Watson Is Not an Idiot

by Eddy Webb

Over the past few years, Sherlock Holmes has exploded in popularity. The character has made a huge impact on the 21st century, with multiple interpretations gaining a growing audience of new Sherlockians. But many fans of Sherlock and Elementary know very little about the original stories themselves. Watson is Not an Idiot is an opinionated exploration of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original canon, written to illustrate interesting features and historical elements of the stories from the perspective of a lifelong fan of the material. It's not academic, but a companion - the passionate, excited, and sometimes ranty friend who sits alongside you and points out interesting bits while you read. Watson is Not an Idiot is perfect for the first-time reader of the stories and fans curious about starting a more critical reading of the material.

Genres: Nonfiction, Literary Criticism

235 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 30, 2013

About the author

Eddy Webb (with a “y”) is a writer, designer, and consultant for video games and RPGs. He’s worked on Pugmire, Futurama, Firefly, Red Dwarf, and Sherlock Holmes. In his spare time, he advocates for more inclusion of people with hearing loss. He can be found at pugsteady.com and eddyfate.com.

Reviews

[Rowan MacBean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love hearing other people's opinions on Holmes-related topics, even when I don't agree with them, so this was a fun read.

There is one notable exception to my enjoyment of differing opinions on this subject, though. People (especially cishet white men) who say there's no evidence for a queer reading of canon can kiss my gay ass.

[Caroline Hannam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first discovered Sherlock Holmes when I was about eight years old and have throughout my life frequently revisited the stories, but had not put too much thought into the background and development. So I found this book was very informative and interesting, and I particularly liked the comparison of different speculations on timelines.

While I can’t say that I have been inspired to delve into the Sherlockian world as in-depth as I have discovered many enthusiasts do I am glad to have found out a number of interesting titbits about the storylines and Conan Doyle.

I also stand vindicated on my observation of Watson’s travelling war wound, over which I have had more than one disagreement with friends, but can now back up my claim with details of where the injury is mentioned in.

The audio book is narrated by Dominic Lopez. He speaks very clear and concise, but his habit of raising his voice at the beginning of every sentence and emphasising words in the same way in incorrect places was very irritating. I persevered, because I was interested in the content, but had to listen in small bites and stop when it got too irritating and was in danger of becoming a DNF.

I received this book in audio book format from the author and am leaving this review of my own volition.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, this book is such a joy! It's like sitting with a friend and talking about a favourite topic: Sherlock Holmes, of course!

I really enjoyed all about this book, yes, it's informative but it's also funny and so easy to listen... I found myself agreeing out loud with some of Mr Webb rants, particularly the ones about Watson although we also seem to share a view on some of the short stories *laughs* Yes, there are points in which we disagree, but where would be the fun otherwise?

Seriously, if you enjoy Holmes' stories, this is a must-read/listen.

Dominic Lopez does a really great job with the narration.