While the cases of Sherlock Holmes are generally considered mysteries, there is at least one that rates classification in the genre of science fiction. It would seem more in  the line of Professor Challenger than Holmes, and for that reason alone, it has probably taken more flak from Sherlockians than it deserves.  But, despite a rather tedious series of dates that serve as its main clue, “The Adventure of the Creeping Man” has its merits, I discovered after an early morning read this week. And they run something like this:

• It’s a tin dispatch box case. As much as we’ve all longed to see those unpublished cases that Watson’s tin dispatch box holds in the vaults of Cox and Co. bank,  here, at last is a case that Watson tells us resided in that box for some time.  From that point of view,  it is not only a piece of lost treasure, but a glimpse of what the rest of that treasure chest holds.

• “The relations between us in those latter days were peculiar.” Dr. Watson actually ponders his connection with Holmes in a way that reminds one of his early days lodging with the fellow whose profession was unknown to him.  Watson speaks of 221B as his former home and Holmes greets him with a whimsical smile  when he enters, even though the detective was  obviously in deep thought .

• Watson introduces us to Sherlock Holmes anew.  He lists Holmes’s iconic habit s – “the violin, the shag tobacco, the old black pipe, the index books . . .” and Watson himself.

• The Holmes wit is here! Even though “And the wolf-hound no doubt disapproved of the financial bargain.” doesn’t get ranked with some of Holmes’s better quips,  he’s having fun with Dr. Watson, and I, for one, am having fun with him.  Teasing of that sort only goes on between good friends, and it’s one more sign of what  friends these men are.

• The science fiction really isn’t that far-fetched. Sure, you can scoff at Professor Presbury shooting himself up with monkey serum and acting like a monkey, but we really have no idea just what process H. Lowenstein was using between harvesting the langur and sending that bottle to Dorak. Sure, nobody else in the field of science at that time was up to genetic alteration,  but perhaps Lowenstein was far, far beyond his time. He wasn’t just throwing a monkey in a blender and sending Dorak the results, after all.

• Sherlock Holmes is having fun. “In the meantime we can only keep  in touch with friend Bennett and enjoy the amenities of this charming town.” In his early, career-driven days, Holmes would have been scurrying all about, looking into every detail. Now, with the patience of age, he sends his employee Mercer to handle the legwork, and just sets about enjoying the moment.  As ever, there is much for us to learn from Sherlock Holmes.

I could go on, but I’ll leave further merits of the tale to you on your next reading of it. The tales of The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes have long been my favorite set of Holmes stories, even though I’d gotten into the habit of pooh-poohing individual members of that group. But, like Holmes in “Creeping Man,” I seem to be mellowing with age. The relations between the Canon and I are indeed peculiar these days, but like Watson I find that I can return to my former home and be greeted with a smile.

Your humble correspondent,

Brad Keefauver