The Hound of the Baskervilles

Sherlock Holmes #5

by Arthur Conan Doyle

Librarian note: An alternative cover for this ISBN can be found here.

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

Genres: Classics, Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Detective, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller

243 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1902

About the author

Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was a Scottish writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for A Study in Scarlet, the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Holmes and Dr. Watson. The Sherlock Holmes stories are milestones in the field of crime fiction.

Doyle was a prolific writer. In addition to the Holmes stories, his works include fantasy and science fiction stories about Professor Challenger, and humorous stories about the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Gerard, as well as plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction, and historical novels. One of Doyle's early short stories, "J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement" (1884), helped to popularise the mystery of the brigantine Mary Celeste, found drifting at sea with no crew member aboard.

Reviews

[emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

welcome to...THE HOUND OF THE DECEMBERVILLES.

man, every sherlock holmes title sounds like it was randomly generated by a computer.

anyway, it's another PROJECT LONG CLASSICS installment. this is not that long of a classic, but i couldn't think of a better pun (i know – think of how low of a bar), so i'll be reading a chapter of this per day all month long.

let's get into it!


CHAPTER 1: MR. SHERLOCK HOLMES
likely title for chapter 1 to be.

kind of fun to just watch watson and holmes gossip for a while...attempt their little "deductions" and whatnot. and then also be totally wrong.


CHAPTER 2: THE CURSE OF THE BASKERVILLES
inching ever closer to that title.

unfortunately i find it very difficult to be scared by the thought of a big dog, which is the best kind of dog there is.


CHAPTER 3: THE PROBLEM
to be honest i would have pinpointed "guy murdered by magic ghost dog" as the problem. but i guess that's why i'm not sherlock holmes.


CHAPTER 4: SIR HENRY BASKERVILLE
i bet this guy is about to seem completely innocent and normal.

he actually does seem okay. but the doctor just revealed a phrenology side interest that i'm not loving.


CHAPTER 5: THREE BROKEN THREADS
i want to say that holmes and watson have a will they / won't they thing going on, but i'm scared of the fanfiction creators i would align myself with.


CHAPTER 6: BASKERVILLE HALL
oh, what a coincidence. there's a deranged escaped murderer lurking around our new neighborhood. chekhov's nearby serial killer.


CHAPTER 7: THE STAPLETONS OF MERRIPIT HOUSE
can't a woman even sob horrifically through the night with no tangible cause without being considered a clue in a murder anymore?


CHAPTER 8: FIRST REPORT OF DR. WATSON
can't wait for this dork's basic thoughts to be translated into brilliance by sherlock.

i have to say, it's an interesting strategy for a (checks notes) sherlock holmes book to have its hero offpage the whole time for...the incredible reasoning of "he's working on other cases which we are not reading about."


CHAPTER 9: SECOND REPORT OF DR. WATSON - THE LIGHT UPON THE MOOR
two people are hunting an actual nearby serial killer in the dead of night on a mysterious moor, and they're more scared of a dog they heard barking. get real.


CHAPTER 10: EXTRACTS FROM THE DIARY OF DR. WATSON
no chance this is anything but "Mr. Dr. Sherlock Holmes...Mr. John Holmes...Dr. Mr. John Watson Sherlock Holmes...he loves me, he loves me not..."


CHAPTER 11: THE MAN ON THE TOR
let's play another round of my favorite game: Am I In A Bad Mood Or Was This Twist Annoying?


CHAPTER 12: DEATH ON THE MOOR
dun dun dun!

this is a lot more scandalous than other sherlock installments i've read. all sorts of impropriety happening.


CHAPTER 13: FIXING THE NETS
it's all coming together now...


CHAPTER 14: THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES
title chapter title chapter title chapter!

we gained awareness of an evil dog and we lost awareness of an evil woman...tragedy unfolding before our eyes.


CHAPTER 15: A RETROSPECTION
sounds like this one will be action-packed.


OVERALL
this is not the best sherlock (he's barely there, the mystery itself requires multiple extensive recaps, the big reveal is kind of drawn out and therefore disappointing) but it's still sherlock.
rating: 3.5

[Jayson · Rating 5 out of 5]

(A) 85% | Extraordinary
Notes: It establishes setting in gaps between deductions, treating the moor like a living thing: an alien primordial wasteland.

[Doug Cannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Grandpa Cannon loved this story, and he often told of a time when he went to see a "picture show" about the Hound of the Baskervilles. "It scared the willies out of me," he said, and then he and his friend had to part ways as my grandpa rode his bicycle home in the dark.

He was thinking about this devil-hound, and then he heard something panting behind him. He pedaled faster and faster, but the panting only got faster and faster too. Then, it was harder and harder to pedal, and his bike was going slower and slower. Just when he thought for sure he was doomed to die and the hound would get him, his bike stopped, the panting stopped, and he found that his back wheel had a flat tire. A flap of rubber had made the panting sound as the air was being released.

That has nothing to do with this story, except that it is the reason I read the book. Good book too! Almost as good a story as my grandpa's.

[Federico DN · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who's a good boy?

During the last two centuries, the prestigious Baskerville family has been subject of a mysterious curse, many of them dying prey of a ghostly demonic hound. Latest fatality of this curse Sir Charles Baskerville. After his unfortunate demise, his successor, Sir Henry Baskerville, next and last in line, is to take possession of the state, regardless of the ancient curse, and even uncaring about an anonymous note received warning him to stay off the property. Alerted by Dr. Mortimer, an old friend of the family, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson take the case for investigation, in an epic battle against time, before the curse takes the life of the last surviving member of the family.

