a sequel:

"He [Colin] had to find out. If there was even the faintest chance of Lilith [a character seen only in Colin's flashbacks] still being alive, he would do whatever it took to find out.Even if it meant going back to the one place on Earth he had sworn never to set foot in again."

Michael Reeves has also written "Darth Maul Shadow Hunter," which was spun off from a movie.His "Hell on Earth" is a book that could head in the opposite direction and end up on film.It's got snappy dialogue (especially between Zoel the angel and the Humphrey Bogart demon), strong visuals, likeable characters, lots of action, and a plot that easy to follow.The flashbacks that slow down the book's momentum would probably be shortened, eliminated, or treated as part of the current action if "Hell" goes to the movies.

Suggestion:if this book gives you an appetite for Babylonian demons, try Jonathan Aycliffe's "The Talisman."His demon, Shabbatil (Lord of the Flies) is totally horrific and has no sense of humor at all.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

One of the best of the "bridge" novels
The novel does a great job of providing background for the prequel movies.When read along with the Dark Horse comic we learn more about Darth Maul and his relationship with his master Sidious.

Sidious' plan is about to be exposed, and Maul must prevent this.One complaint.With the seriousness of the situation, an apprentice padawan is given the mission.Why, with a temple full of masters, is an apprentice sent.The audion book is 540 minutes and 6 cassettes.I great travel companion on a long drive.

Great Read
Got this book and couldn't put it down.My wife gave me a hassle because everytime she came looking for me I was reading it.I then gave it to my friend and he also thought it was a great book.Good info on the Sith and on some in-between episode info. ... Read more

Book Description
Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes is among the most famous literary figures of all time. For more than a hundred years, his adventures have stood as imperishable monuments to the ability of human reason to penetrate every mystery, solve every puzzle, and punish every crime.

For nearly as long, the macabre tales of H. P. Lovecraft have haunted readers with their nightmarish glimpses into realms of cosmic chaos and undying evil. But what would happen if Conan Doyle’s peerless detective and his allies were to find themselves faced with mysteries whose solutions lay not only beyond the grasp of logic, but of sanity itself.

In this collection of all-new, all-original tales, twenty of today’s most cutting edge writers provide their answers to that burning question.

“A Study in Emerald” by Neil Gaiman: A gruesome murder exposes a plot against the Crown, a seditious conspiracy so cunningly wrought that only one man in all London could have planned it–and only one man can hope to stop it.

“A Case of Royal Blood” by Steven-Elliot Altman: Sherlock Holmes and H. G. Wells join forces to protect a princess stalked by a ghost–or perhaps something far worse than a ghost.

“Art in the Blood” by Brian Stableford: One man’s horrific affliction leads Sherlock Holmes to an ancient curse that threatens to awaken the crawling chaos slumbering in the blood of all humankind.

“The Curious Case of Miss Violet Stone” by Poppy Z. Brite and David Ferguson: A girl who has not eaten in more than three years teaches Holmes and Watson that sometimes the impossible cannot be eliminated.

“The Horror of the Many Faces” by Tim Lebbon: Dr. Watson witnesses a maniacal murder in London–and recognizes the villain as none other than his friend, Mr. Sherlock Holmes.

With these and fourteen other dark tales of madness, horror, and deduction, a new and terrible game is afoot.

The terrifyingly surreal universe of horror master H. P. Lovecraft bleeds into the logical world of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s champion of rational deduction–in these brand-new stories by twenty of today’s top horror, mystery, fantasy, and science fiction writers, including:

• Steven-Elliot Altman
• Elizabeth Bear
• Poppy Z. Brite
• Simon Clark
• David Ferguson
• Paul Finch
• Neil Gaiman
• Barbara Hambly
• Caitlin R. Kiernan
• Tim Lebbon
• James Lowder
• Richard A. Lupoff
• F. Gwynplaine McIntyre
• John Pelan
• Steve Perry
• Michael Reaves
• Brian Stableford
• John P. Vourlis
• David Niall Wilson & Patricia Lee Macomber


From the Hardcover edition.Download Description

Sherlock Holmes enters the dark, nightmare world of H. P. Lovecraft

Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes is among the most famous literary figures of all time. For more than a hundred years, his adventures have stood as imperishable monuments to the ability of human reason to penetrate every mystery, solve every puzzle, and punish every crime.

For nearly as long, the macabre tales of H. P. Lovecraft have haunted readers with their nightmarish glimpses into realms of cosmic chaos and undying evil. But what would happen if Conan Doyle's peerless detective and his allies were to find themselves faced with mysteries whose solutions lay not only beyond the grasp of logic, but of sanity itself.

In this collection of all-new, all-original tales, twenty of today's most cutting-edge writers provide their answers to that burning question.

"A Study in Emerald" by Neil Gaiman: A gruesome murder exposes a plot against the Crown, a seditious conspiracy so cunningly wrought that only one man in all London could have planned it -- and only one man can hope to stop it.

"A Case of Royal Blood" by Steven-Elliot Altman: Sherlock Holmes and H. G. Wells join forces to protect a princess stalked by a ghost -- or perhaps something far worse than a ghost.

"Art in the Blood" by Brian Stableford: One man's horrific affliction leads Sherlock Holmes to an ancient curse that threatens to awaken the crawling chaos slumbering in the blood of all humankind.

"The Curious Case of Miss Violet Stone" by Poppy Z. Brite and David Ferguson: A girl who has not eaten in more than three years teaches Holmes and Watson that sometimes the impossible cannot be eliminated.

"The Horror of the Many Faces" by Tim Lebbon: Dr. Watson witnesses a maniacal murder in London -- and recognizes the villain as none other than his friend, Mr. Sherlock Holmes.

With these and fourteen other dark tales of madness, horror, and deduction, a new and terrible game is afoot.

Customer Reviews (27)

If This Were Only Elementary, Watson.
If Sir Doyle's most delectable character were to happen into a Lovecraftian whirlwind, what would take place? Would Sherlock Holmes find himself on the verge of madness, falling apart because of what he's found, or would he be able to solve the unsolvable and do something that most people cannot - could he perhaps understand the things that are not so easily understood and say the words that have haunted lesser men? Could he perhaps even rationalize an Old One into a hole and bury it forever?
Personally I found Dunwich and Baker Street an amazing little intersection, and I have to say that the flair that these tales brought with them helped me through even the weaker portions of the book.
Still, there were a few little problems with the book.

First and foremost, the mythos itself seems to get a bit of shortchanging in some of the stories. When I read what the book was about I expected a few of he old ones to make an appearance, but dismay (and a bit of distain) began to rear angry little heads when I found the big kids not making appearances. This isn't to say that the stories weren't good - many of them were well done and many of them were interesting reads. Still, the material that the stories were feeding off of allowed for that no matter what and, honestly, I expected some showdowns with Holmes and Old Ones.
Cthulhu, the most noted of the bunch, didn't even bother looking in and saying hello. That trend continued, too, and I found myself a bit unfulfilled in that right.

Second, when the old ones were referenced, they were referenced in chants or lore. This reminded me a lot of older pulp writers that fed on the mythos somewhat, not really understanding everything that was happening but wanting something "Lovecraftian" anyhow and thus making a book of Cults. This would have been fine in some of the tales, but I wanted a little less chanting and a little more tendril.
Perhaps this is the problem with preconceived notions and reading the back of books, too. Perhaps it was even my own fault, expecting too much. I'm not sure.

Lastly, there were some stories that didn't seem to have a Lovecraftian side to them. I'll keep this complaint short, not really wanting to dwell on it because it only happened briefly, but I still found tha to be a little troublesome.

When reading through the book, I could tell that the writers were of different makes and models, that they had been writing for a long time or they had just begun, and that many of them didn't really know the mythos but that many did know Holmes. This means that there was an unevenness at times, with Holmes dominating the styles of writing and the telling of tales, and I wanted something different now and again. That said, this book was a good book - I just found myself wanting it to be a perfect book and, well, it fell a little short. Still, it would be hard not to fall short when you think that you are asking a group of authors to basically take two powerhouse characters, mingle them flawlessly, and make people who obsess over them happy.

That's a tall order and, all in all, the stories were done better than expected when thinking of what others have done with the mythos.

Super Reader
A fairly average collection, apart from the Gaiman and Bear, and the odd other story, some of them missing the point in both milieu.

Shadows Over Baker Street : 01 A Study in Emerald - Neil Gaiman
Shadows Over Baker Street : 02 Tiger! Tiger! - Elizabeth Bear
Shadows Over Baker Street : 03 The Case of the Wavy Black Dagger - Steve Perry
Shadows Over Baker Street : 04 A Case of Royal Blood - Steven-Elliot Altman
Shadows Over Baker Street : 05 The Weeping Masks - James Lowder
Shadows Over Baker Street : 06 Art in the Blood - Brian Stableford
Shadows Over Baker Street : 07 The Curious Case of Miss Violet Stone - Poppy Z. Brite and David Ferguson
Shadows Over Baker Street : 08 The Adventure of the Antiquarian's Niece - Barbara Hambly
Shadows Over Baker Street : 09 The Mystery of the Worm - John Pelan
Shadows Over Baker Street : 10 The Mystery of the Hanged Man's Puzzle - Paul Finch
Shadows Over Baker Street : 11 The Horror of the Many Faces - Tim Lebbon
Shadows Over Baker Street : 12 The Adventure of the Arab's Manuscript - Michael Reaves
Shadows Over Baker Street : 13 The Drowned Geologist - Caitlín R. Kiernan
Shadows Over Baker Street : 14 A Case of Insomnia - John P. Vourlis
Shadows Over Baker Street : 15 The Adventure of the Voorish Sign - Richard A. Lupoff
Shadows Over Baker Street : 16 The Adventure of Exham Priory - F. Gwynplaine MacIntyre
Shadows Over Baker Street : 17 Death Did Not Become Him - David Niall Wilson and Patricia Lee Macomber
Shadows Over Baker Street : 18 Nightmare in Wax - Simon Clark


Old One vaudeville and some monstrous advertising.

4 out of 5


The Colonel helps the Woman bring about a change in the weather. Or, Hastur la Monsoon, baby.

4 out of 5


Bali blade babe, thinks SH.

3.5 out of 5


H.G. also on the case, but not Roy. Necronomicons and Nameless Cults are not the proper reading material for a cultured young princess.

3 out of 5


Watson, some ugly priests and an ugly older thing, and the tale of the Jezail bullet.

3 out of 5


Brothers Holmes ponder seaman's Elder Gods story.

2.5 out of 5


Girl's slimming Great One possession leads to coked up engineering binge.

3 out of 5


Cthulhoid cult prompts portable power.

3 out of 5


Nikola's metal munching nightcrawlers.

3 out of 5


A dead man upset at lack of rescue gives a clue to Holmes and Watson that leads them to face Innsmouth residents and a Gatling gun.

3 out of 5


Holmes horrified enough to mention love to Watson.

2.5 out of 5


War-time nurse takes Necronomicon reconstruction way, way too far. Bang.

3.5 out of 5


Palaeontologist in Whitby gets to see the wreck of the Demeter, but luckily for him, no Drac, just Dagon detritus.

3 out of 5


Beasts from the Void the cause of Sleepless in Inswich.

3 out of 5


Squatters are one thing, but it is decidedly beyond the pale when the Dark Temple takes up residence in the ancestral family home.

3.5 out of 5


Moriarty worse than advertised, had Cthulhoid disposal plans for Holmes at Reichenbach.

3.5 out of 5


Watson hires Holmes himself, gets Golem stuff.

2 out of 5


Undercover Holmes prevent Moriarty from expanding Cthulhoid library.

3 out of 5

Fantasic!
I am often leary of collections that combine two of my favorite "universes" in literature, but this worked better than I could have hoped.

Facing the ultimate empiricist with the ultimate unknowable has produced a series of tales that kept me reading long after I should have been abed.A few did not satisfy (one involving Irene Adler instead of Holmes, another more about Vlad Tepes than HPL, for example), but overall, this collection was fantastic in all senses of the word.

Anyone who is a fan of both Doyle and LOvecraft will be very well served with this collection.

3 1/2 stars for clever collection imagining Holmes (and company) up against tigers and monsters oh my!
Holmes continues to fascinate as a character. This brilliant detective who underneath his sharp intellect has all too human flaws has appeared in a number of novels over the years by those who appreciate Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's creation. Featuring Holmes, Watson and other characters associated with the Doyle universe,they face the monsters of H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulu mythos in this collection. This short story collection is exceptionally good with most of the stories top notch flights of fancy (or fantasy in this case). Keep in mind that Holmes and Watson are not in every story here (the subtitle "Sherlock Holmes enters the nightmare world of H.P. Lovecraft" makes it sound as if Holmes and his logic are the focus of every story).

