The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories Part III

by David Marcum

  Additionally, the stories had to be approximately the same length as the original short stories, with no novellas, and no fragments, such as something along the lines of “The Return of the Field Bazaar” or “How Watson Learned Another Trick”. Also, I initially stated that the submitted tales all had to be narrated by Watson. However, there were a few that showed up in my email (t)in-box that stepped away from the Watsonian viewpoint - specifically, a case narrated by Wiggins, a couple by Professor Moriarty, one by a passing acquaintance of Holmes during The Great Hiatus, and two about the Professor told in third person. These provided valuable insight, they were set within the correct Holmesian world, and they were simply too good to miss.

  Another goal that I set was to make use of completely new stories for the collection, in one format or another. With this in mind, I was almost completely successful... but not quite, if you wish to be technical about it. I must admit that, by way of a tiny bit of Watsonian Obfuscation, a few of the items herein have appeared in other locations or in other mediums, although they have never been published in this format before. One story was previously in a rather obscure local publication, and I believe that it is almost completely unknown to the larger audience, and might not be read by a lot of people otherwise. (In fact, with all my pastiche collecting, this was one that I didn’t know about until it was submitted for this anthology.) A couple of the submissions have previously been on the internet for a short time, and two of the submissions are in the form of scripts that were previously used for radio broadcasts in the U.S. and the U.K. This their first appearance as text in book form.

  As a side note, mentioning the scripts reminds me to acknowledge this volume’s unintended but happy association with Imagination Theatre, which broadcasts traditional radio dramas weekly throughout the U.S., and has recently passed 1,000 broadcasts. As part of their rotating line-up, they feature a series of original tales, The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - as of this writing numbering 117 episodes - and they are also in the process of broadcasting adaptations of the original Holmes Canon as The Classic Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Currently, they are close to completing radio dramatizations of all sixty original Holmes stories featuring the same actors as Holmes and Watson throughout, John Patrick Lowrie and Lawrence Albert respectively, and with all adaptations by the same scriptwriter, Matthew J. Elliott. One of the scripts in this collection, never before in print, is by Imagination Theatre founder Jim French. A number of other Imagination Theatre writers besides Mr. French have contributed to this collection, including Matthew Elliott, Matthew Booth, John Hall, Daniel McGachey, Iain McLaughlin and Claire Bartlett, Jeremy Holstein, J.R. Campbell, and me (David Marcum) - that’s a sizeable chunk our authors!

  Part III: With many sincere thanks...

  Throughout the process, everyone that I’ve contacted about writing a story has been more than gracious, either by immediately stepping up and offering to provide one, or - when he or she couldn’t join the party due to other obligations - continuing to offer support in numerous other ways. As the editor, being able to read these new adventures straight out of the Tin Dispatch Box is an experience not to be missed. Having never before tried to put together such a diverse Sherlock Holmes anthology, I must say that the whole thing has quickly become addictive, and I cannot promise not to do another one, although one of this size and scope, which was truly jumping into the deep water and then learning to swim, is unlikely.

  Of all the people I’d like to thank, I must first express my gratitude as a whole to the authors - or “editors”, if you will - of these new adventures from the Great Watsonian Oversoul. You stepped up and provided some really great stories that didn’t previously exist. You also put up with my reminders, nudges, and story suggestions when I had to don my Editing Deerstalker. Along the way, as I was able to read these fine stories, I also met some really nice new people.

  More specifically, I’d like to thank the following:

  My wife Rebecca and my son Dan, who mean everything - and I mean everything! - to me. They constantly put up with my Sherlockian interest, my ever-increasing pastiche collection, and my tendency to wear a deerstalker as my only hat for three-quarters of the year.

  Steve Emecz, publisher extraordinaire and the hardest working man in show-biz. Thanks for the constant support and for always listening!

  Bob Gibson of staunch.com - an amazing graphic artist, who let me keep tinkering with the cover, which became two covers, and then three...

  Joel and Carolyn Senter. Years ago, my family knew to start my birthday and Christmas shopping with Joel and Carolyn’s “Classic Specialties” catalogs. Later, when the original version of my first Holmes book was published, they enthusiastically got behind it and were responsible for selling almost every copy that was sold. They’ve encouraged me at every step, and I’m so glad that they could be a part of this anthology.

  Roger Johnson, who is so gracious when my random emails arrive with Holmesian ideas and questions. Visiting with him and his wife, Jean, during my Holmes Pilgrimage to England in 2013 was a high point of my trip. More recently, he located some wonderful pictures of Holmes and Watson for use in these books. In so many ways, I thank you!

  Bob Byrne, whom I first “met” by emailing him a question about Solar Pons - if you don’t know who Solar Pons is, go find out! - and then we ended up becoming friends.

  Derrick Belanger, who hadn’t specifically channeled Watson before, and is now on his way to becoming one of the best. Thanks for the friendship, the back-and-forth discussions upon occasion, and the support.

  Marcia Wilson, an incredible author and friend who received my first fan letter, long before I ever started thinking about writing anything myself. I’ve always said that, with her complex tales of Lestrade and his associates, she’s found Scotland Yard’s Tin Dispatch Box.

  Denis O. Smith, who was at the top of my pastiche wish list. I’m so glad that I was able to track him down, and I’ve really enjoyed the ongoing e-discussions we’ve had along the way since then.

  Lyndsay Faye, who said yes the very first day that I invited her to submit a story, and who also educated me about contracts.

  Bert Coules, for his advice and contributions, and for helping put together the Holmes and Watson that I hear in my head, Clive Merrison and Michael Williams.

  Carole Nelson Douglas, who - among many things - gave me some invaluable advice about foreign editions.

  Les Klinger, who spent part of a Sunday afternoon in a cross-country phone call, giving me some really valuable advice.

  Otto Penzler, who helped me several times when I pestered him for advice, and who wisely told me that “editing anthologies isn’t quite as easy as drawing up a wish list and signing up stories”.

  Chris Redmond, who jumped in early, and for all that he does, and just for having that incredible website, sherlockian.net.

  Kim Krisco, whom I met (by email) along the way, and was a never-ending source of encouragement.

  Tim Symonds, also an email friend with a lot of great ideas and support. I look forward to catching up with you at Birling Gap someday.

  John Hall, whose books - both pastiches and scholarship - I’ve enjoyed for years.

  Andy Lane - Thanks for the clever back-and-forth emails. I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to New York when you were over here. I’ll catch you next time!

  James Lovegrove, who corresponded with me way-back-when about the true location of Holmes’s retirement villa on the Sussex Downs. (You know where I mean.) I’m very jealous of where you live.

  Steven Rothman, editor of The Baker Street Journal, for always responding so nicely whenever one of my emails drops in from out of the blue.

  Matthew Elliott, for all that he’s done, and also for helping with the description of what he’s accomplishing at Imagination Theatre.

  Maxim Jakubowski, who introduced me to a
great new set of people.

  Mark Gagen, who gave me permission to use that absolutely perfect picture of Holmes on the back cover.

  And last but certainly not least, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: Author, doctor, adventurer, and the Founder of the Feast. Present in spirit, and honored by all of us here.

  This collection has been a labor of love by both the participants and myself. Everyone did their sincerest best to produce an anthology that truly represents why Holmes and Watson have been so popular for so long. This is just another tiny piece of the Great Holmes Tapestry, which will continue to grow and grow, for there can never be enough stories about the man whom Watson described as “the best and wisest... whom I have ever known.”

  David Marcum, August 7th, 2015

  163rd Birthday of Dr. John H. Watson

  Questions or comments may be addressed to David Marcum at thepapersofsherlockholmes@gmail.com

  Study and Natural Talent

  by Roger Johnson

  Greenhough Smith, editor of The Strand Magazine, hailed Arthur Conan Doyle as “the greatest natural storyteller of his age”. Over a century on, Conan Doyle’s genius keeps us reading, and, because many of us feel that sixty adventures of Sherlock Holmes just aren’t enough, we write as well. The original tales are exciting and often ingenious; they’re intelligent without being patronising, and they’re never pretentious. The characters of Holmes and Watson - the apparently contrary forces that actually complement each other like Yin and Yang - stimulate our imaginations. Surely every devotee believes that the world needs more stories of Sherlock Holmes, and as, barring a true miracle, there’ll be no more from his creator’s fondly wielded Parker Duofold pen, we should provide at least one or two ourselves. We know the originals inside-out, or we think we do; we have a grand idea for a plot, and the style seems to be - well - elementary. How hard can it be?

