Pastiches - any recommended besides LRK?

[Christina]

As I said in my intro post, I had avoided BEEK for years and years because I was afraid that no one could do justice to my beloved Sherlock Holmes and his Universe. But finally I gave in and was hooked in just a couple of pages. This was just a few months ago. Right after BEEK, I got all the Russells and then all the Martinellis and then all the stand-alones. I was in heaven! But now I am out of new LRKs and deeply into withdrawal.

So I am considering other Sherlockian pastiches. Frankly, I cannot imagine anyone being able to even come close to Russell & Holmes, but I am also curious to see what others have done. Do any of you have any other favorites?

I am thinking of starting with these two:

The Seven-Per-Cent Solution: Being a Reprint from the Reminiscences of John H. Watson, M.D
by Nicholas Meyer
http://www.amazon.com/Seven-Per-Cent-Solution-Reprint-Reminiscences-Paperback/dp/0393311198/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-8535986-3015200?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1182089555&sr=1-1

The Childhood of Sherlock Holmes (Paperback)
by Mona Morstein
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1880090791/ref=wl_it_dp/002-8535986-3015200?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2JC7C303F0BL8&colid=2CLD3JJ66CP7L

Any other comments or recommendations?

(Oh, yes, and Happy Father’s Day to all of you to whom this applies ;-)

Thanks, Christina

[jtb1951]

You might enjoy the Shackleford's in the following list, and Les Klinger is an expert. Here's a large list from which to choose!! :)

From http://www.geocities.com/~sherlockian/link_7_1_yop.html

* The Lost Special - + Mt Royal (1908) prepared by M. Keating
* Maddened by Mystery - by Stephen Leacock
* How Watson Learned The Trick - The Book of the Queen's Dolls' House Library, 1924
* The Field Bazaar - The Student, November 1896
* The Adventure of the Deadly Gift - by Lee Eric Shackleford
* An Honest Mistake - by Lee Eric Shackleford
* Holmes & Watson - excerpt from play by Lee Eric Shackleford
* Convergence At Baker Street - + Holmes/X-Files crossover (NR)
* Beekeeper - Holmes/X-Files crossover by Maureen S. O'Brien
* TAO Damascus Rode - + by Mel Hughes
* The Case of the Vronceaux Brougham - + By Dr. Gerald McDaniel
* The Adventure of the Familiar Footprint - by Christopher W. Harrison
* The Mystery of the Midnight Thief - by Roderick Allen
* The Adventure of Silver Daze - by Michael Neylon & Eric Costello
* Sherlock Holmes kontra Mars - in Deutsch/German
* Herlock Shomes, A Case of Indemnity - a parody
* The Adventure Of The Missing Scholar - by Ellie Chorley (327K zip)(MS-Word format)
* The Adventure Of The Missing Scholar - by Ellie Chorley (HTML)
* Sherlock Holmes and the Brown Mountain Lights - by James McKay Morton
* The Missing Shoe with diamonds - + by Sam
* Search for Sherrinford Holmes - RPG log books
* Literary London - RPG logs with Sherlockian references
* New Europa - RPG logs with Sherlockian references
o Chapter 4, Meeting Holmes
* Sherlock Holmes Dances - poem by Norman Dukes
* The Curious Disappearance of Jessica Hastings - Sherlock Fraser & Dr. Vecchio?
* *Murder in Time - Dr Who crossover (NR)
* Sherlock Holmes - Chinese Box Mysteries - from Allen Wayne site [FTP/Text]
* *Sherlock Holmes - Chinese Box Mysteries - from Allen Wayne site [HTML] (NR)
* You See But You Do Not Observe - by Robert J. Sawyer
* Steel True, Blade Straight - by Huong Nguyen, a.k.a. Miss Roylott
* The Captive Sleuths - by Patricia Bow
* *The Case of the South Downs Millionaires" - by Michael Cox (NR)
* Shamrock Holmes Mysteries - can you solve the mystery?
* The Singular Adventures of the Grice-Patersons in the Island of Uffa - by Quill & Pizza Club
* Adventure of the Red Jester - by Stu Shiffman
* Adventure of the Wooden Box - by Leslie S. Klinger
* The Adventure of the Cathode Ray Tube - by Timothy Paul Smith
* Bond Meets Sherlock Holmes - by Pamela Scott
* The Drowned Monarch - by Tony Kendall
* Sherlock Holmes - a poem by Kristin Gulling
* Shamrock Holmes - "Who Pitched Mrs. Booty" by Antonio and Karen Greco
* The Case of the Missing Ten Pounds - by John Price
* The Adventure of the Matrox Mystery - by Omid Rahmat
* The Adventure of the Wild Turkey - by Billy-Joe-Bob ("Bubba") Watson
* Arthur Witles, consulting detective? - what if Holmes was a genius, and a bumbling moron!


