Alistair Duncan's Blog, page 88
January 28, 2012
January 27, 2012
Book review - Sherlock Holmes and the Irish Rebels
This is the second book by Kieran McMullen following Watson's Afghan Adventure. His first book told the story of Watson's experiences in Afghanistan before he met Sherlock Holmes. As a result it was very much Watson's story with Holmes only briefly appearing at the beginning and end of the book.
On this occasion McMullen has jumped to the other end of the famous duo's relationship. His story picks up from where Conan Doyle's His Last Bow left off. Holmes has changed from a private detective into a fully fledged spy and, still in the guise of Altamont, he is now in Ireland and doing his best to disrupt the 1916 Easter uprising against British rule. Watson is sent to join Holmes by Mycroft and the two men infiltrate the rebel ranks in their attempt to upset the revolutionary plans.
As you may have guessed, this is very far from a traditional Holmes story. Although there is a conventional crime buried in all the revolutionary action, Holmes does not get the opportunity to spend time indulging in investigations or deductions. In fact this is really an out and out espionage thriller. As such it may not be for you if the traditional Holmes adventure is what you crave.
The action takes place in a surprisingly small number of locations. In the first two-thirds of the book the majority of scenes take place either at the government headquarters, the rebel headquarters or Holmes and Watson's lodgings. Once the uprising begins the number of locations expands. This small number of locations might appear to make for a dull story but in fact it does not and actually aids you in keeping on top of how events are proceeding.
McMullen shows his grasp of history by filling his pages with many real figures from Irish history. Famous names like Michael Collins and Éamon de Valera are joined by other lesser known figures. Actually that's not fair. To someone living in Ireland many of the names will probably be familiar but to someone, like me, who is only partly acquainted with those events, Collins and de Valera are naturally the ones who stand out.
The book moves at a good pace and I was certainly never bored. I cannot comment on the historical accuracy as I lack familiarity with this period in Irish history but it certainly feels authentic.
Away from the plot itself there are issues. As with his previous effort, McMullen's book suffers from a number of typographical errors. The occasional spelling error rears its head and there are cases of the wrong word being used in a sentence. For example, on one occasion a character elects to keep his 'council' when it should, of course, be 'counsel'. A competent editor would have easily sorted these out and I strongly advise McMullen to avail himself of an editor's services when it comes to book three.
The odd Americanism rears its head too with McMullen referring to a "pant" leg. Bearing in mind that he is American you might think this acceptable but given that he is supposedly writing as Watson he really needs to use British terminology. In this case it really should have been "trouser" leg.
McMullen also makes use of a number of footnotes to explain terms during the story. In a good many cases I don't think they were necessary. He could have avoided a lot of the terms that needed explanation by using more generic words. It comes across in places as if he is trying to prove a little too hard that he has done his research. I would also say that footnotes should really be confined to non-fiction works. In a novel they are just a distraction from the plot.
In summary, this is a good story that is easy to follow despite the complex historical events it is portraying and the sheer number of characters taking part. It flows better than Watson's Afghan Adventure and a number of the former book's cosmetic issues have been sorted out for this adventure.
While McMullen really should avail himself of an editor familiar with British English for his next outing his second adventure is well worth the read.
On this occasion McMullen has jumped to the other end of the famous duo's relationship. His story picks up from where Conan Doyle's His Last Bow left off. Holmes has changed from a private detective into a fully fledged spy and, still in the guise of Altamont, he is now in Ireland and doing his best to disrupt the 1916 Easter uprising against British rule. Watson is sent to join Holmes by Mycroft and the two men infiltrate the rebel ranks in their attempt to upset the revolutionary plans.As you may have guessed, this is very far from a traditional Holmes story. Although there is a conventional crime buried in all the revolutionary action, Holmes does not get the opportunity to spend time indulging in investigations or deductions. In fact this is really an out and out espionage thriller. As such it may not be for you if the traditional Holmes adventure is what you crave.
The action takes place in a surprisingly small number of locations. In the first two-thirds of the book the majority of scenes take place either at the government headquarters, the rebel headquarters or Holmes and Watson's lodgings. Once the uprising begins the number of locations expands. This small number of locations might appear to make for a dull story but in fact it does not and actually aids you in keeping on top of how events are proceeding.
