SIX DEGREES: From Augray to Sherlock

Good morning, folks! We're back once again with another round of Six Degrees of Kool Books! This is a game anyone can play - all you have to do is pick a character that I describe in the post below who reminds you of a character in a different book, and then write up a post about the similarities between those characters and include some details about other characters in that book. It's sort of a different way to do a book review, and it's super fun! Feel free to jump in any time - no commitment required! The only thing the books have to have in common is a single character. Otherwise, this game jumps across genres, across authors, across time-periods, across writing styles... it breaks down all barriers.For example, three weeks ago, DJ posted about the character Mr. Toad in "The Wind in the Willows," and from there I took Ratty and compared him to Ford Prefect in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." Last week, DJ grabbed Arthur Dent and compared him to Elwin Ransom in "Out of the Silent Planet," and today I'm snatching the alien Augray and comparing him to none other than Sherlock Holmes.I read "Out of the Silent Planet" in college, but I honestly don't remember a lot of the details of the book, it's been a while and I've read a lot of other books since then. However, DJ described the character Augray as "having a keen analytical mind," and having the ability to "deduce many facts about Ransom the first time they meet, based on pure observation and reason."As soon as I read that, I knew I would be writing about dear old Sherlock. Keen analytical mind? Check. Able to deduce facts about strangers the first time they meet based on observation and reason. Check.I have not yet read all of the Sherlock Holmes stories, but there are several memorable characters in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's beloved stories.John Watson, of course, takes the stage as the narrator and catalyst for Sherlock's thought processes. Watson is described in the stories as an excellent doctor, a crack shot, and quite intelligent (even if he does lack Holmes' particular genius and observational skills). He is modest, fully aware of his own limitations, but not a bad detective on his own. He does not approve of everything Sherlock does, nor does he always agree with him - and even tells Sherlock when he does not agree. But in spite of that Watson is also incredibly honorable, loyal to a fault, and devoted to his friend.Another character that shows up frequently in these stories is Inspector Lestrade. Lestrade is a down-to-earth, hardworking officer of the law. He often gets impatient with Sherlock, but is kind to Watson and demonstrates this kindness towards clients as well. He is educated and professional, and not afraid of hard work or getting dirty. Unlike Holmes, Lestrade prefers to go out and find the evidence rather than solving crimes in his head.Another interesting character in this series is Mycroft Holmes. Mycroft is Sherlock's older brother, and is even more intelligent and capable in deductive reasoning than Sherlock, if that is possible. However, since he does not like hard work, Mycroft has elected to go into government work rather than become a detective.One cannot discuss the characters in Sherlock Holmes without mentioning the ultimate villain: James Moriarty. This criminal mastermind has been portrayed as Sherlock's archenemy in many film and tv adaptations, though he is only directly present in two of the written works. He is described as being brilliant, having a violent temper, and an incredible tenacity. If his henchmen cannot complete a task, Moriarty will go take care of it himself. He respects Sherlock's intellect, but is willing to kill him if he gets in Moriarty's way too much. It has been extremely interesting to me to discover how closely the written works represent the most recent BBC television series: Sherlock. I had assumed, incorrectly, that being set in modern day England would cause necessary changes to plot and character development. However, as I have recently been reading these stories for the first time, I have been amazed to find that of all the film adaptations of this story, the most recent seems to most closely resemble the original written works. Definitely the Watson portrayed by Martin Freeman is the most accurate representation of the novel-version. He is not the bumbling, oafish caricature of the old black and white movies and tv series, certainly.And there you have it, the conclusion of another round of Six Degrees of Kool Books. I hope you enjoy this fun game and different method of book reviewing, because to some extent, it is a little like a book review, as much as I do! I have company in town this week, so I'll probably be a bit quiet in the online realm. But don't let that stop you from commenting or posting your own Six Degrees connection and letting me know about it!See you next week, dear Reader.