I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

The Horror of Holmes: The House of Pain

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"a story for which the world is not yet prepared" [SUSS] </h4>
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With the Halloween season upon us, it is a perfect time for reading horror stories. Some people forget that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had a rich voice in tales of terror ( I have my own collection of them in <a href="http://amzn.to/1Hhq9xK" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>A Study in Terror: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Revolutionary Stories of Fear and the Supernatural</i></a>),but he tended to leave that voice out of his Sherlock Holmes stories. The great detective did have horror elements in some of his adventures, but Doyle, with the exception of "The Creeping Man," always grounded Holmes in reality. Of course, some authors have ignored Holmes rule of "no ghosts nee apply," and have created Sherlock Holmes / horror crossover stories. These are great reads for the month of October, and if you are looking for a fun, new crossover tale of Holmes terror, I highly recommend the new book <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1P1Ta8C" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes and the House of Pain</a></i> from author Stephen Seitz.<br />
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I had the opportunity to interview Stephen via email about his new Holmes novel, his other works, and his favorite Holmes tale.<br />
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<b>I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere: <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1P1Ta8C" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes and the The House of Pain</a></i> is a rip snorting page turner of a book, part mystery and part gothic horror that blends two of Doyle's creations (Holmes and Challenger) along with one of Wells (Moreau).  How did you devise and create this genre crossover story? </b></h4>
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<b>Stephen Sietz:</b> You can blame my wife. She teaches English at Landmark College (the only college in the U.S. devoted to helping learning disabled students), and she sometimes uses <i>The Island of Dr. Moreau</i> in her science fiction classes. That led me to reading it again for the first time since high school, and I saw its potential right away.</div>
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Several things struck me about Wells’ story. First and foremost, it fits nicely into Sherlockian chronology. Obviously, you can’t date a story when Holmes and Watson are clearly doing something else. The other thing, of course, is that Moreau’s experiments and progress developed over time. Moreau said he’d been betrayed by a lab assistant, and the subject of a sensational pamphlet. Immediately, I realized that Holmes must have been that assistant, and the pamphlet written by Holmes’ sleazeball journalist friend, Langdale Pike. Thus, Holmes encounters Moreau at different stages of his research.<br />
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The young Challenger came into the picture because I needed a worthy conflict. Dr. Moreau may have been a monster, but how different were his goals from those of modern medicine? Challenger sees the possibilities in Moreau’s work, whereas Holmes only remembers the evil. Moreau simply didn’t have the patience for the usual protocols, because they were getting in his way. I also needed to explain how Moreau could even have his own island and all that specialized equipment. Thus, the Moreau family financial empire.<br />
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Finally, everyone likes a good, solid chase, and I’ve never seen one using cargo ships before. What’s the point of writing if you can’t have some fun?<br />
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<b>IHOSE:  You have also made two other Holmes crossover novels. <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1irbEB0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes and the Plague of Dracula</a></i> puts Holmes in Stoker's world. Your novella <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1XFw60K" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Never Meant to Be</a></i> crosses aspects of Wells <i>Time Machine</i> with the Sherlockian universe. What is it that appeals to you about blending Holmes with other characters from Sci-fi and horror literature?</b></h4>
<b>SS:</b> I suppose because I have been reading those genres since high school. I discovered Holmes and Dracula as a high school freshman, and have been hooked on Victorian literature ever since, especially tales of the fantastic. (Thanks for your Conan Doyle <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=as_li_qf_sp_sr_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&index=aps&keywords=conan%20doyle%20supernatural&linkCode=ur2&tag=derrickbelanger-20&linkId=MFZQ2AWD26QZ7PD6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">supernatural books</a>, by the way. The shadow of Sherlock Holmes often obscures too much of ACD's other work. As far as I'm concerned, you've done a great public service.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMeFUFi2-FOSYIdUH6Opy4TV_BRejWwlRjM0MQXZmiJUyX5tzHIqz6JpuGUdFbwMmph2Y1C6rq-XJ_vg8mMvwQC1xaSIbxAQcBEV52jCrUWZranFAGkGkRpLK7uPh_2f6L4l8ZAn_9IuOp/s1600/Seitz+-+Draculua.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMeFUFi2-FOSYIdUH6Opy4TV_BRejWwlRjM0MQXZmiJUyX5tzHIqz6JpuGUdFbwMmph2Y1C6rq-XJ_vg8mMvwQC1xaSIbxAQcBEV52jCrUWZranFAGkGkRpLK7uPh_2f6L4l8ZAn_9IuOp/s320/Seitz+-+Draculua.jpg" width="206" /></a>I like to think that putting Holmes in a different environment challenges him more as a detective.<br />
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There is also the choice of which universe. <i>Sherlock Holmes and the Plague of Dracula</i> is in the Sherlockian universe. <i>Sherlock Holmes and the The House of Pain</i> in is Wells'.<br />
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My first, <i>Sherlock Holmes and the Plague of Dracula</i>, evolved over 20 years. I first had the idea back in either high school or college (that’s how far back this goes), but then I read Loren Estleman’s and Fred Saberhagen’s takes on the Holmes-Dracula idea, and figured nobody would bother publishing mine. But working on it was a pleasant hobby, and after 250 pages or so piled up, I had it professionally edited.<br />
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The beauty of that story is that Stoker lays the chronology out down to the minute, and all I had to do was fill the gaps in. After nearly 10 years in print, I can say I’ve been successful.<br />
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<i>Never Meant to Be</i> just sort of happened. I love time travel stories, and Cynthia Kenyon showed up and wanted her story to be told. Again, the obvious gateway to the Victorian era was through H.G. Wells’ time machine, and, since we all know that Professor Moriarty was one of the great mathematicians of the Victorian age, why not give him a little more academic credibility and have him develop time theory? I knocked that book off in six weeks. I never do that.<br />
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<b>IHOSE: Out of curiosity, have you ever written a traditional Holmes pastiche?  </b></h4>
<b>SS: </b>The problem with the traditional pastiche is that there’s little room for originality. How many times can Holmes chase Jack the Ripper? How many royal conspiracies can readers stand?<br />
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The only way I know around it is to bring Holmes and Watson into actual historical events. I have a couple of stories I put aside because they just weren’t working. There was an assassination in Ireland in the 1880s, for instance, that should have been ideal, but had there really been a Sherlock Holmes, the outcome might have been far different, and I can’t rewrite history.<br />
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There is also the question of which Holmes do we want to use? The young detective on the rise? The beekeeper called from retirement? (Remember “His Last Bow.”) Or the old man in the twilight of life, his powers fading, but maybe up to one more challenge? (Kudos, incidentally, to<i> Mr. Holmes</i>. Ian McKellan may well be the first actor to be nominated for an Oscar for playing Sherlock Holmes.)<br />
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Were I a better known author, I could get permission from the Dashiell Hammett estate for <i>The Adventure of the Maltese Falcon</i>, which would be terrific, and the James Bond-Holmes novel I outlined long ago will never see the light of day for the same reason.<br />
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What can I say? I love crossovers.<br />
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<b>IHOSE: You have another detective series, <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1P1VcWf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Ace Herron Mysteries</a></i>.  Tell us a little about that contemporary series?  Does Doyle have any influence on your modern detective writing?</b></h4>
<b>SS:</b> Ace came about for several reasons. One thing I can’t stand is that modern writers don’t know how news organizations work. They don’t do the first thing to get the authenticity right, and I am heartily sick of female reporters sleeping with people just to get information for a story. That is one cliche which simply has to be squashed. My colleagues are not rapacious sluts. It is instructive that, in over 100 years of cinema, only two films I know of got it right: <i>All the President’s Men</i>, and Jack Webb’s <i>-30-</i>.<br />