The most fascinating ones for me were the ones in which Holmes partnered with H.G. Wells and Neil Gaiman's clever inversion of the Holmes/Lovecraft universe in "A Study in Emerald". Elizabeth Bear's "Tiger, Tiger!" set in India is solid with a lot of build up but the conclusion fizzles. Different folks will find other stories equally as fascinating. Simon Clark's "Nightmare in Wax" also made for fun reading as well. Actually this concept would make a great TV series since it takes characters and stories that might seem predictable now because of the passage of time and breathes new life into them.

Overall, I'd recommend Shadows Over Break Street. Editor Michael Reaves (an Emmy winner for his writing on "Batman:The Animated Series as well as a novelist and short story writer) and John Pelan (short story author and editor)have done a good job commissioning/selecting the stories in this collection with an eye for both detail and suspense. This is definitely well worth checking out for fans of both authors.

Holmes + Lovecraft = ... Holmes + Lovecraft
It's pretty much what you expect -- a collection of short stories that fall at the intersection of Dunwich and Baker Street.Some are excellent (Neil Gaiman's "A Study In Emerald" is particularly well chosen as the first work here) and some are derivative, but all are worth reading. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Quintessential Fantasy
As far as dramatics go, this novel is awesome, with a sustained climax of a hundred fifty pages of exotic settings and danger.It takes place in a world destroyed and recreated in cataclysm, where land masses are asteroids floating and orbiting in an abyss filled with breathable air and unpredictable weather.

For me, this is the highest high fantasy I ever read.Why?Because of the beautiful language.It's not like I have an English degree or anything, but I play the Magic the Gathering card game.I kept seeing obscure fantasy words that appear on magic cards... stuff like azoic, sedge, tor, odylic, and autochthonic.This simply reinforced everything together in a united whole.Having one of the main antagonists be the demonic Lord of Snakes, Demogorgon (reminded me of Demigorgon from the original AD&D supplement 'Deities and Demigods'), simply added to this total experience.Is there a prestige class for cloakfighters yet?

Anyway, as much as I loved that stuff, I could not stand a small part of it.One main character is a thief named Beorn, who can turn into a bear.For the first fifty pages, all I could think of everytime I saw that name was Gandalf and Bilbo getting fat on honey while staying at Beorn's house during winter after coming back triumphantly from slaying Smaug in Tolkien's "The Hobbit."

If you like unique and strange fantasy realms, do yourself a favor and buy this book.

The only thing "epic" about it is all the 75 cent words
Uninspired and dull. In an attempt to create a new world the author leads us to a realm that is not fleshed out or properly described. For example, the wizards use spells with names that were meaningless, like "Burnham's Incantation of Evanescence". There simply wasn't enough context to enjoy the more fantastical aspects.

The characters too were lifeless and boring. Let's see, how bout a "super thief" with a troubled past, a mighty magician filled with self-doubt, a slutty, power-hungry wizardess, and a wizard in training with unlimited power that must be controlled...how clever and original...NOT! None of the protagonists are worth rooting for.

Then there is the lack of a decent antagonist (is it the cult of the "one god"? the demons of Xoth?, the magician's cabal?) Who cares. The adventurers leap from fragment of land to another just as the story leaps from plot fragment to plot fragment.

And lastly is the graduate reading level required. I was picking up a dictionary as much as reading the book, and I have a PhD! I mean come on, not everybody is an english major so lay off the fancy words, they only detracted from the already spurious and obtuse plot.

Got my copy for 50 cents, paid too much. Avoid unless you are otherwise required to read this one. There is a lot of good fantasy fiction in the world, spend your time on that.

Excellent Book!
This is a really good book.It has been almost 20 years since I read it, and it has remained one of my favorites.I enjoyed it so much I told my kids stories from the book when they were younger.I just bought "Shattered World" and "Burning Realm" again for my kids since they are now old enough, and I plan to read them again myself.

