“You’ve got this egomaniacal, slightly autistic psychopath and this incredibly decent hard-working soldier, the two most opposite people who could ever possibly meet each other, who really rather adore each other and end up sharing a flat…” That’s Steven Moffat, co-creator with Mark Gatiss of Sherlock. If any book could make the reader eager to re-watch all the episodes of a television show, it’s Steve Tribe’s Sherlock Chronicles.

It’s obvious that Tribe, author of numerous Doctor Who books, had unlimited access to Moffat, Gatiss, and Moffat’s wife, producer Sue Vertue. The book is full of behind-the-scenes information, interviews with cast members, and even deleted scenes. Moffat and Gatiss tell the story, from the beginning, of their ideas for Sherlock. Eventually, they decided to “Take the Baker Street boys into the twenty-first century.” And, as any fan knows, it works with Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock and Martin Freeman as John Watson, the man who would become Sherlock’s best, possibly only, friend.

The co-creators stress the importance of that relationship between Sherlock and John. They even had to decide what the two men would call each other, deciding that in the twenty-first century it would feel phony to call each other Holmes and Watson as they did in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Victorian stories. But, it was important that the feeling of the friendship and the the atmosphere of the original stories remain authentic.

Sherlock, John, Mrs. Hudson, Lestrade, Irene Adler, Moriarty, Mycroft. They’re all here in the comprehensive book that covers the background and episodes with beautiful colored photos. The interviews, stories, behind-the-scenes glimpses, are all important to fans of Sherlock. Steve Tribe’s Sherlock Chronicles is a treat for any fan.

Sherlock Chronicles by Steve Tribe. Dey St. 2014. ISBN 9780062402349 (hardcover), 320p.

*****
FTC Full Disclosure – Library book.