colleen the convivial curmudgeon > Recent Status Updates

I've read "A Study in Emerald" twice before. I loved it 'the first time. It's still good as a reread, but lacks that wonderful 'a-ha!' moment of the first read. I enjoy the parallels to "A Study in Scarlett", which I hadn't read the first time, so that was cool. I also love the faux ads. This works better from the download, which looks like a newspaper. They're so witty.

"The Human Mystery" was not a bad story, though I had it figured out about half-way through.

"The Mystery of the Green Skull" was interesting, with a bit of social consciousness.

'Commonplaces' was good and well-written. I liked the hints at a hidden passion in Holmes, and the perspective of the story. But, for all that, it ended oddled and felt incomplete.
"The Pirates of Devil's Cape" was good fun, and I enjoyed it.

"The Dynamics of Hanging" was not particularly dynamic. "Merridew of Abominable Memory" is poignant and powerful, though.

The "Antiquarian's Niece" was ok, but having something narrated clearly by someone who's nit meant to remember things is weird - especially since it was established at the start of the story that it was written down post-event, as per usual.

"The Adventure of the Lost World" was... amusing... Heh.

'Dorset Street Lodger' was middling good.

'The Vale of the White Horse' is one if my faves so far.

The 'Specter' story is a bit sad, though I'm torn on what I think of it, ultimately.

The birthday story felt true to Holmes, though had little in the way of the fantastic.

First bees, now wasps, and a similarly grotesque sort of story. Not a bad twist, there. And Mrs. Hudson's tale wasn't bad, though I'm confused as to the narrator.

The "Inertial Adjustor" story has a nice little sci-fi twist. Alas for the moon dust.

I liked the case of "Murder to Music" well enough, but not Holmes' statement at the end.

"The Things That Shall Come Upon Them" was interesting. Reminded me a bit of the movie with RDJ.

I liked "The Mummy's Curse". Very true to form. The Friesland story was interesting in that the narrator was a victim, and not the good doctor.

The"Death-Fetch" story was passing fair.

I quite liked "The Adventure of the Field Theorems" - the skeptical detective confronted with his credulous creator. I especially liked the quip of exchanging Occam's Razor for Occam's Kaleidoscope. *snerks*

"Scandal in Montreal" is meh.

"The Other Detective" was ok, but a bit twee. Glad it made some reference to the magically disappearing Mary, though - and Dr. Doyle brought a chuckle.

'The Bloodless Sock' was interesting - Holmes seemed true to form, though I was a little put off by the cartoonishness of M.

48 - not 38. D'oh!

'The Horror of the Many Faces' was a cool story, but didn't capture Watson's 'voice' quite the same way King did. And I didn't like the non-ending.

I liked "The Doctor's Case", both for the sense of almost horror when Warson feels what Holmes must feel all the time, and also for the ending - especially the complicity of Lestrade.

I do hope that Tom starts thinking for himself at some point in the series.

I don't understand why Delaney would use the maenads, correctly refer to the myths of their frenzy and accompanying bloodlust, but then would create a goddess that they worshipped called the Ordeen instead of using Dionysus. I mean, why use some aspects of actual mythos at all, or why not go all the way with it?
Meh - whatever.
I'm curious to see what happens with Tom.

"We all die in time," the gunslinger said. "It's not just the world that moves on ... But we will be magnificent."