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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I didn’t think I’d enjoy these books as much as I did! If you’re looking for a comical, mystery-solving duo, I’d recommend Sherlock & Watson!
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
A Scandal in Bohemia: The first Sherlock Holmes short story is quite a fun adventure but for my money not quite as good as the novels that preceded it, despite the short stories being far more popular. 4/5
The Red-Headed League: A rather slight, more comical adventure for Holmes, following off from the tone of the previous one. While I prefer the more serious and tense side of Holmes stories, it's definitely a fun time for what it is. 3.5/5
A Case of Identity: A very fun, if also slight, Holmes mystery that's short and devoid of much tension but has a rather satisfying ending. 3.5/5
The Boscombe Valley Mystery: An absolute highlight of this collection that reminds me of the novels I so dearly love from this series. The twist is sublime and the arc is so entertaining, a very fascinating story. It is a complete Holmesian mystery told in the length of a short story, far more appealing than trifles of the rest of the book surrounding it. 4.5/5
The Five Orange Pips: An ominous tale that's more suspenseful than adventurous, the conflict within is very much an interesting one, even if the mystery is not solvable by the reader. I appreciate the effort in doing something new with Holmes quite a bit although I can't help but feel that it reads more as a prologue for a never recounted tale than a full story. 4/5
The Man With The Twisted Lip: One of the more inventive stories in this collection, from starting with one story and moving to a completely different plot midway through, to the meeting of Holmes and Watson during the course of events, to the final reveal of the mystery. It's lighter fare but good fun. 3.5/5
The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle: A lighter story again with a very intriguing mystery as Holmes and Watson encounter one turn after another and Holmes gets to use his guile and charisma to its fullest. 4/5
The Adventure of The Speckled Band: A tense and fast tale full of exotic elements to it, Holmes faces an antagonist that actually feels like a serious threat for the first time. Great tale. 4.5/5
The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb: Intriguing little tale that's more horror than mystery. Not much detective work here but it's certainly interesting. 3/5
The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor: A fun little romp with a very short mystery. Not much to say other than the meal described by Watson sounds utterly delicious. 3/5
The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet: Another fun romp with a few really entertaining scenes of Holmes being Holmes, even if the mystery and supporting cast are rather mediocre 3/5
The Adventure of the Copper Breaches: A lesser tale to end it, sadly, with a less than interesting mystery and copious amounts of gore with an unsatisfying ending. 2.5/5
All in all, the first short story collection of Sherlock Homes is one of the better works in the series, if inconsistent compared to the novels that preceded it.
The Red-Headed League: A rather slight, more comical adventure for Holmes, following off from the tone of the previous one. While I prefer the more serious and tense side of Holmes stories, it's definitely a fun time for what it is. 3.5/5
A Case of Identity: A very fun, if also slight, Holmes mystery that's short and devoid of much tension but has a rather satisfying ending. 3.5/5
The Boscombe Valley Mystery: An absolute highlight of this collection that reminds me of the novels I so dearly love from this series. The twist is sublime and the arc is so entertaining, a very fascinating story. It is a complete Holmesian mystery told in the length of a short story, far more appealing than trifles of the rest of the book surrounding it. 4.5/5
The Five Orange Pips: An ominous tale that's more suspenseful than adventurous, the conflict within is very much an interesting one, even if the mystery is not solvable by the reader. I appreciate the effort in doing something new with Holmes quite a bit although I can't help but feel that it reads more as a prologue for a never recounted tale than a full story. 4/5
The Man With The Twisted Lip: One of the more inventive stories in this collection, from starting with one story and moving to a completely different plot midway through, to the meeting of Holmes and Watson during the course of events, to the final reveal of the mystery. It's lighter fare but good fun. 3.5/5
The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle: A lighter story again with a very intriguing mystery as Holmes and Watson encounter one turn after another and Holmes gets to use his guile and charisma to its fullest. 4/5
The Adventure of The Speckled Band: A tense and fast tale full of exotic elements to it, Holmes faces an antagonist that actually feels like a serious threat for the first time. Great tale. 4.5/5
The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb: Intriguing little tale that's more horror than mystery. Not much detective work here but it's certainly interesting. 3/5
The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor: A fun little romp with a very short mystery. Not much to say other than the meal described by Watson sounds utterly delicious. 3/5
The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet: Another fun romp with a few really entertaining scenes of Holmes being Holmes, even if the mystery and supporting cast are rather mediocre 3/5
The Adventure of the Copper Breaches: A lesser tale to end it, sadly, with a less than interesting mystery and copious amounts of gore with an unsatisfying ending. 2.5/5
All in all, the first short story collection of Sherlock Homes is one of the better works in the series, if inconsistent compared to the novels that preceded it.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
informative
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Contains some iconic stories, however I'm not a huge fan of the format the mysteries are presented in. Most of the exposition is given in large chunks by the clients, which gets repetitive despite how interesting the mystery may be.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated