Sidney and Watson

By: B.D. Murphy
Publisher: Worstauthor LLC
Publication Date: December 14, 2023
ISBN: 979-8-223269-54-0
Reviewed by: Shrubaboti Bose
Review Date: November 14, 2024

Sidney Sherlock Holmes, as his name suggests, is a detective but with an interesting twist in Sidney and Watson, a science-fiction novel involving time travel.

Along with his genetically modified canine partner Watson, Agent Holmes is sent to the past from the year 3020 to 2870 on a mission to catch another time agent, Spike, who is responsible for destroying the time machine and jeopardizing their original time line. But after arriving at their destination, they realize greater forces of opposition and conspiracy are at work. As their ability to survive in these foreign surroundings is tested by the new adversaries they confront, the stakes for choosing the right company and investing in proper planning keeps rising.

Without any prior knowledge about the working of the time machine, nor any funds or any official document to their name, after Spike’s untimely death, Sidney and Watson feel utterly lost. Just as they start to lose all hope to regain normalcy in their lives or to return back to their timeline again, a mysterious letter gets delivered from Sidney’s future self, serving as their only present lead. Sidney realizes he has to make some really important decisions and that the survival of the whole world, as well as history as they know it, depends on his ability to do the right thing at any given moment. Ultimately, his choices can either make or break the existing timeline and with multiple enemies surrounding them from all sides, despite being a super duo, they are in dire need of loyal friends who can help them.

Although stories with the element of time travel can often end up being quite confusing for readers to grasp, Murphy manages to keep the plot logical to a large extent, thoughtfully rationalizing the many connections between past, present and future timelines or characters. This effectively makes this story a significantly enjoyable trip. However, it would definitely benefit from an overall round of general editing in order to improve its particular choice of words, and to adopt a more naturally flowing narrative style. Despite this, the plot is solid and that is no small feat. In a market over-saturated with science-fiction novels, it is no surprise that the competition is fierce. To be able to churn out a work of fiction that still enraptures the audience with its storytelling and built-in suspense is indeed praiseworthy.

Quill says: If you are a science-fiction lover with a penchant for time travel, Sidney and Watson delivers a fast-paced and multi-layered series of events that are woven together into a unique story made just for you!

For more information on Sidney and Watson, please visit the author's website at: authorbdmurphy.com