Fairy Revel

New in the stacks:
Nothing. Isn’t that sad? ;)

Wishlisted:
The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schlitz.
“From 2008 Newbery Medalist Laura Amy Schlitz comes an exhilarating new adventure — and a thoroughly original fairy who is a true force of nature.

What would happen to a fairy if she lost her wings and could no longer fly? Flory, a young night fairy no taller than an acorn and still becoming accustomed to her wings — wings as beautiful as those of a luna moth — is about to find out. What she discovers is that the world is very big and very dangerous. But Flory is fierce and willing to do whatever it takes to survive. If that means telling others what to do — like Skuggle, a squirrel ruled by his stomach — so be it. Not every creature, however, is as willing to bend to Flory’s demands. Newbery Medal winner Laura Amy Schlitz and world-renowned illustrator and miniaturist Angela Barrett venture into the realm of the illustrated classic — a classic entirely and exquisitely of their making, and a magnificent adventure.”

Where Everything Ends by Ray Bradbury.
“In 1949, a struggling writer—a man very much like the young Ray Bradbury—boards a late night trolley in Venice, California and hears a disembodied voice murmur the words: ‘Death is a lonely business.’ Shortly afterward, that same young man discovers a body trapped in a cage beneath the waters of the local canal. Convinced of a connection between these events, the narrator/hero—together with a wonderfully characterized detective named Elmo Crumley (named in a nod to noted mystery novelist James Crumley) begins to investigate a series of suspicious deaths among the disenfranchised population of Venice.

Death is a Lonely Business was Ray Bradbury’s first book-length foray into classical detective fiction. Two others followed: A Graveyard for Lunatics, in which Crumley and our hero (now a gainfully employed scriptwriter) join forces with special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen, and Let’s All Kill Constance, a tale of mystery and suspense set against the faded backdrop of Hollywood’s Golden Age. All three, together with Where Everything Ends, the never-before-published title story that preceded and inspired them, are now gathered together in a single generous volume that should prove indispensable to Bradbury’s large and loyal readership.

Freely acknowledging the influence of the genre’s masters (Hammett, Chandler, MacDonald, and Cain), all of these stories successfully transcend those influences, filtering them through their author’s wholly unique sensibility. The result is a powerfully nostalgic evocation of time and place, and an unforgettable portrait of a writer in love with language, with movies, and with the transformative power of stories themselves.”

How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren.
“How to Read a Book, originally published in 1940, has become a rare phenomenon, a living classic. It is the best and most successful guide to reading comprehension for the general reader. And now it has been completely rewritten and updated.”

You are told about the various levels of reading and how to achieve them — from elementary reading, through systematic skimming and inspectional reading, to speed reading, you learn how to pigeonhole a book, X-ray it, extract the author’s message, criticize. You are taught the different reading techniques for reading practical books, imaginative literature, plays, poetry, history, science and mathematics, philosophy and social science.”

The Case For a Creator by Lee Strobel.
“A Journalist Investigates Scientific Evidence That Points Toward God. ‘My road to atheism was paved by science . . . But, ironically, so was my later journey to God.’—Lee Strobel. During his academic years, Lee Strobel became convinced that God was outmoded, a belief that colored his ensuing career as an award-winning journalist at the Chicago Tribune. Science had made the idea of a Creator irrelevant—or so Strobel thought. But today science is pointing in a different direction. In recent years, a diverse and impressive body of research has increasingly supported the conclusion that the universe was intelligently designed. At the same time, Darwinism has faltered in the face of concrete facts and hard reason. Has science discovered God? At the very least, it’s giving faith an immense boost as new findings emerge about the incredible complexity of our universe. Join Strobel as he reexamines the theories that once led him away from God. Through his compelling and highly readable account, you’ll encounter the mind-stretching discoveries from cosmology, cellular biology, DNA research, astronomy, physics, and human consciousness that present astonishing evidence in The Case for a Creator.”