  In fact it’s a sight harder than most of us think. Believe me: I know! To set a story convincingly in late Victorian or Edwardian London can require a fair deal of research just to avoid simple anachronisms and similar errors of fact. There are aspects of personality that may need careful attention - not just Holmes and Watson, but other established characters such as Messrs Lestrade and Gregson, and Mrs. Hudson (who really was the landlady at 221B, and not the housekeeper). Vocabulary and speech-patterns are important...

  Some will say, of course, that it’s impossible to replicate the Doyle-Watson style. Nevertheless, there are writers who have come acceptably close to the real thing. Edgar W. Smith declared that The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes by Adrian Conan Doyle and John Dickson Carr should be re-titled Sherlock Holmes Exploited, but it is actually a remarkably good collection. Nicholas Meyer, L. B. Greenwood, Barrie Roberts, and Michael Hardwick are other names that come to mind, of authors who have, as Holmes himself said in a different context, applied both study and natural talent to the writing of new Sherlock Holmes adventures. For the current monumental collection, conceived and published for the benefit of the house that saw the rebirth of the great detective, David Marcum has coaxed stories from the best of today’s generation of Holmesian chroniclers. Some of the contributors are famous, and some perhaps are destined for fame, but all of them bring intelligence, knowledge, understanding and deep affection to the task - and we are the gainers.

  Roger Johnson, BSI, ASH

  Editor: The Sherlock Holmes Journal

  August 2015

  Foreword

  by David Stuart Davies

  The Sherlock Holmes Mystery

  The real mystery about Sherlock Holmes is his universal appeal. What is it about this character created by a young Scottish doctor over a hundred years ago that has caught the imagination of readers worldwide? His stories have been translated into many languages; there are Holmes fan clubs all over the globe, in countries as diverse as Japan and India; and statues have been raised to this man who never lived in England, Scotland, Switzerland and Japan. His fans range from teenagers to pensioners, from labourers to aristocrats, from postmen to politicians. Why?

  Well, the appeal of Sherlock is not new. Conan Doyle’s tales about Holmes fascinated the Victorian reader and they became the mainstay of the Strand magazine - the sole reason why people purchased the publication. When the author tried to do away with his detective creation by casting him into the swirling waters of the Reichenbach Falls, the public mourned his loss, wearing black arm bands as a mark of respect. One outraged lady wrote to Doyle in protest, beginning her letter, “You brute!”

  However, by this time the Sherlock bandwagon had begun rolling. After his supposed death at Reichenbach, Sherlock Holmes gradually grew into a media star. The first actor to portray the Great Detective in public was Charles Brookfield in a bit of comic nonsense called Under the Clock at the Royal Court Theatre in London in 1893. The piece made great fun of Holmes and his fawning companion, Watson. In 1894, Richard Morton and H. C. Barry penned a popular song, The Ghost of Sherlock Holmes, which did the rounds of the music halls. Both these ventures reveal how famous Holmes had already become so early in his career.

  Holmes’s fame received a boost when William Gillette appeared in the successful production of a play he had penned himself from an early draft written by Conan Doyle. Sherlock Holmes, a melodrama, with a plot largely drawn from “A Scandal in Bohemia” and “The Final Problem”, opened in New York in 1899. While the critics sneered; the public cheered. It came to London in 1901 and ran for six months, playing to capacity houses at the Lyceum Theatre.

  Then came the movies. As early as 1903, Holmes was up there on the silver screen. The first known film to feature the sleuth was Sherlock Holmes Baffled, made by the American Mutoscope and Bioscope Company in 1903. This humorous movie, which lasts less than one minute, is little more than an exercise in primitive trick photography but it appealed because the detective’s name was in the title.

  And so Sherlock Holmes began to have a parallel career: on the page and in the media. And it has remained so ever since. For over a hundred years Sherlock Holmes, along with his friend and biographer Dr John H. Watson, has appeared in numerous stories, films, plays, radio shows, television dramas, cartoons, musicals, etc., delighting a growing legion of fans. Doyle only wrote fifty-six short stories and four novels featuring his detective hero - but this Canon has been added to greatly by other hands. The desire for more Holmes continues to grow.

  And yet, this still does not quite explain the appeal of the deer-stalkered one. Of course there are some rational explanations. There is the playing of the light-hearted academic game started by Ronald Knox, which involves investigating the anomalies and omissions in the Doyle Canon caused by Watson’s slip of the pen: establishing the true date of certain cases, providing solutions and theories with respect to some obscure point - exactly how many times was Watson married, which university did Holmes attend, who was Mrs. Turner, and why were the Moriarty brothers both called James? The friendship between Holmes and Watson, one of the great literary bondings, is another vital and appealing aspect of the stories. We know that despite his cold aesthetic nature, Holmes is lost without his Boswell, and to Watson his friend is “the best and wisest man” he has ever known. Then there is the enjoyment of the period and the wonderful atmosphere evoked by the stories: it is a world where no matter what nefarious deeds were being planned, the world’s more foremost champion of law and order was on hand to set things right - an England of thick, rolling fogs, where “gas lamps fail at twenty feet.” In the company of Conan Doyle’s mythical occupants of Baker Street, we return to a magic childhood. Sir Arthur himself indicated that the stories appealed to the boy who was half a man and the man who was half a boy. As we immerse ourselves in these wonderful tales, we shed the shackles of the present day and are free to thrill to the hansom cab ride through the darkened streets, knowing once more that the game is afoot.

  All these reasons and more may be proffe
red in response to the question - why Sherlock Holmes? And in some way they are all applicable to solving the mystery. But there is something else. Something that lies in the heart and beggars description. We experience what it is. We feel it. We all share it. But it is too intangible, too precious to verbalise. That is why there is no truly clear and appropriate answer to why Sherlock Holmes? Only a feeling - one that brings intense and enriching pleasure.

  David Stuart Davies, BSI

  August 2015

  Undershaw: An Ongoing Legacy for Sherlock Holmes

  by Steve Emecz

  The authors involved in this anthology are donating their royalties toward the restoration of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s former home, Undershaw. This building was initially in terrible disrepair, and was saved from destruction by the Undershaw Preservation Trust (Patron: Mark Gatiss). Today, the building has been bought by Stepping Stones (a school for children with learning difficulties), and is being restored to its former glory.

  Undershaw is where Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote many of the Sherlock Holmes stories, including The Hound of The Baskervilles. It’s where Conan Doyle brought Sherlock Holmes back to life. This project will contribute to specific projects at the house, such as the restoration of Doyle’s study, and will be opened up to fans outside term time.

  You can find out more information about the new Stepping Stones school at www.steppingstones.org.uk

  Sherlock Holmes (1854-1957) was born in Yorkshire, England, on 6 January, 1854. In the mid-1870’s, he moved to 24 Montague Street, London, where he established himself as the world’s first Consulting Detective. After meeting Dr. John H. Watson in early 1881, he and Watson moved to rooms at 221b Baker Street, where his reputation as the world’s greatest detective grew for several decades. He was presumed to have died battling noted criminal Professor James Moriarty on 4 May, 1891, but he returned to London on 5 April, 1894, resuming his consulting practice in Baker Street. Retiring to the Sussex coast near Beachy Head in October 1903, he continued to be involved in various private and government investigations while giving the impression of being a reclusive apiarist. He was very involved in the events encompassing World War I, and to a lesser degree those of World War II. He passed away peacefully upon the cliffs above his Sussex home on his 103rd birthday, 6 January, 1957.