I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

Sherlock Holmes, The Missing Years: Timbuktu — A Review

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“a pathway traced out across the desert” [STUD]</h4>
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The three years Sherlock Holmes spent “dead” have been a favorite topic of speculation among Sherlockians for ages. His Great Hiatus has been the subject of a variety of pastiches over the years, imagining the Great Detective in locations such as Tibet, India, the United States, suffering amnesia, or even travelling through time.<br />
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<i>Sherlock Holmes, the Missing Years: Timbuktu</i> is the second Great Hiatus book written by Vasudev Murthy, the first being <i>Sherlock Holmes, the Missing Years: Japan</i>. Despite the similarity in title, this is neither a sequel, nor a prequel. As the foreword explains, this is intended as an alternative version of events, and stands completely on its own.<br />
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The plot of the novel revolves around the recovery of an ancient map, which may lead to a fountain of youth. Whether or not it actually does is not really the point, as the sociopolitical and theological ramifications for such a discovery could be immense. More importantly, the people who know of the map’s existence are willing to kill for it, and one of those people searching is Professor Moriarty.<br />
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The search takes Holmes and Dr. Watson through Morocco, across the Sahara, and down the Nile. The author often switches perspectives between Watson, Holmes, their associates, and the people pursuing them, permitting the reader to see all sides of the argument, as it were. There are also footnotes, though many add nothing by way of plot or flavor. The historical clarifications were welcome and helpful. The jokes tended to fall flat as mere distraction.<br />
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Mr. Murthy makes good use of the time period, vibrantly painting the setting with details of the state of Morocco at the end of the nineteenth century, and giving historical context for every region the characters travel through. By far the most interesting descriptions are of the Tuareg tribe Holmes and Watson travel with through the Sahara. Songs and stories are woven into the narrative, along with simple scenes of domestic life for a nomadic people that add color and atmosphere to the story.<br />
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The author does border on being too ‘meta’ with some of Watson’s commentary. He repeatedly references a public interested only in sensationalism and violence, excessively justifying the lack of such in this work. While timely the first few occasions, it quickly became overdone. Apart from that, Watson fulfills his stereotypical role here; he’s the narrator for most of the book, as per usual, and documents his experience faithfully and with literary flair. <br />
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While Watson remains as steadfastly British as he can without offending anyone, Holmes goes native. Holmes is delightful, throwing himself into a variety of roles through the story, from Polish priest to nomadic Tuareg, with energetic fervor. He doesn’t have many occasions to show off his deductive prowess, but when he does, he doesn’t disappoint.<br />
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Even though Holmes and Watson individually are fine, my greatest criticism of the book lies in their interactions with each other. I felt there was such a missed opportunity here, in that I never had a sense of exactly why Holmes summoned Watson in the first place. Holmes has a line about Watson’s ability to put him back on track with casual observations, a take on the ‘great conductor of light’ business from the Canon, but I still found myself wondering on multiple occasions why Watson was there. I don’t mean from a practical standpoint; Watson’s medical skills are put to good use, and indeed he does serve his function as unwitting muse to Holmes, but a sense of camaraderie and even friendship is either missing, or it feels like a one way street. They come across as coworkers, rather than one of literature’s most enduring friendships.<br />
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Even if something is lost in translation regarding Holmes and Watson, the adventure itself makes for a fun story. Since the premise of the book supposes that Reichenbach, and the events leading up to it, were entirely fabricated, it means that Holmes and Moriarty have never met. Moriarty is still a presence, but entirely behind the scenes up until the climax. Without giving anything away, I can say I thoroughly enjoyed the dialogue between Holmes and Moriarty, especially with Watson watching two great intelligences at opposite ends of the moral spectrum have a perfectly pleasant conversation. There is no waterfall at the end of this meeting, but the end holds just as much significance for all parties involved. It’s a well-crafted ending, with a charming denouement.<br />
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This is an entertaining novel loaded with historical details and social commentaries that takes a slightly different angle than many other Great Hiatus pastiches. It is not the sort of book that I wanted to devour in one sitting, but I did keep coming back to it. <i>Sherlock Holmes, the Missing Years: Timbuktu</i> is available from <a href="http://www.poisonedpenpress.com/sherlock-holmes-timbuktu/">Poisoned Pen Press</a>, and you can find it on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-The-Missing-Years-ebook/dp/B018UZPEQG/ref=pd_sim_351_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=51WAjrbSX9L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR104%2C160_&refRID=0D6CQ39MP8DZ2KYBH9AQ">Amazon</a>. <br />
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Sherlock Holmes, The Missing Years: Timbuktu — A Review