Sherlockian Pastiche Collections
Sherlock Holmes Pastiches & Parodies - The Yoxley Collection
o The Mystery Gift - * by Bruce Scivally
o The Memoir of the Dervish Curse - * by Edmund Holmes
o The Adventure of the Disappeared Aviatrix - * by Edmund Holmes
o The Case of the Missing Cayman - * by Edmund Holmes
Sherlockian Pastiches - Foxhound collection & links
o The Repulsive Story of the Red Leech - edited by Mark W. Plemmons
o The Disappearing Sovereign, Part I - by Terry Alan Klasek
o The Disappearing Sovereign, Part II - by Terry Alan Klasek
o The Adventure of the Zayat Kiss, Part 1 - by Terry Alan Klasek
o The Case of the Winning Woman, Part 1 - by Rebecca J. Anderson
o The Case of the Winning Woman, Part 2 - by Rebecca J. Anderson
o The Case of the Winning Woman, Part 3 - by Rebecca J. Anderson
o Russellian Pastiche - by An Oxford Punter
o Reminiscences of Miss Helen Stoner - by Huong Nguyen
o Reichenbach excerpt - by Huong Nguyen
o Sherlock Holmes and the Magic Bullett - by Carl L. Heifetz
o Pearls of Death, Part 1 - by Carl L. Heifetz
o Pearls of Death, Part 2 - by Carl L. Heifetz
o The Case of the Jewish Pawnbroker - by Carl L. Heifetz
o The Missing Stradivarius - by Carl L. Heifetz
o The Adventure of the Boulevard Assassin - by Sarah G. Hadley
o The Really Final Solution - by Nicholas Pollotta
o The Dundas Separation Case - by Sonia Fetherston
o The Drop-In Guest - by Raymond M. Rose
o The Sharpened Tongue - by Magnus Kvant
o The Letter from Wittgenstein - by Magnus Kvant (MS Word)
o Before Watson - by The Writings of Tang-ying & some poor bibliophile
o The Adventure of John Habakuk Jephson's Statement - by unknown
o The Adventure of The Chess Game - by Josh Britton

Good reading!!

John.

[Christina]

Good Grief! John! I had no idea there were so many. Given that I am so enamored with LRK's work, do you have any particular recommendations out of that gargantuan list?

Any comments on those two specific books I had identified as interesting from the reviews on Amazon?

Wow! <still stunned> I guess I should have realized that the Sherlockian Universe was as boundless as the Star Trek Universe.

Christina

[jtb1951]

Hi, Christina!

Specifically, I would recommend the new paperback called Holmes & Watson, by Lee Shackleford. It is the novelized version of his theatrical script of the play by the same name. I thought it was well done, and I'm looking for his other Holmes pastiches now. The book is available from Amazon and others. Have fun! :)

John.

[Carlina]

I can recommend Letters of Mary if you are interested in patisches on H & R...Excellent writers, some of which are among us...Its on yahoo groups so you'll have to join:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Letters_Of_Mary/

There is also the Hive:
http://www.geocities.com/athens/acropolis/8950/russell/russell.htm

and Fanfiction.net..some of it is excellent and some of it..well...
http://www.fanfiction.net/l/377/3/0/1/1/0/0/0/0/0/1/

[Christina]

Sorry... "TBR"??? I know I should know this, but it's late on Sunday....

