Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Great Shadow annotated Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Great Shadow, also known as The Great Shadow and other Napoleonic Tales, is an action and adventure novel written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and published in 1892 in J. W. Arrowsmith's Bristol Library. The novel takes place in the Napoleonic era on the English-Scottish border city called West Inch. The Great Shadow refers to the Napoleon's influence and his reputation that forms a shadow over West Inch. Instead of Sherlock Holmes being the main character, the story follows Jack Colder, who claims his only notable childhood experience was when he accidentally prevented a burglary during an attempt to escape a boarding school. This event caught Jim Horscroft and the two become friends. Once Jim goes off to medical school, Jack reunites with his cousin Edie, who found herself in a lot of money due to her father's death. Jack takes a liking to Edie, but is deterred when Edie shows less enthusiasm and shows great attraction to men in battle. Upon hearing this, Jack insists that he will become a soldier despite both of his parents' disapproval. Jack ultimately asks Edie to marry him. It is at this time that Jim returns to West Inch, and he quickly takes a liking to Edie, who seems much more attracted to Jim.