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SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE MISSING YEARS by Jamyang Norbu
THE ADVENTURES OF THE GREAT DETECTIVE IN INDIA AND TIBET
Bloomsbury Publishing, 1999
According to A. Conan Doyle and Dr. Watson, after defeating Moriarty, Holmes vanished into the east, travelling to India and Tibet. What Holmes accomplished there, Doyle leaves unknown. It is this void in the Holmes legend that author Jamyang Norbu seeks to fill.
Holmes, it seems, travelled to India fleeing Mortiarty's deputies and agents who were desperate for revenge for their late master. In India, Holmes is able to uncover evidence implicating Col. Moran in a particularly nasty murder, but he is fascinated with the idea of journeying to Tibet. Together with his new sidekick and recounter, Hurree Chunder Mookerjee, Holmes journeys to that mysterious, forbidden, and imperiled land. The Chinese government plays a major role in Tibetian affairs, especially during the minority of the young High Lama. To Hurree's surprise, the Tibetians request Holmes's help.
The ensuing adventure plays a major part in the subsequent independence of Tibet, and explains Holmes's unique abilities.
Norbu's account of Holmes's adventures in India and Tibet is very much in the tradition of both A. Conan Doyle and the vast library of Holmes works done since. In addition to a fine mystery, Norbu provides a compelling view of India under the British Empire, with both its positive and negative aspects equally shown. Clearly Norbu has an agenda with regards to the Chinese occupation of Tibet, but this political agenda is never allowed to overwhelm the fast-moving plot. For fans of Victorian literature, there is a bonus with a full set of references to Rudyard Kipling's works, especially Kim.
Four Stars
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