This 2-parter is about Colonel Sebastian Moran in adaptations, pastiche, fanworks, etc. Before our recordings, we’d talked about what made a good portrayal of Moran, or a good story about him. We settled on a good portrayal having some depth, some interiority — in other words, he has an inner sense of self as opposed to being cardboard cutout.
And if you want a pretty thorough look at Moran on screen through 2014, Out of the Abyss, the EMPT manuscript book by BSI Press, has an essay on that very topic! “Colonel Moran and Celluloid Air-Guns,” by Russell Merritt.
In this episode specifically, we only get as far as Moran's portrayals in print:
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Professor Moriarty: The Hound of the D'Urbervilles, by Kim Newman. This is a novel as a series of short stories written by Moran.
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The Empress of India: A Professor Moriarty Novel, by Michael Kurland. After a few books in his Moriarty series, Mr. Kurland finally writes an adventure with Moriarty and Moran working together.
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The Return of Moriarty, the first of the Moriarty trilogy, by John Gardiner..
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Moriarty: A Novel, by Anthony Horowitz.
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Eve Titus’s Basil of Baker Street books do give Professor Rattigan a right-hand mouse, one Captain Doran.
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“A Study in Emerald,” by Neil Gaiman. Hugo Award-winning crossover between Sherlock Holmes and H.P. Lovecraft. You can download a neat-looking pdf of the story for free from the link on Mr. Gaiman’s website.
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Children of Reichenbach: A Study in Regret, by Claire Daines. In this alternate universe, Reichenbach has gone horrifically wrong, and Moran proves himself to be a ruthless and formidable antagonist.
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“Yours in Grief,” by… Madeline! This is the short story she talked about last time, a series of letters Moran writes to Moriarty… after Moriarty’s death, as Moran tries to cope with his grief.
Your hosts are Madeline Quiñones and Dixie Parkinson. Contact us at [email protected], and follow us on Twitter @dynamicsofapod and on Facebook. You can read the show notes on our website, dynamicsofapodcast.com. Thanks for listening!
