The Seven-Per-Cent Solution: Being a Reprint from the Reminiscences of John H. Watson, M.D.

by Nicholas Meyer

Book Overview

First discovered and then painstakingly edited and annotated by Nicholas Meyer, The Seven-Per-Cent Solution related the astounding and previously unknown collaboration of Sigmund Freud with Sherlock... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0525200150
• ISBN13: 9780525200154
• Release Date: January 1974
• Publisher: Dutton
• Length: 253 Pages
• Weight: 0.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.5" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Holmes battles his addiction

When the great Sherlock Holmes begins raving madly about the evil Dr. Moriarty, Dr. Watson realizes that his friend has succumbed to an addiction to cocaine. Determined to help him overcome this addiction before it kills him, Dr. Watson enlists the help of Holmes' brother, Mycroft, and Moriarty himself, to lure Holmes to the one man who might have a cure. Once Holmes and Watson arrive in Vienna and Holmes begins to recover, the small group finds themselves entangled in a mystery that could lead to a European war. Stylistically true to the original Sherlock Holmes tales, this book gives us a glimpse of continental Europe at then end of the nineteenth century. We also explore Holmes' past, and embark on an exciting chase to follow the clues and solve the mystery. Great fun for fans of Holmes and Watson.

Well-paced, well-written mystery

What a fun book this has been to read! I "did" it in a couple of days, and enjoyed it thoroughly. Why was it so enjoyable? First, it's a well-written story. The author has a great command of the important elements - not only the language of the period, but also the historical, cultural, scientific and technological details of the Victorian era. At every turn, you'll find interesting information and references (often in the form of footnotes) which give the story a rich context, and lend it credibility. At times I felt as if the author was flaunting his knowledge, but since done with taste and often humor, that is easily forgivable. Second, the characters are well-realized, rich and complex enough to be believable. Much character development occurs during dialogue, which is in my view superior to lengthy and boring descriptions. We instantly recognize Holmes, an eccentric, brilliant and deeply conflicted individual with seemingly irreconcilable qualities. Yet this is not merely a reconstructed, reclothed mannequin - the author manages to resurrect an authentic, life-like Holmes, not contrived or artificial in any way. His observation and inference skills are as sharp as ever. There is much revealed about him that is shocking, yet should not come as a total surprise if one really knows Holmes as well as the author does. That he has done his homework is evident from the Acknowledgements, which serves as a sort of bibliography, from where the key ideas used in the book are distilled. Freud and Watson are less in focus, although much that's interesting is revealed about Freud, particularly to those who are not too familiar with him. Third, the story itself is interesting, with many dramatic turns. The main element is Holmes' addiction to cocaine, and his abnormal fixation on Moriarty, resolved by Freud's at the time radical approach to psychotherapy. Freud himself is an interesting character, gentle yet powerful, virtuous yet vain; always good-natured and devoted to his patients and his ideas, in equal measure. There is a great sense of symmetry in the story, where Holmes and Freud's paths and ideas cross: Holmes, the great detective and Freud, the great detective of the psyche. Freud cures Holmes, and Holmes helps Freud with a suicidal patient who is unable to speak, and frustrates Freud's efforts to penetrate her mind. Holmesian methods of deduction by keen observation are the very same ones as Freudian, only applied to a different field, and the way the author draws the parallels is fascinating. It's not his original idea, but it is well developed in the novel. The real story starts in the second part of the book, when Freud's mute patient puts Holmes on a trail that leads him to a diabolical political plot to arm Germany and precipitate a catastrophic European war, which is, as it were, "delayed" until 1914 by Holmes' and his friends' efforts. To conclude, I'll commit a sacrilege and venture the opinion that the book sits so well with the ot

Delightful addition to the writings about Holmes but the movie was better

The Seven-Per-Cent Solution is a Sherlock Holmes novel, but not by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Nicholas Meyer, the author claims to be the editor of these reminiscences of John H. Watson, M.D. In his Foreward he tells how the original manuscript was found in an attic in 1970. Then in an Introductory chapter Dr. Watson relates why, in his 87th year (1939), he undertook the task of writing once more of the exploits of Sherlock Holmes. He claims he was sworn to secrecy until one of the main characters of the story passed away. Thus begins a post-Doyle Holmes tale which tries to give the fictional characters of Holmes and Watson a greater claim to reality by entangling them with actual real people of their time. The story begins with Holmes seeking out Watson, convinced that his arch-enemy Professor Moriarty is hot on his trail and out to kill him with air guns. Dr. Watson finds that Holmes cocaine habit has become worse and, instead of being in danger of attack, he is delusional from his addiction. Seeking help from Sherlock's brother Mycroft, they devise a plan to lure Holmes to Vienna and into the care of Dr. Sigmund Freud. Freud successfully uses hypnosis to break the addiction, but it takes the strange case of a catatonic woman who escaped abduction and captivity only to attempt suicide to revive Holmes's spirit. Written with a sense of humor that will upset traditionalists, this story is a rousing, if not accurate, portrayal of Holmes that will entertain readers of post-Doyle Holmesiana. The Freud-Holmes relationship is well-portrayed as is the character of Dr. Watson. Serious Holmes scholars may find the author's portrayals of Mycroft Holmes and Professor Moriarty shocking, but I don't think this book was written with them in mind. Later made into a movie that was nominated for two Academy Awards, this novel is an enjoyable read, but the visual effects of the movie really brought it to life. While I liked the book, I enjoyed the movie more.