This was a superb installment in the series. Gripping, entertaining, moderately paced, unpredictable, twisty and fairly easy to read. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson at their finest. Widely regarded the best of the four full length novels, and by many the best of the entire series. I haven’t read all the books yet, but so far I can only agree. As all volumes before, it can be read as a standalone. So if you are not interested in reading the whole series, but you were always meaning to sample at least one book of the greatest detective ever, then this is it.

It’s public domain, you can find it HERE.

*** The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) is a very good adaptation. The plot decently faithful to the original work, with some minor changes, but all refreshing and welcomed ones. A great performance of Peter Cushing as Sherlock, and Saruman Christopher Lee as Sir Henry. Not the best movie in the world mind you, (7/10), and very far from being as enjoyable as the book; yet overall a great complement to the reading.

Still missing, the BBC series.



-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[1901] [256p] [Classics] [Recommendable]
-----------------------------------------------

★★★★☆ 1. A Study in Scarlet [3.5]
★★★☆☆ 2. The Sign of Four [2.5]
★★★☆☆ 3. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
★★★★☆ 4. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes [3.5]
★★★★☆ 5. The Hound of the Baskervilles
★★★★☆ 6. The Return of Sherlock Holmes
★★★☆☆ 7. The Valley of Fear
★★★★☆ 8. His Last Bow [3.5]
★★★☆☆ 9. The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes [2.5]
★★★☆☆ 10. The Complete Sherlock Holmes

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¿Quién es un buen perrito?

Durante los últimos dos siglos, la prestigiosa familia Baskerville ha sido sujeta de una misteriosa maldición, muchos de ellos muriendo presa de un fantasmal y demoníaco sabueso. La última fatalidad de esta maldición siendo Sir Charles Baskerville. Luego de su infortunada muerte, su sucesor, Sir Henry Baskerville, siguiente y último de la línea, debe tomar posesión del estado, a pesar de la antigua maldición, e incluso sin importarle una anónima nota recibida advirtiéndole mantenerse alejado de la propiedad. Alertados por el Dr. Mortimer, un viejo amigo de la familia, Sherlock Holmes y Dr. Watson aceptan la investigación del caso, en una épica batalla contra el tiempo, antes de que la maldición se cobre la vida del último sobreviviente de la familia.

Esta fue una sobresaliente entrega en la serie. Atrapante, entretenida, de ritmo moderado, impredecible, con giros de trama y bastante fácil de leer. Sherlock Holmes y Dr. Watson en su máxima expresión. Largamente considerada la mejor de las cuatro novelas largas, y por muchos la mejor de toda la serie. Todavía no terminé de leer todos los libros de la serie, pero hasta ahora no puedo más que coincidir. Como todos los volúmenes antes, puede leerse como un libro solitario. Así que si no estás interesado en leer toda la serie, pero siempre estuviste deseoso de probar al menos uno de los libros del mejor detective jamás, entonces éste es.

Es dominio público, lo pueden encontrar ACA.

*** El Mastín de los Baskerville (1959) es una muy buena adaptación. La trama decentemente fiel a la obra original, con algunos cambios menores, pero refrescantes y bienvenidos. Una memorable actuación de Peter Cushing como Sherlock, y Saruman Christopher Lee como Sir Henry. No la mejor película del mundo ni por asomo, (7/10), y altamente lejos de ser tan disfrutable como el libro; pero dentro de todo un gran complemento para la lectura.

Queda pendiente, la serie de BBC.



-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[1901] [256p] [Clásicos] [Recomendable]
-----------------------------------------------

[Meghhnaa (On a Review-Writing Break!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yayyy!!!! Finally I could read a classic-crime-mystery novel in a single-sitting!!

I have never-ever reviewed crime thrillers, will try to do justice for the benefit of the readers and myself (in preserving notes) :P

For someone like me, who is mercurial, and not into crime or murder mysteries, why would I pick one?

Trying to add a bit of excitement and transforming a languid lazy day into a gleeful one! Additionally, to test the waters, and check if a volatile being like me can stay riveted throughout without oscillating. And yes, this book kept me engaged, though I took a couple of coffee breaks. Moreover, the novel isn’t ginormous at all!

Does this bewildering case of the fiendish hound, case of supernaturalism vs pragmatism, tug out my heart strings?

It did heighten the spirits, but maybe the outgrown rationalism wasn’t sated. The naïve, innocent, and the guileless would admire it to the core, but living in a world of cause and reason, where my being has witnessed a lot of pragmatism, and the unexpected, the awe and the surprise element did amuse me, but did not land me into a state of euphoria or utter-fear!

What is the plot all about?

Not delving into the plot outline, as it would already be known due to existing swarming blurbs, or else would not want to be known, as it is a crime-thriller. Sharing just a surface-level outline to create the mystery:-

A stranger, leaves behind a walking stick, in the absence of the duo - Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. Holmes, corrects the fallacious guesswork of Watson, about the walking stick. Holmes, conjectures about the stranger, Mr. Mortimer, are verified, when the following day, Mr. Mortimer, visits them, on account of the mysterious case of “The Curse of Baskervilles”. Readers are revealed about Hugo Baskervilles, the Devonshire family curse, and the reason of the menace of dogs. The descendant of Hugo, Charles(widower and childless, his generous donations are chronicled in columns) has recently died mysteriously. Holmes cites displeasure on not being notified and invited to the death-scene. Dr. Mortimer, dithers the question by calling it a supernatural case, and he needs advice on the new claimant of the estate, Sir Henry Baskerville(younger brother of Charles), the new heir, who is in grave danger next from the diabolical hound! Henry and Mortimer, visit Holmes the next day, with a news of Henry being warned by someone to keep away from the moor. Barrymore, Henry’s butler, is the prime suspect of Charles’s murder. Subsequently, we are introduced to Stapleton, Henry’s neighbor, who is aware about Holmes and Watson, and the hound and Charles. The story sets into motion…
##################################

What appealed and engaged me the most?

