Mercedes Lackey has written dozens of fantasy novels. But, with A Study in Sable (2016) Lackey starts a sequence in her Elemental Masters series that border on Sherlock Holmes pastiches. I say “border” because Sherlock appears at key points in the novel, but so does Watson (who has Water Elemental powers) and his wife, Mary (with Air Elemental powers).
Continuing characters Nana Killian (a Psychic) and Sarah Lyon-White (a Medium) along with their clever birds–raven Neville and parrot Grey–investigate a series of strange events that lead them to a deadly entity. If you’re in the mood for a Sherlock Holmes pastiche with magical elements, A Study in Sable will entertain you. GRADE: B
Other Sherlock Holmes Pastiches in the Elemental Masters Series:
- A Study in Sable (June 2016, ISBN 978-0756408725) featuring Sherlock Holmes and based on The Twa Sisters
- A Scandal in Battersea (October 2017, ISBN 978-0756408732) featuring Sherlock Holmes and based on the Pied Piper of Hamelin
- The Bartered Brides (October 2018, ISBN 978-0756408749) featuring Sherlock Holmes
- The Case of the Spellbound Child (December 2019 ISBN 978-0756412111) featuring Sherlock Holmes
Test.
There’s a typo in the post title.
Todd, thanks for the heads up on the typo!
Waiting for Rick’s take, but this is not for me.
Rick’s take: these are not Holmes pastiches, they’re books with casual use of Doyle’s characters, and THERE’S A BIG DIFFERENCE! Lackey is a pretty good writer, and prolific, but she writes fantasy and there’s no magic in Holmes and Watson’s lives.
Rick, Mercedes Lackey wrote a whole series about Holmes and Watson battling magical villains.
Yes, I know that. Still, not Holmes pastiches, just fantasy using Doyle’s characters.
Rick, I suspect Mercedes Lackey would argue she’s writing Sherlock Holmes pastiches. “Unlike parody, pastiche celebrates, rather than mocks, the work it imitates.” Mercedes Lackey is certainly celebrating Holmes and Watson in her series…and adding magic to the mix.
I guess my question following this is–does anyone do this kind of thing better? Michael Chabon’s brilliant THE FINAL SOLUTION edges into the fantastic, though only the very elderly but vital Holmes is involved. Laurie R. King? Stephen Gallagher? Theodora Goss? William Kotzwinkle?
Todd, plenty of writers churn out Sherlock Holmes pastiches–although the quality varies. I have three James Lovegrove Holmes pastiches in my Real Real Soon stack. Lovegrove also wrote a trilogy of Holmes vs. Cthulhu mash-ups, too!
I’m not that much into fantasy, but for Mercedes I’d make an exception.
OT
She’s also active on the site Quora, do you know/use that too?
Sometimes I go there to have some fun, so many crazy questions but M Lackey has often has solid answers -it’s fun!
There seems to be no shortage of Holmesian fantasy/horror out there these days. From what I can tell it’s a sub-genre that has been building for some decades. My first exposure to it was Manly Wade Wellman’s “Sherlock Holmes’s War of the Worlds” in the late 70s. It featured Holmes and Watson teaming up with Professor Challenger to defeat the invading Martians. I’m pretty hesitant about most fantasy these days but this looks like it might be worth checking out.
Bryon, I plan on having another week of Sherlock Holmes pastiches in February or March. I also read Manly Wade Wellman’s SHERLOCK HOLMES’S WAR OF THE WORLDS and enjoyed it!
Wellman’s son collaborated to some extent there. Wade Wellman has apparently had some hard traveling.
Todd, I’ve been a fan of Wellman for decades. He’s a very underrated writer.