Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.45 AVERAGE
4.45 AVERAGE
Again, the great Stephen Fry adds a little bit of historical background to all things Sherlock!
I didn't realize how groundbreaking Sherlock and Watson must have been at the time when the stories first appeared (1887 very Victorian timeframe), the long break between novels, and the overall cleverness of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - even the discrepancies with his writing vs his real-life drama! Whodathunk!!
Highly recommend this audiobook - Stephen Fry is a master narrator!
I didn't realize how groundbreaking Sherlock and Watson must have been at the time when the stories first appeared (1887 very Victorian timeframe), the long break between novels, and the overall cleverness of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - even the discrepancies with his writing vs his real-life drama! Whodathunk!!
Highly recommend this audiobook - Stephen Fry is a master narrator!
An excellent reading of classic Holmes. Stephen Fry gives a masterful performance of all the characters—man, woman, British, American, Italian and many others besides. He also wrote the forewords for each section, and these are packed with interesting trivia about Conan Doyle and the history of Sherlock Holmes. Don’t skip them.
This is the whole Sherlock Holmes collection, so it’s very long (70+) but would be great for a road trip or if you have to drive a lot for work.
This is the whole Sherlock Holmes collection, so it’s very long (70+) but would be great for a road trip or if you have to drive a lot for work.
Having enjoyed 72 hours of Stephen Fry's unbeatable voice interpretations and accent mastery of these classics, I must say I absolutely get why this was revolutionary writing at the time, and ended up setting the scene for the future of crime writing. My personal favorites are definitely colored by BBC's series adaptation (Top 5: A Scandal in Bohemia - The Final Problem - The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton - The Hound of the Baskervilles - The Adventure of the Three Garridebs), and it also seems fairly straight forward to understand why a lot of the stories did not make the cut for adaptations in general as there is a lot of what feels like repeated plot lines (hence the 4/5 for me for the total collection).
That being said, I think what stayed with me the most after reading these works is not necessarily the plot lines and the protagonists (however delightful I find Watson and Holmes' bromance), but how the writing clearly reflects the established attitudes of that day and age towards people of different sexes, genders, colors and capabilities in such an infuriating way, seen with spectacles of today. More than once I ejaculated (if you know, you know) out loud: "THAT IS SO NOT OKAY TO SAY" at ACD's descriptions, and that kind of engagement with a text is exactly what makes this a really memorable "reading" experience for me.
Excellent and Elementary
That being said, I think what stayed with me the most after reading these works is not necessarily the plot lines and the protagonists (however delightful I find Watson and Holmes' bromance), but how the writing clearly reflects the established attitudes of that day and age towards people of different sexes, genders, colors and capabilities in such an infuriating way, seen with spectacles of today. More than once I ejaculated (if you know, you know) out loud: "THAT IS SO NOT OKAY TO SAY" at ACD's descriptions, and that kind of engagement with a text is exactly what makes this a really memorable "reading" experience for me.
Excellent and Elementary
A Study in Scarlet: The first novel featuring the prototypical detective, it was a page-turner that made me excited to read the rest of the Sherlock Holmes canon. I was unnecessarily concerned when the second part of the novel opened in America, and did not seem to concern the original mystery that was set in England, but it came back and tied it together successfully.
The Sign of the Four: Not only was this story's mystery on par with the Jefferson Hope case, it also fleshed out the characters of both Holmes and Watson, making them more three-dimensional and interesting.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: 'A Scandal in Bohemia' was very reminiscent of Poe's 'The Purloined Letter.' 'The Red Headed League' was especially engaging, possibly because it was the first mystery I solved before Holmes exposed his thinking to Watson at the conclusion. 'A Case of Identity' was a quick and not particularly fulfilling case. 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery' was really interesting, but was the first that seemed to end abruptly. 'The Five Orange Pips' was also quite interesting, and also ended abruptly. 'The Man with the Twisted Lip' seemed to be a darker tale, with its opium den intro, but did not maintain its macabre mood after it left that setting. 'The Adventure of the Speckled Band' was reportedly Arthur Conan Doyle's favorite Sherlock Holmes story, and with good reason. It was definitely one of my favorites so far. That story, and 'The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle', both showed interesting takes on Holmes view of legality and morality. 'The Adventures of the Copper Beeches' was a fitting conclusion to the book.
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes: I loved that the idea of unsolved cases, and cases which Holmes got wrong, was touched on in 'The Yellow Face.' I also really enjoyed the second case of Holmes foiling a bank robbery con, 'The Stockbroker's Client.' 'The Gloria Scott', told as a memory of Sherlock Holmes's first case, served as an origin story of sorts for the detective, which gave it more weight than any other stand-alone tale. 'The Musgrave Ritual' was a continuation of Holmes recantation of his earlier cases, and was interesting for that reason, as well as for being reminiscent of Poe's 'The Gold Bug.' I appreciated this collection of short stories more than the first because it delves deeper into the main characters' lives -- such as meeting Sherlock Holmes's brother Mycroft in 'The Greek Interpreter' and his nemesis Professor Moriarty in 'The Final Problem.'
The Hound of the Baskervilles: This mystery will be hard to top, and I understand completely why it is considered the greatest of the Holmes stories. I especially enjoyed Watson's more prominent role in the case.
The Return of Sherlock Holmes: I enjoyed that some of the cases in this collection involve plots beyond Holmes's deduction, which are nonetheless interesting -- such as 'The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist,' where Holmes and Watson save the day without solving the crime logically, and 'The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton,' where they witness a murder while committing a crime themselves. 'The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton' may actually be my favorite Sherlock Holmes story to date.
The Valley of Fear: This story had the same structure as A Study in Scarlett, but in this case, the reader is warned that the second half of the tale is set in America and assured that it will return to Baker Street. The second part that didn't feature Sherlock Holmes was actually more interesting than the first part, which started off slow and a little stale, but picked up as it went.
His Last Bow: 'The Adventure of the Cardboard Box', a story so dark it was taken out of The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes due to its controversial subject matter, is one of Holmes's darkest cases, one which I enjoyed reading. 'The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans' was a top-rate mystery, featuring a rare appearance by one of my favorite characters -- Mycroft Holmes. 'The Dying Detective' and 'His Last Bow,' which was told in the third person, were also unique. I am impressed that even after reading this many stories featuring the detective and his chronicler, Arthur Conan Doyle's mysteries are still both fresh and interesting.
The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes: After reading the preface by the author, I honestly felt bad for Arthur Conan Doyle. Sherlock Holmes had clearly become a monster, akin to Frankenstein's creation, for him. Reading the first story, 'The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone,' I am glad that he stopped after this collection, as it was not on the same level with his previous stories. Apparently, it was a (failed) attempt to adapt a stage play.
The Sign of the Four: Not only was this story's mystery on par with the Jefferson Hope case, it also fleshed out the characters of both Holmes and Watson, making them more three-dimensional and interesting.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: 'A Scandal in Bohemia' was very reminiscent of Poe's 'The Purloined Letter.' 'The Red Headed League' was especially engaging, possibly because it was the first mystery I solved before Holmes exposed his thinking to Watson at the conclusion. 'A Case of Identity' was a quick and not particularly fulfilling case. 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery' was really interesting, but was the first that seemed to end abruptly. 'The Five Orange Pips' was also quite interesting, and also ended abruptly. 'The Man with the Twisted Lip' seemed to be a darker tale, with its opium den intro, but did not maintain its macabre mood after it left that setting. 'The Adventure of the Speckled Band' was reportedly Arthur Conan Doyle's favorite Sherlock Holmes story, and with good reason. It was definitely one of my favorites so far. That story, and 'The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle', both showed interesting takes on Holmes view of legality and morality. 'The Adventures of the Copper Beeches' was a fitting conclusion to the book.
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes: I loved that the idea of unsolved cases, and cases which Holmes got wrong, was touched on in 'The Yellow Face.' I also really enjoyed the second case of Holmes foiling a bank robbery con, 'The Stockbroker's Client.' 'The Gloria Scott', told as a memory of Sherlock Holmes's first case, served as an origin story of sorts for the detective, which gave it more weight than any other stand-alone tale. 'The Musgrave Ritual' was a continuation of Holmes recantation of his earlier cases, and was interesting for that reason, as well as for being reminiscent of Poe's 'The Gold Bug.' I appreciated this collection of short stories more than the first because it delves deeper into the main characters' lives -- such as meeting Sherlock Holmes's brother Mycroft in 'The Greek Interpreter' and his nemesis Professor Moriarty in 'The Final Problem.'
The Hound of the Baskervilles: This mystery will be hard to top, and I understand completely why it is considered the greatest of the Holmes stories. I especially enjoyed Watson's more prominent role in the case.
The Return of Sherlock Holmes: I enjoyed that some of the cases in this collection involve plots beyond Holmes's deduction, which are nonetheless interesting -- such as 'The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist,' where Holmes and Watson save the day without solving the crime logically, and 'The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton,' where they witness a murder while committing a crime themselves. 'The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton' may actually be my favorite Sherlock Holmes story to date.
The Valley of Fear: This story had the same structure as A Study in Scarlett, but in this case, the reader is warned that the second half of the tale is set in America and assured that it will return to Baker Street. The second part that didn't feature Sherlock Holmes was actually more interesting than the first part, which started off slow and a little stale, but picked up as it went.
His Last Bow: 'The Adventure of the Cardboard Box', a story so dark it was taken out of The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes due to its controversial subject matter, is one of Holmes's darkest cases, one which I enjoyed reading. 'The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans' was a top-rate mystery, featuring a rare appearance by one of my favorite characters -- Mycroft Holmes. 'The Dying Detective' and 'His Last Bow,' which was told in the third person, were also unique. I am impressed that even after reading this many stories featuring the detective and his chronicler, Arthur Conan Doyle's mysteries are still both fresh and interesting.
The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes: After reading the preface by the author, I honestly felt bad for Arthur Conan Doyle. Sherlock Holmes had clearly become a monster, akin to Frankenstein's creation, for him. Reading the first story, 'The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone,' I am glad that he stopped after this collection, as it was not on the same level with his previous stories. Apparently, it was a (failed) attempt to adapt a stage play.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
At long last I have finished this anthology. It's fair to say that I am now a fully ensconced fan of Holmes and Watson. Their various adventures, both short and long are still as engrossing today as the day they were written. I find it amazing that Conan Doyle had so much animosity towards the character he gave life to, although I suppose I can kind of understand. Holmes is an enigma, one that you try to unravel, just as you try to unravel the mystery along with him. Readers are enchanted by his bohemian charisma, but I can understand how it would become tiresome to create riddles interesting enough for him to solve as the years went by. This anthology took me more than a year to get through, but was fully worth the time and effort it took to read.
Love me some Sherlock holmes, this book is VERY large. Which is why it took so long to read. I would usually pull it out to read a story now and then.
Great anthology
Great anthology
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Honestly, I have not finished ALL the stories, but I am sure they are all good. This is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle we are talking about.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No