Customer Reviews

The Game Is Afoot: Parodies, Pastiches and Ponderings of Sherlock Holmes

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I enjoyed this anthology immensly. Some of the pastiches Mr. Kaye included were among the best Neo-Sherlocking I've ever read (I particularly enjoyed "The Unmasking Of Sherlock Holmes" by Arthur Chapman.) and I agree with most of his opinions on The Canon. But who does he think he is calling the brilliant performance of Jeremy Brett as Holmes an "outrage and an abomination"?! He also says he will not mention the Brett series in his Holmesian catalogue. You just did Marv!

...mostly interesting, occasionally excellent or pedestrian. I found the editor's own essay tedious. Overall good fun.

I have to admit I had a hard time to decide how to rate this book. The collection of pastriches and parodies is delightful, absolutely no question about that. However, it was all ruined with the author's very personal and uncalled for bashing of Jeremy Brett's performance as Sherlock Holmes in the Granada series. Ironically a series and interpretation that is, with very few exceptions, regarded as the ultimate Sherlock Holmes and the only version close to canon. Unfortunately the author does not grace us with an explanation for his slandering of the probably most beloved embodiment of Holmes. His comments are nothing short of immature and insulting and personally I think while everyone is entitled to her/his opinion I expect objective criticism and an explanation for personal dislike in a book that combines stories and essays. What the author did here is unforgivable and highly unprofessional. Hence the one star rating dispite the overall fine content of this publication. I do not think a writer should get away with stooping that low. There you go, Marvin.

As a serious Sherlockian, I loved this collection of bits and pieces which adds to the cannon very nicely.

While some of the serious essays can be a bit dry, the collection of new stories and parodies more than makes up for that. Many of the parodies made me laugh out loud, causing more than one person to turn to look at me in surprise.

This book will be going to a place of honor next to my complete collection of Doyle's original cannon work on the great detective.