Sherlock Holmes in Orbit by Mike Resnick

Sherlock Holmes in Orbit Reviews

• 
  cypt

  Visiškai simboliška knyga. Pradėjau skaityti per Holmso gimtadienį, baigiau per savo. Tai pirmoji šiemet perskaityta Holmso knyga - :( - ir paskutinė šiemetinio GR iššūkio knyga. Ir tt. Ir niekas nebuvo planuota, tiesiog šiandien sukrito. Arba - dėl mūsų likimo žvaigždės kaltos!
  
  Nuo Holmso pastišų teko truputį atsitraukti, jau net susikaupė krūva nepradėtų. Šitoj knygoj (kurią oficialiai "autorizavo"=užskaitė Conan Doyle'io dukra!) surinktos trumpos istorijos, kurių didžioji dauguma Holmsą įtupdo į sci-fi žanro rėmus. Nesu jo ekspertė ir šiaip beveik ne skaitytoja, tai daug kas, kas turbūt gerbėjams ir gerbėjoms yra pabodę žanro tropai, man praplaukė pro šalį. Bet knyga vis tiek liko gražiai simboliška. Suskirstyta į 4 dalis: Holmsas praeityje; Holmsas dabartyje; Holmsas ateityje; Holmsas po mirties. Ten Holmsas bendrauja su ufonautais, tampa kompiuterio programa / holograma / ufonautu; net yra du cross-overiai su Alisa. Vienas jų - kvailas, o kitas - creepy. Absoliuti dauguma istorijų gana durnos, bet viena yra, nors irgi kvailoka, bent jau graži:
  
  Holmsą ir Vatsoną laiko mašina transportuoja į ateitį (2096). Prašo ištirti, kur dingo 3 trilijonai ateivių: žmonės dedukuoja, kad nu jau tikrai kosmose turi būti protingų būtybių, bet kad jos neatsako į radijo bangų pranešimus. Kur dingo?? Holmsui įskiepija visą per 200 m. sukauptą žmonijos intelektinį kapitalą. Ir iš viso to jam prireikia... Šriodingerio. Nes 1893 m., prie Reichenbacho krioklių, Holmsas iš tiesų mirė (kai krito su Moriarčiu): Vatsonas, metaforiškai, atidarė dėžę ir pamatė, kad katė negyva, - nuo krioklio nebeveda pėdos, Holmsas nukrito ir žuvo. Paskui, per Didįjį pertrūkį, visa žmonija kolektyviai negalėjo patikėti, kad Holmso nebėra, - terorizavo Vatsoną, nedavė jam ramybės tol, kol Holmsas... grįžo iš mirusių. Žmonija savo tikėjimu pajudino kalną, kaip sakoma. Spoksojo į dėžę tol, kol katė atgijo. Ir viskas išsiderino: kai Holmsas atgijo, išsikreipė visi Žemės dėsniai, ateiviai nebeatsakė. Gali suprast, kad ir visi XX a. siaubai - dėl to paties. Nes žmonija labai norėjo iš numirusių prikelti Holmsą.
  
  Kadangi kelionės laiku tame apsakyme įmanomos, Holmsas grįžta į 1893-iuosius numirti iš tikro, prieš tai perspėjęs Vatsoną, kad tas nepasiduotų, nebeparašytų jokių naujų apsakymų.
  
  Man toj istorijoj susikaupęs visas fanų kultūros ir populiariųjų tekstų žavesys: kartais juose gali neįtikėtinai sukibti skirtingos plotmės. Šiuo atveju tai pasakojimas ir apie Holmsą kaip personažą, ir apie jo kūrimo istoriją. Savotiškai - ir apie fanficus, kurie iš paskutiniųjų bando prikelti mirusius personažus (ar tiesiog tuos, apie kuriuos neberašo jų tikrieji autoriai), bet taip tik iškreipia tikrovę, permeta skaitytojus į wishful thinking, į wishful tikrovę, ir taip, anot Eco, mes nebeišmokstame gyvenimo ir mirties pamokų, kurių turi mokyti literatūra. Savotiškai - apie tai, kas kartais vadinama vienu Holmso žavesio aspektų - kad tai nostalginis personažas, nukeliantis į laikus, kai galiojo aiškios taisyklės (aišku žavinga čia jei tu tais laikais kilmingas, vyr. g. intended), kai pasaulis dar nebuvo matęs nei Hirošimos, nei Aušvico. Sykiu - nežinau, ar mano jėgoms tą komentuoti, bet dar ir tolimas krikščioniškosios istorijos aidas ar antifrazė - kai prisikėlimas netampa išeitimi, kai jo visa širdim trokštama, bet jis vis tiek lieka pažeidimu, iškreipiančiu tikrovę. O gal tas ir nesikerta su Kristaus istorija - juk ir krikščionybėje prisikėlimas iškreipė tikrovę, išjudino pamatinius jos dėsnius. O kad Holmsas yra savotiška mesijinė figūra - gal XX a pradžioj dar ne, bet XXI a pr - tikrai.
  
