This holiday, I am in love. It's not very often I find myself in love with something. Perhaps, rather than calling it love, I should called it 'passion' or a worse word, 'obsession'.
I love Harry Potter (the book series and the movies), Lord of the Rings (the book series and the movies), Twilight (the book series, not so much the movies), and a couple of less epic book series and movies.
Fanfiction has play an important role all these years, I started out with good old Harry Potter fics of course. After which, I branched out. I must count my good fortune that I am exposed to so many wonderful and inspiring fanfiction. It kind of binds the world together, don't you think? All these great writers, not professionals, but still manage to spellbind so many readers, drawing in reviews, be it good or bad.
My latest "obsession" is Sherlock from BBC One. The British really does amazing films. In this area, I would like to bring out the phrase, "quality not quantity". The mini series consists of only three 90-minutes episodes, but it has already won the BAFTA Awards that very year it came out. The series is critically-acclaimed and at the same time, well-received by the general public. There is always a line between what critics like and what the public like but it looks like Sherlock struck gold.
I know that it was released in England in August 2010 but I got wind of it only in the early months of this year.
Indeed, just after the first episode, I can't help but to get drawn into the 21st century reboot of the beloved series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Sherlock is so witty and sarcastic, filled with British humour. It is ingenious, cleverly executed and a fast-paced, intelligent and fun series. Sherlock is like a breath of fresh air and it actually allows the viewer to think things through. I often find myself rewinding to truly understand the deductions. I enjoyed it tremendously.
What adds fuel to the fire is the fact that the Sherlock Holmes and John Watson are played by two good-looking, British actors namely, Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. Supporting cast are up on par as well. I guess this is where the main appeal lies.
Audience do appreciate good-lookers in films, I can firmly attested to that. Of course, that doesn't mean I only watch shows with good-looking guys but it does affect one's decision, doesn't it?
I quickly moved on to the world of BBC!Sherlock fanfiction and found out just how big this fandom truly is. It has only been slightly more than a year old!
With series 2 coming up in the January 2012, the BBC!Sherlock fandom looks set to expand and grow to new heights. While I am excited over the prospect of the new series, I am thrilled by the thought of new fanfics that will be inspired by the new season. I simply cannot wait for the new and existing authors to contribute and share their work with the rest of the fandom.
Let it not be said that viewers these days only appreciate the TV adaptations and fanon writings. I read a wide spectrum of works, ranging from literary writings to novels to amatuers' fanfiction.
I do take the steps to read up on the history of the original author and the book series.I have done it for Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. Not only did I read the Lord of the Rings trilogy, I also dabbled in Tolkien's other works such as The Silmarillion and previously unpublished commentary in The History of Middle Earth. I was 14 going on 15 at that time.
For Harry Potter, other than the the 7 books, I too read literary, analytical works such as Looking for God in Harry Potter and The End of Harry Potter.
As for my new interest in Sherlock Holmes, well, for the first time, I picked up Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's work. It's certainly baffling why I didn't have the interest in it when I was younger. The thought of reading this worldwide renowned series never did cross my mind. Perhaps, it's because I was never into the mystery and crime genre.
As I grow older, the time I can devote myself to novels and books lessen. These days, I mostly read fanfiction on the Internet.
