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NBC - further programmes
Following on from the post below re NBC footage connected to the Olympics....Scott Swan has mentioned that there will be a dedicated Sherlock Holmes programme. Apparently it airs in the US next week. Hopefully it will also be on the web for those of us in the rest of the world.
Review - I Will Find the Answer - by Kate Workman
Some time ago I reviewed Kate Workman’s first book which
concerned Holmes and Watson encountering the Phantom of the Opera. I had a
number of reservations about the book not least the fact that I don’t like crossover
books where Holmes meets characters from the works of other authors.
To begin with, and this will not surprise her, Workman’s book
has not changed my opinion on crossover works. However, in the spirit of the
exercise, I shall do my best to review her latest story as objectively as
possible.
Strangely Workman asked me to review her second book. I
still wonder why exactly but I agreed to do so.
To begin with, and this will not surprise her, Workman’s book
has not changed my opinion on crossover works. However, in the spirit of the
exercise, I shall do my best to review her latest story as objectively as
possible.
The biggest problem with Workman’s first book was that it was
a book in which Holmes and Watson were clearly the guest characters. In other
words it was, first and foremost, a book about the Phantom. Her new book
corrects this problem. Henry Jekyll is clearly the guest in a book that is
primarily a Sherlock Holmes story.
Workman repeats her previous device of moving between the
heads of her characters. We have sections from the perspective of Holmes,
Watson, Erik and Jekyll. Again, in one or two areas, it is not immediately apparent
whose head we are in but we are not left in doubt for too long. So this is an
area that has greatly improved but where work is still needed.
The Americanisms were an issue with the first book but they
are greatly reduced this time round. The word "trousers" is used instead of "pants"
but there are still a large number of words spelt the American way. "Favor"
instead of "favour" being an obvious one. As I said before, this would be
acceptable for an American character but when all the characters, aside from Erik,
are British you would expect British spelling. However this can be put to one
side.
Most of the things that caught my attention were minor. An
example being that at one point the novel Frankenstein is described as a relatively
recent work when, assuming events to be taking place in the late 1880s onwards,
Mary Shelly’s novel would be at least sixty years old.
However, for me, the biggest problem with the story is Erik the
Phantom. He is too clever and renders Watson – as a partner - almost
unnecessary. Conan Doyle recognised that where he introduced characters as
clever as Holmes (Moriarty, Mycroft etc) he needed to keep their appearances to
a minimum. He knew that if this was not done Sherlock Holmes would seem less
special and less extraordinary. Workman, I feel, has lost sight of this. Erik is
around too much (usually at Watson's expense) and appears sometimes to be ahead of Holmes. Also there are
occasions where Erik and Holmes know what the other is thinking so well that
there is no need for them to explain ideas and plans. This leaves Watson and, by
extension, the reader, in the dark.
Conan Doyle partly designed Watson to be
the vehicle through which Holmes’s thoughts and reasoning are conveyed to the
reader. Erik’s presence and intelligence mean that this vehicle is insufficiently
used. I realise that Workman means to have Erik as an on-going character but
she really needs to reduce his appearances and put Watson back more squarely as
Holmes’s principal partner and confidant. Not only is this simply right and proper
it would also aid the reader as Holmes can then resume his habit of explaining
his reasoning to us via the good doctor. To put it another way, Erik needs to be
the number three character in this triumvirate. Throughout this book he is number
two and pushes Watson into an undeserved third place. This dilutes the action for the reader as much as it does for Watson.
All in all this is a great improvement on the first story and if the next improves as much again fans of such crossover pastiches will be in for a treat.
Review coming shortly(ish)
I hope, over the next few days (or weeks), to have ready my review of....
Book review - The Sherlock Holmes Miscellany
This wonderful book by Roger Johnson and Jean Upton is many things at once. To the Sherlockian beginner this book is an excellent introduction to all aspects of the Sherlockian/Holmesian world; to the more seasoned Sherlockian it is an indispensable all-in-one guide.
The book looks at the origin of Holmes, the illustrations (all artists, not just Sidney Paget), the stage plays, the radio plays, TV and film, music, locations and much much more. You may well encounter things that you already know but you will also find plenty that you don't. Throughout, the book goes into just the right amount of detail without spending too long on any one area.
The authors are not shy in recommending the works of others. I won't deny that I was gratified to see my book "Close to Holmes" listed as one of the best topographical guides to Holmes' London (but I assure you that this has not influenced my mark). The book is simply excellent.
Sorry but I simply cannot fault it. 5 pips.
The authors are not shy in recommending the works of others. I won't deny that I was gratified to see my book "Close to Holmes" listed as one of the best topographical guides to Holmes' London (but I assure you that this has not influenced my mark). The book is simply excellent.
Sorry but I simply cannot fault it. 5 pips.
For something similar please look at my review of the book Amazing & Extraordinary Facts: Sherlock Holmes by Nick Utechin
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