Concise Guide to Self-Sufficiency by John Seymour.
“Teaching all the skills needed to live independently in harmony with the land, from harnessing natural forms of energy and raising crops to keeping livestock and preserving foodstuffs, this new format of John Seymour’s classic is still the most practical guide for realists and dreamers alike.”

What I’m Watching:
Arranged – Pretty cute, even if it (I think intentionally) glosses over some of the cultural issues women of these two religions face. I found it interesting to see a film that is positive towards arranged marriages, an unusual stance to take in the West though it’s a reality for many people in the world.

What I’m Reading:
The Sheen on the Silk by Anne Perry.
Still reading this one, and enjoying it.

What I’m Writing:
Worked a little on Foxglove, but not much. Thinking about setting up a small setting “bible” so I can keep all my world-building straight. I have stuff written all over legal pads, notebooks, sticky notes, graph paper, etc., some of it probably in triplicate or more. It would help to have it all in one place.

What I’m Revising:
I haven’t touched Dogwood in awhile. This stage of the process is just mentally exhausting.

Around the House:
Spent some time this past weekend going through old papers, receipts and mail. Threw a bunch of stuff away so now I can really start sorting through my writing. Messed with my jewelry making some more, and found out that the antique brass headpins don’t match the wire I’m using and there’s no way to fix it. I’m sick of dealing with the pre-antiqued wire so I may switch to copper and learn to antique it myself. Sounds kind of fun, honestly.

Cooking:
Not much cooking lately. Made some chicken salad with homemade mayonnaise made by a friend which turned out lovely.

Spirituality:
I just keep trying to make time during the day for prayer, reflection and Bible reading. Sadly, my attention span is shorter than it once was. I feel overwhelmed by too many choices each day, and it’s hard to sit quietly without thinking about everything I have to do.

Also, apparently, not being able to find something when I know where it should be is enough to throw me into an unmitigated rage. This is something I must work on.

As much as the internet is supposed to break barriers and connect us with strangers from all over the known world, more and more I get the feeling that the internet is actually pretty insular. There are still all kinds of people who don’t use the internet, or who use it as little as possible. We also form groups (sometimes called “fandoms”) and cliques online, and each group may have its own jargon, apart from more “mainstream” netspeak.

I’ve been thinking about internet jargon, especially the jargon used by the tech-savvy, and fandom-specific jargon, and how it further serves to create an insular web. The jargon we use keeps out imposters, allows us to pigeonhole new arrivals, and sometimes even lets us pass judgement on those who use it incorrectly, or not at all.

I’m reminded of a G.K. Chesterton essay about the eating of asparagus with one’s fingers:

“We will not exaggerate. Eating soup with the fingers, the young student should not attempt; and sauces, custards and even curries are no field for the manual labourer. I would not eat stewed rhubarb with my fingers, or, indeed, with any instrument that science could devise. Even with things involving treacle, I have not a good touch. But, while strictly avoiding anything like exaggeration or frivolity, I still note that the point of asparagus is that it is not the food, among other foods, specially fitted to the fingers. In other words, the principle could not have been deduced from abstract reason, or have grown out of the general instincts of men. It could not have been custom: that is why it was etiquette.”

Intentionally or not, the jargon we use daily serves to keep out the unwashed masses, and the more often it changes, the better it works.

“Do you tell me they don’t eat asparagus with their fingers now? Do I not know that in some of the best houses they have little tongs for each person, which are charming? Have I not heard that asparagus is now lowered into the open mouth on a string, or shot into the mouth with a small gun, or eaten with the toes, or not eaten at all? No; I do not know, that is what I wish to point out. They have changed the password.”

To be fair, I don’t think most people use jargon this way on purpose. More than anything, I think overuse of jargon creates an atmosphere of exclusivity that is probably unnoticed by its users.

Marcia at The Printed Page hosts Cover Attraction, a weekly occasion to post an eye-catching cover. The covers I post may be from books I own, something I’ve recently wishlisted, or just a cool cover I really think everybody should see. Sometimes I may have something to say about the artwork itself, but I’m not an art major or anything so please keep that in mind; I’m just trying my best to get the idea across.

Where Everything Ends by Ray Bradbury.

In 1949, a struggling writer–a man very much like the young Ray Bradbury–boards a late night trolley in Venice, California and hears a disembodied voice murmur the words: ‘Death is a lonely business.’ Shortly afterward, that same young man discovers a body trapped in a cage beneath the waters of the local canal. Convinced of a connection between these events, the narrator/hero–together with a wonderfully characterized detective named Elmo Crumley (named in a nod to noted mystery novelist James Crumley) begins to investigate a series of suspicious deaths among the disenfranchised population of Venice.

Death is a Lonely Business was Ray Bradbury’s first book-length foray into classical detective fiction. Two others followed: A Graveyard for Lunatics, in which Crumley and our hero (now a gainfully employed scriptwriter) join forces with special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen, and Let’s All Kill Constance, a tale of mystery and suspense set against the faded backdrop of Hollywood’s Golden Age. All three, together with Where Everything Ends, the never-before-published title story that preceded and inspired them, are now gathered together in a single generous volume that should prove indispensable to Bradbury’s large and loyal readership.

Freely acknowledging the influence of the genre’s masters (Hammett, Chandler, MacDonald, and Cain), all of these stories successfully transcend those influences, filtering them through their author’s wholly unique sensibility. The result is a powerfully nostalgic evocation of time and place, and an unforgettable portrait of a writer in love with language, with movies, and with the transformative power of stories themselves.

Another wonderful cover from Subterranean Press. I’m completely fascinated by Jon Foster’s illustration, and the stories sound intriguing; I’m adding this to my wishlist.

“This week’s theme is: fun facts about authors.”

Which gives me an opportunity to pimp my absolute favorite author, Patricia A. McKillip. Yes, I will keep on singing her praises, because she is a genius. Multiple-award winning fantasy author Patricia A. McKillip:

1. Was born on on Leap Year, February 29th, 1948.
2. Has won prestigious awards, including the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement.
3. She lives in Oregon.
4. For awhile she thought she’d be a concert pianist, and she still plays the piano for pleasure.
5. She started writing at age 14—”In a fit of boredom one day when she was fourteen, she sat down in front of a window overlooking a stately medieval church and its graveyard and produced a thirty-page fairy tale.”
6. When she received the 1975 World Fantasy Award (which looks like the head of H.P. Lovecraft), her reaction was, “What the #@*!!$ is this?”
7. She enjoys and is knowledgeable about cooking.

(The above trivia was all uncovered at this Patricia A. McKillip fan page.)

Some of my favorite McKillip covers:

(I’m calling this series of posts “Monday Reflections”, at least until I think of a better title)

Recently added to my stacks:
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield.
“Sometimes, when you open the door to the past, what you confront is your destiny.

Reclusive author Vida Winter, famous for her collection of twelve enchanting stories, has spent the past six decades penning a series of alternate lives for herself. Now old and ailing, she is ready to reveal the truth about her extraordinary existence and the violent and tragic past she has kept secret for so long. Calling on Margaret Lea, a young biographer troubled by her own painful history, Vida disinters the life she meant to bury for good. Margaret is mesmerized by the author’s tale of gothic strangeness — featuring the beautiful and willful Isabelle, the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline, a ghost, a governess, a topiary garden and a devastating fire. Together, Margaret and Vida confront the ghosts that have haunted them while becoming, finally, transformed by the truth themselves.”

The Sheen on the Silk by Anne Perry.
(An ARC sent to me courtesy Marcia at The Printed Page.)
“Arriving in the ancient Byzantine city in the year 1273, Anna Zarides has only one mission: to prove the innocence of her twin brother, Justinian, who has been exiled to the desert for conspiring to kill Bessarion, a nobleman.

