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{{Infobox Story | {{Infobox Story SMW | ||
|main character = [[Tom (The Book of the Enemy)|Tom]] | |main character = [[Tom (The Book of the Enemy)|Tom]] | ||
|featuring = [[Sherlock Holmes]], [[Martian ( | |featuring = [[Sherlock Holmes]], [[Martian (War of the Worlds)|Martians]] | ||
|enemy = ''[[The Book of the Enemy]]'' | |enemy = ''[[The Book of the Enemy]]'' | ||
|setting = [[London]], [[1910s]] | |setting = [[London]], [[1910s]] | ||
|writer = | |writer = Andrew Hickey | ||
|anthology = | |anthology = The Book of the Enemy (anthology) | ||
|release date = | |release date = 25 January 2018 | ||
|publisher = | |publisher = Obverse Books | ||
|format = | |format = | ||
|series = ''[[Faction Paradox (series)|Faction Paradox]]'' | |series = ''[[Faction Paradox (series)|Faction Paradox]]'' | ||
|prev = Cobweb and Ivory (short story) | |prev = Cobweb and Ivory (short story) | ||
|next = T.memeticus: A Morphology (short story) | |next = T. memeticus: A Morphology (short story) | ||
}}{{you may|The Book of the Enemy (anthology)|n1=the anthology|The Book of the Enemy|n2=the in-universe book}} | }}{{you may|The Book of the Enemy (anthology)|n1=the anthology|The Book of the Enemy|n2=the in-universe book}} | ||
'''''{{StoryTitle}}''''' was the third story in the [[2018 (releases)|2018]] ''[[Faction Paradox (series)|Faction Paradox]]'' anthology ''[[The Book of the Enemy (anthology)|The Book of the Enemy]]''. It was written by [[Andrew Hickey]]. | '''''{{StoryTitle}}''''' was the third story in the [[2018 (releases)|2018]] ''[[Faction Paradox (series)|Faction Paradox]]'' anthology ''[[The Book of the Enemy (anthology)|The Book of the Enemy]]''. It was written by [[Andrew Hickey]] and accompanied by ''[[Pre-narrative Briefings (short story)#Briefing C|Pre-narrative Briefing C]]''. | ||
== Summary == | == Summary == | ||
The narrator discusses how he is a member of a gentleman's club, a gentleman's club which has cards, billiards, a wine cellar, and a library. Tom was a fan of these books, but himself preferred a tall tale. There was a tradition, once a month, in the club on a certain day, for members of the club to tell an outlandish story for everyone. The oldest member of the club stands, who has never before spoken, and says that he expects to die in the next few days. So he intends to tell this tale before then, concerning a man he's sure many will consider fictional, Sherlock Holmes. | The narrator discusses how he is a member of a gentleman's club, a gentleman's club which has cards, billiards, a wine cellar, and a library. Tom was a fan of these books, but himself preferred a tall tale. There was a tradition, once a month, in the club on a certain day, for members of the club to tell an outlandish story for everyone. The oldest member of the club stands, who has never before spoken, and says that he expects to die in the next few days. So he intends to tell this tale before then, concerning a man he's sure many will consider fictional, Sherlock Holmes. | ||
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The instructions had Tom head to the [[Martian Embassy]], wherein Holmes was chatting with the Martian Ambassador. The two felt that the book was the cause of both of their problems. When Tom inquired as to what problem the ambassador was referring to, he was shown through a telescope that the canals on Mars had disappeared. Holmes explains to Tom that they're living in a time of war, which Tom balks at, knowing nothing but peace recently between countries on Earth and Mars. But there are places other than those, and wars fought not with ships but, says Holmes, but with ideas reshaping reality. | The instructions had Tom head to the [[Martian Embassy]], wherein Holmes was chatting with the Martian Ambassador. The two felt that the book was the cause of both of their problems. When Tom inquired as to what problem the ambassador was referring to, he was shown through a telescope that the canals on Mars had disappeared. Holmes explains to Tom that they're living in a time of war, which Tom balks at, knowing nothing but peace recently between countries on Earth and Mars. But there are places other than those, and wars fought not with ships but, says Holmes, but with ideas reshaping reality. | ||
