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cog_nomenI figured since I was reading 50 sherlock holmes books this year, I may as well make some brief notes on the stuff I've finished.
-The Seven Percent Solution
I remember this book from my grandmother's collection, though I'm not sure I ever read it before. Easily my favourite of what I've read so far. Nails Holmes' character, is kind to Watson as well. Good depiction of their friendship. Not so sure about the inclusion of Freud as a necessary aspect for the basic premise of the story, but if Nicholas Meyer is a fan of Freud personally, then this makes a lot of sense to me. Sherlock Holmes lived in a very interesting time with a lot of very revolutionary personalities - if by using an established and well loved character one hopes to introduce an interest in some of the other more interesting persons of the time, so be it. I liked this alternate explanation for Moriarty, and there are so few that I do. (Short Stories always muck him up.)
-That Hideous Strength
I only vaguely remember this book at this point. There was a head in a jar and the struggle between the forces of good and evil, and Merlin was in it. It seemed a bit overlong for the point. Also it took place entirely on earth and what I enjoyed more about Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra were the atmospheric descriptors and the Stranger in a Strange Land delivery of alien culture vs. our own. Worth the read, but I didn't mind sending it along on its way.
-Storm Front
The first of the Dresden books read extremely quickly and was kind of fun. It was a brainless kind of fun, but still fun. Harry is likable enough, though I confess having kind of a weakness for Morgan. Beyond that, it was a good one-time read.
-The Final Solution
Chabon's ancient Holmes is incredibly rendered. This is perhaps the story I've enjoyed reading the most so far, and I read it in two great giant gulps. I have discovered, mostly through this story and various shorts, that an old, Retired Sherlock Holmes makes me extremely sad. Both he and Watson apparently canonically go into the twilights of their lives alone, and as such a great friendship, I really wish they would go together. The separation of the two makes my heart hurt. Especially when they're old and should just be relaxing in retirement together and bee farming.
-The New Sherlock Holmes
Bland, unremarkable mish-mash pile of shorts. Includes most of the standard 'let's write a short story about Sherlock Holmes' ideas, I.E. Holmes is Moriarty, Holmes in the future, etc, etc. I think I recall genuinely enjoying one or two out of the lot, but they have since escaped my mind, likely replaced by the better pastiches (a word that seems to have been invented solely for the Holmes fandom, given that I had never previously encountered it before, and now encounter it daily).
-The West End Horror
Another of Nicholas Meyer's works. I enjoyed this one, it was genuinely tense through the last quarter of the novel, and Meyer is good to Watson in ways that make me extremely happy.
-The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes
Good, but with much to spiritual of an ending. Holmes' Tibetan adventures would have been far more interesting had he been genuinely an outsider. I think his character is fascinating and just special enough without heaping further uniqueities on him. I think it starts to get to be too much when not only is he the world's only consulting detective with unmatched powers of deduction AND he's a bang-up Quiddich player who saved the world from Voldemort - no wait. You get the idea.
-The Crimes of Dr. Watson
I should go back and open the end and figure this out. I sat on it for a week, and there were many details that caused my brain to go 'ping!' but I couldn't string them all together into anything salient. Maybe I'll do this before bed tonight. A fun diversion, but my brain is not nearly so awesome as Sherlock Holmes'. Also the sex toys catalog, I can't get past that.
-The Mammoth Book of New Sherlock Holmes Adventures
Sure was big. Entertaining read. Does not stand out in my mind as either horrible or fantastic.
-The Seven Percent Solution
I remember this book from my grandmother's collection, though I'm not sure I ever read it before. Easily my favourite of what I've read so far. Nails Holmes' character, is kind to Watson as well. Good depiction of their friendship. Not so sure about the inclusion of Freud as a necessary aspect for the basic premise of the story, but if Nicholas Meyer is a fan of Freud personally, then this makes a lot of sense to me. Sherlock Holmes lived in a very interesting time with a lot of very revolutionary personalities - if by using an established and well loved character one hopes to introduce an interest in some of the other more interesting persons of the time, so be it. I liked this alternate explanation for Moriarty, and there are so few that I do. (Short Stories always muck him up.)
-That Hideous Strength
I only vaguely remember this book at this point. There was a head in a jar and the struggle between the forces of good and evil, and Merlin was in it. It seemed a bit overlong for the point. Also it took place entirely on earth and what I enjoyed more about Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra were the atmospheric descriptors and the Stranger in a Strange Land delivery of alien culture vs. our own. Worth the read, but I didn't mind sending it along on its way.
-Storm Front
The first of the Dresden books read extremely quickly and was kind of fun. It was a brainless kind of fun, but still fun. Harry is likable enough, though I confess having kind of a weakness for Morgan. Beyond that, it was a good one-time read.
-The Final Solution
Chabon's ancient Holmes is incredibly rendered. This is perhaps the story I've enjoyed reading the most so far, and I read it in two great giant gulps. I have discovered, mostly through this story and various shorts, that an old, Retired Sherlock Holmes makes me extremely sad. Both he and Watson apparently canonically go into the twilights of their lives alone, and as such a great friendship, I really wish they would go together. The separation of the two makes my heart hurt. Especially when they're old and should just be relaxing in retirement together and bee farming.
-The New Sherlock Holmes
Bland, unremarkable mish-mash pile of shorts. Includes most of the standard 'let's write a short story about Sherlock Holmes' ideas, I.E. Holmes is Moriarty, Holmes in the future, etc, etc. I think I recall genuinely enjoying one or two out of the lot, but they have since escaped my mind, likely replaced by the better pastiches (a word that seems to have been invented solely for the Holmes fandom, given that I had never previously encountered it before, and now encounter it daily).
-The West End Horror
Another of Nicholas Meyer's works. I enjoyed this one, it was genuinely tense through the last quarter of the novel, and Meyer is good to Watson in ways that make me extremely happy.
-The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes
Good, but with much to spiritual of an ending. Holmes' Tibetan adventures would have been far more interesting had he been genuinely an outsider. I think his character is fascinating and just special enough without heaping further uniqueities on him. I think it starts to get to be too much when not only is he the world's only consulting detective with unmatched powers of deduction AND he's a bang-up Quiddich player who saved the world from Voldemort - no wait. You get the idea.
-The Crimes of Dr. Watson
I should go back and open the end and figure this out. I sat on it for a week, and there were many details that caused my brain to go 'ping!' but I couldn't string them all together into anything salient. Maybe I'll do this before bed tonight. A fun diversion, but my brain is not nearly so awesome as Sherlock Holmes'. Also the sex toys catalog, I can't get past that.
-The Mammoth Book of New Sherlock Holmes Adventures
Sure was big. Entertaining read. Does not stand out in my mind as either horrible or fantastic.