The announcement that writer Anthony Horowitz has been granted permission to write a brand new Sherlock Holmes novel has been met with mixed reviews. Sir Arthur Conan’s Doyle’s character has been reinvented on numerous occasions over the years, from 21st century forensic sleuth in the latest BBC adaptation to the Deerstalker wearing trendsetter Basil Rathbone, Holmes is the man with a thousand faces. Horowitz however seems keen not to put his own stamp on the iconic literary character, but rather in the style of writing itself.
An official statement on the author’s website states
'…my aim is to produce a first rate mystery for a modern audience while remaining absolutely true to the spirit of the original'.
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| Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes in the 2010 BBC adaptation. |
Best known for his work on the popular television series Foyle's War and for his Alex Rider children's series, the title of Horowitz’s Holmes novel is being kept under wraps by publisher Orion and is expected to be released in September this year.
Sherlock is not alone in receiving this kind of revisionist treatment as sequels of this kind become more and more popular. The James Bond franchise has continued to grow without original author Ian Fleming, thanks to Sebastian Faulks' 2008 novel, Devil May Care and looks set to continue to expand this year when crime writer, Jeffrey Deaver, releases Carte Blanche in May. In a world where readers have countless opportunities to revisit their favourite characters and plots, presented to them in various formats, sequels are inevitable. With television, film and even the Internet cashing in on the popularity of well written stories and characters, why shouldn’t the book world benefit to? Does this practice stifle or encourage creativity?
It’s no secret that a popular series is desirable in all formats for everyone involved. The enormous popularity of the Harry Potter books and their subsequent film franchise has been deemed as the Holy Grail of success in both print and celluloid. An astonishing array of films aimed at children have been adapted from successful book series in recent years, with varying success. Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Saga and C.S.Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia have each successfully spawned three film adaptations whilst Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle, Cornelia Funke’s Inkheart Trilogy and the Spiderwick Chronicles each add one film credit to their portfolio. Adapting already successful and well received books into film is not only a financially sound move for studios in times of spiralling costs (practically guaranteeing a profit) but also taps into the incurable vein of human curiosity which children in particular seem to posses in high concentrations. As long as somebody asks ‘and then what happened’ they will be inclined to search for answers, from sanctified sources like official films, or from their own imaginations.
The growth of the mainly Internet based phenomenon ‘Fan Fiction’ is a case in point. Capitalising on the natural inclination of the inquisitive to know what happens to the characters and world we have come to love as we reach the final page of a novel, Fan Fiction websites allow the average reader web-space to share their version of an incident or a scene that they would have liked their favourite characters to come up against. Set in a world with parameters that have been created by the original authors, some daydreams have stretched further, with novel sized stories appearing online in homage to the author and idea that they love.
As the age old practise of authors other than the originals writing sequels becomes more accepted, it is also being embraced at an increasing rate by the publishing world. Numerous sequels and spin offs to our most beloved novels and authors seem to flood the market at the moment. Pride and Prejudice (already no stranger to this publishing trend) has had a recent resurgence thanks to Quirk Classics and their Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (not to mention Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters and Android Karenina). In a similar fashion, Gregory Maguire built on the parameters set up by L. Frank Baum in the Wonderful Wizard of Oz to tell unique stories about peripheral characters and their interaction with each other before and after the arrival of Dorothy Gale. He is the author of the highly acclaimed and wildly popular Wicked,which has since been re-imagined itself as a Broadway musical. Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea, is a novel which not only opens Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre for further understanding, but stands so strongly as an individual book that it is now studied for its own merits. In short, without the freedom to revise and revisit an author’s world, we would have missed out on some brilliant and inspiring books.
It’s far too early to tell how Horowitz’ Holmes will stand up to the test of time or if it will live up to the expectation and the high standards of the Baker Street fans. Undoubtedly it will be scrutinised with ferocity by the legions of fans keen to safeguard the reputation of a much loved character. Like all sequels and spin offs, it will be the quality of writing and plot which will ultimately determine the success of the book after the initial publicity furore dies down. For now, we wait as the mystery unfolds.
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