When Tom woke up the next day, he read the morning paper to see a reality he didn't | When Tom woke up the next day, he read the morning paper to see a reality he didn't recognise. Russian Anarchist, Winston Churchill, and no Martians. He discussed with Holmes these occurrences, and found ''[[The War of the Worlds]]'', which he thought was an account of history, while the author purported it to be a book of fiction. Holmes suggests that reality is changing because people are reading a specific book, The Book of the Enemy, which he intends to read. Tom instantly objected to this, as it would erase him from existence, but Holmes felt it was necessary, and that he could fight the perniciousness of the book more effectively as a fictional character. Tom kept an eye on his friend, even stories that were wholly fictional, and wondered if sometime he might do something worth becoming fictional over. | ||
After the story was over, people asked Tom if any of it was true, including whether he would die or if they'd see him next week. Tom shrugged them off and said they'd hear from him sooner or later. The narrator went back to the club and found that the building had disappeared. Years later he found a book on a shelf | After the story was over, people asked Tom if any of it was true, including whether he would die or if they'd see him next week. Tom shrugged them off and said they'd hear from him sooner or later. The narrator went back to the club and found that the building had disappeared. Years later he found a book on a shelf - flipping to an open page he saw it recounting the night of Tom's story from the narrator's point of view. Quickly the book is shut and placed back on the shelf. | ||
== Characters == | == Characters == | ||
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* [[Stout man (The Book of the Enemy)|Stout man]] | * [[Stout man (The Book of the Enemy)|Stout man]] | ||
== | == Worldbuilding == | ||
* Holmes and [[John Watson|Watson]] visited [[Ruritania]] several times to assist King [[Rudolf (The Book of the Enemy)|Rudolf]]. | * Holmes and [[John Watson|Watson]] visited [[Ruritania]] several times to assist King [[Rudolf (The Book of the Enemy)|Rudolf]]. | ||
* [[Great Britain|Britain]] established an alliance with [[Mars]] after the [[Martian ( | * [[Great Britain|Britain]] established an alliance with [[Mars]] after the [[Martian (War of the Worlds)|Martians]]' attempted [[Martian invasion of Earth|invasion of Earth]]. | ||
== Notes == | == Notes == | ||
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** The hypothetical about a man named Reginald who served [[kipper]]s was a reference to Wodehouse's character {{w|Jeeves}}. | ** The hypothetical about a man named Reginald who served [[kipper]]s was a reference to Wodehouse's character {{w|Jeeves}}. | ||
** As noted in the story itself, [[Ruritania]] and King [[Rudolf (The Book of the Enemy)|Rudolf]] originated from ''[[The Prisoner of Zenda]]''. | ** As noted in the story itself, [[Ruritania]] and King [[Rudolf (The Book of the Enemy)|Rudolf]] originated from ''[[The Prisoner of Zenda]]''. | ||
** The men in the [[British Museum]]'s [[Select Manuscript Room]] – the [[startled gentleman (The Book of the Enemy)|startled gentleman]] who spilled his papers, and the [[stout man (The Book of the Enemy)|stout man]] who helped collect them – are Dunning and Karswell from {{w|M.R. James}}' {{wi|Casting the Runes}}. | ** The men in the [[British Museum]]'s [[Select Manuscript Room]] – the [[startled gentleman (The Book of the Enemy)|startled gentleman]] who spilled his papers, and the [[stout man (The Book of the Enemy)|stout man]] who helped collect them – are Dunning and Karswell from {{w|M. R. James}}' {{wi|Casting the Runes}}. | ||
** The account of the [[Martian invasion of Earth]] is designed to be consistent with [[H. G. Wells]]'s ''[[The War of the Worlds]]'' and [[Simon Bucher-Jones]]' ''[http://www.lulu.com/shop/simon-bucher-jones/charles-dickens-martian-notes/paperback/product-22654220.html Charles