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4.45 AVERAGE
4.45 AVERAGE
WOW. That was a lot of Sherlock. I find these stories to be the original scooby doos: when the bad guy is caught, they usually just reply “wow, how did you know?” And Sherlock regales us all. Great stories- I could reread them all and still not know the solution off the bat!
After reading "The Scandal in Bohemia," "The Final Problem," and "The Hound of the Baskervilles" in preparation for the second season of the exquisite PBS series "Sherlock," I can offer two conclusions:
1. Conan Doyle was a master of his genre and his characters.
2. The most recent feature films of Sherlock and Watson are a total disgrace.
1. Conan Doyle was a master of his genre and his characters.
2. The most recent feature films of Sherlock and Watson are a total disgrace.
I mean it’s exactly what you think. Sherlock Holmes is Sherlock Holmes. But the cases are fun to read. I enjoyed learning more about Watson who narrates all but (I think) one story... Watson surprises me a lot as a character and is not represented very accurately in popular media. (See Kate Beaton’s comic “The case of the two Watsons”) Multiple times I found myself looking up details about Watson—wait who is he married to now? Where did the last wife go? Sherlock is a relatively static character but Watson is all over the place- literally moving in with Sherlock and out again repeatedly, picking up different medical practices at points, always up for a case with Holmes at 3am on a work night (hey Holmes some people have real jobs ok?). Watson, the underappreciated gem of the franchise.
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
adventurous
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Xenophobia
I can't remember how often I've read and reread this book collection. More than 20 times since elementary school. Literally the only book that never quit on me, and it was a used book I picked up for 10 cents. Sherlock was my first crush I guess. Even now I simply cannot be objective on any level in regards to this character. It's probably a good thing I moved on to the Man From U.N.C.L.E. Well, maybe not.
It took nearly 3 months but I've finally made it through Stephen Fry's epic audio performance of the Holmes stories. It's a breathtaking performance. You can feel Fry's love of the work in every minute of the roughly 62 hours of audio.
This was my first time through the Holmes canon and for the most part, I enjoyed myself immensely. There's quite a bit of racism and sexism and weird phrenology bunk (y'know, standard Victorian era colonialist balderdash) but once past that, it's pretty easy to see how Holmes became one of the most iconic characters in fiction. The books are good. The writing is tight and well paced. The characters are all interesting and the plots (for the most part) are riveting.
I lost most of my enthusiasm about 2/3rds of the way through (somewhere after Holmes' return from Reichenbach). But one can only take SO much of a good thing at a time. After eating only popcorn for 40 hours... you probably aren't going to be too excited about another free refill.
Valley of Fear reinvigorated me. I'm rarely surprised by mystery stories but I was well and truly sideswiped by a reveal towards the end of Valley of Fear. Genuinely, completely swindled by Doyle. I loved it.
Whatever your feelings on Holmes, I think this is probably the best way to discover him. Fry's forewords to the various collections are insightful and his performance is gobsmackingly brilliant. You couldn't ask for a better guide to the world's greatest detective.
This was my first time through the Holmes canon and for the most part, I enjoyed myself immensely. There's quite a bit of racism and sexism and weird phrenology bunk (y'know, standard Victorian era colonialist balderdash) but once past that, it's pretty easy to see how Holmes became one of the most iconic characters in fiction. The books are good. The writing is tight and well paced. The characters are all interesting and the plots (for the most part) are riveting.
I lost most of my enthusiasm about 2/3rds of the way through (somewhere after Holmes' return from Reichenbach). But one can only take SO much of a good thing at a time. After eating only popcorn for 40 hours... you probably aren't going to be too excited about another free refill.
Valley of Fear reinvigorated me. I'm rarely surprised by mystery stories but I was well and truly sideswiped by a reveal towards the end of Valley of Fear. Genuinely, completely swindled by Doyle. I loved it.
Whatever your feelings on Holmes, I think this is probably the best way to discover him. Fry's forewords to the various collections are insightful and his performance is gobsmackingly brilliant. You couldn't ask for a better guide to the world's greatest detective.
I'll tackle this thick-ass bible some other time. It was charming for the parts I read. I'm just daunted by the size at this time...
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
I had read the complete Sherlock Holmes a couple times. First time when I was 12 year old, that was my summer vacation. Listening to Stephen Fry narrate made it exciting and new again for me. Also it is awesome that I saw the movie he was in as Mycroft.