The List of Seven
Encyclopedia
The List of Seven is a 1993 novel
by Mark Frost
. Though initially an occult murder mystery, the story brings in conspiracy theory, vendetta
, horror, history, and Theosophy
. The main character is a real historical person (albeit engaging in fictional actions) and several other historical figures appear in the story.
Mark Frost followed the book with a sequel in 1995, The Six Messiahs
.
is invited to a seance where two people are apparently murdered. Doyle is saved by Armond Sacker, apparently a professor of Antiquities
at Cambridge University. Doyle contacts Claude Leboux, a friend and Scotland Yard
Inspector to investigate, but the house where the seance took place has been redecorated. Doyle gets a note from Helena Petrovna Blavatsky inviting him to a speech in Cambridge. He goes to Cambridge, unsuccessfully tries to track down Sacker, and then Doyle attends Blavatsky's talk, and speaks with her afterwards. She warns him of dark spirits and after a meal he is attacked and is rescued by "Professor Sacker" for a second time who turns out to be Jack Sparks, Special Agent to the Crown. They head to Topping to the estate of one of the attendees at the seance, but find that it has become a madhouse. They find a clue to go to a publishing house called Rathbourne & Sons in London. On the journey back to London, Jack reveals that his brother Alexander may be the mastermind behind all their troubles. Jack thinks the attacks on Doyle are prompted by a manuscript than Doyle submitted to Rathbourne & Sons. When they get to the publishing house they find a list of the board of directors - the titular “List of Seven”. A secret trapdoor leads them via an aqueduct to a storage room in the British Museum, which has had many statues stolen from it.
The next day they journey to Whitby
to trace an acting troupe that may have been involved in staging the seance. There they meet Bram Stoker
and an actress named Eileen, the last survivor of the doomed acting troupe. Stoker tells them that strange sights have been seen at the abandoned nunnery north of the town. They investigate, and witness an occult ceremony using the corpse of Sparks' father. Alexander Sparks confronts Doyle and Eileen and invites them to dinner, where they meet the rest of the Seven. Their plan is to take control of Prince Edward, Duke of Clarence, third in line to the throne, and use him to enslave the world by putting a demon in his future child. Doyle, Eileen and Jack fight with the Seven and with the help of a regiment of Royal Marines and Household Cavalry, they defeat the Seven.
Jack disappears to continue the hunt for Alexander who has gotten away, while Doyle is granted an audience with Queen Victoria, who offers her thanks for his help. Doyle later learns that Jack and Alexander fought and fell over the Reichenbach Falls
, with neither surviving, Doyle decides to commemorate Jack by creating a character in the image of his friend - Sherlock Holmes.
in 1847, his father was a diplomat to Egypt who retired so that both he and Jack's mother could participate in his upbringing. When he was 5 years old Jack discovered that he had an older brother Alexander whom he had never heard of or met. After two years of pestering his parents they finally agreed to allow Jack to met Alexander at his boarding school, but only under close supervision. When the two brothers finally met Alexander devised a way that they could secretly communication with each other by means of letters sent through proxies. Alexander appeared to be a very loving and nice brother who explained to Jack the exercises and routines by which he developed himself mentally and physically (somewhat similar to the Doc Savage
Method Of Self-development).
In 1859, when Jack was 12 years old Alexander communicated with him that he had to find a way to get to Salzburg
for the summer holidays so that they could meet up, to achieve this Jack practised his violin
day and night until he became so good that he persuaded his parents to send him to Vienna to get some expert tutorship.
Alexander did not appear in Salzburg
, but a month into Jack's visit he was called to the principal's office where he was told that his parents had been killed in a tragic house fire. When Jack returned home the priest who took his father's last confession explained that the fire was an accident, but under duress admitted the truth, that Jack's father and mother and all the servants had been murdered by Alexander. Jack's father had given the priest a letter detailing the death of Jack's older sister, Madeline Rose, at the hands of Alexander. Jack decided to spend the rest of his life tracking down Alexander, and undoing some of the evil the his brother had done. In the early 1860s Jack becomes invalided from cholera and entertained himself by reading voraciously, a habit he retained his whole lifetime.
After he left public school, Jack attended university, Cambridge - Caius and Magdalene - studying medicine and the natural sciences, and also briefly studied at Christ Church, Oxford taking Theology and amateur theatricals. He left university before graduation to continue his search for Alexander. Some time after this he performed on stage in America for 8 months as part of the Sasanoff Shakespearean Company, performing in many lead roles.
While following Alexander's trail Jack learned a great deal about mysticism and other profane knowledge. Jack also learned a lot about the use of various weapons, including the bolas
. As well as his hunt for Alexander, Jack has spent his time reforming criminals, he is exceptionally skilled at disguises, He also has incredible observational and deductive skills.
In June 1884 Jack was arrested and placed in Bedlem Hospital under the orders of Sir Nigel Gull, who feared Jack's investigations were going to uncover the Seven. Jack was always kept straitjacketed, and was regularly injected with cocaine to keep him docile until he escaped after a month. He is still trying to get over the effects of the drugs through self-medication.
This story is set when Arthur Conan Doyle was just beginning his career as a writer, he is a young man (26 years old) whose medical practice is not very successful and is somewhat lacking in confidence. In the story Doyle submits a manuscript entitled "The Dark Brotherhood" which concerns a cabal of evil magicians which is too close to the truth for a certain group of individuals. Doyle has incredible observational and deductive abilities and is handy in a fight.
Since few people knew that they were twins, one brother would commit a burglary while the other brother was drawing attention to himself in a public setting (Barry would sing whereas Larry favoured the "epic recitation of the ribald lim'rick"), thus creating an alibi.
Barry got a scar which runs down the right side of his face from an encounter with a fishmonger who caught Barry trying to have relations with his daughter. The fishmonger attacked Barry with a meat clever. After this incident the brother grew beards to cover up the difference, and on their next job when Larry was robbing a house in Kensington, Jack Sparks burst in and took Larry's loot and asked him to reform. Four days later Barry was robbing a silversmith and Jack again stole their loot and asked them to reform. The brothers lay low for three weeks and finally when breaking into an antiques store in Portobello, Jack was waiting for them with a policeman, and offered them one more time to go straight or go to jail. The brothers decided to go straight, and become Jack's assistants (part of Jack's Regulars, as he calls them).
Larry talks a lot, whereas Barry is more the silent one. Larry is a better lockpick whereas Barry is better at scaling walls.
This suited Alexander a great deal, he had the opportunity to expand his sphere of influence, soon he gathered around him a loyal band of followers who undertook any of Alexander's orders without question. They were involved in animal torture, violent hazing of new schoolmates, and blood oaths. By the age of thirteen Alexander began breaking into homes to hone his stealth tactics and also violently raped several young women.
Upon graduation, he travelled from England to Paris, then south to Marseilles, and onto Cairo. There he murdered an Englishwoman who had been his father's mistress and an Egyptian Art dealer (and his family) who was haggling too much over buying stolen art. From there he went to the Middle East seeking entry into various mystery schools.
He returned to England in 1872 where he set himself up as the kingpin of criminal activity in England, and forged an alliance with the Dark Brotherhood to enslave the world.
Bram Stoker meets the gang in Whitby, he is there investigating rumours of an incident regarding members of the Manchester Players. It is clear how the master storyteller has been influenced by the events he witnesses to write his masterpriece Dracula
.
Each card is encoded in an amalgam of mathematical formula, Urdu, Sanskrit, and an obscure variation of the Finno-Ugric root language.
In the center sits a sewing machine that allows Jack to create new costumes as required.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Mark Frost
Mark Frost
Mark Frost is an American novelist, television/film writer, director, who is best known as a writer for the TV show Hill Street Blues and co-creator of the show Twin Peaks.-Personal life:...
. Though initially an occult murder mystery, the story brings in conspiracy theory, vendetta
Feud
A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight between parties—often groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one party perceives itself to have been attacked, insulted or wronged by another...
, horror, history, and Theosophy
Theosophy
Theosophy, in its modern presentation, is a spiritual philosophy developed since the late 19th century. Its major themes were originally described mainly by Helena Blavatsky , co-founder of the Theosophical Society...
. The main character is a real historical person (albeit engaging in fictional actions) and several other historical figures appear in the story.
Mark Frost followed the book with a sequel in 1995, The Six Messiahs
The Six Messiahs
The Six Messiahs is a 1995 novel by Mark Frost, a sequel to The List of Seven. The two main characters are real-life person Arthur Conan Doyle and fictional character Jack Sparks.-Summary:...
.
Plot summary
Christmas Day 1884. Dr. Arthur Conan DoyleArthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
is invited to a seance where two people are apparently murdered. Doyle is saved by Armond Sacker, apparently a professor of Antiquities
Antiquities
Antiquities, nearly always used in the plural in this sense, is a term for objects from Antiquity, especially the civilizations of the Mediterranean: the Classical antiquity of Greece and Rome, Ancient Egypt and the other Ancient Near Eastern cultures...
at Cambridge University. Doyle contacts Claude Leboux, a friend and Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
Inspector to investigate, but the house where the seance took place has been redecorated. Doyle gets a note from Helena Petrovna Blavatsky inviting him to a speech in Cambridge. He goes to Cambridge, unsuccessfully tries to track down Sacker, and then Doyle attends Blavatsky's talk, and speaks with her afterwards. She warns him of dark spirits and after a meal he is attacked and is rescued by "Professor Sacker" for a second time who turns out to be Jack Sparks, Special Agent to the Crown. They head to Topping to the estate of one of the attendees at the seance, but find that it has become a madhouse. They find a clue to go to a publishing house called Rathbourne & Sons in London. On the journey back to London, Jack reveals that his brother Alexander may be the mastermind behind all their troubles. Jack thinks the attacks on Doyle are prompted by a manuscript than Doyle submitted to Rathbourne & Sons. When they get to the publishing house they find a list of the board of directors - the titular “List of Seven”. A secret trapdoor leads them via an aqueduct to a storage room in the British Museum, which has had many statues stolen from it.
The next day they journey to Whitby
Whitby
Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a combined maritime, mineral and tourist heritage, and is home to the ruins of Whitby Abbey where Caedmon, the...
to trace an acting troupe that may have been involved in staging the seance. There they meet Bram Stoker
Bram Stoker
Abraham "Bram" Stoker was an Irish novelist and short story writer, best known today for his 1897 Gothic novel Dracula...
and an actress named Eileen, the last survivor of the doomed acting troupe. Stoker tells them that strange sights have been seen at the abandoned nunnery north of the town. They investigate, and witness an occult ceremony using the corpse of Sparks' father. Alexander Sparks confronts Doyle and Eileen and invites them to dinner, where they meet the rest of the Seven. Their plan is to take control of Prince Edward, Duke of Clarence, third in line to the throne, and use him to enslave the world by putting a demon in his future child. Doyle, Eileen and Jack fight with the Seven and with the help of a regiment of Royal Marines and Household Cavalry, they defeat the Seven.
Jack disappears to continue the hunt for Alexander who has gotten away, while Doyle is granted an audience with Queen Victoria, who offers her thanks for his help. Doyle later learns that Jack and Alexander fought and fell over the Reichenbach Falls
Reichenbach Falls
The Reichenbach Falls are a series of waterfalls on the River Aar near Meiringen in Bern canton in central Switzerland. They have a total drop of 250 m . At 90 m , the Upper Reichenbach Falls is one of the highest cataracts in the Alps...
, with neither surviving, Doyle decides to commemorate Jack by creating a character in the image of his friend - Sherlock Holmes.
Jonathan "Jack" Sparks
Jack Sparks was born in YorkshireYorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
in 1847, his father was a diplomat to Egypt who retired so that both he and Jack's mother could participate in his upbringing. When he was 5 years old Jack discovered that he had an older brother Alexander whom he had never heard of or met. After two years of pestering his parents they finally agreed to allow Jack to met Alexander at his boarding school, but only under close supervision. When the two brothers finally met Alexander devised a way that they could secretly communication with each other by means of letters sent through proxies. Alexander appeared to be a very loving and nice brother who explained to Jack the exercises and routines by which he developed himself mentally and physically (somewhat similar to the Doc Savage
Doc Savage
Doc Savage is a fictional character originally published in American pulp magazines during the 1930s and 1940s. He was created by publisher Henry W. Ralston and editor John L...
Method Of Self-development).
In 1859, when Jack was 12 years old Alexander communicated with him that he had to find a way to get to Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
for the summer holidays so that they could meet up, to achieve this Jack practised his violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
day and night until he became so good that he persuaded his parents to send him to Vienna to get some expert tutorship.
Alexander did not appear in Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
, but a month into Jack's visit he was called to the principal's office where he was told that his parents had been killed in a tragic house fire. When Jack returned home the priest who took his father's last confession explained that the fire was an accident, but under duress admitted the truth, that Jack's father and mother and all the servants had been murdered by Alexander. Jack's father had given the priest a letter detailing the death of Jack's older sister, Madeline Rose, at the hands of Alexander. Jack decided to spend the rest of his life tracking down Alexander, and undoing some of the evil the his brother had done. In the early 1860s Jack becomes invalided from cholera and entertained himself by reading voraciously, a habit he retained his whole lifetime.
After he left public school, Jack attended university, Cambridge - Caius and Magdalene - studying medicine and the natural sciences, and also briefly studied at Christ Church, Oxford taking Theology and amateur theatricals. He left university before graduation to continue his search for Alexander. Some time after this he performed on stage in America for 8 months as part of the Sasanoff Shakespearean Company, performing in many lead roles.
While following Alexander's trail Jack learned a great deal about mysticism and other profane knowledge. Jack also learned a lot about the use of various weapons, including the bolas
Bolas
Bolas are a throwing weapon superficially similar to the surujin, made of weights on the ends of interconnected cords, designed to capture animals by entangling their legs...
. As well as his hunt for Alexander, Jack has spent his time reforming criminals, he is exceptionally skilled at disguises, He also has incredible observational and deductive skills.
In June 1884 Jack was arrested and placed in Bedlem Hospital under the orders of Sir Nigel Gull, who feared Jack's investigations were going to uncover the Seven. Jack was always kept straitjacketed, and was regularly injected with cocaine to keep him docile until he escaped after a month. He is still trying to get over the effects of the drugs through self-medication.
Arthur Conan Doyle
This story is set when Arthur Conan Doyle was just beginning his career as a writer, he is a young man (26 years old) whose medical practice is not very successful and is somewhat lacking in confidence. In the story Doyle submits a manuscript entitled "The Dark Brotherhood" which concerns a cabal of evil magicians which is too close to the truth for a certain group of individuals. Doyle has incredible observational and deductive abilities and is handy in a fight.
Larry and Barry
Larry and Barry are identical twin brothers whose mother, Louisa May, died in childbirth. Their father, a railroad man, spent a lot of time working and this resulted in Larry and Barry getting into all kinds of mischief, starting off as pickpockets and finally becoming burglars.Since few people knew that they were twins, one brother would commit a burglary while the other brother was drawing attention to himself in a public setting (Barry would sing whereas Larry favoured the "epic recitation of the ribald lim'rick"), thus creating an alibi.
Barry got a scar which runs down the right side of his face from an encounter with a fishmonger who caught Barry trying to have relations with his daughter. The fishmonger attacked Barry with a meat clever. After this incident the brother grew beards to cover up the difference, and on their next job when Larry was robbing a house in Kensington, Jack Sparks burst in and took Larry's loot and asked him to reform. Four days later Barry was robbing a silversmith and Jack again stole their loot and asked them to reform. The brothers lay low for three weeks and finally when breaking into an antiques store in Portobello, Jack was waiting for them with a policeman, and offered them one more time to go straight or go to jail. The brothers decided to go straight, and become Jack's assistants (part of Jack's Regulars, as he calls them).
Larry talks a lot, whereas Barry is more the silent one. Larry is a better lockpick whereas Barry is better at scaling walls.
Alexander Sparks
Alexander Sparks is Jack's older brother, six years his senior. When Alexander was a child his father was still serving as a diplomat, and therefore he was the centre of his mother's world. When Alexander was five his mother had a second child, Madeline Rose, who Alexander became insanely jealous of, and killed. His mother caught a fleeting glimpse of him running away after committing the crime, which drove her slightly mad. He was sent to boarding school, and spend holidays overseas with distant relatives and only met his parents once a year over Easter weekend.This suited Alexander a great deal, he had the opportunity to expand his sphere of influence, soon he gathered around him a loyal band of followers who undertook any of Alexander's orders without question. They were involved in animal torture, violent hazing of new schoolmates, and blood oaths. By the age of thirteen Alexander began breaking into homes to hone his stealth tactics and also violently raped several young women.
Upon graduation, he travelled from England to Paris, then south to Marseilles, and onto Cairo. There he murdered an Englishwoman who had been his father's mistress and an Egyptian Art dealer (and his family) who was haggling too much over buying stolen art. From there he went to the Middle East seeking entry into various mystery schools.
He returned to England in 1872 where he set himself up as the kingpin of criminal activity in England, and forged an alliance with the Dark Brotherhood to enslave the world.
Bram Stoker
Bram Stoker meets the gang in Whitby, he is there investigating rumours of an incident regarding members of the Manchester Players. It is clear how the master storyteller has been influenced by the events he witnesses to write his masterpriece Dracula
Dracula
Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
.
Eileen Temple
Eileen Temple is an actress who has been with the Manchester Players for the past two years. She and three other players, including her fiance, were hired for a very large sum of money to participate in a once-off performance of a seance which they were told was a practical joke. She portrayed Lady Caroline Nicholson. On the night of the performance, unexpected things happened, and her fiance was killed. A few days later the other two performers from the players were found dead, so Eileen fled to Whitby.What is the List of Seven?
The list of seven is the list of the board of directors of Rathbourne & Sons Publishers—who also happen to be members of the Dark Brotherhood.- Maximilian Graves (Alexander Sparks)
- Sir Nigel Gull
- Lady Caroline Nicholson
- Professor Arminius Vamberg
- Bishop Caius Pillphrock
- John Chandros
- General Drummond
Chronology
| Year | Events |
|---|---|
| 1831 | Helena Petrovna Blavatsky is born |
| 1841 | Alexander Sparks is born |
| 1844 | Claude Leboux is born |
| 1846 | Madeline Rose Sparks is born, 53 days later she dies |
| 1847 | Jack Sparks is born; Bram Stoker Bram Stoker Abraham "Bram" Stoker was an Irish novelist and short story writer, best known today for his 1897 Gothic novel Dracula... is born |
| 1852 | Jack discovers he has a brother |
| 1854 | Jack meets Alexander for the first time |
| 1859 | Jack meets Alexander for the last time; Jack's parents die in a fire; Arthur Conan Doyle Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger... is born |
| 1872 | Alexander returns to London; Jack begins his career |
| 1877 | Publication of Blavatsky's Isis Unveiled |
| 1878 | Jack reforms Larry and Barry |
| 1879 | Jack begins a game of Gin Rummy with Larry that will last five years |
| 1881 | Arthur Conan Doyle Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger... serves as ship's doctor; meets Claude Leboux, a navy cutter |
| 1882 | Eileen Temple joins the Manchester Plays |
| 1884 | Jack is imprisoned in Bedlam by Sir Nigel Gull for a month |
| 1884-5 | Events of The List of Seven |
| 1885 | Jack and Alexander Sparks seemingly die at Reichenbach Falls Reichenbach Falls The Reichenbach Falls are a series of waterfalls on the River Aar near Meiringen in Bern canton in central Switzerland. They have a total drop of 250 m . At 90 m , the Upper Reichenbach Falls is one of the highest cataracts in the Alps... |
| 1889 | Doyle visits Reichenbach Falls Reichenbach Falls The Reichenbach Falls are a series of waterfalls on the River Aar near Meiringen in Bern canton in central Switzerland. They have a total drop of 250 m . At 90 m , the Upper Reichenbach Falls is one of the highest cataracts in the Alps... ; Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945... is born. |
Jack's Headquarters
Located at 26 Montague Street, Jack's London headquarters is a Georgian townhouse full of curious items, guarded by Zeus a large dog. It is situated opposite the British Museum.Living Room
In the main sitting room almost every inch of the walls are covered with bookshelves. Sitting at the far end of the room is a long chemistry bench covered with an array of apparatus, behind it is a very large map of London studded with a legion of red- and blue-headed pins. Jack calls this "the devil's chessboard" it records the location of various crimes around London. In one corner is a display cabinet holding a diverse collection of antique and exotic weaponry, from Stone Age daggers, to flintlocks, to ninja throwing stars. In the opposite corner there sits a stack of index cabinets with 12 drawers called "The Brain", above which is a bull's-eye target of thatched straw with the letters VR spelled out in bullet holes.The Brain
"The Brain" is a comprehensive compendium of every known criminal in London. It consists of an index card per criminal in alphabetical order, with the following information; their age, their date and place of birth, family history, schooling and service records; recognised methods of operation, known confederates, cell mates, bed mates and habitates; physical description, aliases, arrests, convictions and time served.Each card is encoded in an amalgam of mathematical formula, Urdu, Sanskrit, and an obscure variation of the Finno-Ugric root language.
Dressing Room
In the dressing room there are walls lined with a vast array of costumes. A makeup table ringed with lights and sporting all kinds of makeups and brushes. A jury of featureless wooden heads wear a range of wigs and facial hair. Stacks of hatboxes, piles of boxes of catalogued accessories, and wallets with forged identities.In the center sits a sewing machine that allows Jack to create new costumes as required.
The Window
Visible from the window is a tailor's dummy that once took a sniper's bullet for Jack.Jack's Oath
Jack asks Doyle to take the following oath:Allusions to Sherlock Holmes
Because the premise of the novel is that Doyle was inspired by what happened to him to write his successful works, there are strong parallels between many characters and events in the novel and Doyle’s works:- Jack Sparks is a model for Sherlock HolmesSherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
: ascetic, aloof, mentally and physically extraordinary, a violinist. Sparks is also addicted to cocaine, although Holmes indulges in his habit for recreation, while Sparks is ashamed of his addiction. - On the train to Whitby Sparks also uses a magnifying glass, smokes a pipe and play strange music on his violin, characteristics similar to Sherlock Holmes.
- Alexander Sparks is a model for Holmes’ arch-nemesis, James Moriarty, a criminal mastermind at the centre of all the London underworld's plans.
- The scene described by Larry when Jack and Alexander go over the Reichenbach FallsReichenbach FallsThe Reichenbach Falls are a series of waterfalls on the River Aar near Meiringen in Bern canton in central Switzerland. They have a total drop of 250 m . At 90 m , the Upper Reichenbach Falls is one of the highest cataracts in the Alps...
together is quoted from Doyle’s short stories “The Final Problem” and “The Mystery of the Empty House” where Holmes and Moriarty die in the same manner, with Lady Caroline Nicholson, acting as a sniperSniperA sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
, taking the place of Colonel Sebastian Moran. - Inspector Leboux can be seen as a role model for Inspector Lestrade (and also to a less extent Inspector Gregson), a good solid, unimaginative Scotland Yard Inspector.
