When I was in junior high and high school, I read most of the Sherlock Holmes "canon" -- that is, the official stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Then, I discovered Sherlock Holmes pastiches -- stories about Holmes written by other people.
Everything from simple murder mysteries to Sherlock Holmes meeting Dracula. This was about the time when
The Seven-Per-Cent Solution came out, giving an entirely new twist on Moriarity.
Not to mention the controversial
The Last Sherlock Holmes Story by Michael Dibdin.
The other day, I saw some recent pastiches in the bookstore and on Amazon, and I thought about getting into them again. So I wondered which ones I should venture into. (I did consider the books of Carole Nelson Douglas and Laurie R. King. Plus newer books by James Lovegrove, who seems to bring SF and horror into the mix.)
I've noticed that Sherlock Holmes pastiches are easier to find nowadays. Yet I haven't seen anything that seems ... truly controversial? Mind-shattering? Is there anything more recent that is as controversial as
The Seven-Per-Cent Solution and
The Last Sherlock Holmes Story were in their day?
Does anyone still write "How Dare He Do That to Holmes?!" books?
Edited to Add: If you want more of my meandering rambles about pastiches, check out my Medium link as I just published an article about my experience trying to write one in high school.
