vsbedford's review
4.0
A fun conceit and concept that turns the Holmes' narratives on their heads with largely successful results. My only knock is that the format (diary entry, case file, then picture of some related invention, map, etc.) gets a little repetitive as the book moves along - a few more injections of Colonel's Moran's invective would have been appreciated. I would caution that this is not for a casual Holmes fan, as there are some deep track cross references and asides, especially as the collected papers aren't presented in chronological order. An enjoyable read for sure and a strong recommend for Sherlockians!
I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
littleredhat's review
3.0
This is a fun, silly little book, but don't pick it up expecting a complex story or a serious piece of Moriartian literature. As others have said, it is more of a gimmicky novelty thing.
Imagine Prof. Moriarty's secret diary mixed with a scrapbook, and you have the basic concept of this work. Again, as other Goodreads readers have noted, Moriarty's entries where he basically whines about Holmes are amusing, even if they don't really match the canonical presentation of his persona.
I also got a giggle out of There's also an interesting exploration of .
The entries aren't in chronological order, which has frustrated other readers, but personally, I thought it was an intriguing method of crafting the work together, as it compares and contrasts Moriarty's earlier life with later events.
Col. Moran's sidenotes also offer amusement on occasion, particularly when they downplay or mock one of the Professor's supposedly great inventions or projects (), and I had to laugh at the fact that, since this book has no named real-life author, Moran himself holds that honour.
So, on the whole, this isn't a fabulous, incredible exploration of the character of Moriarty nor Conan Doyle's work - Newman or Kurland might be better choices if that's what you're after. However, it does offer mild entertainment to Moriartians and Sherlockians if you take it for what's it worth.
Imagine Prof. Moriarty's secret diary mixed with a scrapbook, and you have the basic concept of this work. Again, as other Goodreads readers have noted, Moriarty's entries where he basically whines about Holmes are amusing, even if they don't really match the canonical presentation of his persona.
I also got a giggle out of
Spoiler
Moriarty being presented as an actual real-life person - along with others from Conan Doyle's universe - and him sending angry letters to Doyle, threatening to sue him for defamation of character!Spoiler
Moriarty's life shortly after his alleged death at Reichenbach Falls - one of the weirdest and yet most entertaining theories I've ever come across.The entries aren't in chronological order, which has frustrated other readers, but personally, I thought it was an intriguing method of crafting the work together, as it compares and contrasts Moriarty's earlier life with later events.
Col. Moran's sidenotes also offer amusement on occasion, particularly when they downplay or mock one of the Professor's supposedly great inventions or projects (
Spoiler
"Blasted thing melted Mrs. H.'s chocolate macaroons and boiled me whiskey"So, on the whole, this isn't a fabulous, incredible exploration of the character of Moriarty nor Conan Doyle's work - Newman or Kurland might be better choices if that's what you're after. However, it does offer mild entertainment to Moriartians and Sherlockians if you take it for what's it worth.
bcpoor617's review
4.0
i always love me some good moriarty shit. my favorite parts were when Sebastian Moran was on a guest list as "Colonel James Moriarty" and that long letter at the end where Seb just complained about being left alone. ah, psychopathic gays are always great. :)
jesikasbookshelf's review
3.0
This is a very funny take on Moriarty - he comes across as writing his diary like he's Regina George. He's constantly complaining about the 'Baker Street Blunderer' like a forlorn teenager with a really bad crush. The suggestions everyone from Mrs Hudson to Lestrade were answering to him do, to be fair, make an upsetting amount of sense and his takes on the 'Adventures' as we know them are a mix of exasperation and bragging. The move to make Conan Doyle a paid writer for Holmes, rather than a fiction writer as we believe him to be, makes this book all the funnier.
Good for a Holmes fan and lovely because I picked it up at the Baker Street Museum but I think that unless you have read the stories in a bit of detail, a lot of this would go over your head. The book is excellently presented and 'complied', but there were so many parts it took a while for me to place because I haven't read any Holmes recently and I'm not sure that opens it up to as wide a readership as it could have had.
Good for a Holmes fan and lovely because I picked it up at the Baker Street Museum but I think that unless you have read the stories in a bit of detail, a lot of this would go over your head. The book is excellently presented and 'complied', but there were so many parts it took a while for me to place because I haven't read any Holmes recently and I'm not sure that opens it up to as wide a readership as it could have had.
antiasreadings's review
5.0
The Moriarty Papers es una obra basada en una recopilación de todas las cartas, papeles, notas, diarios, mapas, tarjetas y planos que Moriarty ha ido haciendo y escribiendo a lo largo de toda su vida. Nos introducimos plenamente en una de la mente más retorcidas de la literatura y la más odiada, y en parte envidiada, por Sherlock Holmes.
Nos adentramos de lleno en sus pensamientos más profundos al leer su diario, que data desde 1887 hasta 1894. En su diario prácticamente nos encontramos el odio que tenía hacia Sherlock y todos planes que hizo para conseguir deshacerse de él y de Watson.
Para leer más: https://antiasreadings.blogspot.com.es/2017/10/the-moriarty-papers-sebastian-moran.html
Nos adentramos de lleno en sus pensamientos más profundos al leer su diario, que data desde 1887 hasta 1894. En su diario prácticamente nos encontramos el odio que tenía hacia Sherlock y todos planes que hizo para conseguir deshacerse de él y de Watson.
Para leer más: https://antiasreadings.blogspot.com.es/2017/10/the-moriarty-papers-sebastian-moran.html
shieldwitch's review
4.0
Some suspension of disbelief required, I think, for the more hardcore Holmes fan, but I found the way Moriarty's diary was written (like an evil, sassy 15 year old girl) and Moran's footnotes remarkably enjoyable. Massively entertaining, and worthy of a position on the shelf of any Holmesian or appreciator of Victorian ephemera.
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