The Tomb of the Necromancer
The Shattered World is the first novel in a duology, followed by The Burning Realm."There was once a beautiful world of green and gentle continents ...Shining cities were built by the hand of man, and empires rose and fell.In measureless caverns beneath the ground, an inhuman race known as the Chtons ... pursued their own ways ... the world was shattered by a cataclysm that sent the fragments spinning into the void ...A cabal of sorcerers ... provided an envelope of air ... and created runestones ... that provided weightfuness on the surfaces of the fragnents and kept them orbiting each other ... "

In this novel, the thief Beron is caught with the stolen goods on him, found guilty, and remanded to the custody of Ardatha Demonhand for punishment.She informs him that the trial was really a ruse, for she wants him to steal a talisman from Pandrogas, the master of Darkhaven.In return, Ardatha promises to remove the curse from him that forces him to occasionally shapechange into a bear.Unknown to him, the talisman is the runestone for Darkhaven and it is being stolen for the Circle, of which she is a member.

Marquis Tahrynyar has fled to Darkhaven with his wife Amber after an assassination attempt by his enemies.He has been on Darkhaven for a year and during that time Amber has begun to love Pandrogas.While he is not happy about the affair, Tahrynyar owes his life to Pandrogas, who rescued him from the Demogorgon, the ruler of all Chtons, after his ill-advised reading from the Red Grimoire.

This story is a quest for the lost runestone.Pandrogas also searches for the magic of the Necromancer, while Amber comes to realize that she too is capable of magic.

Recommended for Reaves fans and anyone else who enjoys tales of sorcery and intrigue.

A Surprise.
It isn't a well kbown book , actually I only know of me and my brothers having read the book book when I showed it to them they gave me a frown at first and took a lot of convincing to make them read it but once they read it they loved it just like me. The world is richly pictured and very cohesive. The characters are not so well thought out except the thief and his lycanthrope problem, he is a truly 3 dimensional character and you love him from the start.So do give this book a chance it will surprise you ... Read more

Book Description
Batman strikes fear in the hearts of criminals, but there’s a killer stalking Gotham who’s even better at inspiring fright–and his method just might be unbeatable . . . because it’s invisible.

Unbeknownst to the general public, a powerful new designer drug has hit the streets of Gotham, courtesy of an evil genius determined to turn the expression “scared to death” into lethal reality. Unlike the Caped Crusader, who petrifies only villains, this mastermind is targeting decent citizens–and he’s come up with the ultimate delivery system. After all, the public can’t refuse something they can’t see, hear, or smell. That’s the beauty of a terror toxin that is undetectable by the human senses. And with all of Gotham’s super-villains incarcerated, Batman must hunt down a mystery madman about whom he knows nothing.

Maybe the Dark Knight should be afraid . . . because there’s plenty to fear when you go head-to-head with fear itself. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

The Horrifying Horror Genre
Novels based on characters from comics and mangas have become popular. Recently DC Comics licensed and released a number of novels based on their comic book characters.

Batman: Fear Itself (2007) is written by Michael Reeves who received an Emmy Award for his work on Batman: The Animated series. What about Steven-Elliot Altman? My paperback copy does not list him as an author.

{warning: contains spoilers}

The basic premise of this novel is simple. If you are a best selling horror writer who seems to be losing his edge and his sales, what and how far will you go to reestablish yourself as a writer?

Grey Berwald is that horror writer. His solution was to turn to the master of horror, the Scarecrow a.k.a Dr. Crane for help. The Scarecrow gave Grey a neurotoxin to spray on his novels so that whoever read them will have a heighten state of fear. Things went wrong when some people cannot handle their fear and caused accident and death.

Batman/Bruce Wayne and investigative reporter Maggie Tollyer investigates and finally confronts the Scarecrow.

Reeves works with some interesting premises; How far will you go as a writer to get sales and reach the top of the best seller list? Do you have limits in what you will and will not write? Are you responsible for what people do after they have read your writing? Will you sell your soul to the devil?

If only reading this book would have killed me . . .
The plot: Batman discovers that readers of a horror novel have been literally scared to death.Who could be behind this???

The problem: Bo-ring.Honestly, I expected MUCH better from someone who wrote for Batman: The Animated Series.In this case, it was obvious from the beginning who the supervillain behind the plot was.Had Reaves misled us (and if they had not given it away on the front cover), it would have been more interesting and a better book.

