[ SECRET POST #2519 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2519 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 049 secrets from Secret Submission Post #360.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 1 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom]

05. http://i.imgur.com/C1tqGOP.jpg

[(Anonymous)]

If this is the book I think it is, yeah, I can't imagine many 'new fans' liking it much at all. Has it been re-released? If it's the one I'm thinking of, I read it in hardcover back in the 90's, and the sequel novel, too, and very much enjoyed them.

Then again, my favorite Holmes is still the one portrayed by Frank Langella on stage.

[(Anonymous)]

This is the book series where a 17 year old girl who has a tragic cool backstory and is as smart as Holmes becomes his new partner when Holmes is about 60 years old, and then the two of them fall in love while pushing Watson (who is portrayed as a bumbling moron) out of the picture, mocking him behind his back, and having Holmes say "Watson and I never had anything approaching a partnership. When he was with me, he was an extra set of hands, nothing more."

Is that the one you meant?

[(Anonymous)]

Don't forget that this 17 year girl is actually smarter than Holmes because she appreciates/gets areas of study that he doesn't.

[(Anonymous)]

DA

That sounds equal parts hilarious and horrifying OMG.

[(Anonymous)]

""Watson and I never had anything approaching a partnership. When he was with me, he was an extra set of hands, nothing more."

Ouch D: I'm all for adaptations, but this just shows a total misunderstanding---or intentional dismissal--of the original stories.

Also, it's great that the girl's name is Mary, since she's clearly a textbook Mary Sue. Yuck to this book.

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK

[(Anonymous)]

Tell me this is an exaggeration. Please. I have never even heard of these books and I'm pissed off just from that one Holmes quote.

[(Anonymous)]

My impression of Watson in that series is that he thought Holmes needed a caretaker, with that caretaker being him.

people r different....

[(Anonymous)]

I love this book, not so much most of those later in the series. :)

I love the new BBC version.

I love the RDJ movies.

I fell in love with the original stories.

Don't like the American show for some reason.

Any questions?

Re: people r different....

[(Anonymous)]

I don't know exactly what aspects of the book the OP is referring to, but for me personally? I cannot understand how someone who likes all those adaptations and the original stories can like a book that treats Watson the way this book does. I literally can't wrap my mind around the concept.

Re: people r different....

[(Anonymous)]

(same as posted above)

Eh, I read the book and didn't get that from it, so opinions can differ. Totally bashing Watson can be anything people decide; I felt this was just making a slightly less intelligent Watson (like some -- many -- of the adaptations have over the years), but also a sweet and nice man, who just wasn't in it a lot.

The focus was on someone being mentored by Holmes. It was a yougn woman. I found that fascinating - not everyone will. :)

Re: people r different....

[(Anonymous)]

Yes, one question. Why do you think we care?

[(Anonymous)]

Yeah, I know. That series is basically Mary Sue fanfiction with very little Holmes and almost no Watson. I have no idea why a fan of Sherlock Holmes would write something that demotes him to a minor character in favor of a special snowflake teenage girl.

[(Anonymous)]

Yeah, I thought the main character was such a Mary Sue as well. And the author totally bashed Watson!

[(Anonymous)]

Yep. Watson bashing is a no-go in my book. Totally against the spirit of the stories.

[(Anonymous)]

That really annoyed me. It would've been easy enough to write in a rational explanation for why Watson wasn't a main character in the series if that's what the author wanted. It wasn't necessary to bash ANYONE.

[(Anonymous)]

The best major old Holmes work is pretty much Michael Chabon's "The Final Solution", and I'm pretty sure he's never explicitly called Holmes in it.

[tweedisgood]

He's not named, true. It's a great book, although with hindsight the "mystery" isn't one for the reader.

[(Anonymous)]

There are many times when I think that Mary Sue is over-used.

This is not one of those times.

SA

[(Anonymous)]

Should have read "I think that the term 'Mary Sue' is over-used."

[blueonblue]

More of a genius than Holmes, beautiful, rich, unusual eyes, villains hate her and good people love her...

[(Anonymous)]

I take them with a grain of salt.

Actually, I treat them more as Russell stories than Holmes stories. Holmes hardly factors in at most times, and it bothers me that he mostly is used as this "Russell doesn't know what to do next so Holmes--using the magical power of his super disguises--magically appears to give her the next hint" tool.

The settings and themes of the stories are more interesting to me than the mysteries are. The look into first-wave feminism of the early 20th century was amazing, the stories in Palestine were fascinating, the entire story of Justice Hall sticks out as the best one in my mind because of the detail we get about WWI vets and the continuing effects of the war across all levels of society... LRK might not be good at writing Holmes stories, but she's very good at giving you insight to various pieces of history that might have otherwise been glossed over in your education.

[(Anonymous)]

Yeah. I don't dislike them because they're shitty books or badly written. They're actually decent mysteries, albeit with a slightly insufferable heroine. The trouble starts when they're marketed as being Sherlock Holmes stories when they're absolutely, positively are not. He's a supporting character, one the author has deliberately altered from canon in order to prop up her original character.

[(Anonymous)]

I'm a fan of "Elementary", although the Granada adaptations are far and away my faves.

I suppose part of the reason I still enjoy re-reading the Russell books I have (except for "Closed Doors") is because when I read "Beekeeper's Apprentice".. I was Mary's age. So yes, living out my Mary Sue fantasies ahoy! Even today, the books press many of my shipping buttons. In fact, most of my favorites in the series are pre-marriage (BEEK, MREG, OJER). "Justice Hall" is the only post-marriage one I re-read regularly.

I just try and ignore the inconsistencies (like Mary's gradually disappearing scars, wtf) and enjoy them as the glorified fanfic that they are.

[(Anonymous)]

I think people are really too hard on these books! If it was a guy character who got trained by Sherlock people wouldn't scream Mary Sue. It's only fandom that's trained to think any female characters with amazing powers of whatever (like Holmes, except a girl in this case) is SO WRONG.

This story made it onto the list of the hundred best mysteries of the twentieth century. It's extremely well written, and, at least from my person POV, Watson is largely removed from the story (as he was in some periods of HOlmes life) but not treated horribly or made into somebody to bash or belittle.

There's no point defending it; if someone doesn't like it, they needn't. It just think it's rather short-sighted and foolish to bash on this story for these reasons - really not good ones IMO.