Sherlocking through the history

September 11, 2016 10:36 AM

I'm looking for interesting pastiches based off Sherlock Holmes.

So far I've seen Sherlock BBC, Sherlock Holmes (1939 film series), read The Seven-Per-Cent Solution , read Mary Russell (not a huge fan), read The Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, watched a few episodes of Elementary , Young Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes (2009) & sequel, and listened to the radio plays.

I prefer books over films/movies but I'll watch them all eventually. Yes, I've seen the wiki but I'm not sure which order I should start either from the beginning or the end.

posted by chrono_rabbit to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (25 answers total)

If you weren't aware, House, MD is explicitly a medical version of Holmes. He even lives in apartment 221B.
posted by kindall at 10:43 AM on September 11, 2016 [4 favorites]

Have you seen the 1980s Granada/ITV series starring Jeremy Brett?

There are at least a couple of Holmes-inspired short stories by Neil Gaiman: "A Study in Emerald" (Lovecraftian) and "The Case of Death and Honey"
posted by BinaryApe at 10:50 AM on September 11, 2016 [4 favorites]

Star Trek: The Next Generation has two episodes featuring the Sherlock-verse as a holodeck simulation. They're pretty great! The episodes are Elementary, Dear Data (3x02) and Ship in a Bottle (6x12).
posted by showbiz_liz at 11:25 AM on September 11, 2016

I recently read this collection of short stories:

The Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Some horror/fantasy/scifi takes on the character/world. But I found it kinda hit-or-miss. Definitely seconding the rec for Granada/Brett's Holmes -- it's great.
posted by pepper bird at 11:34 AM on September 11, 2016

Ah, what a doof. Ignore me, except for the Granada part.
posted by pepper bird at 11:35 AM on September 11, 2016

I really enjoyed: Dust and Shadow.

Do NOT read: Sherlock Holmes and the Giant Rat of Sumatra. I stumbled upon this one at my local library and oh wow, it was SO BAD.

This movie: Mr Holmes has Ian McKellen as Sherlock after he retires and is old.
posted by ilovewinter at 11:42 AM on September 11, 2016

Michael Chabon's The Final Solution is by far my favorite Holmes pastiche.
posted by q9f9A at 12:26 PM on September 11, 2016 [3 favorites]

I did two very brief ones. [1, 2]
posted by Zarkonnen at 12:49 PM on September 11, 2016

You might find Professor Moriarty: The Hound of the D'Urbervilles By Kim Newman fun, being a series of oddly familiar seeing stories following the adventures of a Proffesor James Moriaty.
posted by Artw at 12:51 PM on September 11, 2016 [2 favorites]

Laurie R. King edited and published a collection of short stories called
In the Company of Sherlock Holmes: Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon. Some of the authors are relatively unknown but others are proven favorites in the mystery genre, e.g., Jefferey Deaver, Sara Paretsky, Harlan Ellison, and Michael Connelly. You mentioned not being a fan of the Mary Russell books but note that King didn't contribute a story to this anthology.
posted by fuse theorem at 1:05 PM on September 11, 2016

Not a fan? We haven't even met!
Try A Study in Emerald by Neil Gaiman or The List of 7(which I read a lot longer ago).
posted by maryrussell at 1:07 PM on September 11, 2016 [3 favorites]

You really haven't seen the Granada series? That's where you start. But I'd start with the first season--in later seasons, Brett is more visibly ill and it's kind of painful to see. They are probably the most faithful adaptations and they are utterly charming, even to a modern eye.

Mr. Holmes is horribly depressing. Be prepared. I actually wish I hadn't seen it.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wrote a novel about Mycroft Holmes!

Most obscurely, Manly Wade Wellman wrote Sherlock Holmes's War of the Worlds, which I've never dug up a copy of but might be to your interest if you're a fan of his.

Also be aware that you could read various Holmes media fanfic for the rest of your life without running out. The quality ranges from on a par with the best pro adaptations to godawful.
posted by praemunire at 1:13 PM on September 11, 2016 [2 favorites]

I don't think you need another person to tell you to worship at the feet of Jeremy Brett, but he is the definitive Holmes and anyone who says otherwise is Wrong and I will fight them.

Shadows over Baker Street - Holmes meets Lovecraft (includes 'A Study in Emerald' mentioned above).

The Mammoth Book of the Adventures of Moriarty - really interesting group of different takes on the character of Moriarty. There is one story that is absolutely awful, but the rest are generally good quality.

While they are very much B-movies, I have a soft spot for the wartime Basil Rathbone Holmes movies, mainly because it's Sherlock Holmes vs Nazis.
posted by Vortisaur at 2:00 PM on September 11, 2016 [1 favorite]

If you have only seen The Seven Percent Solution and not read it, I highly recommend it--I think the book is so much better (and the movie is great, so that's saying something!). And the other two Nicholas Meyer Holmes novels, The West End Horror and The Canary Trainer, are equally good. Well, possibly WEH is a little better than Canary Trainer. But they're both great.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 3:09 PM on September 11, 2016 [1 favorite]

Having re-read, you have Only read Seven Percent--in that case, see the movie!
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 3:09 PM on September 11, 2016

Firesign Theatre did an album called "The Tale of the Giant Rat of Sumatra".
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 5:48 PM on September 11, 2016

O Xangó de Baker Street, published in English as A Samba for Sherlock, takes place in Rio de Janeiro where Sherlock Holmes has been invited by Emperor Dom Pedro II at the suggestion of visiting actress Sarah Bernhardt to investigate the disappearance of a Stradivarius. Not only is it a well-written Sherlock Holmes novel, but the setting of the final years of the Brazilian Empire in Rio de Janeiro is an interesting departure from that of many other pastiches.
posted by dreaming in stereo at 6:39 PM on September 11, 2016

This is possibly less serious than you are looking for, but try watching 'The Adventures of O.G. Sherlock Kush' on YouTube!
posted by AaronRaphael at 9:49 PM on September 11, 2016

I just finished Every Breath by Ellie Marney which is the first in a trilogy. Australian YA novels featuring teenagers James Mycroft and Rachel Watts. Tagline: What if Sherlock Holmes was the boy next door.
posted by amapolaroja at 10:09 PM on September 11, 2016

The Last Sherlock Holmes Story, by Michael Dibdin. Strongly recommend - clever, twisty and dark.
posted by Ziggy500 at 2:17 AM on September 12, 2016

"The House of Silk" and "Moriarty" are two excellent Sherlock Holmes books by Antony Horowitz, and are both endorsed by the Conan Doyle estate. The style feels very similar to the originals as far as I can remember, although the content is a little darker.
posted by the long dark teatime of the soul at 6:38 AM on September 12, 2016

The Return of the World's Greatest Detective, starring Larry Hagman. "Interesting," yes.
posted by The corpse in the library at 12:10 PM on September 12, 2016

With the recent passing of Gene Wilder, I feel compelled to mention "The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother."
posted by DrAstroZoom at 1:47 PM on September 12, 2016

Also, I've never gotten around to seeing "Without a Clue," which essentially flips the Holmes/Watson dichotomy, but I've meant to.
posted by DrAstroZoom at 1:50 PM on September 12, 2016

The original Lupin novels contained a Holmes pastiche while the Holmes books were being published.
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 10:40 PM on September 12, 2016