The Game Is Afoot: For all things Sherlockian

[Jim Kelly]

I think that I already said "The Blue Carbuncle" is one of my favourite stories. The deductions about the hat, near the beginning of the story, are a good example of Sherlock's method.

Here's Peter Cushing--

[Jim Kelly]

And here's Jeremy Brett--

[Greg Hatcher]

I keep meaning to mention a few of my favorite pastiches. I got interested back in 1975; my interest in Holmes was re-awakened by The Seven Per Cent Solution. I was fourteen and for about a day and a half it fooled me into thinking Holmes was real. I picked it up from the paperback stand at the grocery store next to whjere I bought my comics and didn't put it down till I'd finished it.

Of course Meyer started something of a cottage industry and he's done three more of his own... and they are all pretty good, but that first one was lightning in a bottle.

But it also served to demonstrate to me that there was MORE HOLMES out there to read. Even back in the seventies there were a lot of them out there. For a long time this was my favorite.



And this is my favorite done for comics.



And lately I think Lyndsay Faye is the one to beat.



I could go on, but I'm curious about you all. Whatcha got?

[foxley]

The late, great Edward D. Hoch was a dab hand at the Holmes pastiche. I have just acquired The Sherlock Holmes Stories of Edward D. Hoch from Mysterious Press, which collects all of his holmes stories.

[Greg Hatcher]

Damn, I had no idea Hoch ever did any Sherlock Holmes stories. I'm a huge fan of Captain Leopold and Nick Velvet.

[foxley]

Damn, I had no idea Hoch ever did any Sherlock Holmes stories. I'm a huge fan of Captain Leopold and Nick Velvet.

Glad I could enlighten you. I had assumed that with your own Holmes connection you would be aware of it. Especially as his Holmes stories are a similar format to 'Consulting Detective': classic Holmes pastiche short stories set in Victorian/Edwardian London.

I'm a huge Barr fan, especially his Nick Velvet and Simon Ark stories.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

The tenth episode of the first Brett series, "The Norwood Builder" introduced Holmes' favorite foil, Scotland Yard's Inspector Lestrade, played with delicious aplomb by Colin Jeavons whom I thought was perfect in the role as the weasel faced but tenacious lawman.

[achilles]

I think that I already said "The Blue Carbuncle" is one of my favourite stories. The deductions about the hat, near the beginning of the story, are a good example of Sherlock's method.

Here's Peter Cushing--

I liked it because it combined a bit of Christmas spirit with typical Holmes deductions. A very nice story.

[achilles]

The tenth episode of the first Brett series, "The Norwood Builder" introduced Holmes' favorite foil, Scotland Yard's Inspector Lestrade, played with delicious aplomb by Colin Jeavons whom I thought was perfect in the role as the weasel faced but tenacious lawman.

I don't know, I always liked Lestrade. I feel that Holmes was a bit harsh on him and some of the other Scotland Yard types...but that was perfectly in keeping with one element that made Holmes himself the truly great and appealing character he was and remains. He had flaw, many, many flaws, but they were balanced and more than balanced by his virtues. As for Lestrade, sure he was prosaic and far from Holmes' intellectual equal, but as you and the stories themselves point out, he was tenacious and brave as hell. If fact, I don't recall a single major Scotland Yard type who wasn't brave at the very least.

I do recall he sort of liked Stanley Hopkins, and there was one other officer who actually equaled Holmes...but I don't recall his name or the name of the story....can anyone enlighten me?

[foxley]

In A Study in Scarlet, Holmes says that Gregson is the smartest of all the Scotland Yard men.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

I don't know, I always liked Lestrade. I feel that Holmes was a bit harsh on him and some of the other Scotland Yard types...but that was perfectly in keeping with one element that made Holmes himself the truly great and appealing character he was and remains. He had flaw, many, many flaws, but they were balanced and more than balanced by his virtues. As for Lestrade, sure he was prosaic and far from Holmes' intellectual equal, but as you and the stories themselves point out, he was tenacious and brave as hell. If fact, I don't recall a single major Scotland Yard type who wasn't brave at the very least.

I do recall he sort of liked Stanley Hopkins, and there was one other officer who actually equaled Holmes...but I don't recall his name or the name of the story....can anyone enlighten me?

I think that might’ve been Inspector Baynes from the story Wisteria Lodge.

[Greg Hatcher]

Oh, Colin Jeavons owns Lestrade the way Brett owns Holmes. He was perfect. He's the only one I can think of that looks like the guy Doyle described.

[achilles]

In A Study in Scarlet, Holmes says that Gregson is the smartest of all the Scotland Yard men.

The guy I'm thinking about actually solved his mystery at the same time as Holmes, albeit in a slightly different way. And frankly, most of the subsequent stories give lie to his early opinion of Gregson, in that Gregson vanishes fairly early and other detectives get a superior opinion from Holmes.

[achilles]

I think that might’ve been Inspector Baynes from the story Wisteria Lodge.

Hmmm, going to have to look that up and read it. It's around the time period, but I haven't read that one in years. Edit, yes, you are correct! Thanks, I've been wondering about that one for a bit as I read through the original stories again. A shame we never got to see Doyle go back to Baynes...but it was among his final Holmes stories.

Just out of curiosity, what is the general opinion here of Conan Doyles other, much less famous, but still famous enough to spawn quite a few movies of it's own, the Professor Challenger stories?

To be honest, I'd love a story about the real life friendship and break-up of said friendship between Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini, (or for that matter between Mark Twain and Nicola Tesla). Or one about Doyle's mentor and inspiration for Holmes.

[seismic-2]

Here's what Wikipedia (and I'm not going to look through the history to see who wrote the article!) says as "Commentary" in its entry on The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge :

Out of the entire collection of Holmes stories by Doyle, this is the only story in which a police inspector (specifically, Inspector Baynes) is as competent as Holmes. Holmes has nothing but praise for Inspector Baynes, believing that he will rise high in his profession, for he has instinct and intuition. Inspector Lestrade rarely received this kind of appreciation from Holmes. It comes out that Baynes had only arrested the cook to draw out Henderson so he would think he was no longer under suspicion.