Welcome to the Historical Fiction Online forums: a friendly place to discuss, review and discover historical fiction.
If this is your first visit, please be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above.
You will have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed.
To start viewing posts, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Sherlock Holmes

Post Reply
User avatar
Kveto from Prague
Compulsive Reader
Posts: 921
Joined: September 2008
Location: Prague, Bohemia

Sherlock Holmes

Post by Kveto from Prague » Tue November 23rd, 2010, 6:36 pm

The previous thread got me thinking about Sherlock Holmes. I read a bunch of his short stories years ago. I feel like hes one of those characters (like james bond) that so much legend has been built up since the original its nice to go back to the source material. and i was surprised how much better the source material was. holmes is almost unrecognisable from the media that has built up since.

I liked the stories although sometimes it was easy to feel cheated as holmes solved cases with information unrevealed to the readers.

It was interesting to see all of the characters and peoples he came into contact with: east India company, the church of latter day saints, opium dens, the king of bohemia, even the KKK.

the sign of four was probably my favourite story, a complex plot and a bit more action than usual. the stories did get progessively more predictable. I was kind of relieved when holmes got a heroic ending in "the final problem". too bad doyle had to resurect him. but i think thats the inherent nature in serial adventures. after awhile you start to either get repetative or chance the character from what people like.

And not one "Elementary, my dear Watson" in the entire series :-)

chuck
Bibliophile
Posts: 1073
Joined: August 2008
Location: Ciinaminson NJ

Post by chuck » Tue November 23rd, 2010, 8:08 pm

Unfortunately...I grew watching Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes....I loved the mysteries and the interesting assortment of characters....Your exactly right that the Media has distorted the real SH...Later Television and films gave him a another go....but went for embellishment instead toning it down....To this day I have not read any of Doyle's SH novels.....SH is on my TBR......I'm still sucker for Holmes on the Big Screen.....Hurry Watson..."The game is afoot"

User avatar
princess garnet
Bibliophile
Posts: 1794
Joined: August 2008
Location: Maryland

Post by princess garnet » Wed November 24th, 2010, 1:22 am

My local PBS station, WETA, shows the Sherlock Holmes TV series with Jeremy Brett in the lead role. From the ones I've seen, some episodes were intense, others slower paced.

writerinthenorth
Reader
Posts: 107
Joined: June 2010

Post by writerinthenorth » Sat June 30th, 2012, 8:48 am

It's a predictable choice, but 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' is for me the greatest of the Sherlock Holmes stories. Chilling atmosphere on the moors, and the haunting, menacing howl of the dog - amazing what can be done with words on a printed page.

J.D. Oswald
Reader
Posts: 84
Joined: May 2012

Post by J.D. Oswald » Sat June 30th, 2012, 12:53 pm

I grew to love the SH stories as a teenager after, at the age of 13, my mum gave me The Red-Headed League to read, saying 'you might like this.'

I agree that the earlier stories tend to be the best. I particularly like those ones set in remote settings. ACD seemed to be aware of the dangers that solitary women sometimes faced, especially if they got cut-off in the 'smiling' countryside e.g. the Solitary Cyclist, the Copper Beeches, the Speckled Band.

I liked Jeremy Brett as a screen Holmes - full of manic energy. Has anyone seen the BBC series 'Sherlock', a C21st remake? see http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00t4pgh

User avatar
Madeleine
Bibliomaniac
Posts: 5859
Joined: August 2008
Currently reading: "The Whitstable Pearl Mystery" by Julie Wassmer
Preferred HF: Plantagenets, Victorian, crime, dual time-frame
Location: Essex/London

Post by Madeleine » Sun July 1st, 2012, 4:54 pm

Yes I think the general consensus in the UK is that Jeremy Brett was/is the definitive Holmes for a long time. However the new series has been a massive hit here, personally I still find Benedict Cumberbatch a little too manic - although I prefer him to Robert Downey Jr - and he's certainly re-defined Holmes for a new audience. Martin Freeman is excellent as Watson.
Currently reading "The Whitstable Pearl Mystery" by Julie Wassmer

User avatar
Nefret
Bibliomaniac
Posts: 2994
Joined: February 2009
Favourite HF book: Welsh Princes trilogy
Preferred HF: The Middle Ages (England), New Kingdom Egypt, Medieval France
Location: Temple of Isis

Post by Nefret » Tue July 24th, 2012, 6:48 am

I'll get around to reading those stories someday.
Into battle we ride with Gods by our side
We are strong and not afraid to die
We have an urge to kill and our lust for blood has to be fulfilled
WE´LL FIGHT TILL THE END! And send our enemies straight to Hell!
- "Into Battle"
{Ensiferum}

User avatar
Madeleine
Bibliomaniac
Posts: 5859
Joined: August 2008
Currently reading: "The Whitstable Pearl Mystery" by Julie Wassmer
Preferred HF: Plantagenets, Victorian, crime, dual time-frame
Location: Essex/London

Post by Madeleine » Tue July 24th, 2012, 2:00 pm

Don't worry Nefret - I finally got round to reading "The Hound of the Baskervilles" only a couple of months ago, and thoroughly enjoyed it. A good old-fashioned (literally!) ripping yarn, which has it's own style despite all the screen versions that there have been.
Currently reading "The Whitstable Pearl Mystery" by Julie Wassmer

annis
Bibliomaniac
Posts: 4585
Joined: August 2008

Post by annis » Tue July 24th, 2012, 10:25 pm

I love the BBC Sherlock - manic and fiendishly clever! Also really enjoyed Jekyll, the 2007 BBC take on Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. It also owes a lot to Sherlock writer Steven Moffatt.

Post Reply

Return to “Classics”