Author: Arthur Conan Doyle
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| via Wikipedia |
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes collects short stories originally published in The Strand Magazine, 1892-93. Some but not all editions include "The Adventure of the Cardboard Box." Mine did not.
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| Mycroft Holmes (Mark Gatiss) via Baker Street Wiki |
There's some decent character development for Holmes in this run. We learn he is a master of both boxing and fencing. We learn he has a brother, Mycroft, every bit as brilliant as he is, though not as keen for the fieldwork required of an expert detective. So he's an accountant instead. My favorites of the collection are "The Adventure of the Silver Blaze," in which a race horse figures prominently, and "The Adventure of the Yellow Face," in which we see a rare attempt at Victorian Era social commentary.
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| Moriarty (Jared Harris) via Baker Street Wiki |
Most important for the overall franchise is the book's last tale, "The Final Problem." Holmes's greatest nemesis, Professor Moriarty, is introduced - an arch-criminal whose legacy includes Kingpin, Jabba the Hutt and Keyser Soze. I like Moriarty and I appreciate his importance but at least in this initial appearance, I don't think he gets enough development. In fact, to this point, I prefer the Star Trek character. Worth noting: neither Holmes nor Data could best Moriarty. But Captain Picard could...
Looks like you got quite a special edition. I like your breif assessment of the stories and mentions of their influence on other works.
ReplyDeleteNot really so special - it's Volume 1 of the collected works.
DeleteDoyle's side characters/bad guys all get much more development post-Doyle.
ReplyDeleteGood to know. It's certainly true of screen adaptations.
DeleteSounds interesting. I need to read some of Doyle's writings as it is an area I know little about.
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed my exploration.
DeleteI have never read any Sherlock Holmes books but have seen many films based on the characters. Funny, my favourite Moriarty is in Star Trek as well.
ReplyDeletePrior to this exploration, that was the limit of my experience, too. After reading the source material, I should probably explore the adaptations, too.
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