The Great Detective at the Crucible of Life (Holmes Behind the Veil Book 2)

Review of the entire series

This is a series of related adventures, all of which involve Sherlock Holmes. It is being published as three, separate adventures, titled "Sherlock Homes on the Roof of the World," "The Great Detective at the Crucible of Life" and "The Sussex Beekeeper at the Dawn of Time." Each volume describes a separate set of events that involve different characters, times and places. Finally, the relationship of the events is difficult to see until all are told and pondered. Holmes participates directly in the first two and is involved in the preservation of the account of the third. In each case, his participation is crucial to resolution of the events described.

The first volume takes place in 1891 and involves Holmes, travelling as Sigerson, with Horace Holly and Leo Vincey whose earlier adventures were told in "She: An Adventure." The three meet in a library in Lhasa, the capitol of Tibet. Holmes is seeking information about the Yeti for "the Government of Norway" and Leo and Horace are looking for the place where Ayesha was reincarnated. After meeting, the three go to dinner and spend the rest of the evening catching up on events of mutual interest. Later that night they are arrested for the murder of the Librarian and for theft of a priceless manuscript he kept for the Lamas. "Sigerson" ultimately unmasks the killer and locates the "stolen" book which turns out to be a most interesting manuscript.

The second book takes place in 1872 and is narrated by Dr. James H. Watson as it was told to him by Allan Quatermain. It was written in 1881, before Watson made the acquaintance of Sherlock Holmes, and it includes Holmes traveling as William Scott who, as such, is unrecognized by Watson. The party includes a group of scientists searching for various items brought to the attention of the British Government by the 1868 expedition to rescue hostages of Theodore, the Emperor of Ethiopia. What they actually find in the 1872 expedition, is Eden, the place where human beings were created, the Great Rift Valley where relatives of chimpanzees evolved into Homo Sapiens over a few "divine moments" of 8 million years.

The third volume in the series takes place in 1873, as Allan Quatermain is returning home from events recorded in "The Treasure of the Lake." While waiting in Freetown for a trading ship headed down the West African coast, Quatermain decides to investigate the native rumors of "white witch doctors" practicing magic down the coast to the South. This "magic" turns out to be a complex construction which is designed to "listen in" on the voice of the Star of Bethlehem, a nova that was visible, briefly, at the birth of Christ. The African installation is one of two being constructed, with the other site on the west coast of South America. The message from the incidental Cosmic Background Radiation is detected, but no one can understand it, No one, that is, but Quatermain's companion, Hans, whose native tongue is Khoi, a click-tongue, one of the oldest languages on earth. Hans understands the message and passes it along to Quatermain and the readers.

The series involves not only Vincey and Quatermain from H. Rider Haggard but also a number of characters from tales by Jules Verne and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Captain Nemo and the Nautilus are mentioned as is Sherlock's tutor.

The series as a whole is disturbing. It requires thought and study. Individual events cover almost 2,000 years of history and familiar characters take on new and troubling guises. For example, the views of Theodosia, Empress of the Eastern Roman Empire ("The Purple will make a wonderful burial sheet!") had profound effects on later European thinking, but this is not well-known outside of academic circles. Further, 1st Century Roman inventiveness far exceeded the technology available in the early Renaissance 1,500 years later. They used compound power-driven saws to cut marble slabs and steam-powered prayer machines that the Gods actually answered.

An important part of this tale is how it came to be told. Coincidence reigns and "all things happen in God's good time" seems to be the key phrase in this narrative. Much time is spent detailing the paths of the individual bits and pieces and assorted documents. Those convoluted trails are important parts of the tale.

You may disagree with things the author says. You may treat the entire story as a fairy tale or the ramblings of a drunken elf, but you should not be quick to do so. There is a great deal of truth included in the ideas presented here and alternative explanations are difficult to construct. In fact, most explanations for events of this sort are drawn from dreams and fantasies. Hard data is either "scarce on the ground" or too easily available and too complex. People have been wrestling with these ideas for almost 200,000 years. Rigorous answers are hard to come by and often turn out to be either disappointingly simplistic or simply profitable for the one presenting them. For example, I read the first articles on Dianetics back in the early 50's when I was starting High School and I was astonished then that anyone took them seriously. Even after multiple exposès, many people remain devoted to the discipline.

Reviewed by: Philip K. Jones; August, 2017.