McMullen shows his grasp of history by filling his pages with many real figures from Irish history. Famous names like Michael Collins and Éamon de Valera are joined by other lesser known figures. Actually that's not fair. To someone living in Ireland many of the names will probably be familiar but to someone, like me, who is only partly acquainted with those events, Collins and de Valera are naturally the ones who stand out.
The book moves at a good pace and I was certainly never bored. I cannot comment on the historical accuracy as I lack familiarity with this period in Irish history but it certainly feels authentic.
Away from the plot itself there are issues. As with his previous effort, McMullen's book suffers from a number of typographical errors. The occasional spelling error rears its head and there are cases of the wrong word being used in a sentence. For example, on one occasion a character elects to keep his 'council' when it should, of course, be 'counsel'. A competent editor would have easily sorted these out and I strongly advise McMullen to avail himself of an editor's services when it comes to book three.
The odd Americanism rears its head too with McMullen referring to a "pant" leg. Bearing in mind that he is American you might think this acceptable but given that he is supposedly writing as Watson he really needs to use British terminology. In this case it really should have been "trouser" leg.
McMullen also makes use of a number of footnotes to explain terms during the story. In a good many cases I don't think they were necessary. He could have avoided a lot of the terms that needed explanation by using more generic words. It comes across in places as if he is trying to prove a little too hard that he has done his research. I would also say that footnotes should really be confined to non-fiction works. In a novel they are just a distraction from the plot.
In summary, this is a good story that is easy to follow despite the complex historical events it is portraying and the sheer number of characters taking part. It flows better than Watson's Afghan Adventure and a number of the former book's cosmetic issues have been sorted out for this adventure.
While McMullen really should avail himself of an editor familiar with British English for his next outing his second adventure is well worth the read.
An Entirely New Country arrives on Kindle
Amazon UK and US have now made available the Kindle versions of my latest book.
Links can be found here.
Links can be found here.
January 26, 2012
An Entirely New Country receives a 4 star review on Goodreads.com
Below is a review that recently appeared for my book on the Goodreads.com website. Along with a 4/5 star rating the reviewer said:
A very interesting look at Doyle's life during his Hindhead years. Obviously well researched with a nice collection of photographs. It ended on a bit of a sour note which was a little sad (but no doubt appropriate) but that was really my only negative thought on it. I would certainly recommend it to fans of Doyle and to those who are wanting to support Undershaw (like myself!) and I will be checking out Mr. Duncan's previous books.
Goodreads page can be seen here. You can buy a copy of the book via various links to be found here.
A very interesting look at Doyle's life during his Hindhead years. Obviously well researched with a nice collection of photographs. It ended on a bit of a sour note which was a little sad (but no doubt appropriate) but that was really my only negative thought on it. I would certainly recommend it to fans of Doyle and to those who are wanting to support Undershaw (like myself!) and I will be checking out Mr. Duncan's previous books.
Goodreads page can be seen here. You can buy a copy of the book via various links to be found here.
January 25, 2012
Conan Doyle Weekend in Haslemere 2012
From the 15th-17th June this year Haslemere in Surrey is holding a Conan Doyle Weekend. This is but a part of its larger Haslemere Festival that takes place during the week.
A website dedicated to the Conan Doyle events has recently been launched. It is a little rough and ready at this stage and further information will be added to it (I'm told). It can be found here.
Speakers over the course of the weekend will include Andrew Lane - author of the Young Sherlock Holmes book series, Andrew Lycett - biographer and author of Conan Doyle: The man who created Sherlock Holmes and your humble blog author who will be introducing a special screening of Hammer's version of The Hound of the Baskervilles.
Precise details are yet to be completely finalised but I hope anyone in the are will be able to attend. I will be happy to sign copies of my books at my event but will not be bringing any for purchase.
A website dedicated to the Conan Doyle events has recently been launched. It is a little rough and ready at this stage and further information will be added to it (I'm told). It can be found here.
Speakers over the course of the weekend will include Andrew Lane - author of the Young Sherlock Holmes book series, Andrew Lycett - biographer and author of Conan Doyle: The man who created Sherlock Holmes and your humble blog author who will be introducing a special screening of Hammer's version of The Hound of the Baskervilles.
Precise details are yet to be completely finalised but I hope anyone in the are will be able to attend. I will be happy to sign copies of my books at my event but will not be bringing any for purchase.
January 23, 2012
CBS Sherlock Holmes programme
We have heard increasing amounts about an American Sherlock Holmes style drama entitled Elementary that has been commissioned by CBS. The news has certainly polarised opinion, whilst some people seem interested in the idea a larger number seem repulsed. The amusing thing is that a large number of the repulsed appear to be American themselves.
To add insult to injury this detective will be a resident of New York (apparently almost the only part of America where anything happens if you believe their programming).
Why oh why do American TV stations and film studios appear to be obsessed with taking British stories (and those from elsewhere too) and moving them to the U.S.? Do they really believe, even when their own audience says otherwise, that Americans can only cope with stories and dramas that are set in the U.S.? If I was an American I think I'd feel insulted.
You can more easily see how daft this all is if you imagine it reversed. How daft would it be if the BBC produced a version of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and had the characters travelling the Thames rather than the Mississippi. Perhaps Spider-man and Batman need to be fighting crime on the streets of Birmingham or Glasgow.
Sherlock Holmes is as British as the red bus and the cup of afternoon tea. Please leave him where he belongs - in London and in the hands of Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss.
To add insult to injury this detective will be a resident of New York (apparently almost the only part of America where anything happens if you believe their programming).
Why oh why do American TV stations and film studios appear to be obsessed with taking British stories (and those from elsewhere too) and moving them to the U.S.? Do they really believe, even when their own audience says otherwise, that Americans can only cope with stories and dramas that are set in the U.S.? If I was an American I think I'd feel insulted.
You can more easily see how daft this all is if you imagine it reversed. How daft would it be if the BBC produced a version of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and had the characters travelling the Thames rather than the Mississippi. Perhaps Spider-man and Batman need to be fighting crime on the streets of Birmingham or Glasgow.
Sherlock Holmes is as British as the red bus and the cup of afternoon tea. Please leave him where he belongs - in London and in the hands of Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss.
Current reading
I have started reading this today and will post a review as soon as I have finished it.
January 21, 2012
Baskervilles and BBC Wales
Yesterday afternoon I received a call from a chap at BBC Wales who wanted my assistance for an on-line article he was writing regarding connections between Wales and The Hound of the Baskervilles. I was happy to help out. I hope the article will appear over the weekend. When it does I shall post the link.
Amongst other things we discussed a book on these supposed connections that came out in 2010. I reviewed said book on my blog and my 2010 review can be found here.
Amongst other things we discussed a book on these supposed connections that came out in 2010. I reviewed said book on my blog and my 2010 review can be found here.
January 18, 2012
Sherlock Series 3 Speculation
Now that the dust has settled I think we can safely start speculating about the stories that could be adapted for Sherlock series 3.
Episode 1 – The Empty House
Rather a given under the circumstances but as we have no Colonel Moran (that we know of) it does beg the question who will be hunting Sherlock and why? Will we still have the murder of Ronald Adair?
..my infinite variety.Episode 2 – The Sign of Four
My personal favourite from all the stories, I can think of an excellent way in which this story could be adapted for the modern day (which of course I won't reveal here).
The great Jeremy Brett in Granada's first class adaptation of SIGNEpisode 3 – Charles Augustus Milverton
I know this to be an idea that has much support. It would not take much effort to bring this story up to date. In essence you could leave the story largely as Conan Doyle wrote it and just change it to today. Milverton is one of the heavyweight villains in the canon and I have given some thought to casting.
I assure you that I am armed to the teethIn my opinion Richard E. Grant would make a wonderful Milverton. If not him then I would not hesitate to cast Anthony Andrews.Backup episode – The Illustrious Client
Baron Gruner is one of the other big villains of the canon. There are parallels between this story and that of Milverton so whichever of the two actors above did not play Milverton I would cast them as Gruner.
My last word to you is, go your own way and let me go mine.So there you have my thoughts….
