The Canary Trainer

From the Memoirs of John H. Watson

By: Nicholas Meyer

Narrated by: David Case

This fantastic work of fiction that is based on a found manuscipt at a renowned univerity, follows the Great Detective, Sherlock Holmes during a previously unrevealed part of his life.©1995 Nicholas Meyer; (P)2009 Random House

Keeps you engaged throughout the story

Very well written book, with interesting settings, storylines, and plot twists! Even though it's set in Paris rather than London, it's got an authentic feel of the true Holmes mystery. Captivating from very early on. I like to listen to Holmes books while falling asleep, but this one kept me too engaged, in a great way!

4 stars instead of 5 only to separate it from others that I liked a little better, but this one is very good and well worth the listen.

Good entry in the Sherlock Holmes pastiche library

The first three Nicholas Meyer takes on Sherlock Holmes are each uniquely presented. This book is Watson's transcription of Holmes' account of just a part of his life that is primarily unknown to us (The Great Hiatus). No spoilers here so I will only say that the story is unique, exciting, and, at times, almost hard to believe. Nonetheless, it is a fun and exciting piece.

Proof It Can Be Done!

There are a number of different takes on Sherlock Holmes these days, and few of them try to capture the character and spirit of storytelling as set down by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Nicholas Meyer (Star Trek II, Star Trek VI, Time After Time) not only gives us a story that demonstrates a superior understanding and respect of the Great Detective, but he also gives us a slightly alternate retelling of Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera. The result is a loyal and respectful pastiche that, quite frankly, made me laugh, perhaps inappropriately at how effortless this novel seemed to work, and applaud at all the little character moments that were so very close to spot-on.

The concept is that in the late 20th century (when the story is written), the untyped and nearly illegible manuscript of Dr. Watson is found, relating the story as told to him by Holmes during his beekeeping retirement days. The story itself occurs in the wake of the Great Detective's "death" at the Reichenbach Falls, where he decides that after such an ordeal, he needed a holiday. From here, he joins the orchestra at the Paris Opera as a violinist, encounters "The Woman" Irene Adler (who is written equally as perfectly as Holmes), and finds himself going toe-to-toe with the Opera Ghost. The Phantom is written not quite as perfectly, but he's suitable, as is Christine, and Raoul comes across as a quite the weenie. I don't think that part will matter so much to most readers. It's the weaknesses on the Phantom side of the story that prevents me from giving this 5 stars, but that's only because I know the original story inside and out. This version still works well. The "flaws" and liberalities taken with the story here and there are minor and serve to drive the narrative, but even then, the tale unfolds closer to Leroux's original than many other versions you might be able to name. I doubt most would notice, but those who are familiar with the stories and characters will find it easily dismissed because it is so minor. For example, Gaston Leroux himself is the orchestra conductor.

To be certain, this tale is pure fan wank, the kind of thing you can find plastered all over the internet in the form of bad fan fiction. The big difference, however, is that Meyer's hands are the hands of a talented and professional writer who demonstrates a mastery of his craft. More than that, he's one who respects the characters, stories, and prose forms of his inspirations. The result is an assured delight for those like myself who absolutely love both Holmes and the Phantom.

Narrator David Case pretty much nails the idea of what this story would sound like in the collective imagination. His Holmes, who narrates most of the story, is properly self-superior and intemperate. Likewise, Watson is... well, he's Watson, offering up the counterpoint to Holmes in the limited capacity he's able to, given that he's not in on the adventure itself. He even does a suitable job with the various accents and female roles, offering quite the performance all around. Even though I started with the 3rd one, I'm looking forward to going back and hearing the other 2 books in the series.

Sherlock vs The Phantom of the Opera

So far I’ve read the first three Nicholas Meyer Sherlock Holmes books and have enjoyed them all, this one was a step above the previous entry (The West End Horror). WEH felt like a story that resolved itself without much input from Sherlock. This one had Sherlock during his “lost” years when he was supposedly dead fleshing out his Sigerson alter ego as an upstart opera violinist. The story is narrated by Holmes to Watson in their latter years after semi-retirement. The narration style is unique as far as I remember for a Sherlock story but still felt very much a part of the greater canon. Highly recommended.

Smashing

I was occasionally, but only occasionally, uncertain when the reader was reading a footnote rather than from the main text, and I know that in at least a later audiobook by the same author they changed voices for that, which was helpful. Otherwise, and most importantly (the above being a small point noted mostly for the benefit of audible) this is a smashing book and a fine reading of it. Fascinating and great fun, made moreso for me by my loves of Holmes, theater, Paris, opera, and the Phantom -- the last mostly through Andrew Lloyd Webber's timeless musical. This is a great tale.