In this classic mystery set in 19th-century England, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are faced with discovering the truth behind the curse on the wealthy Baskerville family.
We owe The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902) to Arthur Conan Doyle's good friend Fletcher "Bobbles" Robinson, who took him to visit some scary English moors and prehistoric ruins, and told him marvelous local legends about escaped prisoners and a 17th-century aristocrat who fell afoul of the family dog.
Doyle transmogrified the legend: generations ago, a hound of hell tore out the throat of devilish Hugo Baskerville on the moonlit moor. Poor, accursed Baskerville Hall now has another mysterious death: that of Sir Charles Baskerville. Could the culprit somehow be mixed up with secretive servant Barrymore, history-obsessed Dr. Frankland, butterfly-chasing Stapleton, or Selden, the Notting Hill murderer at large? Someone's been signaling with candles from the mansion's windows. Nor can supernatural forces be …
In this classic mystery set in 19th-century England, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are faced with discovering the truth behind the curse on the wealthy Baskerville family.
We owe The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902) to Arthur Conan Doyle's good friend Fletcher "Bobbles" Robinson, who took him to visit some scary English moors and prehistoric ruins, and told him marvelous local legends about escaped prisoners and a 17th-century aristocrat who fell afoul of the family dog.
Doyle transmogrified the legend: generations ago, a hound of hell tore out the throat of devilish Hugo Baskerville on the moonlit moor. Poor, accursed Baskerville Hall now has another mysterious death: that of Sir Charles Baskerville. Could the culprit somehow be mixed up with secretive servant Barrymore, history-obsessed Dr. Frankland, butterfly-chasing Stapleton, or Selden, the Notting Hill murderer at large? Someone's been signaling with candles from the mansion's windows. Nor can supernatural forces be ruled out. Can Dr. Watson--left alone by Sherlock Holmes to sleuth in fear for much of the novel--save the next Baskerville, Sir Henry, from the hound's fangs?
Many Holmes fans prefer Doyle's complete short stories, but their clockwork logic doesn't match the author's boast about this novel: it's "a real Creeper!" What distinguishes this particular Hound is its fulfillment of Doyle's great debt to Edgar Allan Poe--it's full of ancient woe, low moans, a Grimpen Mire that sucks ponies to Dostoyevskian deaths, and locals digging up Neolithic skulls without next-of-kins' consent. "The longer one stays here the more does the spirit of the moor sink into one's soul," Watson realizes. "Rank reeds and lush, slimy water-plants sent an odour of decay ... while a false step plunged us more than once thigh-deep into the dark, quivering mire, which shook for yards in soft undulations around our feet ... it was as if some malignant hand was tugging us down into those obscene depths." Read on--but, reader, watch your step! --Tim Appelo, Goodreads Review
A little constructed for today's taste, but overall, a pleasant read
3 stars
I hadn't read this book before, and so my abridged and simplified version (which I wasn't able to find on the Internet, but it looked similar to the one depicted here) was an odd experience: the characters are so terse in their interactions that they appear to be rude, and I was always wondering how much of that would be found in the original version.
The story itself is a little constructed for today's taste, but overall, it's a pleasant read, and the Great Detective's exploits are always fun.
Esta novela es una de las cumbres de Conan Doyle, si no la mayor. Es capaz de mantener al lector atrapado sin resistirse a seguir leyendo capítulo tras capítulo.
Al contrario que en otros autores de misterio, no es, en mi opinión, tan extraordinario el misterio en sí, o su resolución más o menos sorpresiva, como la tensión narrativa y la trama de historias secundarias que va tejiendo.
A pesar de ser el autor un apasionado del espiritismo y otras "ciencias" ocultas, no cayó en el error de hacer una simple historia de miedo, sino que guía a Holmes y Watson (el verdadero protagonista esta vez) en todo momento por los caminos de la deducción y la lógica para crear una obra fascinante.
Imprescindible.
Review of 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
My first Sherlock Holmes book. Fun read. Reads just like the movies and TV episodes. The attention to minute details is almost hilarious. My only quibble was it's predictability.
Review of 'The Hound Of The Baskervilles [Hardcover] [Jan 01, 2014] Doyle, Arthur Conan' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
As with all of Conan Doyle's Holmes whimsy, so much of our hero is too good to be true. Always a fun read, nonetheless - especially the innocence of dear Watson and his always at hand revolver.
Review of 'The Hound Of The Baskervilles [Hardcover] [Jan 01, 2014] Doyle, Arthur Conan' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
C'est un classique d'Arthur Conan Doyle, mettant en scène Sherlock Holmes et son fidèles compagnon le Docteur Watson. Je l'ai lu il y a longtemps mais je me souviens que j'avais été déçu par la fin de ce roman.
Review of 'The Hound Of The Baskervilles [Hardcover] [Jan 01, 2014] Doyle, Arthur Conan' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
I've read all of Conan Doyle's Holmes works multiple times and have been going through them again over the last couple of months. Funny thing is, this time around The Hound seems like the only one worth revisiting occasionally. Conan Doyle is best when he works in short form, but even then, once a couple familiar passages hit the rest falls into place so quickly it's sometimes not worth the effort to actually read it through.
This novel is different because it uses Holmes sparingly, leaving the reader wanting more, and it has a great pace and atmosphere - both of which he misses in his other long works with Holmes.