Disguising herself as a eunuch named Anastasius, Anna moves freely about in society, using her skills as a physician to manoeuver close to the key players involved in her brother’s fate. With her medical practice thriving, Anna crosses paths with Zoe Chrysaphes, a devious noblewoman with her own hidden agenda, and Giuiliano Dandolo, a ship’s captain conflicted not only by his mixed Venetian-Byzantine heritage but by his growing feelings for Anastasius.

Trying to clear her brother’s name, Anna learns more about Justinian’s life and reputation—including his peculiar ties to Bessarion’s beautiful widow and his possible role in a plot to overthrow the emperor. This leaves Anna with more questions than answer, and time is running out. For an even greater threat lies on the horizon: Another Crusade to capture the Holy Land is brewing, and leaders in Rome and Venice have set their sights on Constantinople for what is sure to be a brutal invasion. Anna’s discoveries draw her inextricably closer to the dangers of the emperor’s treacherous court—where it seems that no one is exactly who he or she appears to be.”

The Cavalier Poets: An Anthology by Robert Herrick, Thomas Carew, Sir John Suckling, Richard Lovelace et al.
“Rich sampling of more than 120 works—characteristically charming, witty and graceful—by poets associated with the court of Charles I of England: Robert Herrick, Thomas Carew, Sir John Suckling and Richard Lovelace. Includes such gems as Herrick’s ‘To the Virgins to Make Much of Time,’ Suckling’s ‘Why so pale and wan, fond lover?’ and many more. Reprinted from standard editions.”

Shadow & Claw: The First Half of ‘The Book of the New Sun’ by Gene Wolfe.
From the Amazon.com Review: “This is the first-person narrative of Severian, a lowly apprentice torturer blessed and cursed with a photographic memory, whose travels lead him through the marvels of far-future Urth, and who–as revealed near the beginning–eventually becomes his land’s sole ruler or Autarch. On the surface it’s a colorful story with all the classic ingredients: growing up, adventure, sex, betrayal, murder, exile, battle, monsters, and mysteries to be solved. (Only well into book 2 do we realize what saved Severian’s life in chapter 1.) For lovers of literary allusions, they are plenty here: a Dickensian cemetery scene, a torture-engine from Kafka, a wonderful library out of Borges, and familiar fables changed by eons of retelling. Wolfe evokes a chilly sense of time’s vastness, with an age-old, much-restored painting of a golden-visored “knight,” really an astronaut standing on the moon, and an ancient citadel of metal towers, actually grounded spacecraft. Even the sun is senile and dying, and so Urth needs a new sun.

What I’m Watching:
The Twelve Kingdoms Complete Collection
“Upon being confronted by a mysterious stranger, Youko is told of her destiny and pulled away into another world. Thus begins Youko’s perilous journey to the Kingdom of Kei on an epic road of espionage, terror, and betrayal. The mystic world of The Twelve Kingdoms assails her with one challenge after another. Will Youko embrace her destiny?”

What I’m Reading:
I haven’t read as much as I would have liked so far this year. I’m working to remedy that.

The Sheen on the Silk by Anne Perry.
(An ARC sent to me courtesy Marcia at The Printed Page. See plot summary above.)

The Mind of the Maker by Dorothy L. Sayers.
“This classic, with a new introduction by Madeleine L’Engle, is by turns an entrancing mediation on language; a piercing commentary on the nature of art and why so much of what we read, hear, and see falls short; and a brilliant examination of the fundamental tenets of Christianity. The Mind of the Maker will be relished by those already in love with Dorothy L. Sayers and those who have not yet met her.

A mystery writer, a witty and perceptive theologian, culture critic, and playwright, Dorothy Sayers sheds new,unexpected light on a specific set of statements made in the Christian creeds. She examines anew such ideas as the image of God, the Trinity, free will, and evil, and in these pages a wholly revitalized understanding of them emerges. The author finds the key in the parallels between the creation of God and the human creative process. She continually refers to each in a way that illuminates both.”

