The Blue Fairy's Bookshelf

The Beekeeper's Apprentice Laurie R. King, 1994 And finally we come to the book I had already read (and re-read).  This is where I may have to surrender my Holmes canon-guard certification.  Because I love this book.  I was worried that I wouldn't this time through, that it wouldn't hold up to a more critical eye, but I can't resist it. Yes, it would be unfair not to mention here that King occasionally uses similar tactics to those that ticked me off in other books I've written up.  In Russell's first scene, her analysis is perhaps a bit too Holmesian, ( which I criticized Adler for ), but Russell is an original character, and has the advantage of having already read many of the Holmes stories.  Besides which, after the first scene, she ought to sound like Holmes.  King adds an introduction in which she explains why the prose doesn't read quite like Watson, and why Holmes perhaps comes off a bit differently, (a bad author habit I harped on twic...

Basil of Baker Street Eve Titus, 1958 I have mixed feelings about this book.  I appreciated it on several levels, just not the level of actually reading the thing. I know, it's intended for kids.  Small kids.  We should just say it's not one of those kids books that holds up.  For the unaware, this is the first of 5 books about 'the mouse Sherlock Holmes'.  And yes, these books are the inspiration for Disney's The Great Mouse Detective .  Unlike in the movie, in which the mice seem to lead a parallel but largely separate life from humans, in the book Basil and Dawson actively eavesdrop on Holmes and Watson to learn about detecting.  They even move all their friends into a town they build in the basement of 221B.  This should be cute, but oddly diminishes Basil.  Faced with the example of actual Holmes, he is overawed, and over the course of this book managed to do relatively little.  They follow some obvious footprints, wait ...

Good Night, Mr. Holmes Carole Nelson Douglas, 1990 (Some Spoilers) I wanted to like this book, and I sort of did.  I guess I just wasn't swept away by it due to, well, knowing the entire story (more or less) beforehand.  This novel introduces Ms. Douglas's version of Irene Adler (who stars in at least 7 more books, according to the inside flap), and covers the time leading up to and covering the events of "A Scandal in Bohemia".  I think I'm glad that I wrote my mini-dissertation on Adler before reading this book, given that we come to many of the same conclusions. This Irene is worldly but not promiscuous, a musician first and foremost, briefly believed in the possibility of marriage with the King of Bohemia, only to have those romantic hopes firmly dashed.  The King is presented as a spoiled man-child, who leads Irene on, only to be furious when she declines the offer to become his mistress. Holmes' admiration for (but no romantic attraction ...

Selections from the Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Edited by John Joseph Adams, 2009 So, I currently am borrowing a Kindle, so naturally I want to try it out.  Preferably without buying anything, since it's not actually my Kindle.  I decided to see if I can get anything from the Baen Free Library.  And lo and behold, there is an offering entitled, Selections from the Improbable.... So I download it, as a well-timed experiment. I'm telling you this so that you'll know that I don't have a copy of The Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes in front of me.  I haven't read Stephen King's story, or Laurie R. King's.  But the following nine stories are available for free online , all but two as a free ebook .  Each title below is linked to the text, so if you have lots of time to kill, you can see whether you agree with my reactions.  Talk about immediate gratification. I like this compilation, as an idea.  It's mostly reprints...