The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Original Stories

There are many collections of Sherlock Holmes stories written after Conan Doyle closed the canon of the official 56 short stories and 4 novels. Conan Doyle had disdain for his character sometimes (he thought that attention to Holmes distracted from his more serious work), but he also had regard and affection for him at times, and in the end remained his creator. Many of these stories have kept more or less to the spirit of Holmes and Watson in the originals, but few match the canonical grace (of course, this can be said of some of the stories Conan Doyle penned himself). There are some well-known names here (Stephen King gets top billing, but other names such as John Gardner and Michael Harrison, a well-known Sherlockian scholar and writer, also bear repeating). Some of these stories take their inspiration from canonical happenings and sidelines, while others go further afield and involve Holmes and Watson in new situations. For example, Harrison's story is entitled 'Sherlock Holmes and "The" Woman', a clear reference to Irene Adler of 'A Scandal in Bohemia' fame. In this story we find out that both Adler and her Bohemian counterpart in the mystery are in fact different people than original presented. It makes for a mystery within a mystery, and a nice twist. Stephen King's contribution was reportedly done on a wager, and involves Dr. Watson solving a case first, perhaps the only time Watson solves a case rather than Holmes (albeit other non-canonical stories pick up on this same theme). In this story, we learn that Watson outlives Holmes by forty years or so; of course, die-hard fans see Holmes as immortal, so one has to accept the idea of Holmes' death. What a curious pairing of options... This collection was produced to celebrate the centennial of the 'birth' of Holmes, stories of whom were first published in 1887; this book was first published in 1987. It includes, in addition to the sixteen new stories, a poem by Mollie Hardwick, which includes the lines Were a time-restoring charter Granted by grace of Heaven, Who would not this tired age barter For a night of 'eighty-seven, When, as fog through pane and curtain Softly grey comes creeping in, Wise - immortal - strange and certain - Sherlock plays his violin. Holmes' violin, a recurring element in the canon, features in stories here. There is much familiar from the setting of 221B Baker Street, the same London and the same Victorian Age. This is a worthy collection of honour and hommage to one of the stellar figures in modern mystery. The game is afoot.

Recently, I have read many of the "new" collections with Sherlock Holmes as the main character. While all have been enjoyable reading, this seems to be one of the best volumes available in that the stories have preserved the role of the main characters in their familiar habitats but with original plots. While not uninteresting, the collections which have involved Holmes with historical incidents or those told from another perspective other than Watson's or attempts to implant a new theme or agenda have not been as satisfying.

I love anything about Holmes and Watson. These were well written stories that I truly enjoyed reading. It took me back to when I read all of Doyle's stories about Holmes and Watson. I recommend it highly.

"The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" was like a breath of fresh air. Lately I have come across some anthologies which just aren't up to par as far as the quality of the plots. These stories I found to be entertaining and fun to read. Two which stood out for me were "Shadows on the Lawn" and "The Return of the Speckled Band". There's even a story in there for Watson lovers, "The Doctor's Case", penned by none other than Stephen King. Though there were a few which I didn't really care for, this is a worthwhile read.

An ingenious recapturing of the classic Sherlock Holmes stories. Some are better than others, but all are good, and who can beat a collection that includes Steven King!