What I’m Writing:
I’m flitting between three or four projects right now, and trying to choose one to really focus on. I think the Searoyal novel is probably in the lead, if only because I’d developed the plot more before I began to really discover my process.

What I’m Revising:
Dogwood (working title)
Revisions are coming along, but more slowly now. I’m going through the manuscript and looking for promises I’ve made and failed to keep, and the process is a lot more difficult than the first time through for general revision notes. I’m getting a feel for what needs to be expanded and what needs to be removed. Read-through 2/pg. 15 out of 158.

Around the House:
The housework has been slipping a bit, but I’m getting back into it. I’m just trying to do a little each day and develop a routine that includes writing, reading and jewelry-making. I was doing better when I was focusing solely on the housework, and adding creative work into my schedule is disrupting things. But it’s past time for me to accomplish something in my life.

Cooking:
Working through Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child with a friend. I’ve been using the cookbook for awhile but now we’re going through it more systematically so we can both learn. Tonight we’re making poached red snapper with Sauce Béchamel in a sort of casserole. And unrelated to that, I’m also getting ready to learn to sprout grains and use them in cooking.

Spirituality:
“And Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.’” Luke 10:41,42

I’m frequently anxious, and I’m going to make sure to put regular prayer time into my routine. I used to feel more content and peaceful when I was praying regularly. Praying for a few minutes each night before conking out is just not sufficient anymore.

I have my own Tribble!

A Tribble of My Very Own.

I have no idea what the motorized noise is. Maybe it’s eating Gardettos? I wonder if these little guys can reproduce. I think one or two more might be fun . . .

In How to Revise Your Novel lesson two, Holly Lisle says that the kind of change that matters is “irreversible change”. Using the example of a character getting a new haircut, she points out that it isn’t interesting to the reader because the character’s hair will grow back, there is nothing life-changing about it.

I think she has a good point. Though one could argue that something irreversible could happen because of the character’s haircut, the haircut in and of itself is not an important, irreversible change.

It occurs to me, on the other hand, that it’s possible for even irreversible change to be rendered meaningless. Even if there’s foreshadowing and build-up to a supposedly significant, irreversible change, if the change happens and doesn’t carry the weight implied by the foreshadowing, the reader is disappointed and bored. The reader may not understand why they’re left feeling dissatisfied, but the author failed to supply the promised payoff.

In the books leading up to Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer, we are told time and again that becoming a vampire is life-altering, it’s tragic, and that it’s difficult—nearly impossible—to control the vampiric bloodlust. The question of damnation in the afterlife is brought up directly and indirectly. Bella begs to be changed into a vampire, and Edward refuses her every time, not wishing the unlife of a vampire on someone he loves. Finally, in Breaking Dawn, Bella is given her wish, but instead of watching her struggle to transition into the life of a vampire with her respect for human life intact, we learn that being a vampire is easy! It’s even fun! She has the special powers, and she has super-resistance to that pesky bloodlust after all! The issue of damnation is never brought up again, and Bella is even able to maintain a relationship with her father.

This is an irreversible change that has no meaning. Life is barely different for Bella than if she’d never become a vampire at all, except that she has super powers that are only helpful. There are no drawbacks. Edward’s reluctance to change her in previous books now seems like mealy-mouthed excuses. What was he so worried about?

So it’s not only that the change needs to be irreversible. It also needs to create conflict, and it needs to be followed through with just the right amount of payoff.

Marcia at The Printed Page hosts Cover Attraction, a weekly occasion to post an eye-catching cover. The covers I post may be from books I own, something I’ve recently wishlisted, or just a cool cover I really think everybody should see. Sometimes I may have something to say about the artwork itself, but I’m not an art major or anything so please keep that in mind; I’m just trying my best to get the idea across.

