by John Pirillo
No, rather I saw this writing experience as an opportunity to allow my imagination to romp in his playground, but take elements from other famous authors and stories I've loved over the years.
Obviously, there are copyright issues when it comes to living authors, so even though I'd love to play in their yards too, that is forbidden territory. So I have contented myself to take my love of classic literature...Doyle, Verne, Wells, Dumas, Shakespeare and pour them into a mutual melting pot. Kind of a United States of Literature, so to speak.
Whereas the Sherlock Holmes of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle functions out of London, England in the Victorian period; mine exists in a parallel world where all the authors who have ever lived and all their characters are alive at the same time.
Therefore, if you see me including Houdini and Sherlock together, Challenger and Conan Doyle, it makes more sense if they were alive on that world and not this one.
As a person of with a strong scientific background...I wrote a treatise on reaching other dimensions (parallel worlds) as an 8th grader, which my Physics teacher was knocked out about...I believe quite strongly in an unlimited universe, where an infinite number of parallel ones/dimensions exist at the same time.
When I was in India I found that some there adhere to the belief that everything that man can do or imagine exists in a vast cosmic tapestry so that we do not so much physically exist, as mentally/spiritually move through that infinite tapestry, each choice we make...right or wrong...creating a branching point that we must follow, even though there were already an infinite number of other ones. Very close to the parallel world/alternate dimension approach that many scientists are now coming to accept as a reality.
When I was a kid the scientists barely believed in 4 dimensions...length, breadth, height and time. Now as an adult there is talk of at least 9 known dimensions.
But getting back to my stories, what makes them relevant and different is that I can populate them with any science, any character, any famous figure, writer, artist or whatever and they all fit! They fit because I created them. For fun. For pleasure. To be able to play on a field of dreams with no end in sight.
So as you read my stories, dear reader, keep in mind that the Tesla car in my story is not Elon Musk's electric car, but a vehicle invented by collaboration between Thomas Edison and Nicolas Tesla in my invented world. It runs not by electricity as we know it, but by a different energy discovered by Tesla.
In my world Sherlock Holmes is not the first one of the story, but one of several. Watson, likewise. Just as Spock was duplicated in the Star Trek series of movies to continue their worthy stories, so have I decided to include devices that will stimulate our imagination, take us to places we could never have gone before, and allow me to interject from time to time some of the wonderful insights I have been honored to receive as a maturing adult. So death exists in my creation, but it has many permutations and outcomes. All exciting and mysterious.
Following this is a description of major characters, as well as items used exclusively in my Baker Street adventures.
GLOSSARY
A list of players, places and things that take place in the Baker Street Universe created by this author as the playground for his fantasies...and hopefully your own as well.
Bollocks…A common word used by the British to indicate something was nonsense, trash. An expletive.
Drat, dratted…A swear word similar to damn to indicate frustration.
Tosh…Sheer nonsense and also an unkind reference to the upper class at that time.
Tesla Car...Device built by Ford in collaboration with Nicolas Tesla. Powered by a new form of energy unknown to our world yet.
Tesla devices...created by the team of Henry Ford, Thomas Edison and Nicolas Tesla. Anything from lamps to frigs, to cooking devices. You name it; they've probably invented it in my world.
Moriarity...one of many. Professor Moriarity lives on in many and various manifestations for the sake of conflict, as well as invention and discourse. Where would a great detective be without a great villain to oppose him? While I don't feature Moriarity all the time, be warned he lurks behind the scenes! A lot!
Sherlock Holmes...Young man in his early twenties, comes from a humble home and a good upbringing. Precocious with a perfect memory. Not the cold fish of the Doyle series. Much kinder and humorous. Still with many of the same characteristics, but softened with a gentler personality, without losing the edges that give him an engaging purpose and deductions that are truly amazing at times.
Watson, Doctor John...hero of the China Wars. Lost first love in China. Now in love with Mrs. Hudson. Loves Holmes like a brother. Doctor. Never without his black bag in which he carries his medical supplies and forensics tools that he and Sherlock often use in their investigations. Stocky with a bit of a stomach because of his love of scones, which I constantly use as a play of humor about the man.
Mrs. Hudson...not just a landlady anymore, but an integral part of the detective team...supplying support, as well as emotional and sometimes physical support. The glue that binds Watson and Holmes together. Again, in her twenties like Watson and Holmes. Lovely, but not beautiful, except of spirit. Kind and resourceful. Very shrewd and intelligent.
Lady Shareen…Lord Graystone’s companion. A beautiful woman with a huge heart. She is responsible for helping women achieve social and financial equality. She also works to uplift the poor and homeless.
Professor Langston…the Invisible Man…a well meaning doctor, who concocted a cocktail of chemicals that has forever altered his atomic structure such that he can turn invisible at will, though during emotional times of stress he can lose control of his visibility.
Inspector Bloodstone...a cantankerous policeman who has raving red hair, and a temper to match at times. Works with Holmes a lot, but prefers to work on his own. Distrusts some of the intuitive moments of Holmes, but in the long run will go with what he reveals as Holmes is more often right than wrong in his deductions.
Constable Evans...the long lost son of Inspector Bloodstone. Also red haired, like his father, but with no temper and a great personality. Everyone likes him.
Queen Mary of Scots...has never existed. Instead, this one is a derivation of Mary, who was beheaded and Victoria. Much more intelligent, progressive, but a leader in every sense of the word.
Magic...exists in this world of Sherlock as does science. Both are equally as relevant to the action and scenery of the stories.
Fairie...a land that exists in parallel to Sherlock's world and through which Lord Graystone (Lord of the Jungle) came through to become part of the Baker Street Brotherhood.
Fairie is richly endowed with magical creatures and monsters, Elves, fairies and other fun things, as well as endless realms of green Amazon like lands. Dragons. Which have played a part in several of my first stories and a few later ones.
Nicolas Tesla...a genius who has dedicated his life to upgrading the quality of life for everyone on the planet. Witty, charming and dangerous.
Harry Houdini...swarthy, suave, into magic in every way...physical and the real thing.
Professor Challenger...very tall, built like a bear, flaming red beard and hair. Quick to temper, but a kind man with a great mind. An adventurer beyond measure.
Captain Nemo...a reformed pirate with a mind that grasps mechanics that rivals Henry Ford and Nicolas Tesla. Is famous for his extremely powerful weapon of the sea…the Nautilus.
Jules Verne...a genius when it comes to theories and fiction, blonde, extremely friendly, caring and adventurous. Teams up often with H.G. Wells, a friend he grew up with. Designer of the Master of the World, which in another set of Victorian adventures he uses to fight an invasion from Mars.
H.G. Wells...a brilliant writer and navigator. Contributes to the flying device Master of the World and its ability to fly through space and time. Very British and a bit stuffy at times.
Alexander Dumas...a French friend of Jules in one of the worlds I've created for Jules to explor
e in unique adventures that do not include H.G. Wells. Huge man with a lust for adventure and fighting.
Henry Ford...still an arrogant man, but more willing to help others, and often times teams up with Tesla to do projects. Not prominent yet in my stories, but working on it.
Master of the World...a huge flying machine that resembles a cross between a dirigible and a submarine that travels utilizing String theory, with an engine that converts string energy into fuel that can thrust the ship between parallel worlds, as well as back and forth in time. Created by Jules Verne, but later on improved by H.G. Wells after their battle with the Martians detailed in my prior series starting with Invaders.
Lord Graystone...my version of Tarzan, but instead of being raised by apes, he was raised by a bull dragon. Highly educated and a loyal supporter of Queen Mary of Scots and husband of Lady Shareen. Sponsors numerous charities for the poor and unwanted. Champion of Fairie.
Hyde...Doctor Jekyll performs an experiment on himself that separates the evil portion of him into a unique entity. This entity is pure evil and also pure energy. It can possess anyone and once having done so, become that person. Cause them to do the unthinkable to achieve its evil plans.
Doctor Jekyll...a kind, young teacher who has made a horrible miscalculation and created an abomination of himself….Hyde! A creature that is pure evil.
Dracula...not the Bran Stoker version, but my own. Misunderstood, not eternal and drinking human blood when no other choice is possible.
Conan Doyle…the dead Sir Arthur Conan Doyle brought from our world to the alternate reality which he is reborn into, healthy and young once more. Also, an integral part of the great detective’s team at times.
Baker Street Brotherhood...a team of operatives who, upon occasion, help out Sherlock and Watson in their missions. Some of the more notable ones are Lord Graystone (Lord of the Jungle), Madame Curie, Dracula, Professor Langston (The Invisible Man), Professor Challenger (also a Conan Doyle character), Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself (reborn from our world to the new one without losing awareness of himself), Lady Shareen (our equivalent of Indiana Jones), Jules Verne and H.G. Wells.
