What do you think?
Rate this book
Sherlock Holmes (Big Finish) #2.4
Sherlock Holmes: The Tangled Skein
A threat to Holmes's life, murders on Hampstead Heath and a deadly phantom lady lead Holmes and Watson into the most dangerous investigation they have ever undertaken… An encounter which brings them face to face with evil itself, embodied in Count Dracula, the Lord of the Undead.
Audio CD
First published January 31, 2012
26 people want to read
About the author
Richard Dinnick
71 books30 followersRichard is a writer for TV, comics and books.
He is currently working on the TV show, Thunderbirds Are Go! and is a regular contributor to Titan's 12th Doctor ongoing comic - amongst other ranges.
His new Doctor Who book, Myths & Legends is published in June 2017.
In the past he has written audio drama scripts for franchises such as Doctor Who, Stargate, Sherlock Holmes and Sapphire & Steel.
His first novel Alien Adventures was published by BBC Children’s Books in 2010 and he has since gone on to write books and short stories for Penguin UK, Titan Publishing, Black Library, Running Press and Snow Books.
He is currently working on the TV show, Thunderbirds Are Go! and is a regular contributor to Titan's 12th Doctor ongoing comic - amongst other ranges.
His new Doctor Who book, Myths & Legends is published in June 2017.
In the past he has written audio drama scripts for franchises such as Doctor Who, Stargate, Sherlock Holmes and Sapphire & Steel.
His first novel Alien Adventures was published by BBC Children’s Books in 2010 and he has since gone on to write books and short stories for Penguin UK, Titan Publishing, Black Library, Running Press and Snow Books.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 27, 2020
I listened to the Big Finish audio adaptation, so I'm not sure whether or not this is better than the novel it's based on. But the narration from Watson really provides a sense of urgency, especially when it gets to the climax. I did read the forward written by Peter Cushing, which gets a mention in a behind the scenes track. And I do agree that this could've been a movie, and it's funny that Cushing wasn't sure whether he'd play Holmes or Van Helsing.
August 10, 2025
Fucking Ace this is. Supernatural! And unrelated the Brewers just won nine in a row.
August 6, 2021
Good follow-up and sequel to "The Hound of the Baskervilles," which didn't really need a sequel, but what the heck. There have apparently been several attempts pit Holmes against Dracula, and this is . . . one of them. But it's not all about the gimmick, and plays off plot threads from "Baskervilles" quite well.
----------
After a relisten -- geez, I'd forgotten how grisly and gruesome this is. And while you think "But okay, it's an audio drama; at least you don't have to see it." But Big Finish has really good sound design. Which means that you get to hear the sound of, for example, a head being sawn off, or later, the gurgling sound of a decapitated head trying to speak. And sometimes that intimacy created by listening can actually make things even more unsettling.
So, okay . . . I repeat what I said above. A sequel to one of the very best Holmes stories is unnecessary, though it kind of works. But it's so over the top gory, which I suppose one might expect when we're dealing with Dracula. Briggs' clearly relishes playing Holmes here. However, because there's an awful lot of action, the adaptation relies on a lot of narration to carry certain scenes. Scripted correctly, this isn't necessary, and Richard Earl is almost chewing the scenery while narrating some of the action.
I'm reducing this from four stars to three because of the above flaws.
------------
Also to mention that one of the things I think makes "Hound of the Baskervilles" work so well as a story is that Sherlock Holmes is absent for a large part of it. It is very much John Watson's investigation. Holmes isn't around to instantly figure out puzzles and clues. Watson is left to his own devices for most of the story. This sequel may have benefited from taking a similar approach. Watson is still the viewpoint character, but frequently has to go back and explain what Holmes was doing elsewhere. That's often where all the extraneous narration comes in, too.
----------
After a relisten -- geez, I'd forgotten how grisly and gruesome this is. And while you think "But okay, it's an audio drama; at least you don't have to see it." But Big Finish has really good sound design. Which means that you get to hear the sound of, for example, a head being sawn off, or later, the gurgling sound of a decapitated head trying to speak. And sometimes that intimacy created by listening can actually make things even more unsettling.
So, okay . . . I repeat what I said above. A sequel to one of the very best Holmes stories is unnecessary, though it kind of works. But it's so over the top gory, which I suppose one might expect when we're dealing with Dracula. Briggs' clearly relishes playing Holmes here. However, because there's an awful lot of action, the adaptation relies on a lot of narration to carry certain scenes. Scripted correctly, this isn't necessary, and Richard Earl is almost chewing the scenery while narrating some of the action.
I'm reducing this from four stars to three because of the above flaws.