The novel opens, with a hint of danger loitering from a family fiend and not human beings! The combination of the gothic and the detective elements,

The scientific mystery around the phosphorus which I had pre-read from the blurbs,

The writing style which imitates a sense of urgency and straightforwardness, and hence kept me focused,

and the remarkable insoluble-crime solving intrepid-duo of Sherlock Holmes, with an impeccable sense of observation, imperceptibly fantastic sense of reasoning and rationality, and his loyal friend, Watson, setting out to fight out the case of the diabolical hound. These were more-than-enough reasons to keep me engaged!

Was the ending satisfying?

With no cliffhangers, the ending was fulfilling. Though gradually as the plot progressed, I conjectured, who the culprit could be!

But, for the unforeseeable, unanticipated and applaudable dramatic element introduced around the convict towards the plot-ending, a solid 4 stars!!

####################################

My best-loved quotes on wisdom from the novel(in no-particular-order):-

“I presume nothing.”
“Evil indeed is the man who has not one woman to mourn him.”
“There’s a light in a woman’s eyes that speaks louder than words.”
“The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes.”

My all-time -fav:

“If he was vulnerable, he was mortal, and if we could wound him, we could kill him.”

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Hound of the Baskervilles.
A slavering demon dog from the pits of Hell, sent to hunt down the males in the cursed line of the Baskervilles as reparation for the evil deeds of their ancestor!
Sounds legit...



It had been a while since I'd read this particular adventure with Holmes & Watson so I figured it was time to revisit the most classic of all Sherlock's cases.
I'd always thought it was cool that this one has a little element of horror to it. Not real horror, mind you. That superstitious silliness that you find in older books like this. The kind where grown ass men have to take a vacation convalesce on a cruise to get over the fright of being chased by a large dog.



Somehow, I remember this story making more sense when I was younger. The Baskerville legend seemed spookier and the reaction that the phosphorus coated dog caused seemed more realistic.
But apparently, middle-age has made me less compassionate and more cynical towards people who squeal and faint when confronted with supernatural animals - among other things, to hear my husband & kids tell it.



But that's beside the point and we don't need to talk about it.



So, the gist of this little gem is that a concerned friend of the recently deceased owner of Baskerville Hall goes to Sherlock because he's worried about the new dude who is about to inherit the estate. His friend supposedly died of a heart attack on the moors, but there was something fishy about why he was out there AND he found big-ass paw prints near his friend's body.
Now, he's not saying he believes in the curse, but something terrifying is obviously afoot.



Ok, without giving away the scintillating plot, I can say that this one is just as wacky (I mean that in the best way) as the rest of the Holmes & Watson books. There's a sister-wife, a creepy portrait that holds all the clues, and a glowing canine sent from the Devil himself to run down their client.
Or something like that.



Is it a good mystery? Eh. Probably not by today's standards. I'm thinking most people will figure out whodunnit before Sherly explains it to an awestruck John.
Still.
This is easily the most well-known Sherlock Holmes story, and I'm not sure you can call yourself a real fan if you haven't read it yet.
Recommended!

Ralph Cosham - Narrator

[Nayra.Hassan · Rating 4 out of 5]

هولمز:"لم اجرؤ على رميه بالرصاص..فقد كان أعزل لا يحمل سلاحا..والمسدس كان لحمايتي لا لقتله "اذا"
نعم هذه الرواية تنتمي لعصر النبلاء..ولكن..انتظر..ليس لهذا الحد..فالمرء قد يفعل الكثير من أجل الميراث

هي افضل وأطول روايات شيرلوك هولمز ..و أكثرها تشويقا..استغرقت منه شهرا كاملا لحلها..وهي إهانة كبيرة له... تحكي عن وحش في صورة كلب عملاق ..يتحكم تماما في احدى مقاطعات الريف الانجليزي فما سر هذه اللعنة المتوارثة؟

قراتها كاملة في ترجمة قديمة منذ الثلاثينات..من سور الازبكية طبعا...ثم في ترجمة د احمد
اعشق ارثر كونان مع هولمز وبدونه..واعتبره الاب الروحي لكل ما نقرأه حاليا
..وبغض النظر على انتماؤه للبوب أرت. ..او الادب الشعبي..او الخيال العلمي ..فقد كان مفيدا وممتعا معا..والطريف ان امي وجدي احبوه ايضا..!!!أليس هذا هو النجاح؟؟

[Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the stars! Sherlock Holmes is at his inscrutable and logical best, Dr. Watson is his devoted self and manages to actually be helpful, and the mystery is a solid one, with a gothic feel to it. And the Baskerville Hound is truly creepy.

Holmes and Watson are visited one morning by a Dr. Mortimer, who explains the legend of the supernatural hound who haunts the Baskerville family. Many years ago, Hugo Baskerville kidnapped a local maiden, who escaped from his manor and ran off into the moors. When Hugo tried to chase her down, a great black beast "tore the throat out of Hugo" and "turned its blazing eyes and dripping jaws" upon his friends, who rode off screaming. According to the old manuscript that Dr. Mortimer reads to Holmes and Watson:

"One, it is said, died that very night of what he had seen, and the other twain were but broken men for the rest of their days."

