The
first novel by Kim Newman I got my hands on was “Anno Dracula” and I never
finished it. Somehow, I couldn’t get into the story. Perhaps it was the story,
perhaps it was me. I was both interested and a little unsure when I stumbled
over “The Hound of the d’Urbervilles” in the ‘suggestions’ section of Amazon. I
looked into the book, read a few lines of the first chapter, looked at the
price, and decided to take the chance. It was a good decision, because I went
through the book basically in one sitting.
Over
the years, I’ve read a lot of pastiches and additional novels hanging on, one
way or another, to the adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Some were good, some were
interesting once, some have found their way among my personal favourites, some
I’ve forgotten by now. But this one was the first book I found not dealing with
Sherlock Holmes (who mostly appears in the last chapter, under the moniker ‘The
Thin Man’ except for one sentence), but with Professor Moriarty. Like Holmes,
he has his chronicler, Colonel Moran. Unlike Watson, however, Moran doesn’t
have a serious case of ‘hero worship’ to deal with. Moran does respect his boss
for his intelligence and abilities. He fears Moriarty for his ruthlessness and
disregard for the human life. He’s not smitten with Moriarty or sees him as
some kind of twisted hero. He’s also more crude and, in some ways, more honest
in his prose.
I
like heist stories and that is what the seven chapters (each with several
sub-chapters) are. They range from Moran’s first meeting with Moriarty (set
slightly before “A Study in Scarlet,” in which Holmes and Watson meet) to
Moriarty’s dying day (suggesting Holmes did not tell the truth about what
happened at the waterfall). Some of them run parallel to Sherlock Holmes
stories you might know, some set them up, some just imitate them (like the
titular “Hound of the d’Urbervilles”). Others take their lead for a vast span
of gothic or other turn-of-the-century literature (such as two less-known
stories by Bram Stoker and even an ‘all but forgotten’ German villain).
Moran’s
voice throughout the stories, which are told from his perspective, is true to
the character we are presented to. A man who freely admits he finds crime and
murder thrilling (which makes him such a great second in command for Moriarty’s
Firm), a man who constantly seems to think about sex when laying his eyes on a
woman, a man with a lot of experience, a man with a sarcastic voice and a good
eye for detail.
His
description of Moriarty, where it comes in, doesn’t paint a very nice picture
of the Napoleon of Crime. He knows from their very first meeting he will not
leave ‘the Firm,’ as he refers to Moriarty’s crime syndicate, alive. But he
also knows it will offer him a steady income (important for a man who likes to
gamble) and the frequent thrill of the hunt (most of the time for humans). Yet,
he paints a very complete picture of his boss, relaying Moriarty’s mannerisms
and his way of dealing with people, problems, and life as a such.
The
stories, despite frequent murder and crime, are not to be taken too seriously.
Quite some of them, like “The Adventure of the Six Maledictions,” are
over-the-top and campy, very much unlike the tone of the first “Anno Dracula.”
Perhaps that is the main difference.
“The Hound of the d’Urbervilles” is a good read,
interesting, full of references, funny and action-filled. If you can set morals
aside for a few hours, you’ll have a blast reading it.