Meyer's Holmes: the best of the best.

Brilliantly done. I've been reading Doyle's Holmes stories for nearly thirty years; I read Meyer's _Seven Per Cent Solution_ when it was new and I still have my original copy. I've also read some of the other attempts to bring Holmes to life again in full-length novels, and in my own view Meyer is the only one who nails it.Indeed he even improves on the original tales in some respects. His account of what _really_ happened between "The Final Problem" and "The Empty House" has the ring of plausibility, and it does far greater credit to Watson than many of Doyle's stories do.Especially in the later stories, Doyle tended to treat Watson as an inept dunderhead, a practice unfortunately followed by some of his blinder imitators. Meyer's take is that Watson employed artistic license in order to bring out the brilliance of his companion, but that the real Watson couldn't have been such an incompetent idiot if he was both a trained medical man and the valued companion of the world's first consulting detective.So in this "rediscovered" manuscript, Meyer does both of these Victorian gentlemen proud. The novel -- which is both an adventure and a warmly humane tale of Holmes's and Watson's friendship -- is sprinkled with touching scenes of genuine affection between the two lifelong friends; the good Watson finally gets his due as a companion and as a human being, and the not-so-bloodless-after-all Holmes comes vividly to life as well. One of the most moving moments (there are many) comes in Holmes's remark to Watson: "Never let them say you were merely my Boswell, Watson. Never let them say that."I won't tell you where and when that remark occurs, and in general I won't spoil the novel for anyone who hasn't read it yet. But it's the sort of Holmes pastiche that reviewers like to describe as a "corking good read," and in this case they're right. Moreover, Meyer relies on the very best Holmesian scholarship (notably William S. Baring-Gould) on matters of chronology and other detail, though I'm sure some of the Baker Street Irregulars will be able to pick nits. If you enjoyed Doyle's stories, you'll love this one -- and _The West End Horror_, too. (I was less impressed by _The Canary Trainer_.)[P.S. Most of you probably already know this, but just in case somebody doesn't: Yes, this is the very same Nicholas Meyer who directed the best of the _Star Trek_ movies. You'll find a bit of Holmes homage in _Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country_, which Meyer helped to script. Spock even quotes Holmes's dictum that "when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth" -- attributing it to one of his "ancestors."Meyer also scripted and directed the film version of _The Seven Per Cent Solution_ -- which isn't as good as the book, I think, but the cast is terrific, especially Robert Duvall and Alan Arkin.]

Good book...

First, the review from "henry@coombs.anu.edu.au" contains several mistakes. Lestrade does not appear in "The Valley Of Fear", and that story is a prequel to "The Adventure Of The Final Problem". Second, it is probable that Watson altered events in FP in order that it would appear as though it was his first look at Moriarty, since it was the reader's as well. By "Valley Of Fear", readers know who it is, so it is unnecessary to do the same thing. Watson has plainly stated that he altered facts to make stories suitable for the reading public. Third, there is no "official" Holmes continuity. You accept what you, the reader, wish to accept. Nothing more. I disagree with his thoughts on the later Doyle stories, but that is a matter of opinion.That said, this is a great book which does what Doyle never bothered to do; make the narrative an intense character study where we find out some of the deepest corners of Holmes' mind. This is Sherlock Holmes at it's best, filled with splendid characterization and a cunning mystery. The drama is this story is incredible; Holmes' confrontation with Sigmund Freud is heartstopping, and his moments of weakness are heartbreaking. There are also many nice touches that warm a reader's heart, like examining Watson and his wife, Mary Morstan, and her references to "brandy and soda" and calling him "Jack".The mystery is also quite good, and appears halfway through the book (but does not forget to deal with Holmes' addiction). There are moments of high drama and action which are integrated nicely and paced swiftly. Holmes' deductions are excellent and well thought out.If you have ever felt that Doyle's stories lacked emotional investment for the reader, then this is the book to read.Doyle was an excellent writer, but he did not truly understand what a wonderful character he had created in Sherlock Holmes. He saw him as merely a calculating machine, perhaps never noticing the hidden passion that he placed within the character; the kindness and heart within Holmes.But Nicholas Meyer did.And he displayed it in a novel that was a bestseller, that led to a feature film, and revitalized Holmes in the late twentieth century. With creators like these, with people that care so deeply about him, Sherlock Holmes will survive for another hundred years.Final notes. Meyer is the director of several movies, including the movie adaptation of this novel, and a few Star Trek movies.This book does have it's mistakes, and one is that if Moriarty is what he is in this novel, then "Final Problem", "Empty House" and "Valley Of Fear" are lies that slander an innocent, if annoying man.