“a pathway traced out across the desert” [STUD] The three years Sherlock Holmes spent “dead” have been a favorite topic of speculati...

+ Read more »

by Katie Magnusson

The New Sherlock Holmes Pub

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"comparing notes with publicans" [MISS]</h4>
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After weeks of being closed for renovations, the relaunch of our beloved <a href="http://www.sherlockholmes-stjames.co.uk/">Sherlock Holmes Pub</a> on Northumberland Avenue in London was quite a fun way to spend an evening.  The downstairs isn’t as dark as it used to be and still remains a friendly atmosphere to get a drink with a healthy mix of tourists and mates taking the time for a pint after work. The restaurant upstairs was always a comfortable area, but after a much needed facelift, feels even more welcoming.<br />
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When first climbing the very familiar stairs you’re immediately transported into the home of our favourite detective. The once ‘L’ shaped room has been transformed into two separate dinning areas that are split with a set of shelves that contain many new treasures including different types of books, glass bottles and a beautiful violin. One of my favourite paintings of a smirking Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has now moved out of a small alcove and given its rightful place above the mantle. And to much amusement many people throughout the night, attendees could be seen posing with the deerstalker wearing stag head that now adorns one wall and looks down on you while you eat your dinner. Don't worry though there is no venison on the menu.<br />
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They have also added in a very ornate bar to the upstairs space. No longer do calls have to be made downstairs for ciders and spirits. There are special craft cocktails, one of which that has to be stirred constantly for over five minutes, that have joined the drinks menu. We’ve already decided a few trips back during the daily happy hour will be needed to try them all. <br />
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The museum is a lot more accessible. You still are on the outside looking in, however the walls that at one time surrounded the place have become windows. This allows you to see many more treasures than you did before, my personal favourite being John’s footlocker. We were informed that some items that have been broken over the years have been replaced, and more period specific pieces added. We were allowed a peek inside for a few minutes, but this was something that isn’t offered to the general public (also a fangirl’s dream come true to pose with John’s revolver).<br />
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The event itself consisted of teams solving a murder mystery, a sampling of some of the new (and old) menu items, an option to try some of their new drinks and of course time for general mingling with many other local Sherlockians. Members of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London, the London Sherlockians, the Baker Street Babes, Sherlock Unravelled, MX Publishing, and even Bert Coules  himself were in attendance, just to name a few.<br />
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This classic London spot still retains its Victorian charms, yet the refurbishment has given it just the bit of polish it needed for the next generation of Sherlockian tourists. I would encourage fans old and new to go see the changes, and see what new items you can spot in Sherlock’s sitting room. I’m sure Sir ACD would approve.<br />
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All in all, a good time was had by all. And it was nice to be reminded that I should never be a detective, my partner and I only scoring one point on the mystery. A special thank you to the pub for the invitation. <br />
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To find out more, including the new menu, you can visit <a href="http://www.sherlockholmes-stjames.co.uk/">The Sherlock Holmes Pub online</a>, on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sherlockspub">Facebook</a>, and Twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/thesherlockpub">@TheSherlockPub</a>.<br />
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Photo credits: Crystal Noll and Deidre Parker<br />
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<i>Top image credit: <a href="https://flic.kr/p/4nhnR6">Chris Yu (Flickr)</a></i><br />
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The New Sherlock Holmes Pub

"comparing notes with publicans" [MISS] After weeks of being closed for renovations, the relaunch of our beloved Sherlock Hol...

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by LadyRedCrest

Episode 92: An Irish Stew

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"dreaming of the bright green fields" [CROO]</h4>
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Mid March means it's time for the wearing of the green, as St. Patrick's Day approaches. Accordingly, we grab our shillelaghs and affect a brogue as we discuss some of the Irish connections in the Sherlock Holmes stories.<br />
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While there are many Irish references, both subtle and overt, we concentrate primarily on two of the stories where the Irish connection is a central plot point. And interestingly enough, both involved some sort of Irish secret society and the need to go undercover.<br />
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We also include a bit of history of some musical instruments, discuss a handful of news items that have come to our attention, and welcome Al Gregory, BSI ("The Grimpen Postmaster") to the show as a contestant on Mental Exaltations. We of course wrap things up with another Editor's Gas-Lamp, this time "The Fortunate Ones" from Vol. 2, No. 3 of <i>The Baker Street Journal</i> (OS).<br />
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Easter is later this month, and we've got another Easter egg for you.<br />
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Our special thanks go out to Mary Miller and Christian Mongaard for their Patreon support! Won't you join them?<br />
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Sponsors</h3>
This episode includes our two longtime sponsors and a special sponsor who is supporting us for the first half of this year:<br />
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<li>The <a href="http://www.wessexpress.com/" target="_blank">Wessex Press</a>, featuring <i>A Curious Collection of Dates</i>, </li>
<li><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 plus the Christmas Annual. </li>
<li>And Paula Berinstein's <a href="http://amandalester.net/" target="_blank">Amanda Lester, Detective</a> series for young adults and the <a href="http://johnhwatsonsociety.com/" target="_blank">John H. Watson Society Manuscript Series</a>.</li>
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Would you care to become a sponsor? 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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<a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/ihearofsherlock/ihearofsherlock092.mp3" target="_blank">Download</a> [Save As] | File size 38.1 MB, 1:22:36</h4><div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" data-dashlane-frameid="1994" data-dashlane-rid="344a41cacb31f95d" data-form-type="" height="192" mozallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" src="//play.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/4221673/height/192/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/02ae05/time-start/00:00:00/playlist-height/200/direction/backward" style="border: none;" title="Embed Player" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="100%"></iframe></div>
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Links:</h3>
<ul>
<li>The Morris Museum's <a href="http://www.morrismuseum.org/the-guinness-collection-of-instruments-automata/" target="_blank">Murtogh D. Guinness collection of mechanical musical instruments and automata</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.rinaudosreproductions.com/antique-photoplayer.html" target="_blank">Joe Rinaud's American Photoplayer</a></li>
<li>Jack Benny and "<a href="http://www.oldradioworld.com/media/Jack_Benny_-_1952-03-16_-_A_Return_Visit_From_The_IRS.mp3" target="_blank">The Return Visit from the IRS</a>" (March 16, 1952)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCpPJwNzdnM" target="_blank">The story behind the missing footage of <i>The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes</i></a></li>
<li><a href="http://beaconsociety.com/index.php/awards/the-jan-stauber-grant-winners/jan-stauber-grant" target="_blank">Apply for a Jan Stauber Grant</a> from the Beacon Society</li>
<li>Music: <a href="http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/search.php?queryType=@attr+1=1020&num=1&start=1&query=cylinder8362" target="_blank">Irish Washerwoman - medley of jigs</a> from the UCSB Cylinder Audio Archive</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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<div>If you enjoyed this, check out our Trifles episode in the <a href="https://soundcloud.com/sherlockholmes-trifles/sets/international" target="_blank">International Series</a> on <a href="https://ihose.co/trifles116" target="_blank">Irish and Sherlock Holmes</a>: </div><div><br /><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/592849857&color=%2302ae05&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: 100; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/sherlockholmes-trifles" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Sherlock Holmes: Trifles">Sherlock Holmes: Trifles</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/sherlockholmes-trifles/irish-and-sherlock-holmes" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Irish and Sherlock Holmes">Irish and Sherlock Holmes</a></div></div><div><br /></div><div>
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Episode 92: An Irish Stew

"dreaming of the bright green fields" [CROO] Mid March means it's time for the wearing of the green, as St. Patrick...