Christina

[vicki]

Whoa--lookee at that list!

TBR=to be read

My TBR stack always seems to be approaching skyscraper levels. Not that that's a bad thing...

Even after all these years on the internet, I still occasionally run into an acronym that bewilders me. For such occasions, there are helpful internet acronym dictionaires like this. (http://www.gaarde.org/acronyms/)

[Vilian]

I can recommend Letters of Mary if you are interested in patisches on H & R...Excellent writers, some of which are among us...Its on yahoo groups so you'll have to join:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Letters_Of_Mary/

There is also the Hive:
http://www.geocities.com/athens/acropolis/8950/russell/russell.htm

and Fanfiction.net..some of it is excellent and some of it..well...
http://www.fanfiction.net/l/377/3/0/1/1/0/0/0/0/0/1/


Thank you for the link to The Hive! Most brilliand stories there :) The ones I've already managed to read today were very very good and fit nicely into the gaps between LRK's original stories, especially between Monstrous Regiment and Letter of Mary - such amount of Russell-Holmes wedding and honeymoon gorgeous visions can leave such romantic girl like me completely stunned ;) Now I only wish someday Ms.King herself would bring her own version of those days' events to the world. I really would like a slightly more romantic or even melodramatic stuff in Russells :p (just don't kick me in the back people, it's just my opinion :p )

[vicki]

TBBW pile. Any guesses????

To Be Buried with....


Hehehehe! I'd need one massive coffin!

(just don't kick me in the back people, it's just my opinion :p )

We have a no-kicking-people rule in the VBC! :)

BTW--I've notice a number of people putting reasons down for their post-editing, but you don't have to type in a reason. You can just leave that box blank. I'll try to figure out how to turn that feature off so people don't feel like they have to explain their edits.

[Carlina]

Thank you for the link to The Hive! Most brilliand stories there :) The ones I've already managed to read today were very very good and fit nicely into the gaps between LRK's original stories, especially between Monstrous Regiment and Letter of Mary - such amount of Russell-Holmes wedding and honeymoon gorgeous visions can leave such romantic girl like me completely stunned ;) Now I only wish someday Ms.King herself would bring her own version of those days' events to the world. I really would like a slightly more romantic or even melodramatic stuff in Russells :p (just don't kick me in the back people, it's just my opinion :p )

Glad you like them. The Hive has some great stuff and many of the writers at the Hive are now writing at LoM. Its a wonderful community and the folks there are great and very encouraging. Their writing is amazing as well...very amazing....some of the stuff they write...wow...I am beginning to get Kanon and patische confused its so good.

They have inspired me to pick up my pen and write my own Holmes stories...not Holmes/Russell stuff, although I do occasionally write some things.

I don't think LRK will touch the honeymoon or wedding. She has answered that one numerous times...She would rather keep that a private matter for them. She has discussed it somewhere on her blog...somewhere...

Romance has been a constant request I think...Holmes, the romantic I cannot fathom, but there is affection in the novels. Its just all between the lines. Although you know, that scene at the end of Monst...man oh man...haven't seen one of those again, now have we. I was weak in the knees..*Carlina commends LRK on that scene*

[Strawberry Curls]

LRK's Holmes (I do beg pardon if this is an improper way of referring to Laurie R. King, but I have always felt Laurie was too familiar and Ms. King bothersome, so until I hear different I will stay with LRK) seems not only mellow, but quite romantic. After all any man who can rouse a woman, such as Russell, with just the slightest strokes on her hand is not only romantic, but sexy as all get out. Talk about heaps of SA!! I always like to think the echo of that feeling on her hand is why she reacted as she did to Colonel Edwards' advances.

Carlina and I have had discussion about her Holmes, the canon Holmes and LRK's Holmes and I happen to love LRK's Holmes. Sometimes referred to as "Fluffy Holmes." That is the Holmes I write, but I enjoy reading other versions, I just always come back to Kanon and the Holmes I love. To me he seems more three dimensional, not just a brain and no emotion, or so driven by his emotions he is out of control, just a mature man who found love and is enjoying his life. It probably has something to do with my age, but there you are.

