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3.16 AVERAGE
3.16 AVERAGE
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
As someone who used to dabble in the world of fan fiction, I've always been baffled by the resistance of some authors to fan-originated treatments of their characters. I understand the standard response: Works of literature are the author's bread and butter and to allow someone else to encroach on the same territory cheapens the original product, the way a faux Gucci bag sold on a New York City street cheapens the original Gucci brand. But I think there is a fundamental flaw in that logic, at least when it comes to books and stories. The product of an author is not a zero-sum commodity in the same way a purse is. Engaging in fan fiction, whether as a reader or a writer, does not preclude the 'consumption' of the original product. In fact, one is unlikely to seek out fan fiction or spend any amount of time with it, if one is not already deeply engaged with the original work. And members of the fan fiction community are usually the first to pre-order a new book by a favorite author or wait in line at midnight for the premier showing of a movie or collect every DVD in a favorite television series.
But the other reason that I think the protests against fan fiction are disingenuous is that the pros do it too. Hollywood's bread and butter is the film adaptation of literary classics (and the not so literary or classic). And no other fictional character has been adapted more times in more formats than Sherlock Holmes. In film alone, 75 different actors have portrayed the detective in over 200 films. But film is not the only medium that breeds new Holmes stories. Cruise the mystery shelves of any bookstore and one finds lots of "further adventures of" novels featuring the clever detective. Although the books are of varying quality, no one is claiming that these dozens of new Holmes' adventures are cheapening the original "brand" or causing readers to fly to the faux Holmes and away from Conan Doyle's. In fact, I suspect quite the opposite is happening. Director Guy Ritchie introduced a whole new generation to his version of Sherlock Holmes, Action Hero. Inevitably some of those movie goers are going to pick up Conan Doyle's stories. I had never read a single original Sherlock Holmes story before reading Laurie R. King's wonderful The Beekeeper's Apprentice.
Caleb Carr's The Italian Secretary is a fine example of "professional" fan fiction staring Sherlock Holmes. As the author of several critically acclaimed mysteries set in the same late Victorian era, Carr is well-suited as an interpreter of Holmes. And The Italian Secretary even has the imprimatur of the estate of Arthur Conan Doyle. In Carr's tale, Holmes and Watson are summoned by Sherlock's brother Mycroft to the Scottish palace of Holyrood, residence of Scottish monarchs since 1505, where two brutal murders have threatened Queen Victoria's safety and evoked claims of spectral activity by the ghost of The Italian Secretary, private secretary to Mary, Queen of Scots, who was viciously murdered in front of the Queen by her consort, Lord Darnley, in 1566.
How much one enjoys any given "further adventure" of Sherlock Holmes will depend on how well one thinks the author has captured the main characters of Holmes and Watson. I enjoyed Carr's version of both, although at times I thought them a touch anachronistic, which surprised me from an author who is also a published historian (so perhaps I'm wrong). Watson is disturbed by Holmes' apparent willingness to entertain the possibility of ghostly activity over other, more rational, explanations. When this inconsistently is addressed and we are made aware of Holmes' reasoning, it didn't ring true to me and sounded more like late 20th Century psychological analysis than what I would expect the "real" Holmes' to believe. In another spot, Watson describes Balmoral Castle as a "Victorian Gothic masterpiece"; I wonder if someone living in the middle of Victoria's reign would really have invoked her name to describe an architectural style. Wouldn't that description more likely be applied retrospectively from the vantage point of a post-Victorian consciousness?
I've vacillated between 2 and 3 stars for The Italian Secretary. I'm giving it three because I enjoyed it as a story in its own right, even if I sometimes felt the tone of Holmes and Watson didn't quite fit my take on Conan Doyle's characters. This book has been sitting on my shelf for years before I finally read it; it is one of those books that is perfect to slip in between more serious novels, like the crackers at a wine tasting.
But the other reason that I think the protests against fan fiction are disingenuous is that the pros do it too. Hollywood's bread and butter is the film adaptation of literary classics (and the not so literary or classic). And no other fictional character has been adapted more times in more formats than Sherlock Holmes. In film alone, 75 different actors have portrayed the detective in over 200 films. But film is not the only medium that breeds new Holmes stories. Cruise the mystery shelves of any bookstore and one finds lots of "further adventures of" novels featuring the clever detective. Although the books are of varying quality, no one is claiming that these dozens of new Holmes' adventures are cheapening the original "brand" or causing readers to fly to the faux Holmes and away from Conan Doyle's. In fact, I suspect quite the opposite is happening. Director Guy Ritchie introduced a whole new generation to his version of Sherlock Holmes, Action Hero. Inevitably some of those movie goers are going to pick up Conan Doyle's stories. I had never read a single original Sherlock Holmes story before reading Laurie R. King's wonderful The Beekeeper's Apprentice.
Caleb Carr's The Italian Secretary is a fine example of "professional" fan fiction staring Sherlock Holmes. As the author of several critically acclaimed mysteries set in the same late Victorian era, Carr is well-suited as an interpreter of Holmes. And The Italian Secretary even has the imprimatur of the estate of Arthur Conan Doyle. In Carr's tale, Holmes and Watson are summoned by Sherlock's brother Mycroft to the Scottish palace of Holyrood, residence of Scottish monarchs since 1505, where two brutal murders have threatened Queen Victoria's safety and evoked claims of spectral activity by the ghost of The Italian Secretary, private secretary to Mary, Queen of Scots, who was viciously murdered in front of the Queen by her consort, Lord Darnley, in 1566.
