Two Envelopes And A Phone’s Reviews > Jeeves Again: Twelve New Stories > Status Update

'With that, Jeeves opened his jacket, revealing his long inside pocket, packed with a row of remedies: Pilcher's Surprise, Tiger Blood, The Nuclear Option, Carrington's Eye, Racist Landlord, Optimal Elbow'.

Right, so I’m on the team where we embrace these new visions of Jeeves and Bertie - Anything Goes!, on this Showboat, Bill - no matter what happens, no matter how far from the original formula. I have to say, Jeeves as AI in a car was my favourite; the same-sex look at romance in Wodehouse setting was pretty cool. So you get the idea. I liked the Aunt Agatha detour over the Spode stint, neither being favorites. Fun!

I’m totally okay with the fact that many of these may not read like Wodehouse. I would almost be disappointed by an opportunity lost, if these all read like the Master’s stuff. I just finished the Roddy Doyle one - my first time reading him, can you believe I’m getting to him via Jeeves and Bertie!? - and I had a great time.

Okay - off and gambolling! The 2nd yarn was a ball! Much in the Wodehouse style - loved it. The 1st one was fun. I did go in with a prejudice against a time-travel story starring Jeeves and Bertram, thanks to a novel called Exit Sherlock Holmes - ie. SF and certain characters can be a disaster, and from now on, anyone peddling, say, Nero Wolfe tossed back to the Cretaceous is right out. But Jeeves in 2025: fun!

I’m very excited about this. A few authors have written Jeeves & Bertie novels, beyond what Wodehouse gave us, and they have not embarrassed themselves writing a lot like the Master. Short stories will be an interesting experience, because there’s the possibility that some of the writers might be doing “traditional Wodehouse” style…but will there be experiments? If variety is a priority, there’s room for weird stuff.