The Last Sherlock Holmes Story Review

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The Last Sherlock Holmes Story ReviewBrash, audacious, or perhaps blasphemous, are all expressions that the devotees of Arthur Conan Doyle could exclaim upon hearing that the final tale of Sherlock Holmes was to be re-written. There is literary precedent for this; at least two completed novels of Dickens were subjected to sequels by Authors who were not, and theories for solving the mystery of "The Mystery Of Edwin Drood", also by Mr. Dickens are vast in number. The latter exercise is not inappropriate as "Edwin Drood" stops in mid thought, as the Author left it for his dinner, and then a rest he was not to recover from. More recently "Gone With The Wind" was either the subject or the victim of a sequel as well. Why the fuss? The Bible is the most reproduced book in History, and if counted, might also take the crown for being offered in more variations than any other work as well. The revision here is to one story only, albeit the final one, but a challenge nonetheless.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is on record as not taking issue with others placing his creation in circumstances other than those he originally created. An example of his feelings is at the beginning of this work, but I leave that for the reader. The difference here is that the final story tells of the death of Mr. Holmes and his nemesis Moriarty at Reichenbach Falls.
The first diversion that makes this tale unique is the inclusion of the Whitechapel Murders. These acts were not fictional, but rather the results of the still infamous Jack The Ripper. The primary players remain the same, Holmes, Moriarty, and Dr. Watson. Dr. Watson relates the tale as he wrote it, and per this story had it locked away for 50 years after his death, when it then could be opened.
So the summer of 1976 is the setting Michael Dibdin begins his tale, and a very good one it is. It takes a great sensitivity to emulate writing that is so well known, to take the creations of another's pen and make them credible without being little more than a plagiarist. The more devoted of Mr. Doyle's readers may well refuse this read, but to do so would be to miss a great contemporary writer of the genre pay homage to, rather than besmirch the memory of Sir Doyle.
Much of what you read is familiar, the fundamentals of course are not. If you choose to spend the time you will have a wonderful read, even if you are the strongest of advocates for the original Author's work.The Last Sherlock Holmes Story Overview

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The Flight of Dragons Review

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The Flight of Dragons ReviewPeter Dickinson's classic book on such imponderables as how (and why) dragons fly is one of my favorite books on the care and feeding of our scaled neighbors. He goes into great detail about what it takes to get a 20,000-pound appetite up into the air and speeding to its next meal. Sometimes slightly tongue-in-cheek, Dickinson draws on legend and story to create a delightful theory that takes the imaginary and makes it real.
Not satisfied with explaining away the impossible, Dickinson goes on to explore the dragon life cycle, habitat and sociology. I took particular delight in the section that explains that most horrific of monsters, the george, otherwise known as 'the mean man in the tin can.' He is quite outspoken about the monstrous atrocities committed in the name of 'dragon-slaying.' And for doubters, there is even a section citing the evidences for the existence of dragons. Of course, those of us who drive from peak to peak dragon-watching in our ancient Volkswagen busses need no further evidence.
The other delight in this book is the rich illustration by Wayne Anderson. We find dragons cute and fearsome, old and new. The work is both beautiful and whimsical, and you will find yourself returning to the images countless times, whenever the dream starts to fade. The book is both beautiful and fun - a worthwhile addition to the mythophile's library.The Flight of Dragons Overview

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Cannery Row Review

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Cannery Row ReviewReading CANNERY ROW on the heels of TORTILLA FLAT, the reader quickly notices many parallels between the two novels, both of which spotlight the ironies of human existence, including its happiness, despair, success and failure, and how conventional wisdom often fails dismally in describing the realities of existence. Despite the many parallels and equivalencies between them, however, the two novels differ in tone and treatment, if not in theme, and are equally worthy of the reader's attention. In fact, the reader's grasp of Steinbeck's commentary on life will remain incomplete if only one of the novels is read. By all means, learn from both.
CANNERY ROW shows us many great ironies, not the least of which is the fact that "Mack and the boys," a group of down-and-out bums, seem to be more content and fulfilled with their lot in life than is "Doc," the professional man who operates the Western Biological Laboratory. Doc is alone in the world; he lacks that human attachment that brings comfort and connectedness to those who are otherwise adrift in an uncaring universe. He has lost his only lover some time before our story begins, and his stumbling across the corpse of a beautiful, drowned girl is a painful reminder of that loss. An even more poignant reminder of his alienation from humanity comes in the words of Frankie before he is isolated in an insane asylum. Frankie's simple answer of "I love you" sends Doc retreating to the seclusion of his laboratory.
Contrasted with the loneliness of Doc, we find a fulfilling camaraderie among Mack and his cohorts. Penniless bums living in a ramshackle warehouse that they have coerced from Lee Chong, the Chinese grocer, sitting in chairs painted red with stolen paint, drinking from the liquor jug filled with the leavings of bar customers' glasses, these men possess the connectedness and the feeling of belonging to the human race that Doc has lost. Despite the facts that their few possessions have been purloined, that they are employed only when necessity drives them to it for short periods, and that they would surely be classified as ne'er-do-wells by any member of polite society, the men are not only comfortable with one another but also reach out to others, wanting to "do something nice" for Doc simply because they like him, and lavishing ignorant but fully sincere love on Darling, doting upon her even as she eats their only shoes and makes puddles in their warehouse-home.
Other residents of Cannery Row also connect to the human community, sharing what they have and supporting one another when the fates bring misfortune upon their fellow men. When influenza strikes down both adults and children of the Row, Dora sends her professional girls, bearing thick, hot soup, to sit with the sick after their "work shifts" have ended for the day.
Misfortune, aided by copious drink, does sweep through the company. A party for Doc, who does not return from specimen gathering in time for it, gets well out of hand, and Doc's laboratory and personal belongings suffer greatly as a consequence. At other points, the reader encounters suicide, crime, the callousness of a "system" that cannot understand or tolerate unfortunates such as Frankie. Cannery Row is not Utopia. Yet, somehow in the midst of impoverished existence, life will go on. Connections will be made. Humanity will be preserved. Logic and reason may not always apply, for the most despised dregs of society may be those who discover the paths of camaraderie, of sharing, of giving and of loving. Yet, despite such ironies, the vibrant, growing, fighting, reproducing life of the tidal pools will find its counterpart on land as well.
And what of Doc, whom we have described as divorced from this community of humanity? There is perhaps some promise there, too. At another party thrown by the boys for his birthday (though it wasn't really his birthday), Doc truly enjoys himself-despite the broken glasses, windows, and door. Essentially, Doc remains alone, but now he-and we-know that bridges do exist across that gulf of loneliness and that connectedness, even though it may be temporary, is possible.
Steinbeck's CANNERY ROW paints a portrait of humanity set firmly in the naturalistic genre. It depicts all of the grime, the drunkenness, the self-incriminations, and the rationalizations of men mired in poverty and ignorance, yet it also depicts them as survivors, and being a survivor is essentially what life is all about. Steinbeck's novels should probably be "required reading," if there were such a thing, for every adult, but I am somewhat dismayed at the thought that there are high school teachers who use them in their classes. The dismay is not because of any Pollyanna-ish notion that students should be "protected" from scenes such as Steinbeck draws, but rather because having more experience with life and its diversity is really necessary for a greater appreciation of Steinbeck's observations. Here, of course, I write in generalities, for there are undoubtedly students of all ages and at all levels of life whose experiences will enable them to understand and, therefore, to appreciate Steinbeck's verbal portraits of the human condition, and to them I highly recommend him.Cannery Row Overview

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