  Gražu ir liūdna, liūdna dar ir dėl to, kad supranti, jog tavo interpretacijos didžiąja dalimi yra wishful thinking, apauginęs tekstą, kuriame turbūt ir netelpa tiek daug, kiek ten išskaitai. Kaip Džordanos dainose. Kur žodžiai tikri, nesumeluoti?
• 
  Amy H. Sturgis

  Like many collections, this one includes some hits and some misses. It's divided into four sections: "Holmes in the Past," "Holmes in the Present," "Homes in the Future," and "Holmes After Death." On the whole, the majority of the stories are quite worth reading, and I'm glad I encountered these science fictional interpretations of Sherlock Holmes.
  
  I quite liked "The Musgrave Version" by George Alec Effinger, a story told from Reginald Musgrave's point of view about Sherlock Holmes's early meeting with Fu Manchu.
  
  "The Case of the Detective's Smile" by Mike Bourne is beautifully crafted tribute to Lewis Carroll - and to Sherlock Holmes, who, like Alice, has visited "that place." A truly charming and imaginative story.
  
  "The Adventure of the Russian Grave" by William Barton and Michael Capobianco is a fun story about how Moriarty uses an asteroid to try to get revenge on Sherlock Holmes (and Watson) from beyond the grave (a precautionary measure, in case he didn't survive Reichenbach). Clever and unexpected!
  
  One of the standout stories in the collection, "The Adventure of the Field Theorems" by Vonda N. McIntyre has it all: a snarky and skeptical Sherlock Holmes, an empathetic Dr. Watson, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself (achingly naive), crop circles, and talks of spiritualism and Martians. A poignant and satisfying story about what we choose to believe and why.
  
  "The Adventure of the Missing Coffin" by Laura Resnick is a bit too flippant for me, relying heavily on one-liners for its effect as two vampires square off in a competition to see who can land a contract with Bram Stoker first. Not funny enough to be a successful humor piece, and not well researched enough to be a good Holmesian pastiche, this became rather tiresome rather quickly.
  
  Mark Aronson's "The Tale of the Second Scarf" is a somewhat unremarkable mystery in which Sherlock Holmes proves his deductive powers once again, but offworld, after an alien appears at 221B and invites him to consult about a murder. There's much missed opportunity here for Holmes and Watson to comment on extraterrestrial life and all they observe in it presence, as the story remains fixed solely on solving the crime.
  
  Frank M. Robinson's "The Phantom of the Barbary Coast" brings Holmes and Watson to San Francisco in search of Irene Adler's missing sister. Although I spotted the solution to both mysteries (sister and phantom) quite early, I enjoyed seeing Holmes deduce while out of his geographic element, as well as learning more of Watson's past (in this case, some details about his short-lived 1st marriage). There's no science fiction here, really, but it's a good story.
  
  Being lovingly playful with canon is one thing; making fun of it is another. Brian M. Thomsen's "The Mouse and the Master" tries so self-consciously to be witty (at canon's expense), it's annoying. There are nods to other 'verses (including Dracula, among others), but they're empty. The premise that Watson is a near-deaf fool who's gotten everything about Holmes wrong falls flat. There's a sham seance, but no science fiction.
  
  Dean Wesley Smith's "Two Roads, No Choices" sends two time travelers to Holmes and Watson to ask their help in solving the mystery of why the Titanic didn't sink. Clever use of the "alternate universe" idea, as it suggests that, on "another road" (ours, perhaps?), Holmes attempted to restore the travelers' history by sending many of the Titanic's helpless passengers to their deaths."
  
  Another standout story, John DeChancie's "The Richmond Enigma" is a very clever look at the paradoxes of time travel. Filby the solicitor asks Holmes to investigate the question of whether or not his client/friend - H.G. Wells's Time Traveler (a distant relation of Holmes's) - still lives. Well done indeed.
  
  "A Study in Sussex" by Leah A. Zeldes packs a punch for such a short story. An elderly Watson is summoned to visit his friend in the country and "stand by" as Holmes conducts an experiment on himself. I'd call this weird fiction rather than straight-up science fiction; it's heavy on atmosphere and ends on a (somewhat improbable) note of wonder and hope.
  
