The Norbury Chronicle

newsletter of the Holmesian Studies SIG of American Mensa

Baker Street Irregulars scion founded in '88

"Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed." (Mark 4:22)

Issue XXXV Feb. '11 $4/3 issues

The Game Is Afoot Again!

We have been on hiatus for the last few years, but are now back in Mensa and an active Baker Street Irregular scion again. It was rough being underemployed and then unemployed, but now can indulge my life-long avocation. The statement made by Bill Vande Water and still posted at the webpage http://www.sherlockian.net/societies/bvw.html is true once again.

Sherlockian scion societies

It is a peculiar characteristic of Sherlockians that they are almost never monomaniacs; they are almost always interested in a couple three other things as well as Holmes. Morley's club-forming fervor has not left any group unorganized. There are scions for geologists (limited, but practical), librarians (sub), dermatologists (Sir James Saunders Soc.), magicians (James Phillimore Soc.). Stimson and Company has two levels: Stimsons for actual undertakers, and Companies for those not actively engaged in burying other peoples mistakes. If you are particularly good at taking IQ tests, there is a group within Mensa. [our emphasis] There is another group of tobacco lovers; and groups for fans of Wodehouse or Gilbert and Sullivan. There is even Mary Morstan's Companions (with the horrendous motto: "Better Homes Without Holmes") formed for spouses whose husbands are always running away to follow Holmes. Similarly there is the sub-scion of the Copper Beeches (all male) called The Copper Bitches ("we aren't Copper Beeches, we only sleep with them"). And a word should be said for those New Englanders of a less discriminating nature who founded The Friends of Irene Adler as an alternative to the male only Speckled Band.

We are also listed :

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_179084158802721&ref=ts

Favorite Fan Fiction

We have been reading fan fiction at fanfic.net/SherlockHolmes and found some interesting crossover stories mixing Sherlock Holmes with some other of my favorites, "Monk", "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", "Star Trek: The Original Series", "The Little Princess" and "Doctor Who", A Series of Unfortunate Events and The Scarlet Pimpernel.

"The Cuckoo Clock Mystery" by Stetch Snodgrass actually involves Watson, not Holmes, Watson and Adrian Monk. John and Mary Watson happen to be staying at the Hotel Anglais in San Francisco, celebrating (I guess their 109th wedding anniversary) when the clockmaker Eugene Addison is murdered. It's Watson who notices that the missing clock resembles the hotel aiding Adrian Monk. They find the lost treasure of Sir Humphrey Houghty.

"The Case of the Displaced Watcher" by Antenna likewise did not have to do so much with Buffy as Rupert Giles from 2001 visiting Holmes in 1886 and stopping a plot to assassinate Priness Victoria in 1836.

"However Improbable" by KCS also was good, though lengthy. Moriarty survived the fall from Reichenbach to spend three years on board the starship Dracone. The interaction between Holmes, Watson, Moriarty, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy is quite believable, bringing out especially Kirk and Watson's past heartbreaks.

"The Princess's Detective" by Haiza Tyzi shows a difference side to post-Moriarty Holmes, but the best addition is the Watson children, Janet, Nora and Donald's quest for the girl-who-is-not-a-beggar. In "Back to the Past" we find another son, another Dr. John H. Watson, marrying Shirley Alexandra Henderson.

In "The Case of the Blue Box" by Twin Sun Leader was interesting in that I had to googletranslate it from the French "L'Affair de la Boî lt Bleu ", which somehow makes it more exotic. The Doctor and Rose Tyler capture escaped trafala and Holmes learns of top-secret Torchwood.

In "The Adventure of the Beaudelaires" by Thomas Holmes II, Holmes and Watson aid both aid the Beaudelaire children against the criminal Count Olaf.

"Elementary, My Dear Blakeney:" by SherlockianGirl alas is unfinished, but we hope that some of his third great grandfather's love of "the game" does indeed light Holmes up, before Holmes figure a way to send Sir Percy back. The patter between them is demmed fun. Perhaps we should take the initiative and write our own ending, eh? Write back after visiting: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4834611/1/Elementary_My_Dear_Blakeney

Her shorter "Watson Makes an Edit" describing their last moments together as roommates at 221 B and "The Man at St. Bart's" are nice additions to the deuterocanonicals.

Sherlock and Holmes

There are even some crossovers between Holmeses of past, present and future. In "Morphine" Anna McNarin tells of 22nd Century Holmes' unsatisfactory relationship with Watsonbot and of Beth Lestrade's attempt to visit 1889. "Sherlock and Holmes" by Arcana Dragonheart even has crosstime communication between Sherlock Holmes 1890 and Sherlock Holmes 2010.

Ididn't know what to expect from the first 90-miniute episode of the new TV series "Sherlock", but wasn't too disappointed. I was afraid that a Sherlock Holmes with a hand-held computer would be just like everyone else, but he still obverved while others just saw. It was easy to see old, familiar elements from the Canon (doctor and veteran Waton, a thinner Mycroft, the Irregulars as older street people, Moriarty in the background). The bromance question was answered in the negative, though it will like come up again. .

In "A Study in Pink" Sherlock finds a serial killer manipulating victims into suicide and seems to be being manipulated by this Moriarty-manipulated cabby. John proves his marksmanship.

In "The Blind Banker" Sherlock is hired to investigate a mysterious break-in at a bank and discovers that symbols spray-painted onto an office wall are a coded message in Suzhou numerals, but not before more are killed.. Holmes rescues Watson's ladyfriend.

In "The Great Game" a thin Mycroft Holmes asks Sherlock to investigate the theft of the Bruce-Partington thumbdrive, which leads him to Jim Moriarty who threatens John and escapes. I suspect Sherlock is the rejuvinated Holmes of Time for Sherlock Holmes by David Dvorkin suffering from temporary amnesia.

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson

We see at IMDb that this 1980 TV series has a higher rating than the Granada series. All that is listed however is the episode titles and cast.

"A Motive for Murder", Denham; "Murder on a Midsummer's Eve"; "Four Minus Four Is One", Susan Taunton, Mischkin; "The Case of the Perfect Crime", Toby Judson; "The Case of Henry Rigby", Sarah; "The Case of Blind Man's Bluff", Vickers, Dr. Jonas; "A Case of Security", Chales Liley; "The Case of the Deadly Prophesy", Henry Carolan, Dr. Dimanche, Marie Grande; "The Case of the Baker St. Nursemaids", butler; "The Case of the Purloined Letter", Lord Brompton; "The Case of the Travelling Killer", Theresa, Jake; "The Case of the Sitting Target", Sophie; "The Case of the Final Curtain", Brighton; "The Case of the Three Uncles", Meredith Stanhope, Helen Grey; "The Case of the Body in the Case", Verner; "The Case of the Deadly Tower", Hadlock, Lady Tarlton; "The Case of Smith and Smythe", Smith, Smythe; "The Case of the Luckless Gambler"; "The Case of the Shrunken Heads", James McIntyre; "The Case of Magruder's Murder", butler, Chesney, Miss Collins; "The Case of the Other Ghost", Sir Charles and Sarah Kindersley, butler; "The Case of the Close-knit Family", Sir Oliver, Lady Noell.

Sherlock Holmes: the Movie

The his 2009 version of the Great Detective which pits him against the black magician Lord Blackwood was more to my taste. Blackwood is hung (according to Watson) but mysteriously returns from the grave and resumes killing.

For some unexplained reason Holmes and Mary Morstan don't seem to remember each other from "The Case of the Five Orange Pip". Watson uncharacteristically and mysteriously punches Sherlock for speaking about her previous fianceé because Watson already knew about him.
Sherlock meanwhile is distracted by friend/foe Irene Adler and finds her red-haired dwarf in Blackwood's mausoleum. The trail of clues and trouble lwith the bad guys and between the two friends continues until a ship sinks! Watson's bailed out by Mary, while Holmes is freed by the not-so-secret society the Temple of the Four, including Sir Thomas and Lord Coward. Yet Holmes lets Blackwood kill Ambassador Standish and threaten Irene with of all things a buzzsaw.

Once freed, she hugs Watson and Holmes, also leaning to kiss Holmes on the cheek. In spite of (or because of) that Holmes is spurred on to save the House of Lords and the Parliment. There's chase through the dewers, ending with Blackwood premature, but not unexpected, hanging, and Irene's belated, and not unexpected, revelation that she works for Moriarty.

The Holmes Family

We have found some more members of Holmes family. In "Give Me Lib, or Give Me Death" (1973) we found Goldilock Holmes and her friends, Boston Blondie, Nora Woof, Simone "The Scent" Tempter, Hillary Quinn, Samantha Shovel and Micheline Hammerlock, Charlotte Chin, Ms. Motto, May Gray, and Violet Pantz investigate the United Notion toy factory robbery while infiltrated by Moe the Mimic.

In "The Lion of Draksville" (2002) by Julian Rathbone revealed Basilia "Baz" Holmes to be Sherlock Holmes's grandniece and her BBF, Julia Watson. Anna-Maria Moriarty is her arch-enemy, although Ann-Marie Moriarty in "Back to the Past" by Jennifer Wilson aids the capture of the Moriarty clone in the the 22nd Century.

In "The Case of the Missing Marquess" (2006) by Nancy Springer we find Enola Holmes, a younger sister of Sherlock, and mention of their (step)mother Lady Eudoria Vernet Holmes (not the same as Mycroft's mother Violet in "The Eye of Oran" (2006) by Win Scott Eckert or Mrs. Sigerson's in "Inga Sigerson Weds") and in Sherlock Holmes: The Unauthorized Biography by Nick Rennison we find her mother, Marie-Claude. In "Erasing Sherlock Holmes" (2006) by Kelly Hale is yet another sister, Jenny and The Great Game (2001) by Michael Kurland he recruits another Jenny, his cousin Jenny Vernet in Vienna. In "Inga Sigerson Wed" are revealed not only the title cousin, but an older sister Elizabeth, uncle Jorgen Sigerson, cousin-in-law Jonathan van Hopkins, even a otherwise unknown (step)father Reginald Beasley Holmes and mother .

Porlork's Puzzles

S ince we're beginning again, like Finnegan, we'll start with a simple cipher -- with the HINT: Code Yellow!

1-84-63-21-4-28-33-2-22-16-53-36-14-9-7-8-63-39-37-15-18-48-26-69-89-63-30-6-79

CLASSIFIEDS [inspired by "A Study in Emerald" by Neil Gaiman]

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