This is mainly because I always have strong opinions about stuff I see, listen to, read, etc. but because nobody as far as I know personally usually has the same interests as me, and even if they did would not want to listen to an in-depth rant, in my head they stay, to brew and cook until over-ripe.
Today's book:
The Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Anyone who knows me (even not very well) will know I am a screaming Sherlock Holmes fangirl. Having exhausted all the canon stories - by this, I mean re-reading them, some three to four times - I was itching for something to read. Having been recommended this book by an internet user on...FandomSecrets...the book's blurb boasted mystery, horror, and Sherlock Holmes. What more could I ask for?
My opinion is that a few of these stories are truly excellent. I find most of them start out with intriguing premises that fail to live up to their potential, or were simply above-average, but not excellent. Whether this was because the solution wasn't developed or explained well enough, the climax was, well, anticlimactic, or the characters (even when placed in absurd situations) were too out of character, I found myself wishing I could have changed some parts of the story.
Even tiny details I found inaccurate were enough to annoy me. For example, The Adventure of the Field Theorems has Sir Arthur Conan Doyle calling Watson and everyone else by their first name. Now, if Holmes and Watson, intimate friends, are only on a last-name basis, why would Sir Arthur, a casual acquaintance of Watson's, be on a first-name basis? Perhaps the writer was simply American, and did not notice. Even so, it speaks to me of poor research.
In one case, a story was excellent until literally the very end, when Sherlock Holmes utters something so uncharacteristic of him that the rest of the story was ruined for me. Murder to Music had a brilliant solution - with the last notes played on the piano by the dying man a message as to how to thwart the next assassination attempt - but once the identity of the murderer is revealed, Sherlock Holmes does nothing to apprehend him. Now, this wasn't the problem; in many stories, Holmes has let many a murderer or criminal go free before.
However, Holmes says in this case he will not, because to capture the murderer would be an even bigger crime; that is, to music. He then goes on to say that if he had found Watson murdered by this very person, he would not hesitate to dump Watson's body somewhere, never revealing the murderer.
To think that Holmes would be so self-serving, so cold-hearted, is appalling. Holmes, on further readings really has a big heart, and much affection for Watson. In The Dying Detective, he apprehends a doctor even at the expense of a possible antidote to a life-threatening disease being developed, because of all the lives the doctor has killed in the process. To think, of all people, Watson would be one he would be willing to be murdered, is just plain wrong.
This isn't to say they are terrible or bland; in fact, most of these stories are hugely entertaining. I highly recommend this book to any Sherlock Holmes fan with an open mind and the will to suspend your disbelief into strange realms.
Notable stories for me were:
The Horror of Many Faces by Tim Lebbon: I still don't fully understand this story, and I guess I probably won't truly ever. Nevertheless, this story is the one that captured my attention the most, its memory lingering strongly in my mind after having read it. It is one of the few stories that manages to build up such a powerfully evocative, terrifying atmosphere; I could practically see the London fog looming over Baker Street, a terrified Watson trembling in the dark as he grips his weapon, a scream echoing in the distance.
The Adventure of the Dorset Street Lodger by Michael Moorcock: I suppose what I like about this story is it would fit perfectly into the canon. A singularly interesting mystery, well played-out, and with a rather unexpected twist. I also like the little touch in the beginning of Holmes and Watson's domestic troubles finding alternative lodgings, and the leisure-time they enjoy in their new temporary lodgings; it really was quite endearing!
Commonplaces by Naomi Novik: Okay, I'll admit, I'm biased towards this story because it really is pretty much a slash fanfiction. I was surprised myself to find such a story in a mainstream, published book, to be read by non-slashers. Huh. But regardless, beautifully bittersweet, regaling us with Holmes' decision to leave Watson at the Reichenbach Falls. Irene Adler is written very well - a beautiful, strong, clever woman - developing onto Conan Doyle's characterization. I think even non-slashers will find this story enjoyable.
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