  Gary Alan Ruse's "The Holmes Team Advantage" is a fun, if not enthralling, tale about cloning.
  
  Lawrence Schimel's "Alimentary, My Dear Watson" is a short, dark, strikingly effective piece crossing over into the universe of Alice from Lewis Carroll's books. This one will stick with me a while.
  
  Byron Tetrick's "The Future Engine" plays off of Charles Babbage's idea for the difference engine to very good effect. I especially enjoyed the cleverness of Moriarty and the credit given the Baker Street Irregulars here. Nicely done. A favorite quote (describing the Irregulars as they approach): "Hark!" yelled Holmes, a smile on his face. "The sound of random variables."
  
  Moving to "Holmes in the Present," Susan Casper's "Holmes Ex Machina" brings Hollywood special effects to literature - "These books are about to become a person" - and thus animates the "real" Sherlock Holmes. Loving, clever, and fun.
  
  Craig Shaw Gardner's "The Sherlock Solution" is an enjoyable, witty look at what happens when a Sherlock Holmes program turns an entire tech company's employees into walking, talking Holmeses out to fight the computer virus known as Moriarty.
  
  David Gerrold's "The Fan Who Molded Himself" is an ominous, eerie story positing that Sherlock Holmes was a time traveler, not a detective. This secret, handed down from one generation to the next, puts Watson's heirs in danger. I quite liked this one.
  
  Another standout in this collection is Kristine Kathryn Rusch's "Second Fiddle," which is a very good read. A modern-day serial murder investigation brings Sherlock Holmes forward in time to consult. The solution to the mystery leaves the protagonist, a detective who resents and envies Holmes, food for thought about jealousy and its results. Holmes is very well drawn here, very aware of how his influence could twist or better the protagonist. A thoughtful premise well executed.
  
  Kicking off the "Holmes in the Future" section, Josepha Sherman's "The Case of the Purloined L'isitek" is an empty story built on a series of (annoying) puns: the race of Shrr'loks living on the planet Kholmes, where the archeologist Dr. Watson goes. Definitely a weak link in the chain of this anthology.
  
  Anthony R. Lewis's "The Adventure of the Illegal Alien," on the other hand, though short, is quite touching. An AI Holmes becomes Holmes with the help of his Watson.
  
  Ralph Roberts's "The Greatest Detective of All Time" has a time-traveling Holmes and Watson fall into a trap - or is it lay a trap? - for Moriarty on Mars. The ending is a bit too neat, but the premise is clever.
  
  In Jack Nimersheim's "Moriarty by Modem," Holmes is, and has always been, a computer program, and the same is true for Moriarty. This is a bittersweet and loving tale, which I quite enjoyed.
  
  Barry N. Malzberg's "Dogs, Masques, Love, Death: Flowers" has the seed of something very interesting indeed, but unfortunately Malzberg is more enamored of his overwritten style than the story itself, and his meaning gets bogged down in the swamp of his prose.
  
  "You See But You Do Not Deserve" by Robert J. Sawyer ends the "Holmes in the Future" section on a whimper rather than a bang. While the bring-Holmes-and-Watson-to-the-future premise, based on the desire to solve the Fermi paradox, is fascinating, the execution is woefully underwhelming, even self-contradictory. Sawyer can't spend any time away from his unpersuasive "infodump" for character development, either.
  
  The final section, "Holmes After Death," has cute but lackluster entries. In "Illusions" by Janni Lee Simner, Arthur Conan Doyle finally gets proof to support his Spiritualist beliefs when a family member visits him from beyond the grave... to express his disapproval of "The Final Solution" and demand that Sherlock Holmes be brought back from the grave.
  
  In Mike Resnick's "The Adventure of the Pearly Gate," Holmes is bored in heaven, but makes a deal with Saint Peter to be returned to earth post-Reichenbach.
  
• 
  Stephen Robert Collins

  Mike Resnick is famous for editing & writing weird tales this is an odd ball of weird Holmes set not in Victorian times but in both time & space It is over 20ys since read this so love to read it again.
• 
  Simon Mcleish

  A collection of Sherlock Holmes stories with a science fiction or fantasy element. Quite a number involve time travel (interactions with
  The Time Machine particularly popular). Many are parodies, and most of the poor stories are the ones where the humour doesn't work.
• 
  Trin

  Another collection of sci-fi Holmes pastiches; this one is much better than
  Sherlock Holmes Through Time and Space, despite opening, for some bizarre reason, with what's by far the worst story in the whole book. (Profic writers really could learn a thing or two from fandom. Rule No. 1: Don't character bash. Rule No. 2: DON'T CHARACTER BASH.) I suspect this is because all these stories were written specifically for this anthology, while the other was a collection of previously published stuff. Thus, the focus of these tales is much more the actual Sherlock Holmes (and sometimes—but not nearly enough—Watson), and not characters merely similar to him. So, while none of the stories were what I'd call revelatory—I still haven't found my ideal Sherlock Holmes sci-fi pastiche (maybe I'll have to write it myself)—the collection as a whole was quite enjoyable. Though I wish someone would give Watson a bit more love. *pouts*
• 
  Sarah

  While one or two stories were worth reading the rest were, at best, boring or pointless (one spent a few pages trying to establish that Watson is a jealous, compulsive liar, and that the adventures of Holmes are either made up or another man aided him...that's it, no actual story-line...come to think of it, there were three stories written around this basis in one way or another) and, at worst, offensive to true Sherlock fans (Sherlock is a meth addict with schizophrenia whose sidekick is an imbecile, neither has ever left their shared apartment which stinks of every body fluid imaginable...this one fits into the previous category of Sherlock/Watson being shams).
• 
  Jean-Pierre Vidrine

  This collection of post-Doyle Sherlock Holmes stories is not the least bit traditional, yet it is entirely enjoyable. Styles range from holding close to feeling like Doyle to nowhere near his type of wording. Sometimes this leads to near incomprehensibility. But whether the story is good, great, or head scratching, it is always compelling.
  
• 
  Ian

  My lowest rating. The stories started as mediocre and went steadily down. I was hoping for an imaginative reimaging of Holmes, what I got was a mishmash of cliches. Waste.
• 
  Read1000books

  I have always been a classical (or originalist) Sherlockian, meaning a strong point of view that the characters belong and do best in their own time period and location (i.e. Victorian London or thereabouts). However, this volume of short stories, each with a little or a lot of sci-fi elements, was worth a read through. The 26 selections are grouped into four categories: Holmes in the past, in the present, in the future, and after death. Some were silly ("The Sherlock Solution", "The Adventure of the Missing Coffin"); some were hard to understand ("Dogs, Masques, Love, Death: Flowers"); some way out on the fantasy side (something about dolphin police officers) some bizarre ("A Study In Sussex"), but a fair portion were quite good and stood out, such as "The Adventure of the Russian Grave", "The Future Engine", and "The Richmond Enigma". Not so much mystery, but for old time sci-fi readers and Holmes aficionados with an expansionist mindset, give it a try.
• 
  Jose Luis Meza Garcia

  Normally when you collect short stories not all of them are good or even great, but in this case only 2 or 3 of them gave me the feeling that I was reading a Sherlock Holmes story hence the 2 stars.
  
  Of all the stories, the one that struck me the most was the encounter of Holmes with St Peter in heaven, yup Holmes in Heaven!
  
  The stories truly try to take Holmes where he hasn't been before and in that part they succeed. I just wish they could have wrote better stories in those scenarios (past, present and future). Still, if you feel curious read it; I hope you liked it more than me.
• 
  Craig

  Overall this is a very good theme-anthology which features all things Sherlockian. It's divided into four sections, with Holmes in the past, the present, the future, and after death. As with all such volumes there are highs and lows; it's essentially fan-fiction, after all, and I tended to most enjoy the stories that seemed to me to be closest to the original. Almost all of these stories had a fantasy or science-fiction-themed slant, but I still think Doyle may well have approved.
• 
  Matt Kuhns

  This one is among the best Sherlock Holmes anthologies I have read, for consistent quality. Out of 26 stories, several were excellent, nearly all were enjoyable, and only a few didn't really work for me.
  
  Anyone with an open mind about departures from the traditional canon approach to Holmes should give this one a look.
• 
  Boyd

  One of the better anthologies, some of the most interesting stories were the ones where Holmes crossed paths with a Vampire, Dr. Fu Manchu, Lewis Carroll, and an author by the name of Arthur Conan Doyle.
• 
  Angel

  I bought a second hand copy of this book.
  
  See my note in my blog:
  
  [
  http://gypsylibrarian.blogspot.com/20...]
• 
  ClaR3Sa Siu

  It's a nerve wrecking story...>3<
• 
  Astraia

  Great book with a wide variety of faux-Holmes tales that are delightful to non sci-fi readers as well
• 
  Jacqueline

  I enjoyed this anthology a lot. There's a number of different styles of SF here and different styles of mystery. Well worth a read to mystery fans, Sherlockians, and SF fans as well.
• 
  Lilit

  handsome book!!!!