Alex James's Blog: AlexJamesNovels Blog - Posts Tagged "sherlock-holmes"

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8...

For those of you who think you don’t need to read the book because you know of the story or you’ve watched the film, think again! The Hound of the Baskervilles is not just about a vicious horror hound. It’s a Sherlock Holmes story, and that means fast-paced dialogue, criminal mystery, and mental deduction to be resolved through intellectual reasoning from seemingly far-fetched clues.

In The Hound of the Baskervilles, we’re introduced to the myth of the hound, how it has haunted the Baskerville family leading to the death of the late Sir Charles Baskerville in an alley outside the stately home. I confess, parts of the story had a creepy effect on me, which added to the general severe atmosphere: alleys, and paintings, and ponies sinking into bogs. I shudder.

If I have one criticism, it’s that there weren’t enough convincing suspects and in retrospect it was obvious who was culpable. Despite that, before reaching this conclusion the author does take us round the houses, taking our attention away when necessary only to bring it back at the crucial time. And the criminal was sinister and intelligent … almost a match for Sherlock Holmes and Watson.

I was surprised how much I enjoyed the book. A tired old title is not necessarily a tired old read. It was a quick read, yet stimulating, and there was never a dull moment. I’d like to read more of Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories.

‘If my future were black, it was better surely to face it like a man than attempt to brighten it by mere will-o’-the-wisps of the imagination.’

‘When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.’

The Sign of Four is a Sherlock Holmes story with a cursed murder theme. We’re introduced to the familiar reasoning of our favourite detective before a case finally lands on him to alleviate his boredom. The case itself is about a set of pearls delivered to Lady Morstan every year following the mysterious disappearance of her father.

There are elements of Watson’s personal life that intrude on the plot, with his family, hopes, and dreams. Watson is seen as warm while Holmes, cold.

Praise

As with most Sherlock Holmes stories there are the fascinating, outlandish series of events summed up perfectly logically at the end, in this case where a monologue explains all, where I was engrossed in learning the backstory to the murders, based in several different circumstances and involving all sorts of things.

Criticism

By modern standards, the book, as with many 19th century stories, is not culturally appropriate or doesn’t hold back from stating opinions that would likely be censored nowadays. Sometimes I didn’t mind this – there was no way to get around it short of boring the reader – while at other times I felt it was too typical of the attitudes at the time.

Overall

Worth reading? Yes. Was it as good as The Hound of the Baskervilles? I’m not certain whether this was true.