**3-Star Review: *Two Hundred and Twenty-One Baker Streets* edited by Kasey Lansdale, Glen Mehn, and Guy Adams**

*Two Hundred and Twenty-One Baker Streets* is a collection of Sherlock Holmes-inspired stories that reimagine the classic detective duo in wildly varied settings and genres. From futuristic landscapes to historical reinterpretations, each story re-casts Holmes and Watson in a new light, pushing the boundaries of the familiar characters while paying homage to Arthur Conan Doyle’s original work.

The anthology offers fresh takes on the Holmes-Watson dynamic, with some stories standing out for their creativity and unique twists on the detective genre. Each writer brings a distinctive voice, making the anthology an intriguing journey for fans of speculative fiction and Holmes enthusiasts open to new interpretations.

However, as with most anthologies, the quality of stories is mixed. Some tales capture the essence of Holmesian deduction and atmosphere, while others feel disconnected from the spirit of the original characters. The collection’s experimental nature also leads to some uneven pacing, and a few stories miss the mark, lacking the cleverness or intrigue one might expect from a Holmes adaptation.

Overall, *Two Hundred and Twenty-One Baker Streets* is a fun and inventive read, though it may not appeal to purists. It’s best suited for those who enjoy exploring different interpretations of beloved characters, even if it’s hit or miss.

This anthology starts pretty rough with hits and misses taking turns, but the second half of this anthology is SOLID! My top favourite stories were: A Woman's Place by Emma Newman, A study in Scarborough by Guy Adams, The Final Conjuration by Adrian Tchaikovsky, Parallels by Jenni Hill, and The Rich Man's Hand by Karon Warren.
And I fully intend to read more from and look into: Emma Newman, Karen Warren, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Jenni Hill, Ian Edginton, and James Lovegrove.

Individual Thoughts:

A Scandal in Hobohemia by Jamie Wyman 2.5/5 : this story ended JUST as it was getting good which is said. I liked the carnival setting and the diversity of characters and personalities. But, there were one or two words related to race that I wasn't sure were appropriate or not.

Black Alice by Kelly Hale 3/5 : I really liked the writing and how accurately she wrote Sherlock's speech. The story jumped a little too fast, I think just a bit more development in unlocking the truth would've been better. But I enjoyed this one! Oh, but there were so not nice things about fat people in this one.

The Adventure of the Speckled Bandana by J.E.Cohen 4/5 : I really liked how they captured Watson's voice in this one. The mystery reveal wasn't the smoothest, especially if you don't know the pop culture of the time but if you do, then it does leave enough hints for you to figure it out and makes the ending was nice even though the reveal is never specifically announced. The American setting was interesting.

The Rich Man's Hand by Karon Warren 4/5 : this one is my favourite so far! The writing was easy, the pacing was just right, just my style. I liked how the crime was presented. I liked the banter between Watson and Sherlock in this one. The story progressed well and the mystery and details were explained well. I liked the magical element too!

A Woman's Place by Emma Newman 5/5 : This one was the best yet. A plot and B plot were both compelling and the twist at the end was great. I loved every second of this and I really liked the pace and the writing too! Oh and genderbending watson and making her gay? YES!!! I LOVED IT!

A study in Scarborough by Guy Adams 5/5 : I admit, it took me a bit to get into. I didn't like the radio script at first but once we got into the meat, I loved it!! And the three twists at the end and the uncovering of secrets were GREAT. I loved it! I'll be keeping an eye on this author too.

A Small World of 221b by Ian Edginton 4/5 : I enjoyed this. It really does go weird very quickly. I really enjoyed the first crossover but the conclusion and twist was not to my taste. I enjoyed the writing style too.

The Final Conjuration by Adrian Tchaikovsky 4.5/5 : This was a delight! It was so nice to get a completely different story half way through the anthology. I was already hooked by the setting, the characters and the twist on Sherlock. I feel in love with the writing style and the word choice greatly! While the ending was a little confusing and rushed, I thoroughly enjoyed it!! I'll be reading more from them!

The Innocent Icarus by James Lovegrove 4/5 : I fell into the style and atmosphere of this story straight away. It was true to Victorian Sherlock. The language was so "Sherlock". The Category twist confused me for most of the story but I got it by the end, and I liked the twist and how it fit into the mystery. I really enjoyed this one. It felt so Sherlocky.

Half There / All There by Glen Mehn 3/5 : Finally a gay sherlock! Finally a story with a mix of characters in gender, sexuality and race! However, I feel the later half of the story was totally rushed and I feel like ive missed a chunk of info about what happened with Adler and Valerie.

All the Single Ladies by Gini Koch 4/5 : I liked seeing a sassy female sherlock. I also liked the mystery and set up. You could predict the who dunnit but it wasn't too obvious and it was plausible so I really liked it.

The Patchwork Killer by Kasey Lansdale 3/5 : The opening was kind of confusing and I don't think enough was laid out for the reader to find the culprit. But I loved the tech side and the M.O was very interesting. It was so kind of future Sherlock and Watson offspring setting which was interesting too.

Parallels by Jenni Hill 5/5 : Omg Sherlock fanfic within a Sherlock alt story?! Yes!! Gimme! I love how meta it was. The author explains in enough depth about fanfic so none readers understand what it is, but for people who love fanfic (which I assume is a lot of the anthology's readers) it feels little overkill on the explanation. And it felt a little outdated e.g. "The pointed at the feedback section at the bottom of the webpage" but again, this could just be an explanation for the fanfic newbies. It was so cute!! The ending was the cutest and felt pretty realistic for high school life. While this was very, very loose Sherlock, i love how it was incorporated and I am a sucker for fanfic stuff.

An anthology of short stories featuring differing takes on the character of Sherlock Holmes, with settings as far back as medieval England to late 60s New York City to the future. This book contains 14 stories from a variety of authors, all of whom bring something different and interesting to the characters of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson.

I must admit to being something of a traditionalist when it comes to Sherlock Holmes, mainly due to the fact that I have a great fondness for the Victorian England setting, equally as much as I do the characters. So I went into this book with fairly low expectations, not based on the authors but instead on my narrow view of whether I would probably accept the idea of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson being anywhere across time and place. I’m pleased to say that, to a large degree, the authors confounded my own narrow-minded expectations.

It was interesting to see how the characters could be interpreted in different ways. Whilst it’s fair to say that not all of the stories worked for me – a feeling not unknown with anthologies containing short stories from different writers – there was much fun to be had with the ones I really did enjoy. It’s testament to the authors that the character of Holmes, despite changes in sex and location and time settings, feels consistent enough with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s character as to remain relevant. Recommended, especially to fans of Sherlock Holmes with an open view to the original canon.

I really enjoyed reading these short stories. Some were much better than others. Some were so far out there, I couldn't finish them. So, take that as you will.