John PirilloCritiques

Shook and Stone are non mutual twins and they are detectives. They can read each other's minds and solve mysteries together. The women challenge the male-dominated working world, and prove their abilities to be worthy detectives. A cosy, short read.


I received a free copy and am leaving a review voluntarily.
Thank you to StoryOrigin and author.

I'm doing a colossal effort in trying to cut down on my TBR list, and between my other pleasure reads, I'm also focusing on the short books. I believe this is either my 3rd or 4th Pirillo novella (I'm not counting the several dozen Fractal Flames art books of his that I've reviewed previously), and I was expecting to read it a lot sooner, but given my smartphone has very little space and I constantly get bombarded with other tempting books to read, I had barely finished reading it recently.

In typical Pirillo fashion, Kodama is a short 40 page story that can be read in any order as you wish that takes place in his expanded Sherlock Holmes universe where mystery solving is blended with magic and steampunk.

Princess Jade is the Shogun's prized daughter and during a visit to the Japanese embassy in London, she excuses herself from her well intentioned bodyguards and pays a visit to an ancient maple tree after dark in a desolate park to pay her respects. Little does she know that a well-meaning Constable who was tasked by Scotland Yard to protect her in the shadows grows suspicious when the tree starts to glow, and he meets his untimely death...

Sherlock Holmes and Watson are given the task to resolve the constable's strange murder and it all points to the Japanese embassy. Sherlock must use both his wits and his ability to abide with the trickiness of Japanese social protocal to convince the unwielding princess to cooperate and solve this murder...

I believe most of the book was a very fun read. We get to enjoy a lot of perks about Japanese culture that is devilishly flourished with heavily armed samurai and ninjas that hide behind the shadows of the embassy. Sherlock surprises us all with his fluency of the Japanese tongue, and his unexplained ability to slice a rose bush with his right hand without even grimacing (is this even possible?).

Sadly, the ending does seem to fall apart to a very rushed conclusion. John is very well known for writing short stories in his expanded universe at an absurdly fast pace, and at times, the stories suffer because they don't get the beta revision that they deserve. The resolution of the crime seemed so rushed that it felt anticlimatic. There are also two or three typos, notably in the final chapter, Holmes was mistyped as Homes. I also felt confused because the tree spirit was both spelled Kodoma and Kodama. At just around 40 pages, the novella could have been quickly revised, and the final two chapters improved to make it a much more satisfying read.

Due to the clunky final 2 chapters, I award the book 3 1/2 stars.

Shook and Stone are non mutual twins and they are detectives. They can read each other's minds and solve mysteries together. The women challenge the male-dominated working world, and prove their abilities to be worthy detectives. A cosy, short read.


I received a free copy and am leaving a review voluntarily.
Thank you to StoryOrigin and author.

As Christmas approaches Holmes and Watson go on holiday to Switzerland where Watson re-discovers the true Watson. An interesting tale.

While protecting the Jade Princess, daughter of the Emperor of Japan, a constable is murdered. The Queen sends Holmes and Watson to protect the Princess and to identify the murderer and prevent an international incident.

Set in the author’s fictional Baker Street Universe [explained in detail following the story], this short story pulls the intrepid detective into the murder investigation and brings him face to face with the Jade Princess. The characters are well-defined, as is the setting for the narrative.

As the story unfolds, the characters [and the reader] have the opportunity to observe Holmes at his finest as he unexpectedly exhibiting some surprising skills. The inclusion of Japanese culture, customs, and mythology brings depth to the telling of the tale.

The story works well but is in desperate need of an editor. In various places, Holmes becomes Homes, Kodama morphs into Kodoma; Watson leaves Inspector Bloodstone’s office with Constable Evans . . . a moment later, the Inspector’s comment elicits an amused look from Watson [who’d just departed a couple of paragraphs earlier]. These, along with a few typographical errors, pull the reader out of the telling of the tale and do the storyteller a grave disservice.

Recommended.

I'm a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes, and Mr. Pirillo gives us a fantastic view into a different Holmes: warm, compassionate, and living in a different universe that the one we're used to see him.

I like how we're allowed to peek into the mind of the serial killer, how we are drawn toward the victim through the author's compassionated description. The writing is really enthralling, and I enjoyed the mystery.

I'm looking forward to my next book from this author.

Another great book by Mr Pirillo, and an odd one in every good way. I don't want to spoil your fun, but really, this is a strange one *laughs*

What can I say, except that I'm hoping for a whole twelve books' series? A quick, and very entertaining read. Highly recommendable.

Not my favourite book by Mr Pirillo, this is still an entertaining and quick read that will keep you amused along its 100 pages.

Worth of reading it :D

As is usual with John Pirillo books, this is not for those who are looking for traditional Sherlock Holmes stories.

In this one, we have the generally bad boy Dracula fighting side by side with the rest of the usual good boys, and even some new ones. We get some bits of info about a bunch of the new characters, which, eventually, gets a little confusing, which is my only complain.

If you are a fan of John Pirillo's Baker Street Universe you'll certainly enjoy this story; if you enjoy unusual horror stories, this is also for you.

Fun, entertaining, and an easy read.

Radiance is a member of a sort of magically enhanced special police force that lives in an alternate universe where London has been decimated by an invasion of humanoid cat-fish monsters. Trapped in an alley and facing certain death by a surprise attack of two Friskmen, she falls into a strange magical portal and ends up in a different London that hasn't been destroyed by this invasion.

Rescued by a youthful Harry Houdini, the bewildered woman decides to trust Harry and his friend Sherlock and they team up to defeat a small horde of Friskmen that followed her through the portal. Without realizing it, she's starting to show feelings for Harry...

The book is really short, around 30-40 pages long at the most which could make it a fulfilling read in the subway or bus. Radiance is determined and hardened by her training, but she shows a softer side later in the story. The action is good and she seems like an interesting character with a troubled past that is only hinted in the story. I think the only issue I have with the book is that it never tells us what Radiance physically looks like, a description of her enforcer uniform and much less the strange halo weapons she uses that were stolen by two Friskmen early in the story.

However despite the flaws, I rather enjoyed it.

I received this FRACTAL ART eBook as a thank you gift from the author of the The Baker Street Universe Collection of Sherlock Holmes Tales... All I can say on this is: So this is what an LSD flashback feels like! So Cool!

Japanese lore, Sherlock, British detective, murder investigation

Different aspect of Sherlock, yet a thoroughly engaging short story. Of course the primary thrust is the murder investigation, but the insight into unfamiliar lore is a great bonus. The descriptions are excellent, and the characters engaging. Well worth reading!
Neil Reeves gives a solid performance as audio performer.

A story based on a motion picture screenplay I wrote.

A World War Two Air Force Captain tries out an experimental flying suit to be used for secret combat missions.

On one such mission his experimental flying suit malfunctions and he's flung across time and space into a pocket universe where World Two is going to be lost to Hitler and the Japanese.

He struggles to save the world and get back home.

A tale of courage, bravery and heroics only a solider could ever really understand.