Ben's Reviews > The Complete Sherlock Holmes, Volume 1

Call him Watson.

A war veteran doctor telling the stories of one Captain Holmes.

A gratuitous and perhaps indulgent comparison, yes, but after reading this first volume my mind begins to question the possibilities implied within the first-person narrative device employed by Sir Doyle. Similarly to Melville or Shakespeare, the narrative (whether a voice or stage), through their limitations, imply a reality impossible to contain within the spine of a book or the folio of a play.

What cases does Watson leave out of the collection? What episodes does he embellish? Does the near-perfect symmetry, balance and mysticism of The Final Problem indicate inaccuracy as to the true events? One can forget that these stories are fiction.

This work sparked the world's infatuation with detective stories and gracefully scratches its chin as the godfather of the modern prime-time television genre. I, however, found entertainment value in Sir Doyle's mastery of language and story-telling - the etiquette in his dialogue, the juxtaposition of Holmes' mental acuity and physical toughness, the childlike awe of Watson and the sheer imagination taken to fit the puzzle pieces together according to Holmes' characteristics. There inlies the entertainment for me.

The brilliance lies in the narration.