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<a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B00LI9EZK8" class="amzn_ps_bm_il" data-amzn-link-id="5828092ebb29e454c2cc63db43e36793" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="terror strikes downtown" href="http://www.amazon.com/Terror-Strikes-Downtown-Herron-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00LI9EZK8/ref=as_li_bk_ia/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=5828092ebb29e454c2cc63db43e36793&linkCode=kia" id="amznPsBmLink_6223705" rel="nofollow" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb_hNb-O_3-vYAMZ_RRK8UieCS-D7-a0JSuL_8-RLUBEe9W-nvvH9K_8nm9hZnwCsfh017Vg4GEijv9ZuwltPtqynwARFUwcErV3MZlphCF2uf6CYpFANbSLZWJq0CRpZFIixpHOM6QwGE/s320/Seitz+-+Terror.jpg" width="213" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_6223705" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=kia&linkId=5828092ebb29e454c2cc63db43e36793&_cb=1446237945236" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></div>
I've been a journalist for nearly 20 years, and a lot of that is crime reporting. Add that to the fact that newspapers today are being run as profit centers rather than public service organizations, and what you have is the perfect setting for conflict: the reporters want to do their jobs properly, but the only thing management ever cares about is how much something costs. They sure as hell don’t care about their employees, and no one’s job is safe. Thus, The Valentinian combines the worst aspects of every paper where I've worked. I have used real office incidents in the Ace Herron books.<br />
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I decided to write the stories as they would likely play out in real life, so that doesn’t leave much room for Holmes-like deductions. When I follow criminal cases in real life, I do pretty much what the cops do: talk to as many people as I can to get to know the nature of the event and the people involved. I recall one missing persons case (which became a murder case) where the cops actually left the victim’s car unlocked in her garage. I tossed it  for evidence. The difference between fiction and real life is that in fiction, Ace would have found something. I have, in real life, assisted law enforcement and even put a rapist in jail.<br />
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Due to the fact that book publishers put more and more of the burden of sales and promotion on the author, I publish these myself through CreateSpace. That way, I know who to blame for slow sales.<br />
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<b>IHOSE: If you were stranded on a desert island and could only have one Sherlock Holmes story, which would it be and why?</b></h4>
<b>SS:</b> <i>The Hound of the Baskervilles</i>, of course. It's my introduction to the Sherlockian universe.<br />
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I was a freshman in high school, and doing homework in the library until I got bored, and so I checked out <i>Hound</i>. I didn’t put it down until 2 a.m. After that I was hooked on Holmes, and then Victorian literature, for life.<br />
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One thing I didn’t know at the time was that Hound represented Holmes’ return from the dead. There is a certain energy and descriptive quality in that novel which makes it stand out. I wonder how Conan Doyle felt as he wrote the story. Did he feel defeat at the fact that he couldn’t keep Holmes dead? Did he feel some elation at being able to write Holmes one more time? Also, 1902, I recall is the year that Conan Doyle became Sir Arthur. I realize the official reason was his writings on the potential of submarines for warfare, but was that the real reason? Could King Edward VII have been a Holmes fan? We’ll probably never know.<br />
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<b>IHOSE: What are your upcoming projects?</b></h4>
<b>SS:</b> I have completed the third Ace Herron book, titled <i>Presumed Dead</i>. This story intertwines the lives of the Valentinian’s reporters with those of the missing persons cases we all have to cover from time to time. I think it’s got my best twist ending, but the manuscript hasn’t been edited yet.<br />
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I hope I will have successfully conveyed the agony of a missing person’s loved ones; these stories are heartbreakers, because as long as someone is missing, there is always an iota of hope that he might come back alive, the war between what the heart wants and what the head knows is probable.<br />
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There are those who will ask if I based the story on the disappearance of Tina and Bethany Sinclair, a mother and daughter who vanished in 2001. I have not. One thing which sets this case apart is that everyone knows the name of the person likely responsible, but there is just no solid evidence tying him to the crime. But there is also no one else who could have done it.<br />
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I am currently writing a time travel tale centered around the Civil War, one of my lifelong fascinations. In it, we ponder what might have happened had the South won the war, and how my protagonist tries to reset the timeline.<br />
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In my dystopia, the Confederate states have evolved into something like South Africa under apartheid; sooner or later, they’d have had to give up slavery just to be able to participate in international commerce. But the South winning was not the way the timeline was supposed to be, and this leads to ruptures in the space time continuum, which leads to many other problems. I am toying with a love triangle across 150 years, but I don’t know how that will go just yet.<br />
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I am also brewing a Sherlock Holmes-themed Ace Herron story, mainly for the purpose of bringing Ace to a wider audience. But that doesn’t mean I’ll do less than my best.<br />
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<b>IHOSE: Any last thoughts?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>SS:</b> Just some advice to aspiring writers: you have to keep putting one word in front of the other until things start making sense. Don’t say “I want to become a writer,” as if all there is to it is soaking your hands in warm water for a while and the words will magically appear. Writing is discipline, writing is hard work, it takes some basic native talent to begin with.<br />
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The two books you need are Stephen King’s <i>On Writing</i>, and the <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B000F73XSY" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="dbb547c3ad70bed32c18ad947a7b9bdf" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="strunk and white elements of style third" href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Elements-Style-Third-Edition/dp/B000F73XSY/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=dbb547c3ad70bed32c18ad947a7b9bdf&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_5786397" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Strunk and White Elements of Style</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_5786397" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=dbb547c3ad70bed32c18ad947a7b9bdf&_cb=1446238165417" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" />,</i> third edition. (There is one edition that imposes politically correct gender-free thinking on language, a book best left forgotten.)<br />
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Also, read, read, and then read some more. Especially if my name is on the cover.</div>
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<a href="http://amzn.to/1XFyXqG" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Stephen Seitz</b></a> is an author, journalist, and talk show host based in Vermont. He has covered news in the upper Connecticut River Valley for nearly 20 years; his journalism and cinema commentary have appeared in a number of northern New England newspapers, including the <i>New Hampshire Union Leader</i>. The better-known people Steve has interviewed include James Earl Jones, Jerry Lewis, an original cast member of every <i>Star Trek</i> series, former presidential candidates Howard Dean, Joe Lieberman and Wesley Clark, Sen. George McGovern, and authors Jodi Picoult and Dennis Lehane, among many others. <br />
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A lifelong Sherlock Holmes enthusiast, <i>Sherlock Holmes and the Plague of Dracula</i>, evolved over a period of more than 20 years and is Steve's first novel. Steve's next Sherlock-themed effort, published by MX Publishing in London, is <i>Never Meant to Be</i>, the story of a 21st century woman who travels to London in the year 1882 and becomes entangled in the world of Sherlock Holmes, not to mention catching the eye of Dr. John Watson. Steve just published <i>Sherlock Holmes and the House of Pain,</i> updating the world on the Giant Rat of Sumatra.<br />
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As a collaborator, Steve worked with the late Oliver Douglas on his posthumous memoir, <i>God Made Me Rich</i>.<br />
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The Horror of Holmes: The House of Pain

"a story for which the world is not yet prepared" [SUSS] With the Halloween season upon us, it is a perfect time for readi...

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by Belanger Books

Episode 83: Art in the Blood

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"the sister of Vernet, the French artist" [GREE]</h4>
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Did you ever have a chance to talk with someone with whom you immediately felt a connection? That's exactly how Bonnie MacBird impressed us when we chatted with her about her new book <b><i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="0008130833" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="b35d3b308d2f0dca5ea392cf0bb7bbc1" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Art in the Blood" href="http://www.amazon.com/Art-Blood-Sherlock-Adventure-Adventures/dp/0008130833/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=b35d3b308d2f0dca5ea392cf0bb7bbc1&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_9603088" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Art in the Blood</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_9603088" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=b35d3b308d2f0dca5ea392cf0bb7bbc1&_cb=1444871799186" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i></b> in this latest interview episode of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere.</div>
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From her most amazing experience on her recent book tour to her first meeting with Sherlock Holmes (at a remarkable age!), to how she found her inspiration for the novel, Bonnie shares her very considered and unique perspective on the immortal detective. Listen in to hear about an artist's temperament and how it affects the craft, including her other mediums, and how she intended to bring Sherlock Holmes to her readers through her own personal Sherlockian inspirations.</div>
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Our Gas Lamp is inspired by a comment from Nick Martorelli and is taken from <i>The Baker Street Journal</i> Vol. 6, No. 3 (1956), in which Edgar Smith wrote "On Canonicity."</div>
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Listen closely and you may hear who our next interview guest is. And remain on the lookout for our regular Easter Egg feature.<br />
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As a reminder, consider supporting our show through <a href="http://patreon.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Patreon</a>, for as little as $1 per episode.<br />
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And thank you to Mary Miller and Christian Mongaard for your extraordinary support!<br />
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We've been enjoying your photos and plan to post a number of them soon, so if you want to be part of this effort, please purchase as many of of our <a href="http://ihose.co/221Bstickers" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">221B or 1895 oval stickers</a> as you like and then <a href="mailto:comment@ihearofsherlock.com" target="_blank">send us a picture</a> of where you've put it.<br />
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Notes:</h3>
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1:33 Hi!<br />
2:32 Revisiting the new show format<br />
3:30 An introduction to Bonnie MacBird<br />
4:37 Beginning our conversation with Bonnie<br />
6:00 Bonnie's favorite moment from the tour<br />
26:35 An important message<br />
37:01 Bonnie's annotations and artwork<br />
46.02 What it means to be a "professional enthusiast"<br />
49:30 Bonnie's next signing at Stanford<br />
51:25 The Editor's Gas Lamp<br />
58:15 A sincere thank you<br />
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<a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/ihearofsherlock/ihearofsherlock083.mp3" target="_blank">Download</a> [Save As] | File size 30.4 MB, 1:05:00</h4>
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<h3>
Links:</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://macbird.com/" target="_blank">Bonnie MacBird's website</a></li>
<li>Follow Bonnie MacBird on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/macbird" target="_blank">@macbird</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/10/one-area-in-which-dr-watson-excelled.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The post about Stephen Fry's retirement from QI</a></li>
<li><a href="http://aitbnotes.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bonnie's "Klingeresque" annotations</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.mysteriousbookshop.com/products/bonnie-macbird-art-in-the-blood-limited-edition" target="_blank">The limited edition from Otto Penzler</a>, including artwork by Bonnie MacBird </li>
<li>The <a href="http://patreon.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere Patreon</a> page</li>
</ul>
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Many more links, articles and images are available in our Flipboard and Scoop.it sites at <a href="http://ihose.co/flipsherlock" target="_blank">ihose.co/flipsherlock</a> and <a href="http://www.scoop.it/t/sherlock-holmes" target="_blank">ihose.co/scoopsherlock</a>, as well as on the <a href="https://plus.google.com/communities/114565123495685504221" target="_blank">The Sherlock Holmes Community</a> on Google+ (now over 2,800 members), as well as through our accounts on <a href="http://facebook.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://ihearofsherlock.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Tumblr</a>.<br />
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Please <a href="http://bit.ly/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">subscribe to us on iTunes</a>, <a href="https://soundcloud.com/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Soundcloud</a>, <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/i-hear-of-sherlock-everywhere?refid=stpr" target="_blank">Stitcher</a> or <a href="http://www.spreaker.com/user/ihearofsherlock" target="_blank">Spreaker</a> and be kind enough to leave a rating or review for the show. And please tell a friend about us, in any fashion you feel comfortable.<br />
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Your thoughts on the show? Leave a comment below, send us an email (comment AT ihearofsherlock DOT com), call us at (774) 221-READ (7323).<br />
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<h3>
Sponsors</h3>
This episode includes our two longtime sponsors that deserve your attention:<br />
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<a href="http://www.wessexpress.com/" target="_blank">Wessex Press</a> (check out the <i><a href="http://wessexpress.com/html/dreams.html" target="_blank">Dreams of Future Past: The Science Fiction Worlds of Arthur Conan Doyle and H.G. Wells</a></i>) and <a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/" target="_blank"><i>The Baker Street Journal</i></a>, where you should get <a href="http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/itemsforsale/subscriptions.html" target="_blank">your annual subscription</a> in now to secure all four issues and a very special Christmas Annual about <i>The Seven Per-Cent Solution</i>.<br />
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Interested in becoming an advertiser? You can find <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/p/contact.html#.Vc1Qx7JViko" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">more information here</a>.</div>
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Episode 83: Art in the Blood

"the sister of Vernet, the French artist" [GREE] Did you ever have a chance to talk with someone with whom you immedi...

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by Scott Monty

ComicFlix Creates a New Take On Old Sherlock Holmes Stories

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"They were converted to this idea" - [VALL]</h4>
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Sherlock Holmes is no stranger to the world of comics, but <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/project-39-world-s-first-video-to-comic-book#/" target="_blank">ComicFlix’s Project 39 on Indiegogo</a> has a new take on the old stories. ComicFlix’s team has developed the technology to take the <a href="http://amzn.to/1MOV6ey" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1954 Sherlock Holmes series starring Ronald Howard</a> and convert it to 39 separate graphic novels, one for each episode of the classic show. This isn’t just a simple retelling of the old stories, but the world’s first conversion of film into comics.<br />
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Olyvia Rakshit grew up with a set of 25 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Tintin" target="_blank">Tintin</a> comic books as her most prized possession. Many years later, her seven year-old daughter imagined a way to convert books into movies. Being an engineer, Rakshit’s wheels began to turn, and she imagined doing the opposite of her daughter’s idea: turning movies into books. As an ardent Sherlock Holmes fan, she knew just what she wanted to adapt first.<br />
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She quit her job at a large tech company and created <a href="http://www.comicflix.com/" target="_blank">ComicFlix</a>, a company that now employs engineers in the U.S., India, Canada and throughout Europe. Her team has developed software that creates images that look hand drawn from video frames and puts 100% of the dialog from a film or television show into the appropriate frames with the characters.  A team of editors and illustrators then validate and edit the art and text as needed to put a finishing touch on the pages of the graphic novel.<br />
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ComicFlix named its inaugural endeavor <b>Project 39</b> for the number of episodes there were in the 1954 Sherlock Holmes series with Ronald Howard and Marion Crawford. They plan to convert all 39 episodes into the comic format, each issue running around 50 pages, and have them available for purchase digitally or in book format. Rakshit says that if there are enough orders, they hope to have all 39 issues available within the next 3-4 months, an unheard of feat in the comics industry. <br />
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You can back this project on <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/project-39-world-s-first-video-to-comic-book#/" target="_blank">their Indiegogo page</a> as well as pre-order 1, 5, 10 or even all 39 issues of the new series. Rakshit and her team plan have plans past Sherlock Holmes, with licenses to create video-to-comics for Zorro titles as well as The Three Stooges in the future. But she has a special place in her heart for the great detective.  She wants Sherlock Holmes fans to know that they are onto something big.<br />
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<b>With enough backers, their hero could be the world’s first video-to-comics hero. </b><br />
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What do you say, fellow Sherlockian? Are you in?<br />
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ComicFlix Creates a New Take On Old Sherlock Holmes Stories

"They were converted to this idea" - [VALL] Sherlock Holmes is no stranger to the world of comics, but ComicFlix’s Project 39...

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by Rob Nunn

Elementary Season 4 Is Coming

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"I call him father, though it sounds funny" [IDEN]</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicDJRJQ32lnb51KAryggqBA6P8R1bm4tRU4kOJHFIWXdK3fXcexhBHSfMzGTxFPp979YV60KQNqJJpSBHLNmSLdQ1N-S2ZYJi3cza7Bsz-JrE1XWfEwiBrIXuCXeGCnNXGVp8O5wcNdVy8/s1600/Elementary-S4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicDJRJQ32lnb51KAryggqBA6P8R1bm4tRU4kOJHFIWXdK3fXcexhBHSfMzGTxFPp979YV60KQNqJJpSBHLNmSLdQ1N-S2ZYJi3cza7Bsz-JrE1XWfEwiBrIXuCXeGCnNXGVp8O5wcNdVy8/s640/Elementary-S4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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On November 5, CBS will air the first episode of Season 4 of <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B00CL151G4" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="24977c896f88c8ebcbbc3e195a23b61f" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Elementary" href="http://www.amazon.com/Elementary-Season-Jonny-Lee-Miller/dp/B00CL151G4/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=24977c896f88c8ebcbbc3e195a23b61f&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_594977" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Elementary</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_594977" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=24977c896f88c8ebcbbc3e195a23b61f&_cb=1445955567983" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>, titled "The Past Is Parent." Fans have been awaiting this episode since the conclusion of Season 3 ("A Controlled Descent") in which Holmes's friend and former recovery sponsor disappeared and Joan told Holmes that his father would be coming to town to help him patch up his life.<br />
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Of course there's great intrigue over <a href="http://www.cbs.com/shows/elementary/news/1004309/john-noble-to-play-sherlock-holmes-father-on-elementary/" target="_blank">John Noble joining the cast as patriarch Morland Holmes</a>. The elder Holmes arrives in New York to help with the criminal charges in the aftermath of his son's violent behavior and relapse. It will be intriguing to see how much we learn about Holmes Sr. and his relationship with Sherlock. Season 4 opens with "The Past Is Parent," but it isn't clear how many episodes beyond the opener will feature Noble.<br />
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While many characters such as Mycroft, Lestrade, Moriarty and more, are taken from the Canon, we never had the opportunity to meet Sherlock Holmes's parents. We've seen interpretations or glimpses of them in such productions as <i>Sherlock</i> or <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B009INAE3I" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="052afff40993ae1f16a91135ce8a0d70" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="The Seven Per-Cent Solution" href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Seven-Per-Cent-Solution-Blu-ray-Combo/dp/B009INAE3I/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=052afff40993ae1f16a91135ce8a0d70&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_3463558" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Seven Per-Cent Solution</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_3463558" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=052afff40993ae1f16a91135ce8a0d70&_cb=1445956456800" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>, and a spinning of them from whole cloth in William Baring-Gould's <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B0014YL4WY" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="a2e4ee6a4efdd29f0bc910c834527ee7" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street" href="http://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-Caldecott-Greenaway-Historical-Baring-Gould/dp/B0014YL4WY/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=a2e4ee6a4efdd29f0bc910c834527ee7&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_7506600" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_7506600" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=a2e4ee6a4efdd29f0bc910c834527ee7&_cb=1445956442937" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>, but we know absolutely nothing of them in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original stories.<br />
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What do you think? Are you looking forward to another season of one of CBS's most popular shows? How do you think the father/son relationship will play out?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6EMt1g4qmBR8dVnRZYsJ6lPhnm9nvvGpRJvAEPnjgyN2lZoJNp_fT63we4GLhRi-ov3QNAj8kCPBBgRD1kpLPFcXhVpUuRQiGwGcktaTXfdnk-SvT32jZb_OCP0yH2KQITRTkSJUrlXkl/s1600/Elementary-S4+promo+Joan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6EMt1g4qmBR8dVnRZYsJ6lPhnm9nvvGpRJvAEPnjgyN2lZoJNp_fT63we4GLhRi-ov3QNAj8kCPBBgRD1kpLPFcXhVpUuRQiGwGcktaTXfdnk-SvT32jZb_OCP0yH2KQITRTkSJUrlXkl/s320/Elementary-S4+promo+Joan.jpg" width="206" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizk8ViJTkdfcD4MJ3LR8zfNnOeHkxxdLe3h_0Lh_FLQgKa5reMAUQcbbEaqOxFPaQ2_UbMZ0ucM7RegZ4K_U5vDPeRoMqykbVrTLROBKretM4_JX0HPTPBx2iJFZKvOzDakXEc2gxg4wpC/s1600/Elementary-S4+promo+Sherlock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizk8ViJTkdfcD4MJ3LR8zfNnOeHkxxdLe3h_0Lh_FLQgKa5reMAUQcbbEaqOxFPaQ2_UbMZ0ucM7RegZ4K_U5vDPeRoMqykbVrTLROBKretM4_JX0HPTPBx2iJFZKvOzDakXEc2gxg4wpC/s320/Elementary-S4+promo+Sherlock.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Click images to enlarge</span></i></div>
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<br />

Elementary Season 4 Is Coming

"I call him father, though it sounds funny" [IDEN] On November 5, CBS will air the first episode of Season 4 of Elementary , ...

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by Scott Monty

Extended Sherlock Special Trailer and Theatrical Screening

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"an investigation which had extended" [REIG]</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzTRJ91AU5QGU00cOiUmP0OO0jJjIF3w6KEdsUhyphenhyphenBEneMFKHn27JyqR2dCYs94Gs3uKlT-dyeH50mJnRQRKG_wm4bRCw15S5Y_dRTFhoXOuvyvRP7cogrtj03S7mdyn6rfTDp18wWr1xr6/s1600/sherlock-special-hires-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzTRJ91AU5QGU00cOiUmP0OO0jJjIF3w6KEdsUhyphenhyphenBEneMFKHn27JyqR2dCYs94Gs3uKlT-dyeH50mJnRQRKG_wm4bRCw15S5Y_dRTFhoXOuvyvRP7cogrtj03S7mdyn6rfTDp18wWr1xr6/s640/sherlock-special-hires-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Over the weekend, <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/10/breaking-sherlock-special-air-date.html#.Vi73jPmrTb0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">we shared the announcement</a> that the upcoming <i>Sherlock</i> special would air on the same date in the US and the UK — something fans have been clamoring for since the very first series. (Because who among us on the western side of the pond hasn't tried a VPN or other IP address workaround to log into streaming British video services?)<br />
<br />
The trailer included with that announcement was ostensibly the same as the one released earlier in the month, but with the air date and the title of the episode included. "The Abominable Bride" is reminiscent of one of Watson's unpublished cases, "Ricoletti of the club foot and his abominable wife," as mentioned in "The Musgrave Ritual." We have yet to see just how much of the Canon is included in this special, aside from "The game is afoot" and a purple dressing gown.<br />
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An updated  and extended trailer as been released <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hjPxUfV32Q" target="_blank">on the BBC YouTube channel</a>,<br />
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One twist in this simulcast event: <i>Sherlock: The Abominable Bride</i> will be shown in 500 movie theaters across North America on January 5 and 6 at 7:30 pm local time. And in the UK, the film will be shown on 100 screens on January 1. <a href="http://www.sherlockology.com/news/2015/10/25/sherlock-special-cinema-listing-251015" target="_blank">Sherlockology has a full listing of the theaters</a>. Based on the quality of the brief clips seen in the trailer, it seems like it would lend itself to the big screen. </div>
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As a bonus, the theatrical version of the special will include 20 minutes of additional footage, including a guided set tour of 221B Baker Street with executive producer Steven Moffat, plus a short documentary of the making of the episode with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. <br />
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Those interested in ordering tickets online can go to the <a href="http://www.fathomevents.com/event/sherlock" target="_blank">Fathom Events website</a> beginning November 6.</div>
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Extended Sherlock Special Trailer and Theatrical Screening

"an investigation which had extended" [REIG] Over the weekend, we shared the announcement that the upcoming Sherlock specia...

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by Scott Monty

A Visit to the Amateur Mendicant Society

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<span style="text-align: start;">"…who held a luxurious club in the lower vault of a furniture warehouse." [FIVE]</span></h4>
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<a href="http://www.amateurmendicantsociety.org/" target="_blank">The Amateur Mendicant Society of Detroit</a> let me have dinner with them on a recent Saturday night, so the least I can do is list ten things I really liked about the experience:<br />
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1. The chance to see a few old friends and make some new ones. John Sherwood, who sometimes is the British sleuth, hailed me before I ever got past the parking lot, invited me to sit at his table, and introduced me to a parade of good folks. At the same table was Regina Stinson, BSI ("A Little Ribston-Pippin"), and it was great to get to know her a little more. <br />
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2. A Sherlockian environment that was as old-fashioned as you could find anywhere. The AMS has been in existence since 1946 (with, I gather, a hiatus or two) and so have practically all the people who showed up for this meeting, one of three being held this year. Even the Baker Street Irregulars have given up using the titles of Gasogene and Tantalus for their officers, but the AMS sticks to tradition.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A history of the Amateur Mendicant Society</td></tr>
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3. The hospitality of John Kramb, the current Gasogene, who welcomed me generously, and Christopher Music, BSI ("Wagner Night at the Opera"), whose title is the similarly traditional Commissionaire, and who helped me make my reservation despite the complications of the international border.<br />
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4. The merry participation of both sexes, particularly when it came to hollering out answers to the questions about "The Creeping Man" posed to the congregation by the Gasogene. I liked this way of tackling the story of the evening, too, providing much more participation than somebody's brief remarks, and more speed and action than a written quiz.<br />
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5. The cozy, panelled environment of <a href="http://www.commonwealthclubmi.com/" target="_blank">The Commonwealth Club</a>, incongruously located on Dequindre Road in the remote northern suburbs of the city, and the fact that you have to approach it by skulking around to the back of Kenny's Wine Shop, skirting the dumpsters, opening an inconspicuous little door and making your way down a hallway past the store-rooms, whereupon the glory of the Club with its Union Jack and heraldic decorations opens up before you. The whole experience was a lot like entering Camden House from the rear.<br />
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6. The food, served as a buffet by a culinary crew who might well have been the colleagues of Mrs. Hudson (Canon) and Mr. Hudson ("Upstairs, Downstairs"). It was, something one can't always expect in such a context, excellent.<br />
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7. The remarkable, informal talk given, as the highlight of the evening's program, by Roy Pilot, BSI, long-time collector and scholar. What he doesn't know about books and ephemera associated with Arthur Conan Doyle is not worth knowing. He told a little about how he became a collector, and offered a glimpse of three of his greatest treasures along with the stories of how he just happened to come upon them. Not every Sherlockian talk passes so blithely that the listeners wish it had gone on for longer, but this one certainly did.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roy Pilot, BSI ("Chemical Laboratory of St. Bart's") gives his talk</td></tr>
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8. John Sherwood's toast to Watson's Second Wife, one of the traditional moments at every AMS gathering. Apparently he was going to St. Ives, and, well… I must have a word with him to see whether it's available for publication somewhere.<br />
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9. The opportunity to sing "God Save the Queen". For all I know, most of the crowd was singing ironically, or solely in memory of Victoria Regina, but I grew up with this hymn as the national anthem, and although it is hardly ever heard in Canada nowadays, it still means a lot to me. <i>Vive la Reine</i>!<br />
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10. The closing recitation of Vincent Starrett's sonnet "221B," read by the Tantalus, Rob Musial. Apparently it's an AMS custom to stand up for these spine-tingling lines; I wish other Sherlockian societies did the same.<br />
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So, a good time was had by all. I should add, just for the record, that the evening was pretty much lacking in what I have learned to call shenanigans — the sort of Sherlockian behavior, often fueled by something a little choice in white wines, that involves uproarious laughter, impromptu costumes, and embarrassing photographs. Well, somebody did present the Gasogene with a stuffed monkey, intended to represent Lowenstein's black-faced langur. Otherwise, respectability reigned.<br />
[<i><b>Editor's note:</b> such was the case because your humble editor was otherwise occupied in Michigan that evening.</i>]<br />
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I can hardly wait for my next opportunity to visit the Amateur Mendicant Society.<br />
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<i>Image credit: <a href="http://www.amateurmendicantsociety.org/2015/10/fall-meeting-report.html" target="_blank">The Amateur Mendicant Society</a></i></div>
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A Visit to the Amateur Mendicant Society

"…who held a luxurious club in the lower vault of a furniture warehouse." [FIVE] The Amateur Mendicant Society of Detroit...

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by Chris Redmond

New Sherlock Holmes Game — The Devil's Daughter

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"Some devilry is intended" [VALL]</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPPcJ3XtqwfsxZEz391hjIlgfhGGExWXRRpQvYtOikj5RqeOQwEh3BHxvEBaj67kG3PBTRqPwsfLh-_GAJFAj8T-qM_8GQ-1HI-YeWeskG-C6zDtXbhVxTjbrg5RLV3unkiBW0kDkeZD6g/s1600/Sherlock+Devil%2527s+Daughter+header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter for Xbox, PS3 and Windows gaming" border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPPcJ3XtqwfsxZEz391hjIlgfhGGExWXRRpQvYtOikj5RqeOQwEh3BHxvEBaj67kG3PBTRqPwsfLh-_GAJFAj8T-qM_8GQ-1HI-YeWeskG-C6zDtXbhVxTjbrg5RLV3unkiBW0kDkeZD6g/s640/Sherlock+Devil%2527s+Daughter+header.jpg" title="Frogwares Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter" width="640" /></a></div>
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Sherlockian gamers, delight! <a href="http://www.frogwares.com/">Frogwares</a> have announced the eighth installment of its <a href="http://amzn.to/1LVkF19" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes series</a>, <i>Sherlock Holmes:The Devil’s Daughter</i>, published through <a href="http://www.bigben-interactive.co.uk/">Bigben Interactive</a>.</div>
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From the <a href="http://www.bigben-interactive.co.uk/bigben-interactive-and-frogwares-reveal-the-new-sherlock-holmes-game/" target="_blank">press release</a>:<br />
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"Featuring taut action and investigative work, <i>Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter</i>, the eighth and latest entry in the franchise, will push your abilities to the limit in a one-of-a-kind interactive experience."</blockquote>
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The game will feature five new cases, fast-paced action sequences, and an expansive landscape for players to roam around. The current installment, <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1MddIUV" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments</a></i>, featured four unique cases (plus two from Canon) and moments where the speed of the player’s action was vital to success. The idea of playing Holmes or Watson through a whole action sequence is exciting, especially when combined with the series’ unique game mechanics.<br />
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In <i>Crimes and Punishments</i>, Frogwares managed to create a logic game that permitted the player to rely on their own deductions and make their own choices, instead of railroading them onto the single correct path (though the game is good enough to let players know when their logic is contradictory.) Combining this with more action and more freedom of movement gives this installment great potential to be the most immersive of the series. </div>
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<i>Crimes and Punishments</i> also let players get inside the character of Sherlock Holmes, choosing at the end of each case whether to condemn or absolve the criminals. Was he simply a logic machine, or was there really a great heart to go along with that great mind? It looks like players can expect to explore and/or influence even more of Holmes’ psyche in <i>The Devil’s Daughter</i>:<br />
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"For the first time in his storied career, Sherlock Holmes’ ruthless logic is overwhelmed by family stories, irresistible emotions and an occult revenge."</blockquote>
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Frogwares has pitted Sherlock Holmes against a variety of opponents from <a href="http://amzn.to/1GAFRc8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Arsène Lupin</a> to <a href="http://amzn.to/1N0XqUg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jack the Ripper</a>, even a <a href="http://amzn.to/1GAGfaG" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lovecraftian cult</a>, but "irresistible emotions" is bound to be his greatest challenge yet.<br />
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<i>Sherlock Holmes:The Devil’s Daughter</i> will be released in Spring, 2016 for PS4, Xbox One, and Windows PC. It will be shown exclusively to the press October 28 - November 1, 2015 at Paris Games Week.<br />
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Stay tuned for more updates!</div>
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New Sherlock Holmes Game — The Devil's Daughter

"Some devilry is intended" [VALL] Sherlockian gamers, delight! Frogwares have announced the eighth installment of its ...

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by Katie Magnusson

BREAKING: Sherlock Special Air Date & Title Confirmed

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"results all pointed to an abominable crime" [TWIS]</h4>
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It's finally here! The news that many have been waiting for - the airdate of the <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B004132HZS" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="8dd4f6d957d965a47b33a99cd82d0bd1" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Sherlock" href="http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Season-1-Benedict-Cumberbatch/dp/B004132HZS/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=8dd4f6d957d965a47b33a99cd82d0bd1&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_3378312" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sherlock</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_3378312" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=8dd4f6d957d965a47b33a99cd82d0bd1&_cb=1445697223763" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> special.</div>
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This morning, MASTERPIECE and PBS announced that <i>Sherlock: The Abominable Bride</i>, a 90-minute special, will premiere <b>Friday, January 1, 2016</b>, on MASTERPIECE Mystery! on PBS at <b>9:00 pm ET</b>, and simultaneously online at <a href="http://pbs.org/masterpiece">pbs.org/masterpiece</a>. The special will have an encore broadcast on Sunday, January 10, at 10:00pm ET. This is the first time that Sherlock has premiered in the US and the UK on the same day.</div>
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We know that the special will take place in the 1890s and takes Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) and John Watson (Martin Freeman) from London to the countryside in a rather dark and sinister adventure. Mrs. Hudson and Mary Morstan will certainly be part of the tale as well - the first in the series to not be set in modern times. Our previous coverage of the series <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/search/label/BBC%20Sherlock#.ViuXjPmrTb0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">can be found here</a>.</div>
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<b>See also: </b></div>
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<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/10/the-new-sherlock-trailer-is-here-and.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The New Sherlock Trailer Is Here and It's Amazing</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/04/sherlock-christmas-special-will-be-set.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sherlock Christmas Special Will Be Set in 1895</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2014/10/the-sherlock-limited-edition-dvd-blu.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Sherlock Limited Edition DVD / Blu-ray Gift Set</a></li>
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PBS also announced that <i>Sherlock</i> Season 4 will go into production in Spring, 2016, with no airdate yet determined.</div>
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We can't think of a better way to recover from your New Year's Eve hangover than to tune in to watch this highly anticipated special.</div>
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<i>Images courtesy of <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/programs/features/news/sherlock-special-premiere-january-2016/" target="_blank">PBS</a></i></div>
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BREAKING: Sherlock Special Air Date & Title Confirmed

"results all pointed to an abominable crime" [TWIS] It's finally here! The news that many have been waiting for - the a...

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by Scott Monty

Sherlock + Sharknado = Sherlocknado

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"such a wind as never blew on England yet" [LAST]</h4>
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Earlier this year, the world had <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B00DCLTA6Y" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="da9c85c3d59f15ce7bc69f589b5b2a8a" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Sharknado" href="http://www.amazon.com/Sharknado-Reid/dp/B00DCLTA6Y/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=da9c85c3d59f15ce7bc69f589b5b2a8a&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_2876909" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sharknado</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_2876909" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=da9c85c3d59f15ce7bc69f589b5b2a8a&_cb=1445489966192" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> fever. The campy series was commissioned in 2013 by Syfy and produced by The Asylum — the production company responsible for mockbuster films. [You may recall they produced such a film called <a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B002VJ0576" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="f77dc1a20283683f830f6a8a50d5158f" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="sherlock holmes asylum" href="http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Dominic-Keating/dp/B002VJ0576/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=f77dc1a20283683f830f6a8a50d5158f&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_962667" rel="nofollow" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes</a><span style="border-color: initial !important; border-image-outset: initial !important; border-image-repeat: initial !important; border-image-slice: initial !important; border-image-source: initial !important; border-image-width: initial !important; border-width: initial !important;"><i><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_962667" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=f77dc1a20283683f830f6a8a50d5158f&_cb=1445490309707" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i></span>, which we <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2009/12/to-drive-patient-into-asylum-dyin_24.html#.VihuM_mrTb0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">covered here previously</a>.] The series spawned two sequels, the third of which aired in July, 2015.<br />
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Enter the folks at <a href="http://bit.ly/SubscribeUnionPool" target="_blank">UnionPool</a>, who produce a weekly YouTube video series called TVOOVIES, a pop culture animated mash-up where hit TV series collide with blockbuster films. (You can see where this is going, right?)<br />
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Having previously produced such videos as "Toys of Anarchy" (<i>Toy Story</i> meets <i>Sons of Anarchy</i>), "50 Shades of Dr. Who" (we'll let you figure it out) and others, it was really only a matter of time before <i>Sherlock</i> was the target.<br />
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And when you're dealing with something that <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sharknado_2013/" target="_blank">Rotten Tomatoes calls</a> so "proudly, shamelessly, and gloriously brainless," who better to match it with than the ultimate manifestation of reasoning and logic than Sherlock Holmes? Ladies and gentleman, we give you, "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9y1v287-_s" target="_blank">Sherlocknado</a>."</div>
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The voice actor for Sherlock did a fairly good job; it sounded like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnbN3Pya_AM" target="_blank">Alan Rickman impersonating Benedict Cumberbatch</a>. And Jim Moriarty as the tornado was an inspired choice.<br />
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Sherlock + Sharknado = Sherlocknado

"such a wind as never blew on England yet" [LAST] Earlier this year, the world had Sharknado fever. The campy series was c...

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by Scott Monty

Mr. Holmes on DVD, Blu-Ray and Streaming Video

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"it's all your own" [YELL]</h4>
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<i>Mr. Holmes</i> starring Ian McKellen appeared in cinemas around the world this summer. And now it's time to gear up for the holiday season so you can enjoy this <a href="http://ihose.co/mrholmes2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">excellent film</a> in the comfort of your own home.<br />
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Amazon now has a variety of versions available for pre-order before the release date of November 10, 2015. You can choose from <i>Mr. Holmes</i> as a <a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B014PIQYIO" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="bddc41104641b043515bad600c720183" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="dvd + digital mr. holmes" href="http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Holmes-DVD-Digital-McKellen/dp/B014PIQYIO/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=bddc41104641b043515bad600c720183&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_4769189" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">DVD + Digital</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_4769189" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=bddc41104641b043515bad600c720183&_cb=1445436656520" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" />, <a href="http://amzn.to/1ZXkdp4" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Blu-ray + Digital</a> and both <a href="http://amzn.to/1W4d3uC" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">SD and HD versions of streaming video</a>. Sorry, old-timey Sherlockians: no VHS version is available.<br />
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If you'd like to pre-order a copy for yourself or a loved one who also loves Sherlock Holmes, you can support our site by using our Amazon links here:<br />
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Amazon US</h4>
<i>Mr. Holmes</i> on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Holmes-DVD-Digital-McKellen/dp/B014PIQYIO/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=bddc41104641b043515bad600c720183&linkCode=ktl" target="_blank">DVD + Digital</a><br />
<i>Mr. Holmes</i> on <a href="http://amzn.to/1ZXkdp4" target="_blank">Blu-ray + Digita</a>l<br />
<i>Mr. Holmes </i>on <a href="http://amzn.to/1W4d3uC" target="_blank">streaming video</a><br />
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<b>Amazon UK</b></h4>
<i>Mr. Holmes</i> on <a href="http://amzn.to/1GT22oV" target="_blank">DVD</a><br />
<i>Mr. Holmes</i> on <a href="http://amzn.to/1GT2bZo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Blu-ray</a><br />
<i>Mr. Holmes</i> on <a href="http://amzn.to/1GT2542" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">streaming video</a><br />
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We hope you or the Sherlock Holmes fan in your life can enjoy this film over and over again, as it was one of the better Sherlock Holmes films in a while.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014PIQYJI/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B014PIQYJI&linkCode=as2&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=Z7UZ4V67MKNJZ4A5" rel="nofollow"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B014PIQYJI&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=thebakerstree-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B014PIQYJI" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />   <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014PIQYIO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B014PIQYIO&linkCode=as2&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=PAWQGFOSM772ABZE" rel="nofollow"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B014PIQYIO&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=thebakerstree-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B014PIQYIO" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />  <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011U0HWEK/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B011U0HWEK&linkCode=as2&tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=TVYWG6QBC573PZXC" rel="nofollow"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B011U0HWEK&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=thebakerstree-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B011U0HWEK" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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Mr. Holmes on DVD, Blu-Ray and Streaming Video

"it's all your own" [YELL] Mr. Holmes starring Ian McKellen appeared in cinemas around the world this summer. And now i...