- Jack's Headquarters have allusions to a range of Holmes stories, the V:R on the wall (The Musgrave Ritual), "The Brain" can be seen as a model for Holmes' "index of biographies" (The Adventure of the Empty House), the tailor's dummy is from "The Adventure of the Empty House" and Zeus is described similarly to "The Hound of the Baskervilles". Additionally the chemical bench is seen in any number of Holmes' stories and Jack's dressing room is Holmes' bedroom with the various makeups and diguises.
- Jack's Regulars (who are made up mostly of criminals but with a few civilians) can be seen as a grown-up version of Holmes' Irregulars.
- Professor Armond Sacker's name is based on the original name for Watson: Ormond Sacker.
- Rathbourne & Sons might be a slight reference to Basil RathboneBasil RathboneSir Basil Rathbone, KBE, MC, Kt was an English actor. He rose to prominence in England as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in over 70 films, primarily costume dramas, swashbucklers, and, occasionally, horror films...
who famously portrayed Holmes. - The scene involving the home full of people driven mad is an allusion to "The Adventure Of the Devil's Foot" in which "devil's foot" (a form of poison) is ignited in a closed room and causes the occupants to go mad and eventually die from inhalation of the deadly fumes.
Allusions to Dracula
- In the company of Bram StokerBram StokerAbraham "Bram" Stoker was an Irish novelist and short story writer, best known today for his 1897 Gothic novel Dracula...
, Larry and Barry recount a story they heard in a Whitby pub, about how the Seven’s ship beached in the middle of the night, and its crew seemed to unload coffins, and the witness was found dead the next day, mauled by a wolf. This is reminiscent of how Count DraculaCount DraculaCount Dracula is a fictional character, the titular antagonist of Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel Dracula and archetypal vampire. Some aspects of his character have been inspired by the 15th century Romanian general and Wallachian Prince Vlad III the Impaler...
arrives in England in Stoker’s novel. - Elements of Alexander Sparks character can also be seen as a model for Dracula; Dresses all in black, a hypnotic presence, and appears over sleeping ladies' beds all the time.
Allusions to real life history, events, or people
Several historical persons appear as characters:- Arthur Conan DoyleArthur Conan DoyleSir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
is the main protagnist of the story - Bram StokerBram StokerAbraham "Bram" Stoker was an Irish novelist and short story writer, best known today for his 1897 Gothic novel Dracula...
appears in the latter half of the story to provide useful information - Queen Victoria appears at the end of the story to thank Doyle
- Prince Albert Victor, Duke of ClarencePrince Albert Victor, Duke of ClarencePrince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale was a member of the British Royal Family. He was the eldest son of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales and Alexandra, Princess of Wales , and the grandson of the reigning monarch, Queen Victoria...
appears as a deranged fool in the story. - Adolf HitlerAdolf HitlerAdolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
appears as a baby in the epilogue of the story - Sir Nigel Gull appears to be a direct parallel to Sir William Gull, also a physician to the Royal Family, and popularly rumoured in history as a suspect in the Jack the RipperJack the Ripper"Jack the Ripper" is the best-known name given to an unidentified serial killer who was active in the largely impoverished areas in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The name originated in a letter, written by someone claiming to be the murderer, that was disseminated in the...
murders. - Professor Arminius Vamberg is a reference to Arminius Vambery, a Hungarian scholar who is thought to have been one of Bram Stoker's sources when he wrote Dracula.
See also
- The Six MessiahsThe Six MessiahsThe Six Messiahs is a 1995 novel by Mark Frost, a sequel to The List of Seven. The two main characters are real-life person Arthur Conan Doyle and fictional character Jack Sparks.-Summary:...
by Mark FrostMark FrostMark Frost is an American novelist, television/film writer, director, who is best known as a writer for the TV show Hill Street Blues and co-creator of the show Twin Peaks.-Personal life:... - The Arcanum by Thomas Wheeler