I am proud to say that I have finally gotten around to reading TPOSH. And I enjoyed it very much. Before reading, I decided to look at what people said about it on Tumblr, and I saw a lot of things about how it was in first person. That kind of dissuaded me from reading it, because first-person can go in the wrong direction really quickly, especially with Sherlock fanfic. Authors often try to do justice to Sherlock's thought processes, but ultimately fail because he becomes totally OOC. John's perspective, on the other hand, is easier, but also fails because authors make him like any other human being - and that ruins everything. So, I wasn't too thrilled to read it, TBH. But everyone who's read it has raved about it, and it is a fandom classic, so I decided to go ahead.
What I really liked about the fic is how unique it is - for two reasons. First, Sherlock's first-person POV is one of the biggest successes in this fic, and that's what really contributes to its position as a classic. Not only are Sherlock's thought processes well-represented in text here, but he is also more human, more accessible, than in other fics.
Second, the entire plot is far more intricate than the summary suggests. It's quite a pleasant surprise to read fics which not only analyze the relationship between John and Sherlock in detail, but also manage to incorporate a fantastically twisted plot - along with a Mary Morstan.
I could go on and on about Mary Morstan here, but let me just say this - I absolutely loved this author's portrayal of Mary. Often, Mary is just a faceless character used to get in the way of Sherlock and John's relationship, or used to help them realize their feelings for each other. (Blegh. Horrible.) But this Mary manages to do just that, while developing into her very own character with personality and such. She really is central to the plot, too. I will say, at first I was a bit wary of this fic because of the Mary - I generally do my best to avoid fics involving Mary Morstan, but I made an exception for TPOSH. And I'm glad I did, too.
Bottom line: It's not called a fandom classic for nothing! Definitely worth multiple re-reads, this one.
What I really liked about the fic is how unique it is - for two reasons. First, Sherlock's first-person POV is one of the biggest successes in this fic, and that's what really contributes to its position as a classic. Not only are Sherlock's thought processes well-represented in text here, but he is also more human, more accessible, than in other fics.
Second, the entire plot is far more intricate than the summary suggests. It's quite a pleasant surprise to read fics which not only analyze the relationship between John and Sherlock in detail, but also manage to incorporate a fantastically twisted plot - along with a Mary Morstan.
I could go on and on about Mary Morstan here, but let me just say this - I absolutely loved this author's portrayal of Mary. Often, Mary is just a faceless character used to get in the way of Sherlock and John's relationship, or used to help them realize their feelings for each other. (Blegh. Horrible.) But this Mary manages to do just that, while developing into her very own character with personality and such. She really is central to the plot, too. I will say, at first I was a bit wary of this fic because of the Mary - I generally do my best to avoid fics involving Mary Morstan, but I made an exception for TPOSH. And I'm glad I did, too.
Bottom line: It's not called a fandom classic for nothing! Definitely worth multiple re-reads, this one.
