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From: reiher@ucla-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.books
Subject: Sherlock Holmes Pastiches
Message-ID: <4680@ucla-cs.ARPA>
Date: Sat, 6-Apr-85 03:22:48 EST
Article-I.D.: ucla-cs.4680
Posted: Sat Apr  6 03:22:48 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 10-Apr-85 03:25:33 EST
Organization: UCLA Computer Science Department
Lines: 44

On the heels of a recent net discussion on Sherlock Holmes pastiches, I
came across a new one I hadn't heard of before:  "The Case of the
Revolutionist's Daughter", by Lewis S. Feuer.  Following in the lamentable
footsteps of the other "Sherlock Holmes meets every famous person in
Victorian England" writers, Feuer now offers us "Sherlock Holmes Meets
Karl Marx".  I personally think that the use of historical figures is a poor 
starting point for new Sherlock Holmes stories, and Feuer does nothing to
change my mind.  Not content to give us Sherlock Holmes and Karl Marx, he
also offers up Engles, George Bernard Shaw, and Beatrix Potter (Beatrix
Potter?  One of the more interesting revelations of this book is that the
author of "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" was once a socialist.)

Not content to settle for this flaw, Feuer commits the other classic Holmes
pastiche flaw: he brings back characters from other Holmes stories.  In this
case, in a display of wretched excess, we get both Irene Adler and Prof.
Moriarty.  I expected Mycroft to pop up momentarily.  

The story concerns Holmes' investigation of the disappearance of Marx's
daughter Eleanor.  Yet another weakness of the book is that the mystery
itself is feeble.  Eleanor Marx proves childishly easy to find, and I
can't picture even moderately intelligent men requiring Holmes' help in
locating her.  In fact, the mystery is largely an excuse to have Holmes
run around London talking to every socialist he can find, and talking to
them at very great length indeed about matters having much more to do with
socialism than the case at hand.

The greatest of the book's failings is that it does not provide what we
look for in a Sherlock Holmes story.  There are no instances of great
deductions, just an early stab at identifying Engels when he first shows
up at 221B Baker Street.  Feuer provides no pleasingly Holmsian moments,
either.  Holmes and Watson show some uncharacteristic traits as well.  I
honestly can't see Holmes reading "Madame Bovary" or sitting still for an
evening of Ibsen.  The only point of interest to Holmes fans is that Feuer
provides an interesting and plausible motivation and genesis for Moriarty's
criminal organization.

As an introduction to the British socialists of the 19th century, "The Case
of the Revolutionist's Daughter" is more successful.  Since it's only 150
pages long and not badly written, those with any interest in this subject
could do worse.  There's little here for Sherlock Holmes fans, though.
-- 
        			Peter Reiher
        			reiher@ucla-cs.arpa
        			{...ihnp4,ucbvax,sdcrdcf}!ucla-cs!reiher