Now it seems the Hound has arisen again: Sir Charles Baskerville, a kindly older gentleman, recently died of a heart attack while running away from something that apparently terrorized him, and Dr. Mortimer reports that near him were the footprints of a gigantic hound.

Sir Charles' heir, Sir Henry Baskerville, returns from Canada to take possession of the Baskerville estate. But a mysterious warning is left for Sir Henry:


Also, some of Sir Henry's possessions disappear, and a sinister man is seen following him. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson decide to get involved to try to protect Sir Henry from the fate that overtook his relative. Holmes, making excuses, sends Watson off to be Sir Henry's bodyguard. Off they go to the Baskerville estate on the lonely moor, where not only the Hound and, perhaps, a murderer, but also perils like a dangerous and crazed escaped convict and a quicksand-like bog await them. All in a day's fun!



I think the mystery in this book is a better one than those in the prior Sherlock Holmes novels, A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of Four. The women characters are a bit helpless (Victorian times and all), but Hound of the Baskervilles avoids the major racial and religious slurs and the lengthy (and tedious) flashbacks that diminish those books.

If you want a good example of a Sherlock Holmes novel, I recommend you skip the first two and go straight for this one, unless you're a Sherlock completist.

[Vit Babenco · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unusual Gothic atmosphere makes The Hound of the Baskervilles a quite special mystery among other Sherlock Holmes tales by Arthur Conan Doyle.

That night he went out as usual for his nocturnal walk, in the course of which he was in the habit of smoking a cigar. He never returned. At twelve o’clock Barrymore, finding the hall door still open, became alarmed, and, lighting a lantern, went in search of his master. The day had been wet, and Sir Charles’s footmarks were easily traced down the alley. Halfway down this walk there is a gate which leads out on to the moor. There were indications that Sir Charles had stood for some little time here. He then proceeded down the alley, and it was at the far end of it that his body was discovered.

The crimes are sinister and enigmatic… And everything seems to be happening under the ominous sign of the beast that had risen from the abyss…

As if in answer to his words there rose suddenly out of the vast gloom of the moor that strange cry which I had already heard upon the borders of the great Grimpen Mire. It came with the wind through the silence of the night, a long, deep mutter then a rising howl, and then the sad moan in which it died away. Again and again it sounded, the whole air throbbing with it, strident, wild, and menacing. The baronet caught my sleeve and his face glimmered white through the darkness.

No matter how smart and inventive is a criminal the detective always is even smarter.

[Henry Avila · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the sometimes cold, wet, windy region of southern England called Devonshire, where the land gradually disappears and the stormy sea can be seen, there was a legend of a demonic hound that haunted the Baskervilles family through the centuries, beginning in 1647. Hugo Baskervilles , a tough individual who got what he wanted; until if you are a believer in the supernatural, this vengeful animal mentioned before, came straight from hell, hunted down the vile man and shredding his throat, for a misdeed against an innocent woman, a neighbor. The Bible says for this kind of crime future generations must be punished and ever since the Baskervilles Hall inhabitants have suffered. Now at the dawn of the supposedly enlightened 20th, such nonsense is laughed at but some don't, certainly not the present master of the manor, Sir Charles Baskervilles, an old gentleman and he has heard disturbing sounds from the nearby moor, a swampy area, when the rains arrive and it does often. Horses, their loud pitiful cries in the night, soon stop, as they sink in the mire and are never to be seen again. This desolate place of hills, boulders, wet bogs that remain always that, weird vegetation growing there, a dangerous region, which fogs frequently cover , making it treacherous for man and beast in the darkness, an empty stone huts where primitive people thousands of years ago lived, but not since...This gigantic, glowing hound the locals have viewed, are afraid of and Sir Charles's heart , one chilly evening stops while taking a walk outside...why? Rumors of the creature hunting again, permeates the small village near Baskervilles Hall, and the doctor James Mortimer who had treated the poor victim goes to London for help. Nobody else but the famous Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson will do, only the best can solve this case, but evidence points to a simple, regrettable occurrence, an old man dying from a bad, weak heart. Peculiar incidents in the illustrious city happen to the great detective , Holmes and Watson are puzzled, then a mysterious message of warning against going to Devonshire... from a woman. The next of kin Sir Henry Baskervilles, a nephew has come a long distant from America to take over but Holmes says he's too busy in London, to assist in the investigation and sends Watson alone...this doesn't sound right. The ultimate Sherlock Holmes story I think, it grips the imagination and never lets the suspense end, the mystery flows along almost smoothly, to the very satisfying conclusion.

[Duane Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is my favorite Arthur Conan Doyle story. What a combination; you have a mystery, a horror story with a demon like wolfhound, set on a dark English moor. I've never seen an English moor, but I've experienced them through the great books I've read. I've imagined Catherine stalking the moor in Wuthering Heights searching for her beloved Heathcliff. I've been with Jane Eyre on Marsh Glen when she heard the cry of Jane! Jane! Jane! from her forlorn Mr. Rochester, and I've felt the terror of being on Dartmoor at night with the howling of a demon hound close by. This is a great story and if you only read one Sherlock Holmes, this should be the one.