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by Scott Monty

Professor Challenger: New Worlds, Lost Places — An Interview

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"challenged his ingenuity" [BLAC]</h4>
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Sherlock Holmes is undoubtedly Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's greatest creation, yet as I argued in my anthology, <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1koub2q" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Study in Terror</a></i>, there is so much more to the literary work of the man.  Probably Doyle's most famous non- Sherlockian creation was the character of Professor Challenger, the pompous, irritable blowhard with a tender side who traveled to discover a prehistoric lost world, survived an attic of interstellar poisonous gas, and made the Earth scream. While there has been the occasional novel or story which included the Challenger character over the last century, no grand collection of new tales, such as has consistently been occurring with Sherlock Holmes, has ever been released...until now. <br />
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Enter Charles Prepolec and J.R.Campbell, the gentlemen behind the new anthology <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1M7aQPr" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Professor Challenger: New Worlds, Lost Places</a></i>.  This is a wonderful collection of tales which combines elements of H.G. Wells, H.P. Lovecraft, Fritz Leiber, and Jules Verne as well as the creations of Doyle.  In my own <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/9013214-new-adventures-of-sherlock-holmes-s-cousin-prove-to-be-the-best-science" target="_blank">review</a> of the anthology, I predicted that this book would be the greatest golden age science fiction collection of the year. <br />
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I had the honor of interviewing both Charles Prepolec (CP) and J.R. Campbell (JC) about their astounding anthology, future projects, and of course their favorite Sherlock Holmes story.<br />
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[<b><i>Editor's note:</i></b> we last spoke with Charles Prepolec on <a href="http://ihose.co/ihose57" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 57</a>.]<br />
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<b>I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere: You've edited and assembled a number of Sherlock Holmes anthologies, what inspired you to create a collection of new Professor Challenger stories?</b></h4>
<b>Charles Prepolec:</b> Well, it isn’t all just about Sherlock Holmes for me, as I have a near equally strong appreciation for Arthur Conan Doyle’s other writings. He was a dab hand in any number of genres, with a particular aptitude for ghostly or weird tales. Having produced three volumes in our Gaslight Sherlock Holmes series, in which we’ve pitted the master of the rational against the irrational, it seemed a natural progression to develop a project where we could dive wholeheartedly into fantasy, science fiction, and horror, yet still play in Arthur Conan Doyle’s sandbox. Professor Challenger gave us the perfect means to do so.<br />
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Of course, this isn’t the first time Challenger has made an appearance in one of our anthologies. He turned up in our first Gaslight anthology — <a href="http://amzn.to/1PFIdbY" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Gaslight Grimoire: Fantastic Tales of Sherlock Holmes</i> </a>— courtesy of Martin Powell’s contribution "Sherlock Holmes in the Lost World," so he’s been with us from the start. That being said, I think the real catalyst that tipped us over into moving ahead with a Professor Challenger anthology came up in 2011 during an online interactive author promotion at Bitten By Books for <a href="http://amzn.to/1M7cIHW" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Gaslight Arcanum: Uncanny Tales of Sherlock Holmes</i></a>. Someone posted a question asking if we’d consider doing something with Challenger. We hadn’t, but the idea light bulb lit up with a palpable ‘ping’ at that moment, particularly when I realized <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/139"><i>The Lost World</i></a>, which introduced the character, would be celebrating a centenary in 2012. Plus, you know, everyone loves dinosaurs! We pitched a Challenger anthology to our publisher, Brian Hades, at <a href="http://www.edgewebsite.com/">EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing</a>, and the rest, as they say, is history.<br />
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<b>J.R. Campbell:</b> A couple of reasons really, the first being that the Professor is just so damn fun. As a science fiction fan I’ve grown up with kindly old, slightly eccentric scientists (often with a hot daughter who will grab the hero’s attention), mad scientists threatening everything, insanely competent scientists whose only apparent ambition is to supply exposition and, if necessary, to provide the protagonist with the necessary heroic angst by sacrificing themselves for the sake of all mankind. Professor Challenger fits none of these standard scientist tropes, he is nothing if not extraordinary.<br />
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Secondly, it’s a chance to right a wrong. The Professor hasn’t racked the film and television credits Sherlock has but he has quite a number. And when he appears on screen it’s invariably a watered-down version of Challenger’s remarkable personality. With all due respect to the dinosaurs, our feeling has always been that it’s Challenger who makes the Challenger stories extraordinary. If we have managed to recapture the essence of The Professor then this book will be a success. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charles Prepolec (L) and J.R. Campbell (R) signing copies of their book</td></tr>
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<b>IHOSE:   Without giving too much away, tell us about some of the stories in <i>Professor Challenger: New Worlds, Lost Place</i>s.  Which ones are the most traditional?  Which ones are the most fantastical?</b></h4>
<b>CP:</b> I’m extremely proud of this book. We’ve assembled an amazing roster of writers, some of whom we’ve worked with previously on our Sherlock Holmes books, as well as some that are new to our "family," and each has risen to the "Challenger Challenge" and delivered truly top-notch short fiction. There’s a hell of a variety in terms of style and tone in this volume, which pleasantly echoes the variety to be found in Doyle’s five Professor Challenger stories, although I’m happy to say that unlike ACD, none of our authors used the opportunity to pen a spiritualist tract. Instead we have some science fiction, some fantasy, a bit of horror, a thread of mystery and even some straight up humour, all of which makes for some great adventure tales.<br />
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As for "most traditional" I’d have to say that in my mind John Takis comes closest with <b>"The Crystal Minders,"</b> in so much that it pits Challenger against a loathsome fellow scientist along the lines of ACD’s <b>"The Disintegration Machine."</b> At the other end of the spectrum, I suppose Larry Connolly’s delightful Wellsian romp <b>“King of the Moon”</b> probably deserves the tag "most fantastical" since Challenger literally goes to the moon, but I’d opt for <b>“Professor Challenger and the Crimson Wonder”</b> by Guy Adams and James Goss largely due to the structure, since the story is conveyed as a series of letters between Challenger and his wife, although the screwball storyline that often feels like an over-the-top episode of <i>The Avengers</i> adds to the effect.<br />
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Between those extremes we’ve also got stories that riff on Lovecraftian themes (Joshua M. Reynolds <b>“Time’s Black Gulf"</b> and Simon K. Unsworth’s <b>“The Fool’s Sea,”</b> the latter with a dash of William Hope Hodgson and John Wyndham), folklore and crypto-zoology (Wendy Wagner’s <b>“Hind and Horn,”</b> Steve Volk’s <b>“The Shug Monkey”</b> and Mark Morris's <b>“The Eye of the Devil,”</b> with a bit of Nigel Kneale thrown in for good measure) as well as rollicking, broad, Indiana Jones style adventure (Andrew J. Wilson’s <b>“Out of the Depths”</b>) so variety is the name of the game. Overall, if classic science fiction and fantasy along the lines of H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, Haggard and Edgar Rice Burroughs appeals to you, or if you’re big on X-Files, Quatermass and Doctor Who, we’ve got you covered in this book.<br />
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<b>JC:</b> I suppose it goes without saying that we love each of these stories, that’s why we picked them! Still, if forced to pick from among the beloved, I’d pick Mark Morris’s <b>"The Eye of the Devil"</b> as the most traditional. The setup is classic Challenger and I think Mark hits all the right notes in terms of tone and narrative voice.<br />
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The most fantastical? Again, there are a lot of stories to choose from here but I’d settle on <b>"Professor Challenger and the Crimson Wonder"</b> by Guy Adams and James Goss. It’s one of the stories where the sum is greater than its parts but it’s a wild ride packed with weird science, conspiracies and excellent portrayals of Professor and Mrs. Challenger.<br />
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<b>IHOSE:  You also have a series of Gaslight Sherlock Holmes books which have the Great Detective dealing with elements of horror and the supernatural.  Why did you create a series of Sherlock Holmes books where spooks can apply?</b></h4>
<b>JC:</b> For the best reason there is to create any book: It’s what we wanted to read and we couldn’t find a book on the shelf that scratched that particular itch we both felt. So we made one. In <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1koA5k7" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gaslight Grimoire</a></i> we pitted Holmes against the fantasy genre, in <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1koA7IH" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gaslight Grotesque</a></i> we were going for horror genre stories and in <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1M7dm8y" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gaslight Arcanum</a></i> we were looking for ‘weird fiction’ tales. What ties them together is that, whatever the situation, it is always Sherlock Holmes.<br />
