Sherlock Holmes - Bangs, John Kendrick

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Résumé :
Sherlock Holmes: The Pursuit of the House-Boat is the sequel to A House-Boat on the Styx. The novel opens with the Associated Shades taking stock of their situation. Captain Kidd has hijacked the House-Boat and they must find a way to get it back, the group decides to hire the famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, who, at the time had just been killed off by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Doyle gave his blessings for Bangs to use his character making this an authorized Sherlock Holmes adventure. Rollicking good fun!...

Biographie:
John Kendrick Bangs (1862-1922) was an American author and editor known for his humorous and satirical fiction, particularly stories set in imaginative afterlife societies populated by historical and literary figures. His work gave rise to the term Bangsian fantasy, describing narratives in which the deceased continue to interact in structured social environments. Bangs's writing combines wit, parody, and speculative invention....

Sommaire:
A humorous Sherlock Holmes pastiche placing the familiar figures of detective fiction within an imaginative and unconventional setting. In The Pursuit of the House-Boat, John Kendrick Bangs incorporates Holmes and Dr. Watson into his broader cycle of satirical tales, where literary and historical figures interact within a loosely constructed afterlife society. The narrative departs from the structure of formal detective fiction, favouring wit, dialogue, and situational invention over deductive procedure. Holmes appears not as the central analytic force of a conventional mystery, but as part of a wider ensemble, contributing to a sequence of episodes shaped by parody and reversal. Bangs's approach relies on recognition, using established characters to generate humour through contrast with their expected roles. Part of the tradition often described as Bangsian fantasy, the work reflects an early example of literary crossover and satirical reuse of well-known figures. It remains of interest to readers of classic humour, speculative fiction, and adaptations of the Sherlock Holmes character outside the original canon....