Dickens' Martian Notes.]'' | ** The account of the [[Martian invasion of Earth]] is designed to be consistent with [[H. G. Wells]]'s ''[[The War of the Worlds]]'' and [[Simon Bucher-Jones]]' ''[http://www.lulu.com/shop/simon-bucher-jones/charles-dickens-martian-notes/paperback/product-22654220.html Charles Dickens' Martian Notes.]'' | ||
** Holmes' comment about "continental orchestra" is a reference to [[George Bernard Shaw]]'s complaints about the differences between how British and continental European orchestras tuned their instruments. | ** Holmes' comment about "continental orchestra" is a reference to [[George Bernard Shaw]]'s complaints about the differences between how British and continental European orchestras tuned their instruments. | ||
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** History remembered the [[Martian Embassy]] as being burned down in the {{w|siege of Sidney Street}}. The siege was mentioned and compared to the Holmes novel {{wi|The Red-Headed League}} in {{w|Ronald Knox}}'s essay [http://www.diogenes-club.com/studies.htm ''Studies in the Literature of Sherlock Holmes'',] which first applied the idea of "[[canon]]" to works of fiction. | ** History remembered the [[Martian Embassy]] as being burned down in the {{w|siege of Sidney Street}}. The siege was mentioned and compared to the Holmes novel {{wi|The Red-Headed League}} in {{w|Ronald Knox}}'s essay [http://www.diogenes-club.com/studies.htm ''Studies in the Literature of Sherlock Holmes'',] which first applied the idea of "[[canon]]" to works of fiction. | ||
** The phrase "every trace of romance" was intended to be a reference to [[Lawrence Miles]]' novel ''[[Dead Romance (novel)|Dead Romance]]''. | ** The phrase "every trace of romance" was intended to be a reference to [[Lawrence Miles]]' novel ''[[Dead Romance (novel)|Dead Romance]]''. | ||
*The conception given of platonic objects in this story differs from how they're contemporarily framed.<ref>[https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/abstract-objects/#WayNega SEP article on abstracta]</ref> | * The conception given of platonic objects in this story differs from how they're contemporarily framed.<ref>[https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/abstract-objects/#WayNega SEP article on abstracta]</ref> | ||
== Continuity == | == Continuity == | ||
* Tom dreams of [[Sutekh|demons]] trapped in [[pyramid]]s | * Tom dreams of [[Sutekh|demons]] trapped in [[pyramid]]s, alluding to [[Sutekh]]'s predicament as seen in [[TV]]: ''[[Pyramids of Mars (TV story)|Pyramids of Mars]]'' — a fate which was revealed in [[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Judgment of Sutekh (audio story)|The Judgment of Sutekh]]'' to have been inflicted upon him by [[Faction Paradox]]. | ||
* Sherlock Holmes aided a [[Pope]] in [[PROSE]]: ''[[All-Consuming Fire (novel)|All-Consuming Fire]]''. | * Sherlock Holmes aided a [[Pope]] in [[PROSE]]: ''[[All-Consuming Fire (novel)|All-Consuming Fire]]''. | ||
* [[James Moriarty]] wrote the book ''[[On the Dynamics of the Asteroid]]'' | * [[James Moriarty]] wrote the book ''[[On the Dynamics of the Asteroid]]'', as previously mentioned in [[PROSE]]: ''[[The Death of Art (novel)|The Death of Art]]''. | ||
* Moriarty's [[ | * Moriarty's [[theory of relativity]] was later attributed to [[Albert Einstein]]. The real-world attribution of the theory of relativity to Einstein was mentioned in various prior works set in the [[Doctor Who universe|''Doctor Who'' universe]], including [[TV]]: ''[[Four to Doomsday (TV story)|Four to Doomsday]]'' and [[TV]] ''[[The Last Sontaran (TV story)|The Last Sontaran]]''. | ||
* ''[[The Book of the Enemy]]'' later played a part in the plot of [[PROSE]]: ''[[White Canvas (novel)|White Canvas]]'', where a version of it was kept in the [[Plume Coteries' Library]]. | |||
== Footnotes == | == Footnotes == | ||
{{reflist}} | {{reflist}} | ||
{{FP series}} | {{FP series}} | ||
{{TitleSort}} | {{TitleSort}} | ||
[[Category:The Book of the Enemy short stories]] | [[Category:The Book of the Enemy short stories]] | ||
[[Category:Stories set in the 1910s]] | [[Category:Stories set in the 1910s]] | ||