------------
Also to mention that one of the things I think makes "Hound of the Baskervilles" work so well as a story is that Sherlock Holmes is absent for a large part of it. It is very much John Watson's investigation. Holmes isn't around to instantly figure out puzzles and clues. Watson is left to his own devices for most of the story. This sequel may have benefited from taking a similar approach. Watson is still the viewpoint character, but frequently has to go back and explain what Holmes was doing elsewhere. That's often where all the extraneous narration comes in, too.
August 18, 2012
This is basically Sherlock Holmes versus Dracula, and how you react to that capsule description will tell you most of what you need to know about how you'll feel about the play. My own reaction was more or less, "Well, the two don't really seem to belong in the same universe, but it could be fun."
The story starts off with Holmes dealing with an adversary who's trying to kill him, and who nearly succeeds a couple of times. The plot then takes a turn as Holmes and Watson suddenly have to deal with the more pressing threat of vampires. Of course, the two plots turn out to be connected. Although I find myself wishing that they'd been connected in a more interesting way, or that the original adversary had remained more central to the story, because I thought he was actually more interesting than Dracula. The final showdown between Holmes/Watson and Dracula is suitably dramatic, though.
I like Nick Briggs and Richard Earl as Holmes and Watson, and I thought the more traditional Holmesian parts of this were quite good, so I'll definitely be checking out other titles in Big Finish's Holmes range.
The story starts off with Holmes dealing with an adversary who's trying to kill him, and who nearly succeeds a couple of times. The plot then takes a turn as Holmes and Watson suddenly have to deal with the more pressing threat of vampires. Of course, the two plots turn out to be connected. Although I find myself wishing that they'd been connected in a more interesting way, or that the original adversary had remained more central to the story, because I thought he was actually more interesting than Dracula. The final showdown between Holmes/Watson and Dracula is suitably dramatic, though.
I like Nick Briggs and Richard Earl as Holmes and Watson, and I thought the more traditional Holmesian parts of this were quite good, so I'll definitely be checking out other titles in Big Finish's Holmes range.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 3, 2014
A clever mixture of Conan Doyle and Bram Stoker. The Great Detective confronts Dracula in a sequel to his famous Baskerville adventure. This audio drama is a faithful adaptation of David Stuart Davies' novel. In many ways an excellent Sherlock Holmes story combined with a reasonable Dracula one, very true to the events of Hound of the Baskervilles but quite divergent from the classic Dracula story. The fights with the vampires are exciting and dramatic but lack realism. As always Big Finish have produced this to an excellent standard of acting, music and sound-quality.
This is a very good audio drama, not exceptional, but very good.
This is a very good audio drama, not exceptional, but very good.
April 11, 2016
haydn42@live.co.uk Another Holmes and Watson story from Stuart Davies, with all the authenticity of Conan Doyle. A rather silly story that stretched credibility to its furthest, but in the end Good, represented by Sherlock Holmes, overcame Evil, Dracula, with the marvellous interplay between Holmes and Watson in between.
A few authors write 'Sherlock Holmes 'stories, but for me Stuart Davies beats them all.
A few authors write 'Sherlock Holmes 'stories, but for me Stuart Davies beats them all.
July 31, 2012
Sherlock Holmes and vampires, seemed like a good idea, and while it's written just as a Conan Doyle story, I find the setting gets a little weird towards the end. Big Finish Productions did a great job as always in my opinion, they hook you into the drama very well.
Might be an idea to read/listen to Hound of the Baskervilles first though, as this gives spoilers...
Might be an idea to read/listen to Hound of the Baskervilles first though, as this gives spoilers...
January 13, 2025
8 June 2021
A good story that both captures Dracula myth as well as acting as a sequel to a Holmes adventure.
The two threads are interwoven very well, and the acting from all concerned is very good.
Dracula's demise was a surprise that didn't make sense, until you follow it through at which point it's pulled off successfully.
A very enjoyable adaptation of a very enjoyable story.
A good story that both captures Dracula myth as well as acting as a sequel to a Holmes adventure.
The two threads are interwoven very well, and the acting from all concerned is very good.
Dracula's demise was a surprise that didn't make sense, until you follow it through at which point it's pulled off successfully.
A very enjoyable adaptation of a very enjoyable story.
August 17, 2017
This Big Finish Production is many things. It is a sequel to Hound of the Baskerville, in that it features several of the main characters from that story. It is also Holmes Vs. Count Dracula. It is a good but not great story.
May 4, 2014
Another entertaining Holmes pastiche. Not brilliant, but satisfactory. The voice acting and sound design are very good on this Big Finish production.
June 16, 2020
Sherlock Holmes battles dracula.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews