Author: August Derleth
First Published: 1945
File size/Pages: 1388KB / 288pp
File size/Pages: 1388KB / 288pp
Ebook Publisher: Belanger Books
Ebook Date: Jun 2018
Ebook Date: Jun 2018
I've seen a lot of articles over the years regarding the character of Solar Pons. Most recently my involvement in Kickstarting some of the MX Sherlock Holmes books by Belanger Books meant I was included in the notification that they were also looking to republish the complete Solar Pons series as originally authored by August Derleth. At the time I didn't join in on the project, I'd already committed to a number of other products, and thought that these were a little out of my interest range.
So it was nice to find, whilst browsing Amazon UK for Kindle Unlimited books, to find that the series was now being included within this subscriber service. I added them to my shopping list, thinking that I'd save them for another time. But I soon found that I was more interested in trying out one of the first ever Sherlock Holmes pastiches that I thought I was. I've decided to start, most appropriately at the beginning, with the opening collection of short stories, titled, Regarding Sherlock Holmes, The Adventures of Solar Pons.
August Derleth was born in 1909. growing up in Wisconsin, United States. He and began writing from an early age, eventually authoring over 100 books in his time, with his first novel being published in 1930. An early adopter the macabre, he contributed to the Weird Tales magazine during his time at the University of Wisconsin. In 1939, Derleth and longtime friend Donald Wandrei, founded the Arkham House publishing company. The aim was to publish the works of another old friend, H. P. Lovecraft. As well as Lovecraft's work, Derleth also sold and published new stories of Cthulu Mythos. Some of these new tales caused friction, as Derleth claimed he had worked with Lovecraft on them. Despite this issue, the creation of Arkham House played a significant role in raising Lovecraft from obscurity and is widely considered as a seminal moment in the horror genre.
Derleth's other great love was detective fiction and especially the works of Arthur Conan Doyle involving Sherlock Holmes. Derleth was driven to correspond with Doyle and at one point asked if, because the creator had said there would never be another Holmes story, would he mind if the young writer wrote his own stories starring the Greatest Detective. Doyle categorically refused, saying he could not. Derleth at that time wrote in his diary "Re: Sherlock Holmes" at a date in the future. When that day eventually came, he went ahead and started writing them anyway. But in order to avoid any legal wranglings, he set his detective in London at No.3 Praed Street between 1919 and 1939, called him "Solar Pons" and had him accompanied by Dr "Lyndon Parker". Derleth's stories have been collected into eight volumes by Belanger Books, all of which are available in eBook format.
It took me a while to get used to Solar Pons and Lyndon Parker, probably about six stories into the twelve included in the opening volume. When reading a Holmes pastiche piece, I have already gotten used to the fact that its now the norm for books to include the character of Holmes weaved into their new tales. The need for writers to invent their own character who has an amazing ability for observational deduction and incredible feats of memory is no longer required. Getting to grips with a new take on Holmes felt like being given extra homework.
However, once the dust had settled on my base instinct of all things Holmesian, I began to enjoy these tales for what they are rather than what they are pretending to be. The early 'adventures' were a bit too stiff and formal, Pons was just a pretender, and I could guess pretty accurately what or who the solution to the puzzle/murder was myself way before the climax.
But as I progressed slowly through the book, I began to enjoy each one just a little bit more with each adventure. For me, Derleth knows how to end his stories well, and with variety; some have a traditional "let's go back to our rooms and discuss this" dénouement, whereas more and more simply end abruptly or even with the ramifications of the solution still to unwind. this was refreshing. Derleth also begins to bring out his time period more and more, people listen to the radio, drive automobiles and use telephones rather than send telegrams and grab handsome cabs. The change in technology and politics of the time is a nice twist.
Here are a couple of my favourite stories.
The Adventure of the Lost Holiday
Pons is called upon by the Prime Minister of England to assist in the disappearance of an important document that details the military preparedness and secret re-armament of England and France in the event of Germany emerging as a threat to the current peace. The Secretary for European Affairs, Lord Penryn, has reported the theft of these documents from the studyof his house not minutes ago, and Pons and Parker must race to the aid of the British Government. This wonderfully frantic tale takes place over a single evening, and introduces a recurring enemy for Pons.
The Adventure of the Man with the Broken Face
Dr Parker insists on Pons taking a well earned rest, and they take advantage of a week in Northumberland, near the border between England and Scotland. Despite his best efforts to keep Pons relaxed, they are drawn into a tale of close neighbors, the Melhams. Pons is fascinated by an unresolved case of a missing persons three years earlier. He arranges to visit the Melhams and is soon embroiled in a mystery of love, death and arranged marriages. This tale evoked memories of Baskerville and has a gloriously bloody finale.
