History Literature / AStudyInEmerald

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''A Study in Emerald'' is a UsefulNotes/HugoAward-winning short story by Creator/NeilGaiman, essentially an IntercontinuityCrossover between ''Literature/SherlockHolmes'' and the works of Creator/HPLovecraft. Written in the style of a classic Holmes pastiche, this story, roughly following the plot of the first Holmes novel ''Literature/AStudyInScarlet'', finds a brilliant consulting detective and [[TheWatson his new flatmate]] investigating the gruesome murder of a member of the royal family. A member who is both far more and far less than human...

Creator/DarkHorseComics will release a comic book adaptation of the story on June 27, 2018.

** The name Sherry Vernet is a nod to a minor line from the Holmes story "The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter."[[spoiler: In it, Holmes was said to be a distant relative of the painter Claude Vernet. and Sherringford was Holmes's first name in Arthur Conan Doyle's early drafts.]]

** The most [[RefugeInAudacity outrageous]], however, is while talking with Sherry Vernet, when they go by the aliases of "Henry Camberley" and "mister Sebastian". [[spoiler: The latter isn't a made-up name, the narrator name actually is Sebastian.]]

* DarkWorld: A parody version. An alternate 19-century Earth ruled by the Great Old Ones; it is implied that all sorts of Victorian horrors and abominations coexist peacefully with humans: Springheel Jack owns a shoe store, Dr. Jekyll sells a medicine which allows to "release the inner you", etc.

** "[[spoiler:John]] (or perhaps [[spoiler: James]]) [[spoiler: Watson]]" is a reference to Creator/ArthurConanDoyle's notorious inability to keep [[spoiler: Watson]]'s first name straight. Call it a miscontinuity nod.

** This is also either a ContinuityNod or MythologyGag, in that the line is originally used to describe Dr. Roylott in "The Adventure of the Speckled Band'': "When a doctor does go wrong he is the first of criminals."

* {{Expy}}: The Great Old Ones all have different names (or possibly titles). Ancient Goat, Parent to a Thousand is Lovecraft's Shub'Niggurath, MotherOfAThousandYoung. The Black One of Egypt is Nyarlathotep, the Czar Unanswerable is Hastur, and so on.

''A Study in Emerald'' is a HugoAward-winning short story by Creator/NeilGaiman, essentially an IntercontinuityCrossover between ''Literature/SherlockHolmes'' and the works of Creator/HPLovecraft. Written in the style of a classic Holmes pastiche, this story, roughly following the plot of the first Holmes novel ''Literature/AStudyInScarlet'', finds a brilliant consulting detective and [[TheWatson his new flatmate]] investigating the gruesome murder of a member of the royal family. A member who is both far more and far less than human...

** The [[spoiler: Sigerson]] alias was also used as such by [[spoiler: Holmes]] in the period between the events of "[[spoiler:Literature/TheFinalProblem]]" and "[[spoiler:Literature/TheAdventureOfTheEmptyHouse]]".

** Likewise, there's a similar nod to the text's disagreement about where on his body [[spoiler:Watson]] was injured in [[spoiler:Afghanistan]]. ''Literature/AStudyInScarlet'' placed it on his leg, later stories said his shoulder. In ''A Study In Emerald'' [[spoiler:Moran, i.e., the "fake" Watson, was wounded in his shoulder, while the real Watson was wounded in his leg.]]
*** [[spoiler: Moran refers to Watson as "The Limping Doctor" until Holmes and Watson's names are revealed at the end]].

** This is also either a [[ContinuityNod Continuity Nod]] or [[MythologyGag Mythology Gag]], in that the line is originally used to describe Dr. Roylott in "The Adventure of the Speckled Band'': "When a doctor does go wrong he is the first of criminals."

** The narrator refers to the "savages" of Afghanistan (both human and EldritchAbomination) who are unwilling to see the reasonableness of being ruled by their betters in London [[AndZoidberg or even Moscow]].
* DidYouJustHaveTeaWithCthulhu: Early in the story, the protagonists are briefed by the Queen who while oddly voiced, speaks English and talks lucidly, and is nice enough to heal the narrator's injury. She seems decent enough if you ignore the strong implication (probably certainty) that she and her relatives like to MindRape people every once in a while and will probably wipe out humanity pretty soon.

* NukeEm: Offhand comments in the letter from [[spoiler: Sherlock Holmes]] at the end indicate that he is working on the theory of relativity. Given that he's made killing [[PhysicalGod Physical Gods]] and [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]] his life's work, there's really only one reason why he would.

** The name Vernet is a nod to a minor line from the Holmes story "The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter."

* AlternateHistory: It's revealed in the first few paragraphs that [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]] exist and are accepted fact in this version of VictorianBritain, and that's just the beginning.

* SerialNumbersFiledOff (InUniverse): The plays they see concerning the mistaken identity between identical twins and the girl who sells violets are, respectively, Shakespeare's ''Theatre/TheComedyOfErrors'' (with a bit of Wilde's ''Theatre/TheImportanceOfBeingErnest'' mixed in) and ''The Little Match Girl'' by Hans Christian Andersen with a few details changed.

* SerialNumbersFiledOff (InUniverse): The plays they see concerning the mistaken identity between identical twins and the girl who sells violets are, respectively, Shakespeare's ''Theatre/TheComedyOfErrors'' and ''The Little Match Girl'' by Hans Christian Andersen with a few details changed.

''A Study in Emerald'' is a HugoAward-winning short story by Creator/NeilGaiman, essentially an IntercontinuityCrossover between ''Literature/SherlockHolmes'' and the works of Creator/HPLovecraft. Written in the style of a classic Holmes pastiche, this story, roughly following the plot of the first Holmes novel ''Literature/AStudyInScarlet'', finds a brilliant consulting detective and [[TheWatson his new flatmate]] investigating the gruesome murder of a member of the royal family.

* SpellMyNameWithABlank

** [[Literature/DrJekyllAndMrHyde "Jekyll's Powders"]] will release the inner you.

* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: Queen Victoria. [[UsefulNotes/QueenVictoria Not that one.]] She's called Victoria because [[CurbStompBattle she conquered Europe centuries ago]].

* ContinuityNod

** "[[spoiler:John]] (or perhaps [[spoiler: James]]) [[spoiler: Watson]]" is a reference to Arthur Conan Doyle's notorious inability to keep [[spoiler: Watson]]'s first name straight. Call it an incontinuity nod.

** [[spoiler: In Holmes' letter, he refers to the book "Dynamics of an Asteroid" which was a book written by Moriarty, mentioned in "The Valley of Fear."]]

* {{Expy}}: The Great Old Ones all have different names (or possibly titles). Ancient Goat, Parent to a Thousand is Lovecraft's Shub'Niggurath, MotherOfAThousandYoung. The Black One of Egypt is Nyarlothep, the Czar Unanswerable is Hastur, and so on.

* HeroAntagonist: [[spoiler:The killer is the real Sherlock Holmes.]]

** They manage to turn The Queen Victoria Gloriana into this by what it means. "She was called Victoria, because she had beaten us in battle 700 years ago. She was called Gloriana because she was glorius, and She was called The Queen because the human mouth was not shaped to pronounce her real name."

* SerialNumbersFiledOff (InUniverse): The plays they see concerning the mistaken identity between identical twins and the girl who sells violets are, respectively, Shakespeare's ''TheComedyOfErrors'' and ''The Little Match Girl'' by Hans Christian Andersen with a few details changed.

* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: Queen Victoria. [[QueenVicky Not that one.]] She's called Victoria because [[CurbStompBattle she conquered Europe centuries ago]].

* [[spoiler:TheAllConcealingI: The protagonists aren't referred to by name, so we're led to believe they're Holmes and Watson... until the real Holmes and Watson show up.]]

* [[spoiler:HeroAntagonist]]

* [[spoiler:TomatoSurprise]]

* {{Expy}}: The Great Old Ones all have different names (or possibly titles). Ancient Goat, Parent to a Thousand is Lovecraft's Shub;Niggurath, MotherOfAThousandYoung. The Black One of Egypt is Nyarlothep, the Czar Unanswerable is Hastur, and so on.