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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
'I am pleased to think that I shall be able to free society from any further effects of his presence, though I fear that it is at a cost which will give pain to my friends, and especially, my dear Watson, to you.'
Well, my heart is broken. I swear, a piece of writing this short has no right to be so upsetting. It's a credit to the author and the characters that in what basically amounts to a standalone epilogue (seemingly), you understand and feel the intense emotions, love, loyalty, friendship, commitment between Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. Honestly to me this read as a desperate last attempt at a man who is fully aware of his fate, longing to cherish the last moments with his favourite person.
The one single interaction between Holmes and Moriarty has to be one of the most powerful I've ever read. The fierce, fiery back and forth dialogue, every word chosen to perfection to demonstrate their intense face-off. Everything, in a matter of possibly less than one page. The author does an incredible job at getting across the capacity and danger of Moriarty in Sherlock's description of him to Watson, and you really get a sense of Watson's intense admiration of Holmes, and the desperate grief at the loss of his friend and companion.
I'm leaving off a star because personally I thought it would have been more effective to have this as the ending of a full length novel. As it is, it feels somewhat sparse structurally. I don't know the context of the original publication so that could be unfair but I can only assess it as a contemporary reader.
absolutely nothing *~*researchy*~* to see here; an ongoing reading list
1. A Study in Scarlet 2.5/5
2. The Hound of the Baskervilles 5/5
3. The Adventure of the Final Problem 4/5
Well, my heart is broken. I swear, a piece of writing this short has no right to be so upsetting. It's a credit to the author and the characters that in what basically amounts to a standalone epilogue (seemingly), you understand and feel the intense emotions, love, loyalty, friendship, commitment between Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. Honestly to me this read as a desperate last attempt at a man who is fully aware of his fate, longing to cherish the last moments with his favourite person.
The one single interaction between Holmes and Moriarty has to be one of the most powerful I've ever read. The fierce, fiery back and forth dialogue, every word chosen to perfection to demonstrate their intense face-off. Everything, in a matter of possibly less than one page. The author does an incredible job at getting across the capacity and danger of Moriarty in Sherlock's description of him to Watson, and you really get a sense of Watson's intense admiration of Holmes, and the desperate grief at the loss of his friend and companion.
I'm leaving off a star because personally I thought it would have been more effective to have this as the ending of a full length novel. As it is, it feels somewhat sparse structurally. I don't know the context of the original publication so that could be unfair but I can only assess it as a contemporary reader.
absolutely nothing *~*researchy*~* to see here; an ongoing reading list
1. A Study in Scarlet 2.5/5
2. The Hound of the Baskervilles 5/5
3. The Adventure of the Final Problem 4/5
نهاية مبتورة لقصة رائعة لم تكتب إلا للتخلص من شيرلوك... كيف طاوعك قلمك على قتله يا سير دويل؟!
THE GAME IS AFOOT
"People have died."
"That's what people do!"
- From the BBC 'SHERLOCK' TV series
I quote the episode from the recent Sherlock series here because I think it is one of the few adaptations that deserves to be compared with the original. The original is fantastic, a gripping cat-and-mouse story with an ingenious villain. But it had potential it didn't tap. So Moriarty has been behind many of Sherlock's cases? Show me which ones! I felt that if Doyle had written this as a novel, or even a novella, including some of the crimes which Moriarty had masterminded, it would have been much better. As it was, this story resembled an action thriller more than a murder mystery.
The BBC show takes the untapped potential here and delivers a deeply personal and thrilling experience featuring Sherlock's greatest nemesis. It goes through several mysteries, each of which brings our protagonist closer to his quarry.
However, the story is nevertheless compelling, despite my complaints.
CONTENT ADVISORY (for parents and sensitive readers)
Sex: nothing
Violence: fighting, people die - nothing explicit
Language: nothing
"People have died."
"That's what people do!"
- From the BBC 'SHERLOCK' TV series
I quote the episode from the recent Sherlock series here because I think it is one of the few adaptations that deserves to be compared with the original. The original is fantastic, a gripping cat-and-mouse story with an ingenious villain. But it had potential it didn't tap. So Moriarty has been behind many of Sherlock's cases? Show me which ones! I felt that if Doyle had written this as a novel, or even a novella, including some of the crimes which Moriarty had masterminded, it would have been much better. As it was, this story resembled an action thriller more than a murder mystery.
The BBC show takes the untapped potential here and delivers a deeply personal and thrilling experience featuring Sherlock's greatest nemesis. It goes through several mysteries, each of which brings our protagonist closer to his quarry.
However, the story is nevertheless compelling, despite my complaints.
CONTENT ADVISORY (for parents and sensitive readers)
Sex: nothing
Violence: fighting, people die - nothing explicit
Language: nothing
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
After reading "A Study in Scarlet" and then "The Hound of the Baskervilles," I looked up which were the best Sherlock stories and chose this one, since apparently it's the only one that actually features Moriarty (really?? Given how prominent he is in all the adaptations, that's amazing!) A good chunk of the story describes Moriarty as the criminal mastermind overseeing all London operations of crime at an almost supernatural level, but it goes in to absolutely no detail in how he does it. I suppose this didn't really matter--the point was, he was Sherlock's equal, as he must be in order to bring about the great detective's demise, and to do so in such a way that Sherlock's death also serves a greater purpose. But I'd had the distinct impression from adaptations that Sherlock faked his death... and this one really leaves little doubt in the reader's mind that he is, in fact, gone. (Apparently, as I read elsewhere, it left so little doubt that many readers cancelled their subscriptions to the periodical in which it appeared, in protest. I don't blame them!) But Doyle was tired of being pigeon-holed into Sherlock stories and wanted to do something different, so he killed him off--and faced appropriate backlash. Later, apparently, it was so extreme that he made up an excuse for why Sherlock wasn't dead and wrote another entire series of tales.
At any rate, this short story intriguingly introduced Moriarty, but in very vague terms, and then simply described how Sherlock tried to evade him with Watson's help. Ultimately, of course, Sherlock allows himself to be confronted and killed, because even in death, Sherlock cannot be overpowered. The next one I'll have to read is The Adventure of the Empty House, where he supposedly comes back to life again...
At any rate, this short story intriguingly introduced Moriarty, but in very vague terms, and then simply described how Sherlock tried to evade him with Watson's help. Ultimately, of course, Sherlock allows himself to be confronted and killed, because even in death, Sherlock cannot be overpowered. The next one I'll have to read is The Adventure of the Empty House, where he supposedly comes back to life again...
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated