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linwearcamenel's review
1.0
The fanwriters who write fic for the Sherlock Holmes Canon (ie the four novels and fifty-four short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) are some of the best in the business. I've written for ACD!Holmes myself, though I wouldn't put myself in the same league as those writers who have done the best work with the character since Doyle himself.
The reason I'm saying that is because this is not that. I hate using the term "this sounds like fanfic" as a negative because, as I said above, lots of fanfic is amazing. But this sounded like bad fanfic and if you're going to get yours published, then yours had better be better than that. Because I knew this was published fanfic going in, and I'm not opposed to shaking up the overly Canonical and strict world of Holmes pastiches. There are those who think Holmes shouldn't ever be involved in anything supernatural or fantastical because he was so grounded in reality in Canon (except for The Adventure of the Creeping Man) and I'm not one of those. Holmes and Watson are archetypes for a reason and they pretty much work anywhere as long as they are recognizably Holmes and Watson.
But in order to do that, Holmes and Watson have to sound like Holmes and Watson. It's way more than just having Holmes show off some criminal knowledge and quip about playing the violin, which is pretty much what passed for characterization here. It's more than just matching the names and hoping your audience's knowledge does the rest. That's a fanfic attitude and it's the reason the best fanwriters develop the characters beyond canon instead of resting on everyone just knowing what they're supposed to sound like and imagining them.
So if you're going to pay for fanfic save your money and go read better ones for free.
The reason I'm saying that is because this is not that. I hate using the term "this sounds like fanfic" as a negative because, as I said above, lots of fanfic is amazing. But this sounded like bad fanfic and if you're going to get yours published, then yours had better be better than that. Because I knew this was published fanfic going in, and I'm not opposed to shaking up the overly Canonical and strict world of Holmes pastiches. There are those who think Holmes shouldn't ever be involved in anything supernatural or fantastical because he was so grounded in reality in Canon (except for The Adventure of the Creeping Man) and I'm not one of those. Holmes and Watson are archetypes for a reason and they pretty much work anywhere as long as they are recognizably Holmes and Watson.
But in order to do that, Holmes and Watson have to sound like Holmes and Watson. It's way more than just having Holmes show off some criminal knowledge and quip about playing the violin, which is pretty much what passed for characterization here. It's more than just matching the names and hoping your audience's knowledge does the rest. That's a fanfic attitude and it's the reason the best fanwriters develop the characters beyond canon instead of resting on everyone just knowing what they're supposed to sound like and imagining them.
So if you're going to pay for fanfic save your money and go read better ones for free.
kizzia's review
5.0
Fifty well written and beautifully crafted short stories that are entirely in the spirit of all incarnations of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. Wendy's love of the canon, and all that the canon has generated, shines from the pages, as does her love for the partnership between Holmes and Watson that drives all Holmes stories. Whether they meet in a hospital in 2015, or in a pub in Ireland in 1880, the core of these two men who have captivated our hearts for over a hundred years remains true. This is a book I will read, and re-read, until the pages are worn out.
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