LEAH MOORE SOBRE LA IRENE ADLER DE SWORDS OF SORROW

Well I’ve co-written two Sherlock Holmes OGN’s with my husband John Reppion, so I’m well steeped in the whole Holmes mythology. I think when we were writing them (The Trial of Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes: The Liverpool Demon) we were very self conscious and didn’t want to do a second rate job, we wanted to make sure they could stand up next to the original Holmes mysteries. We have gradually loosened up, as people came and said they enjoyed those books, so when I heard I was writing Irene Adler, I thought okay, this time I can really relax and have some fun.

Well the thing Adler is known for is that Sherlock Holmes really rates her. The great Detective says she is unparalleled among womankind, that she matches him in her powers of reasoning, and resourcefulness. This and the fact that she’s a Prima Donna opera singer, an Adventuress and can actually beat Holmes at his own game, most notably in Scandal in Bohemia, made me want to write her as a female Holmes but without the social restrictions. Holmes is known for being weird and awkward and obsessive.

I wanted Adler to show that it’s possible to be a badass genius with mad fencing skills and super fast reflexes, and still be capable of human interaction and emotion. Having spent so long trying to be as careful and reverential as possible with the canonical Holmes, I love the feeling that I can poke and prod the mythos and see if it stands up to modern eyes and Adler is great for that!

Irene Adler is a fixer, a brain-for-hire who will go and sort out any sticky or strange situation with deftness and aplomb. She is not afraid to ask people why they want something doing, and she judges the situation as she goes along. I would say she is not 100% trustworthy and good, she is not 100% nice, but she is a really fascinating character to write!