[Paul Weiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A devilish affair"

When Henry Baskerville, the last remaining scion of the family, travels from Canada to England to take up residence in Baskerville Hall after the puzzling violent death of his uncle, Sir Charles, he is immediately greeted with a string of baffling mysteries not the least of which is the legend of an enormous hound residing on the moors in Devon. Dr James Mortimer, family friend to the Baskervilles, engages Holmes and Watson to advise and protect Henry and to resolve the issue of the hound's existence once and for all. Not one to believe in supernatural phantoms such as this spectral hound from hell endowed with "blazing eyes and dripping jaws", Holmes dispatches Watson to scout out the terrain and place the neighbouring residents under the proverbial magnifying glass - Stapleton, the accomplished entomologist and his beautiful sister, Beryl, who attempts to warn off Henry from taking up residence in the hall; Frankland, a crotchety busybody with a telescope and his troubled daughter, Laura Lyons, recovering from an ill-advised marriage; and the Barrymores, long time butler and housekeeper to the Baskerville family, who are clearly carrying a disturbing secret of their own.

True to the well-established paradigm of the Holmes canon, Doyle allows Watson to tell the tale with a deliciously full serving of speculation, theorizing based on "incomplete data", emotion, gentlemanly bravado, flowery Victorian atmosphere, elegant dialogue, and extensive detail on the routine of daily living at the turn of the century such as communicating by telegram and traveling by coach. His development of the bleak, dark, gloomy atmosphere of the moor is masterful:

"Over the green squares of the fields and the low curve of a wood there rose in the distance a grey, melancholy hill, with a strange jagged summit, dim and vague in the distance, like some fantastic landscape in a dream."

An easy one evening read over the comfortable space of a couple of hours, THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES moves swiftly from the traditional cozy opening of Holmes' Baker Street digs to a resounding climax that is packed with more excitement and action than almost any other story in the entire Holmes litany. Two thumbs up and a five star recommendation to readers of all ages!

Paul Weiss

[Emily May · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard to believe that I've never read Doyle's most famous Sherlock Holmes tale until now. I don't even know why I've been putting this off, the short stories that I've read about the well-known detective and his sidekick Dr Watson were pretty good but this little novel has remained on my "to read" list for years. And I found The Hound of the Baskervilles a really enjoyable little story, at times very creepy and at others balanced out with humour. The mystery kept me guessing until the end, even when I thought I knew the answer there were numerous niggling doubts in the back of my mind. The challenge that Holmes and Watson face here is quite different from any of their other cases: a mystery that straddles the line between this world and the possibility of the supernatural.

There is an old legend of the Baskervilles, that they are tainted by a centuries-old curse. The curse of the Hound of the Baskervilles, a spectral hell hound that chases down members of the family if they should venture out upon the moors at night and brings about their early demise. Many believe it is fairy tale nonsense, but what then is the explanation for the misfortune of the Baskerville family members? And what is that piercing howl that can be heard across the dark, misty moors at night? When the doctor of the late Charles Baskerville pays Sherlock Holmes a visit, both Holmes and Watson get pulled into something very old and dangerous, even the level-headed Sherlock Holmes begins to question whether his most recent villain is even of this world.

So, this is a very creepy book. The image of the old, haunted mansion used in many horror stories seems rather overdone today but Doyle's example of this still works all these years after the book's publication. The atmosphere created by setting this mystery miles from civilisation and out on some creepy moors is highly effective, that kind of setting can make anyone start to believe in ghosts. This tale is told through the discovery of secrets that are hidden away in the house's very corridors and come out to play at night, red herrings are thrown in and everyone has a secret - it's hard not to be caught up in the creepiness and tension.

Also, I know some people hate Sherlock Holmes' holier-than-thou attitude but I find him amusing. Same with Poirot and other characters who don't know how to be wrong, their arrogance will make you roll your eyes but I cheer for them too. I always want to congratulate authors who can take a somewhat insufferable character and turn them into someone everyone wants to succeed, there's something more challenging and more interesting with that, rather than just someone who is inoffensive to everyone but one-dimensional. Anyway, I really liked this and I think most mystery fans will too.

[Piyangie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read The Hound of the Baskervilles when I was about ten years old. It was both a fascinating and scary read for me at that time. I remember imagining that a large fierce hound might appear in our backyard at night and being uneasy about it! :) Almost thirty years later I find it more fascinating since I have outgrown my fear. :) And also, this time around I could appreciate the genius mind and brilliant power of observation and deduction of Sherlock Holmes. Out of all the Sherlock Holmes books that I have read so far, this is where Sherlock Holmes shines the brightest.

The mystery around the hound has always fascinated me, although I now know very well what it is. I love how Holmes unravels the mystery and how he lay out the plan to catch this "devil" of a beast using a human "bait". To me, this is the climax of the story where suspense and action are at their height.

The scientific element that is involved in this mystery has captured my interest from my childhood. I remember being thoroughly fascinated by the use of phosphorus to cover the muzzle of the hound, and thinking that it was such a fine idea. :)

I love this and enjoy it very much every time I read it. And even though I know the story, it doesn't impede my enjoyment of this beautiful mystery in any way. No matter how many times I might read this in the future, I know that each reading will feel like a fresh reading for me. And that is exactly why this murder mystery is the only one to have graced my favourite shelf.

More of my reviews can be found at http://piyangiejay.com/

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic and so good! I am glad I finally read this.

I am familiar with Sherlock Holmes, but I am not sure I have ever actually read any of the books. Throughout my life, I have seen many Holmes movies and various pop culture references, so it is all kind of mashed together in my head. By reading The Hound of the Baskervilles I now know with 100% certainty that I have read a Holmes book.

And . . . it seems like it was a great place to start!

Sometimes when reading classic mysteries, they get kind of muddled and confusing for me. When reading Agatha Christie, I often have to go back over sections to clear things up or when I get to the resolution, I will find I missed something. This has also happened for me when watching the Downey, Jr. Holmes movies. But, thankfully, this was not an issue for me with the Hound of the Baskervilles. The mystery is interesting, easy to follow, and progresses nicely. It has lots of the Holmes tropes that anyone with even a passive interest in Holmes would know about. All in all, a very satisfying experience.

Looking to start your Holmes journey? I think starting here would be "Elementary"!😁😁😁

[Nayra.Hassan · Rating 4 out of 5]

هولمز :"لم اجرؤ على رميه بالرصاص..فقد كان أعزل لا يحمل سلاحا..والمسدس كان لحمايتي لا لقتله "اذن
نعم هذه الرواية تنتمي لعصر النبلاء ..و لكن..انتظر ..ليس لهذا الحد .فالمرء قد يفعل الكثير من أجل الميراث.
افضل وأطول روايات شيرلوك هولمز ..و أكثرها تشويقا..استغرقت منه شهرا كاملا لحلها..وهي إهانة كبيرة له..تحكي عن وحش في صورة كلب عملاق ..يتحكم تماما في احدى مقاطعات الريف الانجليزي .. فما سر هذه اللعنة المتوارثة؟؟

قراتها كاملة في ترجمة قديمة منذ الثلاثينات..من سور الازبكية طبعا..ثم في ترجمة د احمد.. و هي جميلة حقا لانه ينتمي لمدرسة دويل بشكل ما

اعشق ارثر كونان مع هولمز وبدونه..واعتبره الاب الروحي لكل ما نقرأه حاليا ..وبغض النظر على انتماؤه للبوب أرت. .او الادب الشعبي..او الخيال العلمي..فقد كان مفيدا وممتعا معا..والطريف ان امي وجدي احبوه ايضا..!!!أليس هذا هو النجاح؟؟

[Steven Medina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buen libro, pero sin exagerar.

Cuando recién acabé de leer este libro me sentí muy emocionado debido a la explicación final de los acontecimientos. Sin embargo, tras revisar mis anotaciones y reflexionar sobre ellas, llegué a la conclusión de que es un buen libro pero sin exagerar.

Es un libro que tiene aspectos muy positivos y que hacen que disfrutemos mucho de esta historia. Entre esos detalles está la narración que es impecable, observar el uso del método de deducción pero esta vez no solo por Holmes sino también por Watson, el ambiente misterioso y hasta por momentos terrorífico que se logra sentir en la mayor parte de las páginas, la inteligencia del antagonista, los sucesos sin explicaciones e incluso ver a Sherlock Holmes desorientado y equivocándose.

¿Por qué es un aspecto positivo que Sherlock Holmes se equivoqué? Sherlock Holmes es un gran personaje del que disfrutamos sus deducciones y comentarios en todo momento. Sin embargo, en mi opinión, creo que Arthur Conan Doyle se equivocó al crear a Sherlock tan superior con referencia a cualquier otro personaje. Sherlock tiene una capacidad de inteligencia descomunal que hace ver el 90% de sus casos sencillos. Prácticamente no tiene competencia con ningún otro y eso provoca que como lectores ya presagiemos el final de cada relato o la manera como lo resolverá. Muchos de los casos presentados por Arthur Conan si tuvieran un poco más de tensión, dificultad y momentos de crisis, habrían conseguido ser excelentes, pero por culpa de la supremacía de Sherlock esos relatos no pasaron de ser aceptables. De hecho, ahora entiendo porque Arthur Conan Doyle quería matar a su personaje. Debió ser frustrante para él, tener planes de una historia diferente, pero no poder realizarla por lo difícil que era controlar un personaje como Sherlock Holmes. Un personaje que pareciera tener vida propia. Este libro es interesante justamente por esa desorientación de Holmes. Además, todo se vuelve aún más intrigante debido a que Sherlock no aparece casi por ochenta páginas. Sin estos dos detalles esta historia no pasaría de ser una historia ordinaria.

En cuanto a lo negativo, resalto que en esta obra no existe mucha variedad con referencia a otros relatos. Varios elementos usados en otros casos son empleados aquí nuevamente, por lo que no llegué a sentir diferencia entre leer este libro y los relatos de Las Aventuras de Sherlock Holmes o Las Memorias de Sherlock Holmes. Siento que le faltó originalidad en el desarrollo de algunas partes de la historia; no en todas, porque hay partes nuevas e interesantes, pero creo que pudo ser mejor. Leer El Sabueso de los Baskerville fue como leer otro relato pero con más extensión.

Sin embargo, y a pesar de sus puntos negativos logré disfrutar esta lectura. Quizás, mí inconveniente con esta obra, es que tenía las expectativas muy altas porque había leído muchos comentarios positivos. Creo que si este libro fuera el primero que leyera de Sherlock Holmes estaría completamente encantado, pero como vengo de leer más de veinte casos de este personaje, simplemente pocos detalles me sorprendieron.

A pesar de todo, continuaré ahora con El regreso de Sherlock Holmes.

[Luciana Gomez Mauro · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Creo que todo lo que se salga del curso normal de la vida es digno de mención".
[4.5]

Que gran caso resolvieron Sherlock Holmes y su querido amigo Watson, nunca había leído nada de Sherlock, si he visto películas en literatura en el secundario de él y creo que todo el mundo lo conoce o habrá oído de él.
Y llego a mis manos este libro, por qué una amiga me lo regaló hace meses y lo agarre para leer por qué fue la lectura conjunta del mes de mayo del grupo de el librero de Valentina, y me encantó.

La narración y escritura de Arthur Conan Doyle es elegante, atractiva, te atrapa de una manera impresionante, a mí me tuvo asombrada en todo momento.
Y esta narrada la historia por Watson, y como amé a ese tipo, al igual que a Sherlock, hay veces que me causaban sus conversaciones, por qué todo el tiempo se hacían cumplidos mutuos, no entre ellos directamente pero si a los lectores, osea nosotros, pero los dos al unirse resuelven todo de una manera única y perfecta.
Y es que las teorías de Watson tenían tanta importancia como las del propio Sherlock.
En el final si esperaba algo más impactante,pero igual me gustó.
Y díganme qué no soy la única que los shippeaba a los dos todo el tiempo. Harían una pareja muy linda.
Cuando aparecía el Sabueso, realmente me lo imaginaba como algo enorme, por qué lo describe muy bien. Todos son sospechosos, aunque yo pude deducir desde antes quién era el que podía estar planeando todo.
Ahora sí quiero leer las demás historias de Sherlock Holmes.

Mí querido amigo Watson, que gran jugada!
Super recomendado.

[فايز غازي Fayez Ghazi · Rating 4 out of 5]

- بسيطة، سريعة، سلسة وممتعة.

---

"لم اجرؤ على رميه بالرصاص... لقد كان أعزل لا يحمل سلاحاً..والمسدس كان لحمايتي لا لقتله "

[Luffy Sempai · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd been toying with the idea of reading books in French. I can understand the language - but as for speaking it, well here's another ball game. I read part of this edition in my class when I was 13 years old. I read when the hound was racing towards its would be victim.

Would be victim...due to Sherlock Holmes' intervention. Holmes is a very fantastic, very popular character. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, though he claimed to loathe the character, had a hidden fondness for Holmes. The author was furious with the treatment of his creation in the hands of Maurice Leblanc, who was the creator of Arsene Lupin.

Movie and TV adaptations come and go, but the purity of Sherlock Holmes is like vapor to the uninitiated. Us fans know secretly what makes him tick. But we cannot transcribe ourselves in certain terms. We lack the knowledge how to pin the exactitude of Homes as portrayed in the original 4 novels and 56 short stories. Same for the directors and wannabe authors who wish to ape Doyle.

This was an experiment. And I think I succeeded in enjoying the story, known as it was to me in an earlier reading in English. The Hound of the Baskervilles was really wildly successful only in retrospective. Now it is part of the legacy of the detective. The meerschaum pipe and the hunting apparel are nearly part of folklore, and I enjoyed visiting it thoroughly. Highly recommended.

[Sonja Rosa Lisa ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 Sterne
Ich glaube, "Der Hund von Baskerville" ist wohl der bekannteste Fall von Sherlock Holmes und Watson, und ich kann das sehr gut nachvollziehen. Auch mir hat der Fall bisher mit am besten gefallen.
Ich mochte das Gruselige an dieser Geschichte, das geheimnisvolle Moor, die alte Legende über den Hund, mysteriöse Todesfälle.
Ich mag es, wie Sherlock Holmes kombiniert und ich mag John Watsons Art der Erzählung.
Ich glaube, dieses Buch werde ich sicherlich noch mehrfach lesen.

[Brett C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this detective story. This is my first Sherlock Holmes book. The story does a great job of combining elements of mystery and subtle supernatural horror. Though the book is serious there are elements of humor with some quirky dialogue.

The vibe of the book was spooky. It is set in the shadowy English autumn centering around the English folk legend of a demonic hellhound. Arthur Conan Doyle does a great job of using imagery with phrases like "the moonlit night, the desolate moor, the ghastly spectre, the apparition". The story has the mystery, the clues, the inductive reasoning, and eventually solving the case.

I definitely give it five stars and I probably will read it again in a few years. I highly recommend this one to anyone who enjoys a good book. Thanks!

[Luís · Rating 3 out of 5]

That's a meticulously woven story, which I eagerly could read because ACD placed many phenomena on elucidating throughout the investigation. A sensational masterpiece was complete of logic that would serve as a model for many current authors who dilute their history, always bloodied to attract the reader.

[Charles van Buren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Often called the best Holmes adventure

Said to be one of the most popular stories in the world, The Hound of the Baskervilles has certainly been my favorite Sherlock Holmes adventure since about age 9 or 10. It is dear to my heart in both novel and movie form. The first movie I saw, and still my favorite, was the 1959 British production with Peter Cushing as Holmes. In my mind's eye I can still vividly see the tarantula on Christopher Lee's shoulder. If you suffer from arachnophobia don't worry, that huge, hairy spider which frightened me as a child does not make an appearance in the novel. The enormous, glowing, demonic looking hound does. Just shut your imagination's eyes if the apparition bothers you and keep reading. You will be glad that you did.

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is about solving a murder mystery when Sir Charles Baskerville was found dead at Baskerville Hall (which, by the way, exists still) fearing some big hound was behind the murder.

I find the writing really good (easy to read and enjoyable), the plot quite unique, the description of the different characters distinct from one another and the ending quite thrilling.

You will come across a few morally gray characters in the story.

The murder mystery isn't that difficult to solve but it's the way how Sherlock and Watson handled the characters and the situation together that gave much needed oomph to the plot.

[Piyush Bhatia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - you beauty!

The more outre and grotesque an incident is the more carefully it deserves to be examined, and the very point which appears to complicate a case is when duly considered and scientifically handled, the one which is most likely to elucidate it.

While reading the novel, I had the same feeling that I have while watching an Alfred Hitchcock movie - keeps me thoroughly engaged, boggles the mind, swooning it with fright, and makes me fall off my seat with an admiration so profound that I find it impossible to resist to read/watch another one of it (Indeed why would anyone resist it, 😂, just a metamorphic sense of saying!)