This book is as chilling as its name
I tell you, the recent series of Batman novels produced have been...on and off for me. Dead white was a very good novel, but Inferno was written in a poor, first person narrative style that I found very distracting. So, picking up this book, I knew that it could go either way. What I found was a very intense and bone chillingly descriptive book about fear and one of my favorite Batman villains, the Scarecrow. Its fast paced, and with more twists and turns than a mountain highway. I really enjoyed this book, and I think any Batman fan should read this.

a great new entry to the batman novel series
Well, once again a new batman novel is out in stores and the time has come to review it. This like the previous two novels, is well written and adds to the legend of the Batman. This novel, in particular, explores the topic of fear. This topic is constantly mentioned thorughout the story and is the major mystery that batman has to solve. Most of the story can be predicted easily, but the book is still well written.

I would recommend this novel for batman fans and readers looking for a novel the explores parts of the human mind.

PARTY ON, DUDES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LOOKS LIKE AND IS
It can be said (and proved) that in life...nothing is linear.

Nothing moves in a straight line.Everything curves, bends, crosses, intersects and comes together and falls apart in a series of waves, explosions and tears throughout this reality (and all those still left to discover).So, it comes as some (but no real) surprise that there is an expection to this rule and that expection is FEAR ITSELF by Micheal Reaves and (not good enough for the cover) Steven-Elliot Altman.

From the cover to the final page there is not one plot twist, turn about, curveball, surprise, or GOTCHA! moment to be found in this book.As sure as B follows A there is no mystery here.Who's behind the latest bio-terror generated fear attacks in Gotham?What fiend is "thrilling" people to death with pulp fiction?The cover gives the game away even before you turn to page one... and it takes Micheal Reaves (and shy guy) Steven-Elliot Altman nearly three quarters of the book to catch up to something YOU already know (and, I should point out here, that I lay full blame for this on the marketing department at BALLANTINE BOOKS, not on Reaves and (hide and seek) Altman.I'm sure if BALLANTINE released a novalization of CITIZEN KANE, ROSEBUD would rest dead center on the cover - giving the jig up).So, as Batman and company work their way fresh through the "mystery" the only thing you have to do is keep turning the pages and fight the urge to skip ahead to find out how this villain managed to do what he did and why.

Don't fight that urge.Skip three quarters in and just finish the book.Don't worry about who's who or what they have to do with the plot or each other, they're just company characters with cardboard problems and stock and trade payoffs.It's so linear, so common and so mindless that it amazes me that it took two people to write it.I assume one was there to wake the other if they happened to fall asleep while typing (which must have happened often).

If there is ever any more perfect example of SWEAT SHOP FICTION, then FEAR ITSELF is it.A major disappointment here for BATMAN fans.Avoid.

... Read more

Book Description
A madman stalks the streets of London's Whitechapel slum, leaving a trail of grisly murders in his wake. The police have only one suspect: a prominent and respected physician named John Watson! The master detective Sherlock Holmes, in order to solve the most fantastic mystery of his career and save his greatest friend from the gallows, employs a band of young street urchins to infiltrate the alleys of Whitechapel. They can go everywhere, see everything, overhear everyone. They are the Baker Street Irregulars! Join the Irregulars in the most fantastic and terrifying adventure of their lives, as they uncover an evil unlike anything Sherlock Holmes has ever faced! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Too Much Unacknowledged Lovecraft for My Taste
I'm a fan of graphic storytelling, and more of a fan of the Sherlock Holmes canon than the average citizen, so this particular bit of pastiche caught my attention. Here the focus is not on Holmes, but on the titular "Irregulars," that band of street ragamuffins he used as minor henchmen. The plot kicks off when Dr. Watson is identified as the perpetrator of a grisly slaying in Hyde Park. Leaving aside the implausibility that in Victorian London a respected gentleman who has worked with law enforcement would go to jail on the word of a prostitute (or that the prostitute would come forward as a witness to start with), as well as the implausibility that Holmes would heed a directive to head overseas while Dr. Watson was in the lurch, Holmes places the good doctor's liberation in the hands of his urchin Irregulars.

