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In the Company of Sherlock Holmes: Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon by Laurie R King and Leslie Klinger (editors) (view source)
Revision as of 07:45, 16 September 2020
, 07:45, 16 September 2020no edit summary
[[:Category:Laura Caldwell|Laura Caldwell]] gives us a strongly-written tale, one again where the link is tenuous – characters named after, and therefore taking on board some small piece of the spirit of, Conan Doyle's originals. Spirit brings us on to sheer highlight number two –''Dunkirk'' by [[:Category:John Lescroart|John Lescroart]], which really does not belong in the canon by dint of being an out-and-out adventure story, and one set a lot later than the original works, but is still a great boy's-own action piece. It's the longest tale here, but that's no problem when the writing is so vivid, the character resolutely accurate, and the gung-ho idea so in keeping with so many other writers from Conan Doyle's era, as a later piece in this book will attest.
Much briefer are a graphic novel-styled slip of humour; [[:Category:Cornelia Funke|Cornelia Funke]] with a revealing character piece regarding one of the Baker Street Irregulars (who knew the Germans could come up with Watson's voice as well as anyone else?; and [[:Category:Denise Hamilton|Denise Hamilton]]. Her offering is going to be divisive, for if anything it reads as sci-fi, and quite dated sci-fi at that, for I cannot believe it is for one minute not an accurate, contemporary representation of the ideas it carries. The ending is a little obvious – not what could be said of the true Holmesian piece – but again, the name and brand is enough to get a lot of these stories on board, and on the whole , we can settle for that.
But that was about the last time the book peaked. [[:Category:Michael Dirda|Michael Dirda]] has a name-dropping legend of the gestation of all the original works, Harlan Ellison has his silly, surreal hat on (as so often, these days), [[:Category:Nancy Holder|Nancy Holder]] hits us with another revisited ACD, although one that's completely too meta, and there are two other entrants we can pass over. The fact the quality isn't successfully sustained I will put down to the brilliance of my favourites here, and not for the want of trying on many cases. This is a great summary of what the crime-writing mind can come up with given a loose brief, and while so many are enamoured of the originals, they happily take the task and run with it wherever they wish. You may prefer to follow some I didn't, but this volume shows diversity and cleverness, and is once again just as much tribute as the echt pieces deserve.
I must thank the publishers for my review copy.
[[Further Encounters of Sherlock Holmes by George Mann (Editor)]] does not really have the capacity to disappoint the same audience. You might also enjoy [[My Dear Watson by Margaret Park Bridges]].
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