Do we really need more adventures of Sherlock Holmes?

Sherlock Holmes is one of the most widely renowned literary icons in British culture. The character generated massive appeal in the early 20th century, to the extent that his ‘death’ was met with mass mourning. This prompted his subsequent revival and the continuation of the series until the author’s own death in 1930. Today, the series is as popular as ever. There are hundreds of books in publication detailing the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson, with only 56 written by Conan Doyle himself. 126 different authors have attempted to take on the challenge of creating new adventures and mysteries to solve for the pair, all to varying degrees of success. This begs the question, is there really any need to continue the classics, and more importantly, can these remakes ever live up to the originals?

The most popular of these pastiches is The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz. The book was promoted with the claim of being the “first book endorsed by the Doyle estate” in the Holmes literary canon not written by Doyle himself. This broad claim is somewhat justified, as the book does truly follow the narrative of a Sherlock Holmes mystery. From the eccentric cast of characters, spanning a mysterious stranger with a “livid scar on his left cheek”, a troubled art dealer and thuggish Irish twins,  to the various settings including an old-fashioned freak show to a dark and musty prison. The overall success of the novel seems to imply that it is possible to continue a series years later, even with a new author, provided you find the right one.

Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Many amateur authors have attempted to carry on popular series in their own right, and many have failed. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series by Douglas Adams provides an example of this. The series was widely loved for its fast-paced and humorous tone, blending sci-fi with comedy in a unique and interesting way. Eoin Colfer, best known for his Artemis Fowl series, attempted to continue the cannon using notes left behind by Adams. However, the book was met with varying degrees of criticism. 

Despite continuing to sell prolifically, the popularity of these new books continues to wane in comparison to the originals

Some did praise his attempts to replicate Adams’ humour, yet many reviewers argued his jokes fell flat and the book read more like a mimicry than anything worthwhile in its own right. The James Bond and Poirot series, both equally culturally significant as the Sherlock Holmes novels, have also been continued by other authors. Despite continuing to sell prolifically, the popularity of these new books continues to wane in comparison to the originals. 

Returning to the Holmes canon, there are many similarly less successful novels in the pastiche. Not every book can match the success of The House of Silk after all. However, even though many of these novels lack any cohesion to the style of the original cannon, this is not always a bad thing. A different and certainly less celebrated adaption of the series that comes to my mind is the Young Sherlock Holmes series by Andrew Lane. I vividly remember reading the series in the school library as a year 7 student, lapping up book after book and eagerly awaiting the release of the next.

Although the remaking of classics can often seem excessive and unnecessary, it is important to consider that each adaption does offer something new to the cannon, for better or for worse

Aimed at a young adult audience, they detail the adventures of a teenaged Sherlock and explain how he came to be the celebrated sleuth in Conan Doyle’s stories. Although they probably wouldn’t hold up very well to the audience of the originals, they are definitely one of the main reasons I decided to read the Sherlock Holmes series. They serve their function to allure a younger generation to be able to enjoy the stories of the famous character. 

Although the remaking of classics can often seem excessive and unnecessary, it is important to consider that each adaption does offer something new to the cannon, for better or for worse. They can expand series to reach wider audiences and different groups of people, and provide a contemporary spin on series that may otherwise be lost to obscurity.