Mark another notch for the local library because this book is another win. I should mention that this is the comic/graphic novel adaptation of the original novel.
This book stars Enola Holmes, the younger-by-twelve-years sister of Sherlock Holmes. It features her attempt to live her life on her terms, independently and without going to charm school. To be frank, the book sounded like it was going to be cringe-y. I was expecting Sherlock Holmes being used to showcase how fantastic this newer original character is by having her outsmart him. You know, the Cousin Oliver trope. The only reason I was interested is because I had read another story with a similar premise ("Young Miss Holmes") and liked it a great deal, so I gave this one a chance. I'm glad that I did.
Sherlock and Mycroft have a small role in this story. They are basically here as scaffolding for the plot, i.e. setting in events in motion so that the first act is a proper Call to Adventure for Enola. Then the story fully focuses on Enola herself. As far as I know, the first case she solves is an original one, so there is no direct comparison to Sherlock himself.
Indeed, while she is shown to be clever herself, Enola is aware that she cannot outsmart her older brothers, and so she considers it a win if she can merely stay off their radar. She is also shown to be clever in a different manner. Sherlock is known to be a logical thinker. He is famous for deductive reasoning. Enola solves the case of the missing marquis by emphasizing with the marquis in question through memories and experiences of her own, and she communicates with her mother through the subjective and metaphoric language of flowers.
Furthermore, the story does not shy away from showing the risks that Enola takes by running away to live on her own. The missing marquis is her foil in this regard. What happens to him is what could happen to her if was less prepared, less cautious or processed of a weaker mind. Even by avoiding all these things, Enola would still be dead in the water if her mother hadn't set things up for her.
I like the art. It looks kinda water-color-y cartoonish. Not cartoon-ish as in comical or silly, but that it reminds me of the style of something animated. It is certainly beautiful.
The only reason I didn't give this book an A+ is because of the Sherlock connection. I just can't get my head around a Sherlock Holmes that spends so much time searching for his own sister. If he were presented as being particularly close to her, that might be different. Or if he considered her disappearance to be puzzling enough case to arouse his interest, that might also be different. Or if it were Watson who was interacting with Enola in the first act, that too would work. If Enola's older brother were not Sherlock himself, but an original character otherwise exactly like him, that would be fine. What I see here in the graphic novel is a Sherlock Holmes who regards the whole affair as a chore, which is too out-of-character for me (disclaimer: I've only read A Study in Scarlet.)
Trickster Eric Novels gives "Enola Holmes and the case of the Missing Marquis" a B+
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Brian Wilkerson is a independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).
His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.
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