[Carlina]

I think Holmes rouses many women the same way as Russell...he just doesn't realise it...fluffy or not. Wait did I just say that :rolleyes: ! Dear me, I hope Russell isn't lurking about.

[Christina]

I think I may have found the Australian Sherlock Holmes!

Not a pastiche exactly and not as good as one of my beloved LRK's, but as I was reading this book I found at the used bookstore (The Bone is Pointed, by Arthur Upfield), all I could think about was that Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte was surely one of the emanations of Sherlock Holmes.

After I finished the book, I did a bit of research: Arthur Upfield wrote the "Bony" series from the twenties til near his death in 1964, (he wrote another series as well.) Good news for me, since I am so charmed by Inspector Bonaparte, is that it seems there's 29 books in the series; bad news for me is that most of them are out of print and a lot are supposed to be very hard to find :-(

Inspector Bonaparte, "Bony" he insists on being called, is a half-caste (his words, not mine) Aboriginal detective who uses science, his native stubbornness, his brilliant mind and his Aboriginal childhood training to solve the unsolvable--no matter what or how long it takes. I loved it that book. I could only imagine how interesting it would be if Holmes and Russell went to Oz and met up with Bony! I have made a bit of a study of traditional peoples, the Koorie (Australian Aboriginals, NSW/Vic) among them, and from what little I know, this book seems remarkably accurate. From what I know of Australian society c.1938 when this book was written, Upfield's portrayal of the role of the Aboriginal in white society, half-cast or not, seems remarkably liberal.

Bony might fill in some of the gap left by my waiting for a new LRK.

Anybody else read Upfield’s work? And what do you think of it? One of the reviews I read said that the book I found was the best of the lot.

Christina

[vicki]

many of the writers at the Hive are now writing at LoM. Its a wonderful community and the folks there are great and very encouraging.

I've looked in on LoM a good bit and have been impressed with what a thriving, supportive community it is. Although the VBC isn't able to host fanfic posts or direct links to works of fanfic (as per the legal dep't), it's fine to link interested parties to the front page of sites that feature such work.


I do beg pardon if this is an improper way of referring to Laurie R. King, but I have always felt Laurie was too familiar and Ms. King bothersome, so until I hear different I will stay with LRK


LRK is completely fine! That's what I use, too, generally speaking. It also has the advantage of being easier to type than the longer references.


I happen to love LRK's Holmes.


Me too! I haven't even read the Canon, partly because I'm an in-order series reader and I hated the first entry in the Canon--A Study in Scarlet, and partly because I fear the ACD Holmes would mess up my mental picture of LRK's Holmes. I always feel like ducking whenever I say that--it's such a sacrilege, I halfway expect a bolt of lightning to fly down and knock me flat.

Talk about heaps of SA!!

<Nods vigorously> SA for days, most definitely.

Christina, searching "Upfield, Arthur" at this site (http://www.usedbooksearch.co.uk/)yielded over 4,000 used books on the market around the world. You may be able to find a good many of the Bonaparte mysteries with a search engine like that.


I could only imagine how interesting it would be if Holmes and Russell went to Oz and met up with Bony!


That sounds like it would be really cool, but alas, the Bony series will enjoy copyright protection for quite a few more years. It could be that one might negotiate with the current owner of the copyright for use of the character and various elements of the book, but that can be difficult for both financial and emotional reasons. But who knows--stranger things have happened.


Bony might fill in some of the gap left by my waiting for a new LRK.


I'm always looking for good gap-fillers, too!

[Strawberry Curls]

Me too! I haven't even read the Canon, partly because I'm an in-order series reader and I hated the first entry in the Canon--A Study in Scarlet, and partly because I fear the ACD Holmes would mess up my mental picture of LRK's Holmes. I always feel like ducking whenever I say that--it's such a sacrilege, I halfway expect a bolt of lightning to fly down and knock me flat.