Being the third Sherlock Holmes novel that I read, I'd say this one is the most profound of them all, as the plot is utterly well-connected. I'll rate it as the best Sherlock novel; "the valley of fear" still needs to be read by me, until then, this one tops my list of Sherlock Holmes series.

The mystery is exciting and the closure is comforting!

The only thing I wonder is that it is not even clear that Stapleton is actually dead. I read that it has been suggested that Doyle considered bringing Stapleton back in a later story, but as Sherlock himself mentions towards the end of the story, "what a man may do in the future is a hard question to answer."

5/5 without a second thought!

[فؤاد · Rating 4 out of 5]

آشنایی من با هلمز بر میگرده به کودکیم. همیشه اسمش رو شنیده بودم، بی اونکه چیزی ازش خونده باشم. دبیرستان بودم که به لطف کتابخونه ی خوب مدرسه، تازه باهاش آشنا شدم.

توی دوره ی دبیرستان، دیوانه وار شیفته ی یه سری داستان ها شدم. یکی داستان های علمی تخیلی ایزاک آسیموف. یکی دیگه ماجراهای کارآگاه مشهور. وقتی میگم دیوانه وار، منظورم واقعاً دیوانه واره. با برادر کوچک ترم اداش رو در میاوردیم توی مدرسه. زنگ تفریح روی تخته سیاه طرح های مخوف میکشیدیم که ببینیم کی با دیدنشون جا میخوره و هر کس جا میخورد، معلوم بود دستش با گروه مخوف قاتل ها توی یه کاسه است!
یا رد یه کفش رو توی حیاط مدرسه سانت میکردیم، میومدیم با کفش های توی جاکفشی نمازخونه مطابقت میدادیم، توی کفشی که با ردّ کفش همخوانی داشت یه تیکه پلاستیک میذاشتیم، و وقتی صاحب کفش پلاستیک رو از کفشش بیرون می انداخت، اثر انگشتش رو از روی پلاستیک بر میداشتیم!

دنیایی داشتیم. دنیای واقعاً شیرینی داشتیم.

[Valeriu Gherghel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Știți de ce îmi place Cîinele din Baskerville? Fiindcă are multe Piste False. Să vă spun și cum am identificat cu precizie motivul plăcerii mele.

Nu știu dacă vă mai amintiți acest amănunt, nu contează. Îl voi destăinui, în premieră absolută, acum și aici. Băiatul cu Asperger din O întîmplare ciudată cu un cîine la miezul nopții de Mark Haddon este pasionat de Sherlock Holmes și analizează cu necruțătoare pertinență acțiunea romanului publicat acum un veac și aproape un sfert (în 1902).

Iată ce spune cu mult temei tînărul Christopher John Francis Boone:

„Îmi place Cîinele din Baskerville fiindcă e un roman poliţist, ceea ce înseamnă că în el se găsesc indicii şi Piste False”.

„De asemenea, îmi place Cîinele din Baskerville fiindcă îmi place Sherlock Holmes şi cred că, dac-ar fi să fiu un detectiv adevărat, ca el aş vrea să fiu. Este foarte inteligent, rezolvă enigmele şi spune: Lumea e plină de lucruri evidente pe care nimeni nu le observă niciodată. Dar el le observă, ca şi mine. De asemenea, în carte se mai spune: Sherlock Holmes avea, într-o măsură cît se poate de remarcabilă, puterea de a-şi detaşa mintea după bunul său plac. Şi prin asta seamănă cu mine... Ăsta e şi motivul pentru care sînt foarte bun la şah...”.

Din fragmentele de mai sus nu rezultă, firește, că venerabilul detectiv Sherlock Holmes suferea de sindromul Asperger, deși se comporta ca și cum ar fi suferit.

Acum știți cu maximă acuratețe de ce-mi place romanul lui Arthur Conan Doyle. Pentru că are „indicii și Piste False” :)

P. S. În L’Affaire du Chien des Baskerville (Paris: Minuit, «Paradoxe», 2008, 166p.), Pierre Bayard demonstrează negru pe alb că numitul Sherlock Holmes a fost un detectiv incompetent. Și că numai fumurile erau de capul lui :)

[Nandakishore Mridula · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is an institution from my childhood. I first heard it as a child; my mother told it to me as a bedtime story (yes, my mom is like that). I was creeped out totally - and continued to be so while I read the story in umpteen plagiarised translations (where the hound was changed to all kinds of animal including a monkey) and finally in the original. I even saw two movie adaptations, one in Malayalam (Agnimrigam - bad) and one in Hindi (Bees Saal Baad - good).

If you are a mystery buff and don't know the story of this one, then most probably you are not living on this planet! "The Hound of Hell" terrorises the Baskerville family, a curse visited on them because of a womanising ancestor who sold his soul to the devil to abduct a woman. The hound is apparently bent on killing all the members of the family. It is left to Holmes to battle the forces of darkness and save Sir Henry Baskerville, the last of the line.

As mysteries go, this is not your classical whodunit, but it is an eerily suspenseful story which will keep you glued to the page. And I found the concept of the hound genuinely frightening - apparently Conan Doyle based this on a real Dartmoor legend.

--------------------------------

I had the chance to visit Dartmoor and enjoy its wild beauty in 2009: also visit the house where Conan Doyle stayed while writing this book, which is now a museum.

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I just felt sorry for the hound 🤨



I have such a hard time understanding some things in classics but that’s ok, I still like the book. I need to go back and watch the old black and white again

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