Genreflections

This is a collection of stories, articles and cartoons, many in the Sherlock Holmes universe.  With thanks to  for bringing these to my attention.  As an added bonus, it is available in paper as well as an ebook version (Kindle and ePub).  You can find them at http://www.Nightside.com as well as many other books and stories.  The only drawback in my ePub version was a format issue with random "?" within words and sentences.  Each issue contains one original Sherlock Holmes story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  In this issue it is The Adventure of the Speckled Band.

Contents:

The Screen of the Crime by Lenny Picker
    "The Non-Solitary Cyclist".  A review of "Murder Rooms: The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes", the supposed adventures of Doctors Joseph Bell and Arthur Conan Doyle, both in written and film versions.

Notable Holmesian Paperback Pastiches & Other Oddities by Gary Lovisi
    A look at the soft cover history of Sherlock Holmes books and pastiches.

Meet Nero Wolfe: An Holmesian Perspective by Bob Byrne
    Less than eight years after the last Sherlock Holmes story was released a new detective came upon the scene, Nero Wolfe.  Byrne compares Mycroft Holmes to Wolfe, Professor Moriarity to Zeck, Watson to Archie Goodwin.  Since these are my two favorite detective series of all time, it was an interesting look at them both, but the article truly didn't go in depth, barely skimming the surface.

Mrs. Hudson's Household Hints by (Mrs.) Martha Hudson
    An advice and help column which also includes recipes.  The weakest part of the magazine, this just wasn't worth the effort to read.


Watson's Wound by Sherlock Holmes (edited with Notes by Bruce I. Kilstein)
    During a rainy day with no cases to catch his attention, Holmes asks Watson about the circumstances behind his shoulder wound.  Not a bad story, although it took a while to truly catch me attention.  I think a problem was the voice for Holmes, it seemed off.

A Volume in Vermillion by Kim Newman
    Colonel Sebastian Moran recalls his first meeting and assignment with Professor Moriarity.  Surprisingly interesting, giving a look at a villainous character that appears in the Canon.

The Death of Falstaff by Darrell Schweitzer
    Essentially what the title says, but also concerns the search by Mistress Quickly and Le Roi for the old man's murderer.  Not too bad a story, this is the start of the non-Sherlock Holmes related stories.

Tough Guys Don't Pay by Stan Trybulski
    Various events, from a crime boss' operation for a brain tumor to a jewelry store robbery, all combine to a Hitchcock style ending.  Or it would if it had been a bit better plotted and written.  Unfortunately, the ending was telegraphed long before I got there.  I would be interested to see what this writer does later with experience and proper editorial assistance.

Vacation from Crime by Hal Charles
    A fishing trip for the Chief of Detectives and his daughter turns dangerous when an escaped convict is seen in the area.  A decent story with some good characterization, although it had an older feel to the writing, as if reading from the pulps of the 1940s and 50s.

Workout by Jean Paiva
    Poor Jenny is the butt of jokes at work, cheated on by a man she thought was the one, and in pain from intensive workouts to lose weight.  I'll be honest, I hated this story.  It was cruel and pointless.  And the mix of supernatural doesn't help. 

Mayhem in St. Margaret Mede by Peter King
    John Strode and Mrs. Ella Neel arrive in St. Margaret Mede to discover why there have been so many deaths, accidents, and other crimes.  This was a great send up of so many different shows and books.  We started with The Avengers and a tip of the hat to Margaret Mead and moved along to Agatha Christie and Miss Marple among others.  Silly and funny and well done.



The stories in this collection range in quality from good to very bad.  I would definitely recommend buying the ebook version rather than the physical paper version, simply due to the price difference if you are interested.