From here, the story takes an altogether unexpected turn, as the Irregulars turn up evidence of the dark arts, and the malign hand of Professor Moriarty. Indeed, as the tale grew ever more fantastical and veered into the realm of opening interdimensional gates, summoning ancient Egyptian demons, and so forth, I felt as if the writers had stopped channeling Doyle in favor of Lovecraft. And indeed, a little poking around on the internet reveals the plotline to be a Lovecraftian one and at least one of the characters (a violin-player of some considerable power) to be borrowed from a Lovecraft short story (see "The Music of Erich Zann"). This raises a complaint I have: in the front of the book "grateful acknowledgement" is given for the use of Doyle's characters, however no mention is made anywhere that both character and plot elements have also been borrowed from Lovecraft. Yes, most of Lovecraft's work is now generally believed to be in the public domain, but that doesn't mean you don't cite it! (And for the record, this is hardly the first Doyle/Lovecraft mashup, Neil Gaiman's Hugo-winning short story "A Study in Emerald" is freely available online.

Anyway, I've never been a huge fan of Lovecraft's baroque tales, so when the Irregulars find themselves trapped in another horrifying dimension, I rapidly lost interest. A nice job is done giving the sextet (plus a dog) some personality and individual quirks and characteristics, but once the spells start flying and netherworldly creatures start appearing (not to mention a shapeshifting character based on the Springheel Jack legend), I was hard pressed to care. Others may get more mileage from it. The black and white artwork is impressively detailed and does a very nice job capturing faces, however there is sometimes a certain flatness to it that make some of the crammed panels hard to decipher. I'd definitely be interested in seeing further adventures from the Irregulars as long a they steer clear of the fantastical.

The Miskatonic Irregulars
This handsome volume is illustrated by Angelo Ty Dazo in a black and white style that is both contemporary and yet evocative of a Victorian penny dreadful.The tone of the adventure is established by a series of Joe Friday-style captions set over a moody cityscape: "It's the year of our Lord 1885. The city's our London.The hour's on midnight.My name's Wiggins."

I am a sucker for a tale about a gang of spunky lads, and they don't come spunkier than Wiggins and the Irregulars (Patch, Molly, James, Burke, Puck and, since they gotta have a dog, Toby).

When Watson is charged with murder and Sherlock Holmes is otherwise engaged (Yeah, right, just like he was too busy to help Henry Baskerville), the responsibility of exonerating the good doctor is entrusted to Wiggins and Company.Taking to the street to see everything and overhear everyone, the intrepid youngsters encounter a terrifying cosmic evil in Whitechapel unlike anything ever faced by Holmes himself. Only with the help of Professor Challenger, Miss Adler and H. P. Lovecraft's ill-fated musician Erich Zann can the plucky Irregulars hope to foil Moriarty (!) and survive to collect their shillings.

As is perhaps natural in a story of energetic youth, there is more emphasis on wide-screen action than calm ratiocination, but that is what the illustrated medium is designed for.Best of all, however, are the nicely drawn (in every sense of the word) characters of the Irregulars.Instead of indistinguishable dirty-faced ragamuffins clattering up and down the 221b stairs, Altman and Reaves present a group of vivid individuals with clearly defined personalities and, like any elite task force, specialized abilities.... Sort of a dirty half dozen.

This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.I would love to follow the adventures of these Irregulars as they grow and mature --- Molly the matchstick girl is going to be a real heartbreaker.
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Customer Reviews (1)

HISTORICAL CHOOSE-YOUR-OWN-ADVENTURE
As a kid, I was a huge fan of the Time Machine series. They were like the Choose Your Own Adventure series, but so much better because of the following reasons: 1- Almost all of them are based on FACT. This book mentions A BOOK OF FIVE RINGS by famous swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. As it turns out, that book actually exists, as did the author. This book also mentions how Musashi died in a cave towards the end of his life--also true. 2- Instead of CYOA, you get to pick one or two of several items to take with you on your quest. Depending what you took with you will determine what action you have to take later on. 3- The books are illustrated. 4- To add more educational value, timelines and other neat stuff are enclosed towards the beginning. 5- Basically, the storyline to this books is this: You go back in time to accomplish the following mission: bring back Miyamoto Musashi's sword. You can try and steal it or just ask for it. It sounds easy, but it's not. I highly recommend not just this book, but this whole series for its wholesomeness, fun, and educational value. Many books try and be accurate, enjoyable, and educational, but this book SUCCEEDS. ... Read more