How much one enjoys any given "further adventure" of Sherlock Holmes will depend on how well one thinks the author has captured the main characters of Holmes and Watson. I enjoyed Carr's version of both, although at times I thought them a touch anachronistic, which surprised me from an author who is also a published historian (so perhaps I'm wrong). Watson is disturbed by Holmes' apparent willingness to entertain the possibility of ghostly activity over other, more rational, explanations. When this inconsistently is addressed and we are made aware of Holmes' reasoning, it didn't ring true to me and sounded more like late 20th Century psychological analysis than what I would expect the "real" Holmes' to believe. In another spot, Watson describes Balmoral Castle as a "Victorian Gothic masterpiece"; I wonder if someone living in the middle of Victoria's reign would really have invoked her name to describe an architectural style. Wouldn't that description more likely be applied retrospectively from the vantage point of a post-Victorian consciousness?
I've vacillated between 2 and 3 stars for The Italian Secretary. I'm giving it three because I enjoyed it as a story in its own right, even if I sometimes felt the tone of Holmes and Watson didn't quite fit my take on Conan Doyle's characters. This book has been sitting on my shelf for years before I finally read it; it is one of those books that is perfect to slip in between more serious novels, like the crackers at a wine tasting.
This had a lot of potential. It had a wonderfully atmospheric setting, murders at Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. The title refers to David Rizzio, Mary Queen of Scots' secretary who was murdered in front of her..does his singing ghost still haunt the palace, lusting for revenge? Great setup, lousy execution. It got wordy and boring.... the bad guys were revealed far too soon....it just fizzled right out. Too bad.
I thought this book did very well in keeping the essence and spirit of Holmes and Watson. While you can't expect a completely different author to sound exactly like the legendary Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, I think it kept the same tone and feel quite nicely. There really is nothing quite like a good mystery, especially one with such a legendary duo.
This combines Carr's amazing sense of place as well as characterization into a Holmes/Watson tale that is close to Conan Doyle's original works. He combines the Scottish legend of Queen Mary's Italian secretary with the nuances of Queen Victoria's reign and the classic detective duo. Though a shorter read than either of Carr's first novels, it is nevertheless jam packed full of action. Once again Carr shows his readers that the landscape of a book can be a character as real as the persons portrayed. If you enjoy detective stories, ghost stories and legends or Conan Doyle in general this will be a good choice for you.
(Year of Epic Reads Weekly Challenge #19: Read a book with a mystery.)
Very pleasant and fun read, even though the mystery was not that mysterious, as most of it was reveleaed rather early in the story. I enjoy Caleb Carr, and I enjoy Holmes very much, and I quite liked his version of Watson's writing.
Very pleasant and fun read, even though the mystery was not that mysterious, as most of it was reveleaed rather early in the story. I enjoy Caleb Carr, and I enjoy Holmes very much, and I quite liked his version of Watson's writing.
I think I would have been better served by reading an actual Sherlock Holmes novel. This was inconsistant and melodramatic.
This was not my favorite adaptation of Sherlock Holmes. I had very high hopes for this book for a number of reasons. Caleb Carr’s books have gotten some very high praise, and the book description seemed full of the mystery and intrigue I would expect from a Sherlock Holmes novel. I had also heard this favorably discussed in my Sherlock Holmes group here on Goodreads.
It started out fine, the plot was set up very well and it is always a joy to be back with familiar characters. That being said, for me once the initial set up was over I felt the book really never went anywhere. It seemed slow and drawn out. Almost as if he wrote the story, felt it was to short and added filler through out to lengthen it. I found my mind wandering at times and I was robotically reading the book and not necessarily comprehending what I was reading. Of course I would go back and reread sections to make sure I got everything going on, but with a good book I shouldn’t have this issue. The other thing that irked me a bit was in the story there is a ghost that is troubling certain characters, this would normally peak my interest, but instead it felt very Scooby-Doo-ish.
I did enjoy the writing style of Caleb Carr so it has peaked my interest in reading his own series around his character Doctor Laszlo. As a fan, I know it is very hard to write a character someone else has established, and I am very critical of any author trying to master Doyle’s great Sherlock Holmes. I do hope that with Carr’s own character those stories will hold my interest better. This Sherlock Holmes novel was just not as good as I had hoped.
It started out fine, the plot was set up very well and it is always a joy to be back with familiar characters. That being said, for me once the initial set up was over I felt the book really never went anywhere. It seemed slow and drawn out. Almost as if he wrote the story, felt it was to short and added filler through out to lengthen it. I found my mind wandering at times and I was robotically reading the book and not necessarily comprehending what I was reading. Of course I would go back and reread sections to make sure I got everything going on, but with a good book I shouldn’t have this issue. The other thing that irked me a bit was in the story there is a ghost that is troubling certain characters, this would normally peak my interest, but instead it felt very Scooby-Doo-ish.
I did enjoy the writing style of Caleb Carr so it has peaked my interest in reading his own series around his character Doctor Laszlo. As a fan, I know it is very hard to write a character someone else has established, and I am very critical of any author trying to master Doyle’s great Sherlock Holmes. I do hope that with Carr’s own character those stories will hold my interest better. This Sherlock Holmes novel was just not as good as I had hoped.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No