I still yet to really decide of I could become a fan of Derleth's Pons tales, but on the basis of the second half of this one, I'll give him another chance with the next volume before making up my mind.
So it was nice to find, whilst browsing Amazon UK for Kindle Unlimited books, to find that the series was now being included within this subscriber service. I added them to my shopping list, thinking that I'd save them for another time. But I soon found that I was more interested in trying out one of the first ever Sherlock Holmes pastiches that I thought I was. I've decided to start, most appropriately at the beginning, with the opening collection of short stories, titled, Regarding Sherlock Holmes, The Adventures of Solar Pons.
August Derleth was born in 1909. growing up in Wisconsin, United States. He and began writing from an early age, eventually authoring over 100 books in his time, with his first novel being published in 1930. An early adopter the macabre, he contributed to the Weird Tales magazine during his time at the University of Wisconsin. In 1939, Derleth and longtime friend Donald Wandrei, founded the Arkham House publishing company. The aim was to publish the works of another old friend, H. P. Lovecraft. As well as Lovecraft's work, Derleth also sold and published new stories of Cthulu Mythos. Some of these new tales caused friction, as Derleth claimed he had worked with Lovecraft on them. Despite this issue, the creation of Arkham House played a significant role in raising Lovecraft from obscurity and is widely considered as a seminal moment in the horror genre.
Derleth's other great love was detective fiction and especially the works of Arthur Conan Doyle involving Sherlock Holmes. Derleth was driven to correspond with Doyle and at one point asked if, because the creator had said there would never be another Holmes story, would he mind if the young writer wrote his own stories starring the Greatest Detective. Doyle categorically refused, saying he could not. Derleth at that time wrote in his diary "Re: Sherlock Holmes" at a date in the future. When that day eventually came, he went ahead and started writing them anyway. But in order to avoid any legal wranglings, he set his detective in London at No.3 Praed Street between 1919 and 1939, called him "Solar Pons" and had him accompanied by Dr "Lyndon Parker". Derleth's stories have been collected into eight volumes by Belanger Books, all of which are available in eBook format.
It took me a while to get used to Solar Pons and Lyndon Parker, probably about six stories into the twelve included in the opening volume. When reading a Holmes pastiche piece, I have already gotten used to the fact that its now the norm for books to include the character of Holmes weaved into their new tales. The need for writers to invent their own character who has an amazing ability for observational deduction and incredible feats of memory is no longer required. Getting to grips with a new take on Holmes felt like being given extra homework.
However, once the dust had settled on my base instinct of all things Holmesian, I began to enjoy these tales for what they are rather than what they are pretending to be. The early 'adventures' were a bit too stiff and formal, Pons was just a pretender, and I could guess pretty accurately what or who the solution to the puzzle/murder was myself way before the climax.
But as I progressed slowly through the book, I began to enjoy each one just a little bit more with each adventure. For me, Derleth knows how to end his stories well, and with variety; some have a traditional "let's go back to our rooms and discuss this" dénouement, whereas more and more simply end abruptly or even with the ramifications of the solution still to unwind. this was refreshing. Derleth also begins to bring out his time period more and more, people listen to the radio, drive automobiles and use telephones rather than send telegrams and grab handsome cabs. The change in technology and politics of the time is a nice twist.
Here are a couple of my favourite stories.
The Adventure of the Lost Holiday
Pons is called upon by the Prime Minister of England to assist in the disappearance of an important document that details the military preparedness and secret re-armament of England and France in the event of Germany emerging as a threat to the current peace. The Secretary for European Affairs, Lord Penryn, has reported the theft of these documents from the studyof his house not minutes ago, and Pons and Parker must race to the aid of the British Government. This wonderfully frantic tale takes place over a single evening, and introduces a recurring enemy for Pons.
The Adventure of the Man with the Broken Face
Dr Parker insists on Pons taking a well earned rest, and they take advantage of a week in Northumberland, near the border between England and Scotland. Despite his best efforts to keep Pons relaxed, they are drawn into a tale of close neighbors, the Melhams. Pons is fascinated by an unresolved case of a missing persons three years earlier. He arranges to visit the Melhams and is soon embroiled in a mystery of love, death and arranged marriages. This tale evoked memories of Baskerville and has a gloriously bloody finale.
I still yet to really decide of I could become a fan of Derleth's Pons tales, but on the basis of the second half of this one, I'll give him another chance with the next volume before making up my mind.
1 comment:
The Pons stories are largely very good, from the beginning to the end.
http://solarpons.com/
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