Obviously, there are many, many more, but these are the most frequently guested characters in my stories and novels.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
If you want to keep abreast the latest news, follow me on my author site: www.johnpirillo.com.
Connect with me at @johnpirillo
Friend me at my facebook page: John Pirillo, Author.
Join my Baker Street Universe group to get things I don’t usually share with others, and to hash over the universe I’ve created with me and fellow authors and readers. I’ll be having very special giveaways, advance copies, and autographed work as well as other surprises to my friends who join me there.
The Baker Street Universe Facebook group page is: a place to interact with me on a frequent basis. We also have contests, puzzles, share images, and gossip about the worlds we love in fiction, as well as the characters.
OTHER WORKS BY AUTHOR
Works in the Sherlock Holmes Baker Street Universe
Novels
Things That Go Bump in the Night (First Three novels of the series in one collection.)
Rise of the Empire (First Anthology, 1st three novelettes of the Ghost Wars series)
Terror of the Empire (Next 3 novellas in the Ghost War series)
Sherlock Holmes The Silver Holmes Collection (All 8 Silver Holmes stories in one volume.)
Moriarity: Infinite Worlds, Infinite Choices (Novel set in the same alternate universe as the Baker Street Universe series, but with Watson as Moriarity’s sidekick.)
Sherlock Holmes Halloween Anthology
The Shadow Killer
Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Crime and Terror
Standalone Stories
A Strange Thing on a Strange Day
Ascension (aka The Angel of Death)
Case of the Face of Death
Case of the Hall of Darkness
Baker Street Adventures
Beast of North Fork Moors
Bloodstone of Amandor
Case of the Butterfly Princess
Sheridan Holmes: Curse of the Serpent King
The Lost Not Found
Killer of the Pandora Box
The Angel of Death
Sheridan Holmes Curse of the Serpent King
The Face of Death
The Mad Butcher
Vampire of the Opera
Sherlock Holmes, Master Detective
Sherlock Holmes Death on Lavender
Case of the Westminster Abbey Ghost
Case of the Yellow Hand
Gathering Darkness
Howling Death
White Wolf of London
The Awakening of Evil (novel)
The Circe Case
What Lurks in the Dark?
Case of the Weeping Budhha
The Big Ben Caper
The Taste of Mercy
The Abominable Man
Case of the Gourmet Werewolf
The Poisoning of Wooten Gnarl
Case of the Missing Fang
Brackets
The Christmas Rose
The Forbidding
Daughter of the Master Series
Castle of Dark Ambitions #1
Cat’s Eye Mystery #2
Things That Go Bump in the Night Series Novels
The Dark Trail #1
Dark Magic Death #2
Holmes, Sherlock Holmes #3
Dark Son, Dark Father #4
The Ghost Wars series
Mystery of the Thames Ironworks Murder #1
Rise of Thunder #2
The Ghost Map #3
The Occult War Begins #4
The Living and the Dead #5
Struck by Lightning #6
Sherlock Holmes The Silver Collection
The Great Detective #1
Magic and Science # 2
The Devil Returns #3
Light and Dark #4
The Challenge #5
The Influence of Other Realms #6 Collection
Beyond the Beyond #7
Ripper #8
Peril of the Dark Master Series
Trail of Darkness #1
Mister Dark #2
Dark Magic #3
Dark Death #4
Magic and Monsters #5
The Grand Deduction #6
The Man Who Wouldn’t Die #7
Death from the Skies #8
Journey to the Center of the World Series
Journey to the Center of the World (Novel of first expedition)
The Invisible Lands #1 of Second Expedition
The Adventures of Lord When Series
The Lost Child #1 of The Adventures of Lord When
The Secret Adventures of Alexander Dumas and Jules Verne Series
Vortex, Symbol of the Third Golden Eagle
The Nautilus
(Adventures take place in the same universe as the Sherlock Holmes series, but with emphasis on other characters.)
Angel Hamilton, Private Angel Stories
The Einstein Equation
The Goddess Monster
Lonely Hearts Vampire Club
Black Hawk Down
Christmas Fantasy
The Rocketman Series
Rocketman
Robot Warriors
Rocketman Strikes Back
Art Books
Fractal Flames November Collection
Fractal Flames October Collection
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