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skatcher21's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
lotus36's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
reading_v's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
jmgustaf's review against another edition
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed both stories, but “A Study in Scarlet” was the better of the two, in my opinion. I have read both before, but got more out of them this time. The thought that must’ve gone into the minutiae of the cases and the well written prose of Doyle are a definite treat. We get the classic Holmes quote, “How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?” I love this quote, but it is a false dichotomy. It assumes that there is only one possibility outside of the impossible. I understand the implication of Holmes’s deductive genius, but there’s infinite variables in life’s scenarios.
ronitjauthor's review against another edition
3.0
I read a few Sherlock shorts when I was in school, and I always wanted to read more Sherlock stories. A few months back, my wife & I found the entire collection at Fountain at less than half price. Naturally, we picked it up.
My wife read the first book [A Study in Scarlet & The Sign of Four] pretty much a day after we bought the collection. She did not like it.
After months of making progress through my TBR, I finally picked up that volume, and… I kinda agree with my wife.
A Study in Scarlet:
This isn’t how I remember Sherlock being. But then again, this was Holmes’ first-ever appearance, so there were bound to be some rough edges. The mystery itself was pretty basic. What really got me frustrated was the entire Mormon flashback. 5 chapters, about 50 pages of just filler nonsense. The whole slog felt unnecessarily detailed and long. I get it, this is from a different era and 19th-century Brits probably were fascinated by the descriptions and exploration of Utah. I was not. The book minus the Mormon flashback is maybe a 3-3.5/5, but with that slog, it’s a 3. I want to give it a 2, but that wouldn’t be fair since this is a product of its time.
The Sign of the Four
A much more interesting mystery and overall story compared to ASIS. Wasn’t the best, but definitely a better narrative and pacing than the first. Didn’t like how the last chapter was expository but I guess it’s just a product of its time. Also hated the racist stereotypes and representation of colonised India but those again are a product of their time.
Overall an improvement, but still far from what I expected from a Sherlock Holmes story.
3/5
TL;DR:
WHAT I LIKED: The mysteries were pretty interesting and fun to read
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE: Mormon flashback in ASIS, racist stereotypes in TSOF
My wife read the first book [A Study in Scarlet & The Sign of Four] pretty much a day after we bought the collection. She did not like it.
After months of making progress through my TBR, I finally picked up that volume, and… I kinda agree with my wife.
A Study in Scarlet:
This isn’t how I remember Sherlock being. But then again, this was Holmes’ first-ever appearance, so there were bound to be some rough edges. The mystery itself was pretty basic. What really got me frustrated was the entire Mormon flashback. 5 chapters, about 50 pages of just filler nonsense. The whole slog felt unnecessarily detailed and long. I get it, this is from a different era and 19th-century Brits probably were fascinated by the descriptions and exploration of Utah. I was not. The book minus the Mormon flashback is maybe a 3-3.5/5, but with that slog, it’s a 3. I want to give it a 2, but that wouldn’t be fair since this is a product of its time.
The Sign of the Four
A much more interesting mystery and overall story compared to ASIS. Wasn’t the best, but definitely a better narrative and pacing than the first. Didn’t like how the last chapter was expository but I guess it’s just a product of its time. Also hated the racist stereotypes and representation of colonised India but those again are a product of their time.
Overall an improvement, but still far from what I expected from a Sherlock Holmes story.
3/5
TL;DR:
WHAT I LIKED: The mysteries were pretty interesting and fun to read
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE: Mormon flashback in ASIS, racist stereotypes in TSOF
sunseas's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
3.5