Hespira: A Tale of Henghis Hapthorn by Matthew Hughes.

As magic begins to reassert its ancient dominion, Old Earth’s foremost freelance discriminator, Henghis Hapthorn, and his intuition (now a separate person named Osk Rievor), are living apart, though they remain on good terms. But now there comes between them a woman of alluring mystery. Who is Hespira? Does she truly want either of them? Or has she come to destroy them both?

I love Tom Kidd’s artwork. His delicate yet ornate work compells the viewer to explore the image, to look a little closer, and sets an otherworldly tone. His palette and his approach give a sense of fragility and organic structure that surprises considering the subject matter (wizards, spaceships, etc.) It’s appropriate that he does the covers for the Henghis Hapthorn books, since he also does all the covers for Jack Vance-related titles for Subterranean Press, and I hear that the Henghis Hapthorn setting is Dying Earth-inspired. So the art forges another connection between the two nicely.

Henghis Hapthorn the character is called “Holmesian” by Publishers Weekly, and I’m intrigued by the setting, so I may give the series a look, even though I tend to avoid what you might call fantasy detective fiction.

EDIT: The author informs me in a comment:

“I thought you might like to know: the cover of Hespira is actually the right hand third of one long oil painting, the other two thirds comprising the covers of the first two books in the series, Majestrum and The Spiral Labyrinth. The painting won Tom Kidd an award at the World Fantasy Convention in 2007, where I saw it. It was subsequently purchased by a fan of mine.”

The first three chapters are available to read for free on his website, so be sure to check them out.

Purchase Hespira.
Purchase Majestrum, the first Tale of Henghis Hapthorn.

“For this week’s Weekly Geeks, share with us the books which call out to you during the cold, wintry months. Are there genres which appeal to you most? Why do you think you are drawn to these types of books during winter? Do you have some book recommendations for other readers who are looking for some escape from the blustery weather? Give us some of your favorites and tell us why you recommend them.

As “extra credit” why not share some photos of what the weather looks like outside your home…or where you curl up to read when ‘the weather outside is frightening.’”

My hometown spends Winter under endless white waves of crystalline snowdrifts, beneath a sky that changes day by day from storm clouds to bright cerulean. Not long ago I moved a short way out of town, but an invisible rift between here and there creates entirely different weather; my Winters now are full of hurricane-force winds and rainstorms, and sometimes what we call “cute snow”, the kind that gathers its few inches on the ground overnight and melts off in a couple of days. In a way, the weather here in the desert seems drearier than the layers of sparkling snow and ice, and the nights are certainly colder. Snow and overcast skies make a blanket that will keep a little town warm; out here in the desert we’re exposed naked to the cruel Winter chill.

The lake last week, when the water came back after a good snow.

In otherwords, even in a high desert, Winter calls for a different sort of book than other seasons, books that draw you in deep and give a full-on sensory experience of another world. Maybe it’s because the pace of Winter is slower, and gives us more time to get lost in our reading, or maybe the cold weather makes the richness of things like hot chocolate, pumpkin bisque, and Victorian novels splendid instead of suffocating, but for some reason, for me anyway, books get denser and thicker in the Winter. Here are my suggestions for Winter reading, wherever you live:

Riddle-Master: The Complete Trilogy by Patricia A. McKillip.
I’m in the middle of this right now, and I think it’s a wonderful Winter read. Old magic, enchanted harps, conversations by fire, wanderings in the wilderness and magical creatures . . . This trilogy employs all the fantasy tropes, but is so lyrical and lovely that it doesn’t even need to turn them on their heads. If you want to read something like Lord of the Rings during Winter but maybe don’t feel like reading it for the nth time, Riddle-Master is the perfect choice.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke is a great Winter book, for sure; in fact I’m not even sure it should be read at any other time. This alternate history stays true to its Regency novel heritage while inventing an entire history of magic for England. It’s long and divided into three parts, so you can stretch it out all Winter and read other books in between.

Poetry is especially welcome in the Winter; you can read as much or as little as you like, and each poem can give you a multitude of sensory experience in a small dose. The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke, translated from the German by Stephen Mitchell, is a book I love to pick up on a whim and just page through slowly.

Surprised By Joy by C.S. Lewis is an autobiography that takes you through Lewis’s journey from skepticism to belief in God. This is my favorite book of his; even though his range of experience couldn’t be more different from mine, he gives voice and purpose to the awe I’ve felt while looking up at a cold, white mountain or dreaming of Norse gods.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. A book about eating local foods in season, living sustainably by growing your own food, and the preservation of our food culture through heirloom seeds and heritage meats. This is a perspective-altering book that would be good to read in Winter because it carries you full circle through all the seasons.

I read Walking on Water by Madeleine L’Engle on the North Coast in a cabin surrounded by thick ocean fog, and I think anything good to read on the coast is just as good to read in Winter. L’Engle explores creativity as it relates to the Christian faith, challenging the artist to be authentic as they integrate their living faith and art.

I’m reading through the Sherlock Holmes stories for the first time, and posting my thoughts on each story as I read it.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/25796513@N08/ / CC BY 2.0

Title: A Study in Scarlet, from The Complete Sherlock Holmes
Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

A Study in Scarlet is the first Sherlock Holmes novel ever written, and the first Holmes story I’ve ever read (apart from a distracted scan of The Red-Headed League in elementary school). I was warned by multiple websites not to read it first, as it’s the earliest and not supposed to be the best, but I ignored the warnings; I like reading things in order. Though it isn’t perfect, it’s a fun read, and if it’s considered one of the worst Holmes stories, I’m definitely looking forward to the rest.

The story begins when Dr. John H. Watson, recovering from his stint in Afghanistan, is looking for a flatmate to share the burden of rent, and is introduced to a peculiar fellow by the name of Sherlock Holmes.

His very person and appearance were such as to strike the attention of the most casual observer. In height he was rather over six feet, and so excessively lean that he seemed to be considerably taller. His eyes were sharp and piercing, save during those intervals of torpor to which I have alluded; and his chin, too, had the prominence and squareness which mark the man of determination. His hands were invariably blotted with ink and stained with chemicals, yet he was possessed of extraordinary delicacy of touch, as I frequently had occasion to observe when I watched him manipulating his fragile philosophical instruments.

Watson spends the first couple chapters of the book trying to figure out just what it is Holmes does for a living, since his habits are so odd and his fields of study so disparate. Before long, he learns that Sherlock Holmes is the world’s only consulting detective, and that his odd assortment of visitors are actually clients seeking his assistance. For the first time, Holmes invites Watson to visit the scene of a crime with him, where they examine the body of a wild-looking man, bloody but somehow uninjured, and nearby, the word RACHE written on the wall.

This novel is a short one, more like a novelette. Holmes and Watson are fairly undeveloped as characters in Doyle’s mind at this point, and he made some obvious changes when he returned to them in The Sign of the Four (in just one example, in A Study in Scarlet, Watson makes a list of Holmes’ limitations, and describes his knowledge of literature and philosophy as “Nil”.) But the familiar characters are essentially there, and there’s a thrill in seeing Holmes come alive on the page for the very first time. I was surprised to find that a good portion of the story takes place in Salt Lake City, Utah, in a long flashback; I’ve heard that Doyle often made his stories a sort of history lesson, in which an historical event is described through the eyes of one of the characters.

Holmes is more cold and calculating than I expected in this story, and while I realize that’s one of his signature traits, I’m hoping his characterization will be rounder in future stories. Watson is a likeable narrator, who isn’t afraid to stand up to someone even as masterly as Holmes when he feels he should. I wasn’t disappointed in A Study in Scarlet, and I’m glad I read it first, since the stories can only get better from here.

***

Purchase The Complete Sherlock Holmes at Amazon.