This made me laugh, Vicki. I, too, prefer to read a series in order, but as ACD did not write his stories in any particular chronological order it really doesn't matter. Often something in the Russell books will send me to Canon. I had to ask someone about the emerald tie-pin when it came up in GAME and that sent me to read "Bruce-Partington Plans" I went back to "A Study" when I wanted to try to understand the "bull pup" line of Russell's in MREG. I had never read "His Last Bow" and someone pointed me to it in regards to what Holmes had been doing the summer of 1914 that Russell deduced when she was telling Holmes about himself in BEEK.

For me knowing the Canon Holmes only enriches the Kanon Holmes and makes me even more appreciative of LRK's accomplishment in making her Holmes a logical extrapolation from Canon, and IMHO a more interesting character.;)

[VictoriaMisselthwaite]

This made me laugh, Vicki. I, too, prefer to read a series in order, but as ACD did not write his stories in any particular chronological order it really doesn't matter. Often something in the Russell books will send me to Canon. I had to ask someone about the emerald tie-pin when it came up in GAME and that sent me to read "Bruce-Partington Plans" I went back to "A Study" when I wanted to try to understand the "bull pup" line of Russell's in MREG. I had never read "His Last Bow" and someone pointed me to it in regards to what Holmes had been doing the summer of 1914 that Russell deduced when she was telling Holmes about himself in BEEK.

For me knowing the Canon Holmes only enriches the Kanon Holmes and makes me even more appreciative of LRK's accomplishment in making her Holmes a logical extrapolation from Canon, and IMHO a more interesting character.;)


Well...I came in through the Canon, and I really didn't know what to expect when first picking up the Kanon, though there were a number of factors that really appealed to me, not least of which was the age difference...but anyway, I found that LRK did a fantastic job, making the Kanon Holmes seem like a natural progression from the Canon Holmes...I have no problem reconciling the two...the one, really, it feels like to me...

I don't feel comfortable writing Canon Holmes fanfic...at least not yet, considering that as far as crime, mystery fiction is concerned, I really only read Sherlock Holmes...and now Mary Russell...but there's a more relational thread that I may be able to hold onto in the Kanon...to the point that I'll probably make my first attempt at some manner of Holmes/Russell drabbling soon...though I've read some incredible stuff at the Hive and LOM that's absolutely blown me away!

[Strawberry Curls]

I will look forward to seeing you post a drabble or two on LoM. They are a great way to start writing. Telling a story in exactly 100 words teaches you to use language carefully and to be descriptive but brief. Do try -- but beware it can be very addictive. ;)

[AmyLizzie]

I can't get the quote thing to work so in reply to Vicki about preferring LRK's Holmes to the Canon, just wanted to say that I wouldn't worry vicki :) I have to say while I do love the way LRK writes Holmes and, I think that she is the closest to ACD's Holmes, I do have to say that I love the original Holmes, he will always be the true Holmes to me, but then everyone is entitled to their opinion and if there's one thing I know Holmes is how you interpret him, no matter where you find him!

Amy xxx

[Tara]

So I am considering other Sherlockian pastiches. Frankly, I cannot imagine anyone being able to even come close to Russell & Holmes, but I am also curious to see what others have done. Do any of you have any other favorites?

I am thinking of starting with these two:

The Seven-Per-Cent Solution: Being a Reprint from the Reminiscences of John H. Watson, M.D
by Nicholas Meyer
http://www.amazon.com/Seven-Per-Cent-Solution-Reprint-Reminiscences-Paperback/dp/0393311198/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-8535986-3015200?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1182089555&sr=1-1

The Childhood of Sherlock Holmes (Paperback)
by Mona Morstein
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1880090791/ref=wl_it_dp/002-8535986-3015200?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2JC7C303F0BL8&colid=2CLD3JJ66CP7L

Any other comments or recommendations?

Thanks, Christina

I just read The Seven Percent Solution, and I thought it was pretty good. I learned a bit about Freud too (before, all I knew about him was what I had gleaned from episodes of Frasier). :p

I haven't heard of the other one though, I should check it out.

I'm afraid I don't know of any good pastiches. I've read one. It was okay, but not great. I did find a very long list of pastiches. ;)

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/4824/holmes.htm

* Bond Meets Sherlock Holmes - by Pamela Scott
As in James Bond? Now that could be interesting. I'm sure Sherlock would be horrified by the way Bond goes through women. Assuming it is James Bond, does Bond go back in time, or does Sherlock get projected into the future?

I can recommend Letters of Mary if you are interested in patisches on H & R...Excellent writers, some of which are among us...Its on yahoo groups so you'll have to join:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Letters_Of_Mary/

There is also the Hive:
http://www.geocities.com/athens/acropolis/8950/russell/russell.htm

I love The Hive. I read a lot of those stories before I even got my books (which made me want them even more).
I'll have to check that other group out, I'm all out of fics over at The Hive. ;)

I have a friend with a TBBW pile. Any guesses????

To Be Buried with.... although her collection is probably close to a small public library by now. Yes, I'm envious.

I've actually been buried by books a couple of times. I have books stacked precariously around my bed, and the cats sometimes knock my piles on me while I'm sleeping. Not a pleasant way to wake up, especially when they're hardcovers. :D
I have so many books stashed that I haven't read yet. I buy a lot of used books, because if I don't like them at least I only paid a quarter or so for them. I probably have at least 300 books waiting for me in boxes...now If I could just get around to reading them...

For me knowing the Canon Holmes only enriches the Kanon Holmes and makes me even more appreciative of LRK's accomplishment in making her Holmes a logical extrapolation from Canon, and IMHO a more interesting character.

ITA.
I find that I appreciate the romantic moments so much more because of reading the Canon, because the pre-Russell Holmes wasn't romantic at all. There's also a lot of things I've recognized from the Canon, just stuff like the things Holmes says sometimes, and I think it's really neat (I'm always really proud of myself for noticing them, lol).

[Arcadian]

Anyone read Sherlock Holmes vs Dracula or Dr Jeckyl and Mr Holmes? Fun stuff, both by Estleman.

[The Grey Badger]

Has anyone suggested Fred Sagerhagen's "An Old Friend of the Family" yet? Fred died recently, of cancer. His was the first of the "rational Dracula with his own motivations" characters in fiction, though I believe Chelsea Quinn Yarbro comes in a very close second. At any rate, Dracula meets Sherlock Holmes.

[Elizabeth Chase]

Anyone read Sherlock Holmes vs Dracula or Dr Jeckyl and Mr Holmes? Fun stuff, both by Estleman.

Yes, I've read and enjoyed both of them.

In addition to Nick Meyers' Seven-per-cent Solution I recommend his followup West End Horror in which various luminaries appear: Bernard Shaw, Bram Stoker, Gilbert and Sullivan, and even Oscar Wilde.

I also liked the Larry Millet books, which take place in the Twin Cities of all places! As outlandish as the premise is, he's taken the time to work out blank periods during the canon so it's plausible for Holmes and Watson to have been in the USA.

Probably every Holmes fan should read William S. Baring-Gould's Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street: A Life of the World's First Consulting Detective. As a Mary Russell fan I try not to take personally the romance between Holmes and Irene Adler Norton!!

Speaking of Irene Adler, though they're not strictly speaking SH pastiches, Carole Nelson Douglas's Irene Adler Norton books are entertaining. IAN rather loathes SH who is a recurring character throughout the books.

There are a number of short story anthologies. Holmes for the Holidays and More Holmes for the Holidays are the first that come to mind. As is the case with most collections the quality of writing varies but as I recall Anne Perry is one of the authors. Murder in Baker Street, edited by Martin Greenberg is another and there are two more in the series, but I haven't bought those yet!

I do tend to go on and on, don't I?:D Can't help myself! I became a bit obsessed with SH (thanks to LRK and Mary Russell) and I have quite the pile of SH books!

[vicki]

Wow--a lot of these sound really cool! My TBR mountain continues to grow. :)