Review: A Study in Emerald

A Study in Emerald by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Rating 5 out of 5 | Sometimes it's OK to be taken for an unexpected ride; provided it's an entertaining one

Gaiman you eloquent bastard, you got me again? Every time I go into one of your books, expecting something un-expected. Yet every time, you manage to hoodwink me like a magician with their pretty assistants.

Even this time, when I went into the story looking for something suspicious, you used the familiarity of the reader with the subject matter to subvert their expectations, with a twist, which in hindsight should’ve been seen from a mile away. Anyways, I won’t discuss the specifics, as I don’t want to ruin the experience for prospective new readers. But still, a Spoiler alert just in case.

Synopsis

It is the turn of the twentieth century, Albion (Great Britain). A Detective & his companion, the Major are consulted to solve the crime of the murder of one of royal blood. Only, the royal blood in question, bleeds emerald, and is the interbred spawn of a race of eldritch entities who had taken over the world of man sometime during the 12th century.

These entities had placed themselves as rulers of the land across the globe and in exchange for complete servitude had provided peace & advancement of their race of servitors. Now, a band of dissidents threaten this peace, by assassinating royal and those of their blood.

This is where the detective must use his considerable mental acumen and mathematical prowess to uncover the instigator of these crimes, as well as their accomplices. So, the race is on.

Thoughts

Neil, the master storyteller, has once again created a world, rich in detail & one which feels organic and free to exploration. Borrowing from similar alternate history works such as Anno Dracula, as well as the Lovecraftian Pantheon of the Old gods, he seamlessly integrates it to the world of crime & mystery seem in Sherlock Holmes.

And in typical Gaiman fashion, he brings a twist out of f***ing nowhere, which leaves you rapping your knuckles against your head, for not have seen it coming.

Originally published as a short novella, this adapted Graphic novel has some of the most lush & rich brush strokes and use of color & contrast, which help set the eerie, haunting world as well as the eldritch creatures that roam it. A lot of the pages invoke a sense of awe, wonder and terror, in its wispy psychedelic atmosphere and lighting, evoking the familiar feeling of a Lovecraft story.



This in addition to the Alan Moore inspired, vintage news clippings and advertisements reminiscent of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1 make the world building that more rich, as well as open Easter eggs for inquisitive readers.



One of my favorite involved one Mr. V. Tepes, which I'm not ashamed to say, took me a while to place the reference.



Plus, the coloring! Between The Life Eaters & Pygmalion et la vierge d'ivoire I've been reading a lot of Graphic novels with an inspired painting or canvas like brush style. Which brings forth a pastel like quality of smudged colors. In case of the lush greens & darks evident in the story, make is so hypnotic.

Just look at this tasty English breakfast. Makes you want to break out a knife & fork and dig right in!



But enough about the art. The Story in this case is something which stands shoulder to shoulder to the art. Just getting into the premise opened up to me a world of possibilities. What we are introduced to are the happenings in the Kingdom of Albion, as well as allusions to what is happening in Europe & Russia. But Gaiman adds just enough details about the other parts of the world, which makes you crave to know more about this world which he has opened for us.

We want to know what is happening in Asia, in Africa, in Antarctica, in the New world, which are ruled by other members of the old god pantheon, with titles that rankle your imagination. The queen of Albion, The Black one of Egypt, The Ancient Goat, Parent to a thousand, Emperor of all China, the Czar Unanswerable, He who presides over the new World, the white lady of the Antarctic fastness. to say a few.

Another aspect which I found fascinating and terrifying, is how we as a reader are made to blindly trust our protagonist, and misled into believing the rightness of their actions. Without revealing much the Detective and his companion, are (Spoiler)way too OK with humanity being ruled by eldritch sinister entities, with them using humans as slaves, concubines and torture toys, as well as the belief that it's natural for these entities to treat us as such.

We are even distrustful of the adversary of the detective, a deductive genius, as well as his accomplice, the Limping Doctor that we are against their actions of resistance against the overlords. Which all makes the final reversal all the more impactful and has your mouth agape at the simple sleight of hand.

Towards the end, when the roles are reversed, and it's revealed that the Detective is Moriarty & the killers are Holmes & Watson, all that feelings we had towards the protagonist are shattered, and we're firmly placed in the 'enemy' camp, and rooting for the brave few who dare stand against the cruel world order & its eldritch overlords
(End Spoiler)


It's such a pity that this was just a standalone story, as I'd have loved to explore this world, setting and characters in much more detail. Here's hoping.

View all my reviews