Mr Gatiss and Mr Moffat - get in touch if you want to hear my thoughts on SIGN :-)
January 17, 2012
The Reichenbach Fall - Further thoughts.
I have been asked by a few people to expand on my last post re The Reichenbach Fall. So here we go.
I imagine many of us felt quite nervous about this episode. Not only because we all knew how it was destined to conclude but also because the script was handled by Steve Thompson. Thompson was, as most people know, responsible for the episode in series one called The Blind Banker. This episode was widely seen as the weakest of the series descending as it did into borderline Fu Manchu territory. So badly was it regarded in some quarters that the American Baker Street Journal, in an article discussing series one, covered it in about two sentences whereas the other episodes got several paragraphs each.
Therefore the idea that so important an episode was in these same hands certainly gave me (and others I'm sure) some concern. I/we needn't have worried.
Thompson gave us an amazing finale. In the original story, The Final Problem, we learn that Holmes has been engaged in an on-going battle of wits with Professor Moriarty. This adaptation gave us that battle with Moriarty pulling off a series of impossible breaches of security at important sites and then, mysteriously, giving himself up.
When he, against all expectations, walks free he sets about destroying Sherlock's reputation. This is amazingly done and I felt at times that he was going to win and, in many respects, you could argue that he does.
You must stand clear Mr Holmes
The famous scene in Baker Street between the two men was recreated in chilling fashion and we learn later that Mycroft has a lot to answer for as well.
All the actors give amazing performances. Most outstanding is Cumberbatch who goes through a whole spectrum of emotions as some of those closest to him turn against him. Freeman's loyal Watson is a tour-de-force and really shines in his final scenes which bring a tear dangerously close to the eye even on repeat viewing.
But special mention has to go to Louise Brealey as Molly and Andrew Scott as Moriarty. The former really gets to shine especially in the scene where she and Holmes talk and she proves to have a much greater insight into him than he ever gave her credit for.
I do understand you Sherlock
Scott's Moriarty was chilling at the end of series one but that performance pales into near insignificance against his performance in this episode. At all times he clearly comes across as a man who could seriously destroy Holmes. With many villains you just know they're destined to lose. That is most definitely not the case here.
The Fall (or is it?)
The series has gone out a high.
I imagine many of us felt quite nervous about this episode. Not only because we all knew how it was destined to conclude but also because the script was handled by Steve Thompson. Thompson was, as most people know, responsible for the episode in series one called The Blind Banker. This episode was widely seen as the weakest of the series descending as it did into borderline Fu Manchu territory. So badly was it regarded in some quarters that the American Baker Street Journal, in an article discussing series one, covered it in about two sentences whereas the other episodes got several paragraphs each.
Therefore the idea that so important an episode was in these same hands certainly gave me (and others I'm sure) some concern. I/we needn't have worried.
Thompson gave us an amazing finale. In the original story, The Final Problem, we learn that Holmes has been engaged in an on-going battle of wits with Professor Moriarty. This adaptation gave us that battle with Moriarty pulling off a series of impossible breaches of security at important sites and then, mysteriously, giving himself up.
When he, against all expectations, walks free he sets about destroying Sherlock's reputation. This is amazingly done and I felt at times that he was going to win and, in many respects, you could argue that he does.
You must stand clear Mr HolmesThe famous scene in Baker Street between the two men was recreated in chilling fashion and we learn later that Mycroft has a lot to answer for as well.
All the actors give amazing performances. Most outstanding is Cumberbatch who goes through a whole spectrum of emotions as some of those closest to him turn against him. Freeman's loyal Watson is a tour-de-force and really shines in his final scenes which bring a tear dangerously close to the eye even on repeat viewing.
But special mention has to go to Louise Brealey as Molly and Andrew Scott as Moriarty. The former really gets to shine especially in the scene where she and Holmes talk and she proves to have a much greater insight into him than he ever gave her credit for.
I do understand you SherlockScott's Moriarty was chilling at the end of series one but that performance pales into near insignificance against his performance in this episode. At all times he clearly comes across as a man who could seriously destroy Holmes. With many villains you just know they're destined to lose. That is most definitely not the case here.
The Fall (or is it?)The series has gone out a high.
