One of the marvelous things about Sherlock Holmes stories is the variety of interesting problems that he and Watson solve. An even more marvelous thing about this collection is how varied the Holmes characters are, so the situations can be even more mind-bending! I have to recommend this book to my friend who loves parrots . . . she will love that story!

A MIXED BAG

I love reading books based on the character Sherlock Holmes. My first exposure to the character was through Saturday afternoons spent with my uncle after mowing his lawn, sitting down to watch the afternoon movies on a local TV station that would feature the films of Basil Rathbone as the titular character. It wasn’t until years later that I got around to reading the books and enjoyed them as well. But the stories never ended there as tons of books with the character written by current writers have also been there to enjoy.

If you aren’t aware (and if you’re a Holmes fan that’s doubtful) the Baker Street Irregulars were a group of young street urchins that Holmes often used to gather information for him. They were the denizens of the street, able to hear gossip and discussions others might not. But that’s not the reference being used in the title here. Instead it refers to a group of stories that involve Holmes. Unfortunately not in the usual sense.

The book is a collection of stories that range from a direct item involving Holmes to science fiction outings where he is an alien akin to a dog. Some have him as a female character, others a college student and another as a vampire. Moving from one incarnation to the next has the obvious results of there being good and bad in the mix. For me I found more on the down side than the positive.

With so many options to choose from when it comes to this character I found that stories written that did little more than appropriate the name weren’t all that enjoyable. Others seemed to not have the spark of inspiration that many better books do. The end result was a book that felt unsatisfying to say the least. Rather than read this one I’d suggest going back to better ones like THE SEVEN PERCENT SOLUTION.

Baker Street Irregulars: Thirteen Authors with New Takes on Sherlock Holmes, edited by Michael A. Ventrella and Jonathan Maberry, is an anthology of new stories about the most popular fictional character ever. The editors presented a challenge to some writers to come up with new stories, the only limit being that a mystery had to be solved by a personality that was clearly Sherlock Holmes. Although the stories were not all winners, there are some very creative and clever takes on that challenge – so if you like short stories, add this one to your reading queue.

Book received from NetGalley.

I had never read a retelling of Sherlock Holmes prior to reading this anthology. If they are all as well written as this I will be looking for more. In here we have gender bent, vampire, and "old" Holmes to name a few. Each different version gives the story a unique twist. When I actually grabbed this off of the TBR pile, I read it all in one day, I just couldn't put it down.

I was unable to download and review prior to archive. However, I would still be willing to read/review. If this is possible please reach out to me via email. My most sincere apologies.

Sherlock Holmes is hella popular these days with movies, television shows, and books all re-imagining how these books could be reinterpreted -- brought into the modern day or different genres. This book invites thirteen different authors to do just that.

Locked Mike Strauss
Set up as Sherlock and Watson being on some sort of reality show where Sherlock solves crimes and Watson plays the bumbling fool, who in fact is is league with the producers to make Sherlock look good. I didn't really get a good feel for the show or for Sherlock. The premise was interesting (basically the producers hire people to commit crimes so that Sherlock can solve the case) but didn't play out well in a short story.

Three stars

Identity: An Adventure of Shirley Holmes and Jack Watson Keith R. A. DeCandido
There have been a LOT of gender-swapping of the Holmes and Watson characters. Some more successful than others. This story not only plays with gender but with race. Set in the modern day, Watson encounters Martha Hudson while covering for her oncologist. It plays close to the beloved Sherlock Holmes we all know except that Shirley is her niece in this case and Martha wants someone to move in and keep an eye on her. The case they solve will be familiar to Holmes fans with some nicely updated twists.
Four stars

The Scent of Truth Jody Lynn Nye
A futuristic sci-fi Holmes. In this case, the Holmes-character is a dog-like being from another planet (named Baskur, naturally) and he has mainly retired but is lured into another case by a middle-aged journalist. There was some really nice world-building for a short story in this one and the info-dumping was kept short and tight.

Four stars

The Adventure of the Reluctant Detective Ryk Spoor
I swear I've read this one before. Or at least a similar version. Supposedly a case that takes place somewhere in the middle of the Holmes canon, soon after Mary dies, it starts with a strange woman entering Sherlock's apartment. She is not quite... right. For the woman she claims to be, there are some glaring discrepancies. To tell too much more would give the ending away but it wasn't quite up to the snuff of ACD.

Two and a half stars

A Scandal in the Bloodline Hildy Silverman
Suppose that Watson became a werewolf after an encounter with the Hounds of the Baskervilles. And that Sherlock was turned into a vampire at the edge of the Reichenbach Falls by Irene Adler. Now it is present day and Irene's huband, the paterfamilias, is missing. If he dies, she will go to. As will Sherlock.

Three stars

The Fabulous Marble David Gerrold
An interesting take where Watson is... some sort of computer program? Not an AI, exactly, since that's more what Marble does/is. There is a particular brand of sexbot, the Lorelei, that can become whatever the user desires; man, woman, other. Several bots that have been dismantled and their... well their male options have been removed. This one was a little too weird for me but a nice idea.
Three stars

The Scarlet Study by Jim Avelli
In a world where Big Brother makes people take drugs to keep them dumb, Sherlock Holmes has a brief, shining moment of reversing the trend. Three stars Delta Phi Heidi McLaughlin If Watson were a love-struck frat boy and Sherlock an oblivious girl on campus, it would take a very special case to bring them together. I love romance novels, I love cheese, this was a little too much.

Two stars

Beethoven's Baton Austin Famer Sherlock and Watson are violinists in Ludwig van Beethoven's orchestra but it seems like someone is plotting to kill the great man. Again, a little too much of a reach and the ending was bonkers.

Two stars

The Adventure of the Melted Saint Gail Z. Martin
Quirky. Very quirky. Sherlock was not the main character in this one. It felt like she (Shelley is transgender in this story) was just stuck into another story. As a Sherlock Holmes story, it was maybe a two/two and a half but I liked the idea of a Museum collecting objects that have ghosts attached, waiting for their mysteries to be solved.

Three stars

Automatic Sherlock Martin Rose
Dr. Jovan Watson is Russian, working on a robot that will perform the perfect surgeries. But instead of his dream being realized, he is left with a robot that can... solve crimes? Might have been better as a more developed story.

Two and a half stars

The Hammer of God Jonathan Maberry
A really interesting take where Sherlock Holmes and John Watson become a novice and her mentor who are called in to solve a series of crimes that seem to have been perpetrated by God himself. Not sure how I feel about this as a Sherlock story but I liked the idea. Three stars Code Cracker Beth W. Patterson Sherlock is a crime-solving parrot. Do I need to say more? The idea was interesting, the story was just meh.

Three stars

Overall Three stars
This book comes out March 21

This collection was kind of all over the place, some pieces felt thought out and genuine, while others felt like cheap fanfiction.

Locked-2 stars
Identify: an adventure of Shirley Holmes and Jack Watson-3 stars
The scent of the truth-DNF
The adventure of the reluctant detective-5 stars
A scandal in the bloodline-4 stars
The fabulous marble-DNF
The scarlet study-DNF
Delta Phi-4 stars
Beethoven's baton-4 stars
The adventure of the melted saint-DNF
Automatic Sherlock-3 stars
The hammer of God-3 stars
Code cracker-DNF

A good read for anyone who is a Sherlock Holmes fan!

This book is a definite new addition to my bookshelves. I loved it as any other Baker Street friend will do