The Incredible Umbrella

 The Incredible Umbrella (1979) by Marvin Kaye

Among these unfinished tales is that of Mr. James Phillimore, who, stepping back into his own house to get his umbrella, was never more seen in this world. ["The Problem of Thor Bridge" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle]

Kaye takes this description of one of Sherlock Holmes' unrecorded cases and weaves a fantasy-driven, mystery-adventure starring J. Adrian Fillmore, disillusioned professor* in need of a good thesis after an unproductive research sabbatical. After abruptly leaving an unproductive meeting with his advisor Professor Quintana, Fillmore follows one of his favorite escape routes--a good jaunt through various antique, book and curio, and junk shops. He ends at one of his favorites, a little out-of-the-way place where bargains are sure to be had. As he takes his treasures (primarily books) up to the register, the owner convinces him to look over the bargain tables in the middle where he spies a large umbrella--too large for everyday use but too small for a beach umbrella. Somehow, he winds up taking it home for 25 cents, even though the proprietor tells him the darn thing won't open.

After reconsidering his reluctance to work with his advisor, he decides he really must apologize to Quintana and get down to work. He sets out next morning to do just that, but it's raining cats and dogs. So, forgetting that the thing doesn't work, he grabs the new umbrella, steps outside, and...opens it up. And the next thing he knows he's been transported to the melodious world of Gilbert and Sullivan. From there, he finds himself wandering through the worlds of Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, Mr. Pickwick, Sherringford Holmes & Ormund Sacker (the original names for Doyle's famous pair), and then Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson. At first, there doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to where he winds up, but then he realizes that someone else is after his umbrella. And he ends up joining forces with Holmes himself to defeat the plans of the Napoleon of crime.

I remember reading this when I first found it in the 1980s. I didn't record it, so I don't have a definite rating, but I'm quite sure I would have given it five stars. I was delighted to find a story that took off from the mention of James Phillimore in Doyle's story. I loved the all of the various worlds Fillmore visited (and it sent me on the hunt for Edwin Abbott's Flatland). Reading it forty-some years later, I still find it an enjoyable adventure, but I really could have done without the Gilbert & Sullivan bits. That whole section doesn't really connect with the remainder of the book (except in one small way). Things are much more interesting once Fillmore gets involved with proto-Holmes and, finally, with Holmes himself. ★★★ and 1/2 for this late-life reading of a youthful favorite. 

*As an administrative support person for a doctoral program, I must say that Fillmore's plight strikes me as that of a graduate student rather than a full-fledged professor. He has to report to an overbearing advisor. He's supposed to be finishing a dissertation. A professor might need to be finishing a book to get tenure, but he certainly won't be kowtowing to a dissertation advisor. Okay...soapbox moment over.

First line: "We've a first-rate assortment of magic," said the dapper little merchant.

Then, he also found a hardback edition of Carr's The Nine Wrong Answers: though less illustrious than the Benson unearthing, it was a scarce title nonetheless, especially as the paperback editions were all abridged; at any rate, it was a bargain at 19 cents. (Where did she come up with her figures?) [p. 18]

Last line: "Bit of a fey quality, I fancy," she remarked.
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Deaths = two stabbed