I could sit here all night and talk about Holmes.
I love the original stories. I’ve read the canon many many dozens of times over the years. I first read the entire canon in its entirety when I was in college, during one of the Christmas breaks. I was working, and I brought the huge books along and read them during my breaks and lunch.
One of my life time dreams is to study the canon and develop enough expertise to pass the examinations and be admitted into one of the selective Sherlock Holmes societies. Sigh. Not enough time, I fear.
I read my first Sherlock Holmes Doyle story when I was in 6th grade. It was “The Red Headed League”, and I was hooked from then on. I would still say that this is one of my favorite stories. It really showcases Holmes deduction abilities.
But without a doubt, my favorite story is the top favorite Holmes story of all according to numerous polls and surveys–“A Scandal in Bohemia.” Irene Adler is almost as wonderful a character as Sherlock Holmes, and she only has one story to be wonderful in! It is my opinion that many of the great female literary, television, and film characters are in some way based on the character, Irene Adler. An example would be Emma Peel of The Avengers, (the 1960s British TV series) who is beautiful, brilliant, accomplished, physically fit, and utterly without fear. Mrs. Peel shares all these characteristics with Irene Adler.
I also like the story “The Illustrious Client.” The character of Kitty Winter is excellent.
Mrs. Doyle’s favorite story was “Silver Blaze”, and I do like this story, mainly because of the famous line about the “dog in the night.” Lots of demonstrations of Holmes’ abilities in this story.
I like “The Blue Carbuncle” because it’s a Christmas story, and any Christmas story set in England in Victorian times is great reading. I think many Americans, including me, harbor a fantasy about a Dickensonian Christmas set in Merrie Olde Englande!
My favorite Holmes novel (Doyle-written) is The Valley of Fear. I haven’t seen any film or TV adaptations of this novel, but I think that the character of Birdy Edwards is like an American Sherlock Holmes. I wish that a screenplay writer would make a good adaptation of this story and then go on to do sequels about Birdy Edwards, although I think that once the events in Valley of Fear were completed, his detective career probably ended. So the stories would have to be “pre” Valley of Fear.
But I like ALL the short novels.
Although this thread is about the canon, I will add that I love the Jeremy Brett adaptations and have watched them almost as many times as I have read the stories. They are so true to the originals, but the ones that are changed for television (e.g., “The Noble Bachelor”) are well-done.
I also love the Cumberbatch/Freeman television series–my daughter was home visiting a few months ago, and we all sat and watched them again for several nights–wonderful! Even better the second time around, and I’m sure I will watch them many more times in my lifetime. They are so reverent to the canon.
I despise the Robert Downey versions so much that I won’t say anything else for fear that I will transgress the rules of charity on this forum. Actually, I’ve only seen the first Downey Holmes movie, and it would take thousands of tax-free dollars contributed to my bank account to get me to ever attempt to watch the second one.
I am a major fan of the Laurie R. King novels, in which Holmes, in his older years, meets and falls in love with Mary Russell, who is his equal in intellect. The first novel in the series is The Bee Keeper’s Apprentice. I heartily recommend these award-winning novels, especially to female Holmes fans (which I am!).
I also love the Nicholas Meyer novels, The Seven-Percent Solution and The West End Horror. (I think there’s a third novel, but I haven’t read it. If you haven’t read them, go get them and read them. The Seven-Percent Solution was made into an excellent and fun movie, with Nicol WIlliamson as a very pleasant Holmes, the great character actor Robert Duvall as a marvelous Watson, and one of my very favorite actors of all time, Alan Arkin, as Sigmund Freud. It’s a rollicking adventure movie that is entertaining even for people who don’t care for Holmes.
I LOVE the Disney pastiche of Holmes, The Great Mouse Detective!
I’ve only seen a few of the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce movies, but I hate what they did to the character of Watson.
Holmes and Watson forever! I’m so glad that they’re fictional so they will never die!