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by Scott Monty

Sherlock Holmes, Julius Caesar, and the Ides of March

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"He was once Senator" [THOR]</h4>
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My high school Latin teacher was a great admirer of Julius Caesar, and I suspect secretly felt that she, who ruled the classroom with an iron hand, might have managed the Roman republic and empire better than Caesar himself had done. Certainly she might have avoided the assassination at the hands of a political cabal that famously took place on the steps of Rome's senate-house on March 15 in the year 44 BC — the Ides of March.<br />
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Tomorrow is the Ides, and a few admirers of Julius Caesar may be wearing black in his memory, though not the "complete mourning" that was customary for the bereaved in the 1890s (as mentioned in "The Greek Interpreter"). The Ides are a crucial part of the Roman calendar, which numbered days not from the beginning of the month but in a countdown like the reckoning of shopping days left before Christmas. The crucial days were the mid-month Ides, the Nones about a week before, and the Kalends at the beginning of the next month. <br />
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Today would be recorded as "<i>ante diem i Idibus Martius</i>", the day before the Ides. Sherlock Holmes probably knew that; he could read Latin — he quotes it once or twice, and bought a book in Latin, as noted in A Study in Scarlet. He describes it: "<i>De Jure inter Gentes</i> — published in Latin at Liege in the Lowlands, in 1642. Charles's head was still firm on his shoulders when this little brown-backed volume was struck off." Struck off, like the head of King Charles I, executed for treason in 1649, the victim, like Caesar, of a conspiracy or a popular uprising, whichever you choose to consider it.<br />
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It is easy to forget nowadays that Caesar was a dictator, a tyrant, possibly a proto-fascist; that's why Brutus and the other assassins decided he had to go. One of my classics professors in university remarked tellingly that "No one really understood Caesar until Hitler came along." He has, though, been compared to Napoleon — whom Sherlock Holmes also knew well. Interestingly, too, my textbook edition of Caesar's autobiography, the Gallic Wars, had footnotes comparing his military strategy in northwest Europe with the lines of the trenches in Belgium during World War I, 1,900 years later, terrain familiar to Arthur Conan Doyle.<br />
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Julius Caesar is not mentioned in the Sherlock Holmes stories. There are a couple of characters named for his adopted son, Augustus, but that's the closest it comes. (No Brutuses (Bruti?), either.) Holmes and other figures often refer to "assassins," but generally use the word as a synonym for murderers. Possible political assassinations that do get a mention are "the Trepoff murder"[SCAN] and the work of "Huret, the boulevard assassin" [GOLD]. Sherlock Holmes says in <i>A Study in Scarlet</i>: "Political assassins are only too glad to do their work and to fly. This murder had, on the contrary, been done most deliberately." <br />
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Best of all is this passage in "The Bruce-Partington Plans": "It is well they don't have days of fog in the Latin countries — the countries of assassination. By Jove! here comes something at last to break our dead monotony." There could hardly be a more Latin country than Rome, and Holmes drives the point home <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2015/04/by-jove-thor-and-jupiter-in-sherlock.html#.VuZaOfkrLb0" rel="nofollow">when he swears by Jove, or Jupiter</a>, the Roman king of the gods.<div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Related <a href="https://www.sherlockholmespodcast.com/2023/11/episode-360-by-jove.html" target="_blank"><i>Trifles </i>episode</a>:</h3><div><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1677808707&color=%239d982e&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: 100; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/sherlockholmes-trifles" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Sherlock Holmes: Trifles">Sherlock Holmes: Trifles</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/sherlockholmes-trifles/by-jove" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="By Jove!">By Jove!</a></div><br />
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One other note about the Ides of March: one of the ugliest murders in the Canon takes place on that date, March 15, in (probably) 1897. It is the precipitating event of "The Devil's Foot." And it is set, oddly but indisputably, on the day when Arthur Conan Doyle met, and apparently instantly fell in love with, his second wife, Jean Leckie.<br />
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