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<b>CP:</b> Honestly? It’s a ridiculously simple thing. I enjoy Sherlock Holmes and I enjoy horror fiction. The notion of the two combined appeals to me on a basic level and I’m vain enough to think that if I enjoy reading that combination, so will other readers. Given that we began our Gaslight Sherlock Holmes series in a decade where Harry Potter was all the rage (and really, Harry Potter is simply young Sherlock Holmes with magic added) it seemed a viable combo. Besides, that whole "No ghosts need apply" thing was really just a blind on Watson’s part to cover what Holmes was really up to in some of those referenced tales. Giant rats, a worm unknown to science, monkey glands, etc. C’mon, you can’t seriously buy that "No ghosts need apply" business?<br />
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<b>IHOSE:  Challenger has been called Doyle's Science Fiction Detective, yet he really is not much of a detective. Do you see some comparisons between Challenger and Holmes?  </b></h4>
<b>CP:</b> Yes and no. Both had an insatiable curiosity for uncovering the truth and both used science to further their respective ends. I suppose a case could be made for considering Challenger’s endeavours to be a form of detection, but quite frankly, the truths he chose to uncover are on a much larger scale. Holmes, as his brother Mycroft would likely suggest, spent his considerable skills uncovering crime, often on a tawdry and largely inconsequential level, but Challenger’s quest for ‘truth’ often had, in one case quite literally, Earth-shattering repercussions. While Holmes will always be the "Master Detective," I like to think of Challenger as a "Scientific Adventurer" archetype. Often imitated, but never equaled.<br />
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<b>JC:</b> I think it would be more accurate to call Holmes the Scientist of Crime. There are obvious and amusing differences between Doyle’s two geniuses, but they share a great deal more than just their creator. Both are very much ‘in the field’ investigators. Both are passionate about getting out there and seeing things for themselves. Both possess keen intellects, but where Holmes is sharp and always focused on the problem at hand, Challenger is a cannon, blasting away at whatever aspect of science he happens to be facing. Both have their Boswells, but where Holmes’ biographer tends to make Holmes more human, Malone takes a less forgiving, more honest view of his genius. Both are adventurers at least as much as they are intellectuals, and both share a love of all that is bizarre and outside the conventions and humdrum routine of everyday life.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5GNaqzlGLFw/VicQzWmpbYI/AAAAAAAAi1o/H35hxD8oWew/s1600/ChallengerSigningChapters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5GNaqzlGLFw/VicQzWmpbYI/AAAAAAAAi1o/H35hxD8oWew/s640/ChallengerSigningChapters.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<b>IHOSE: Our standard question for all Sherlockians: If you were stranded on a desert island with one Sherlock Holmes story, which would it be and why?</b></h4>
<b>CP:</b> Easy. <i>The Sign of Four</i> is my favourite Sherlock Holmes story. It has high adventure, exotic settings, grotesque characters, brilliant deductions, and in the end Watson gets the girl. There is no other Canonical tale that hits all those marks. It is the perfect "Victorian romance" in the classic sense.<br />
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<b>JC:</b> That’s a hard one. I’ve always considered "Silver Blaze" the best example of what makes a Sherlock Holmes story great, so I’d likely pick that one. Ideally, I’d pick that mythical Holmes story that Doyle forgot to tell anyone about or publish because it was so good that every other story would pale by comparison.<br />
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If I got to bring a Professor Challenger story, it would be <i>The Poison Belt</i>.<br />
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<b>IHOSE:  What are some of your upcoming projects?</b></h4>
<b>CP:</b> I have a couple concepts bubbling for new anthologies, neither of which has anything to do with Holmes, Challenger, or Doyle, but until I’ve found a home for them, there’s not a lot I can say on the subject. What I can say is that it has been four years since <i>Gaslight Arcanum</i> was released and recently Jeff and I have batted around the possibility of returning to Sherlock Holmes, but until we decide on an angle, or hook for the project, it remains just a possibility for now.<br />
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On a non-publishing, but Sherlock Holmes related front, I’ve been invited to speak in Minneapolis next year at The Norwegian Explorers 2016 Tri-Annual Conference: The Misadventures of Sherlock Holmes. My topic will be related to the ‘misadventures’ of Sherlock Holmes on film and television, which should be a good bit of fun.<br />
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<b>JC:</b> I need to even the editorial score with Charles. Imagine him doing a book with me! Much as I enjoyed <a href="http://amzn.to/1PFIYl3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><i>Beyond Rue Morgue: Further Tales of Edgar Allan Poe’s 1st Detective</i></a>, I knew it meant work for me. I’m working with a new co-editor, the very talented Shannon Allen, and Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing on an all-new anthology of Arthurian fantasy. I’m also sharing the pages with the interviewer (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Derrick-Belanger/e/B00LG13FY0">Derrick Belanger</a>) in the newly-released <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1koB8Rc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories</a></i>. As for Charles and I working together again, we’re still talking about projects over a pint or two, but we’re not ready to make any announcements just yet.<br />
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<b>IHOSE:  Any last thoughts?</b></h4>
<b>JC:</b> Just a note to say how much I’ve enjoyed working with the contributors to this book. We read so many excellent stories and were unable to include them all. Saying no is the unfortunate part of being an editor. I’d also like to give kudos to Dave Elsey for the amazing cover he provided. Working with such talented people is what makes these works so addictive.<br />
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</b> <b>CP:</b> One of the truly wonderful things about putting together our anthologies was the realization that Arthur Conan Doyle’s creations - his words - resonate with so many professional writers and artists working today. When we started putting together lists of writers for our first ‘Gaslight’ anthology we often wondered if Author XYZ had any interest in writing a Sherlock Holmes piece? We learned fairly quickly that just about every writer we approached for a story had at least read some Sherlock Holmes, or was on some level influenced in their work by Sherlock Holmes, or were closet Holmes fans, and many had long wanted to contribute to the wealth of literature that has sprung up around the character. It was an even bigger eye-opener to find a similar level of esteem for Professor Challenger. It’s a testament to the enduring legacy of Arthur Conan Doyle’s tremendous talent and skill that we were able to work with so many exceptional writers and artists in our anthologies.  These books have been a labour of love for all of us, a chance to give something back, or as ACD put it in his dedication for THE LOST WORLD:<br />
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I have wrought my simple plan<br />
If I give one hour of joy<br />
To the boy who's half a man,<br />
Or the man who's half a boy.<br />
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Thank you!<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Charles-Prepolec/e/B002BO801O/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_2">Charles V. Prepolec</a></b>  is a freelance editor, writer, artist and reviewer with published contributions in a variety of books and magazines. He is co-editor of five Sherlock Holmes anthologies (with J. R. Campbell) - Curious Incidents Vols. 1 & 2; <a href="http://amzn.to/1PFIdbY" rel="nofollow" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">Gaslight Grimoire: Fantastic Tales of Sherlock Holmes</a> (2008); <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1koA7IH" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gaslight Grotesque: Nightmare Tales of Sherlock Holmes</a> </i>(2009<i>) </i> <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1M7cIHW" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gaslight Arcanum: Uncanny Tales of Sherlock Holmes</a> </i>(2011<i>)</i>; as well as co-editor (with Paul Kane) of <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1PFIYl3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Beyond Rue Morgue: Further Tales of Edgar Allan Poe’s 1st Detective</a></i> (2013) for Titan Books. His most recent anthology (with J. R. Campbell) is Professor Challenger: New Worlds, Lost Places (2015) EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy. An active Sherlockian with The Singular Society of the Baker Street Dozen for more than 25 years, he is also a member of The Sherlock Holmes Society of London, The Sydney Passengers of Australia, and was designated a Master Bootmaker (MBt) in 2006 by The Bootmakers of Toronto – the Sherlock Holmes society of Canada. He resides in Calgary, AB, Canada with his wife, Kristen, and their cat, Karma.<br />
Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/cprepolec">https://www.facebook.com/cprepolec</a><br />
Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/sherlockeditor">https://twitter.com/sherlockeditor</a><br />
Amazon author page: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Charles-Prepolec/e/B002BO801O/">http://www.amazon.com/Charles-Prepolec/e/B002BO801O/</a><br />
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<b>Jeff R. Campbell</b> is a writer and editor living in his hometown of Calgary. His fiction has appeared in the anthologies Challenger Unbound, Rigor Amortis, A Study in Lavender and most recently in <i>The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories</i>. In audio form his work has been transmitted to unsuspecting audiences by Jim French’s  Imagination Theater. With his friend and co-editor he has edited the anthologies <i>Gaslight Grimoire: Fantastic Tales of Sherlock Holmes</i>, <i>Gaslight Grotesque: Nightmare Tales of Sherlock Holmes</i> and <i>Gaslight Arcanum: Uncanny Tales of Sherlock Holmes</i>.<br />
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