Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles

by John Green (Adaptor, Illustrator), Arthur Conan Doyle

An enormous hound with blazing eyes and jaws haunts the moors surrounding Baskerville Hall, lurking in the fog until claiming its victims. Can Sherlock Holmes end a centuries-old family curse? This dramatic retelling of the famous detective story features comic-style panels, word balloons, and abridged text.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Mystery, Classics, Fiction, Comics, Retellings, Childrens

48 pages, Paperback

First published October 22, 2009

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

London-based illustrator John Green has created artwork for most of the major U.K. publishers and since 1983 has authored more than 140 Dover titles, including many of our bestsellers. Titles ranging from Ballet Class to Horses of the World reflect his amazing versatility and detailed research.

Reviews

[Diamond · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm a known graphic novel lover. I love the mix of a good story with brilliant illustrations. I also recently read Sherlock Holmes for the first time, and loved it. So I was eager to read this form of The Hound of the Baskervilles when I saw it, because hello, graphic novel! I figured the amazing drawings could make a great story even greater. Unfortunately, for me this whole thing fell short in pretty much all the ways it matters.

*The Text - The text was EXTREMELY simplified. Something was lost when they tried to edit it down to size. I realize this is a difficult thing to do. However lately I've read a lot of really great graphic novels based on classics/long stories and they seem to do it effectively and seamlessly. *shrug*
*The Graphics- Big problem here, people. Code Red, abort! Abort! Seriously though, this was very "meh" for me. Admittedly, I'm one for color in my graphic novels. This is actually why I don't often read Manga, I miss the color. So maybe part of this is due to my preference for color, but that's only part of it.
*The Graphics (again)- The graphics were also just very blah and boring. Sherlock and Watson were drawn very stylistically old fashioned and in a way they have been depictred for, like, a hundred years. *yawn* If you want kids or whoever to pick this up, you got to put a spin on this a little bit. Do SOMETHING different (anything!) with the looks of the main characters. If I wanted to see this story drawn in the way it's always been drawn I would pick up a battered copy with illustrations (they have those, you know). It would look the same.
*The Ending - The ending seriously moved this from 2 stars to 1. That's a lot, and it's because it was as serious WTF moment for me. The last page had more text than any of the other pages had. It was rushed. It was confusing. It was clearly there to quickly tie the story together to fit the allotted page number or whatever. It made the novel even more choppy.

So those are the reasons I didn't care for this graphic novel version of The Hound of the Baskervilles. Save yourself some time and read the original version while watching the BBC version played by the glorious Benedict Cumberbatch.

-Review also seen on my blog, Dee's Reads

*A copy of this graphic novel was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from net-galley in exchange for my honest review.

Not only is this graphic novel based on the most recognisable englishman in fiction but also "consists" of the most famous tale of the character in question. The character, if you haven't read the title already, is Mr Sherlock Holmes and this story is basically a quick summary of the Hound of the Baskervilles! (With pictures)

There is not much to say if you haven't already known about the mystery of a ghostly devilish hound that has plagued the Baskerville family for a really long time, but with Holmes and Dr Watson (his accomplice) on the case its up to them to decide whether there is truth in this myth or there is something more than meets the eye?

Now onto the review of the graphic novel and like i said before its just a quick summary of that story. The drawings are nice albeit i wouldn't have mind of at least some creative layout of the panels and action. The problem i have is they look like they mannequins no sense of movement or action. You tend to just read the dialogue and speech bubbles then awe at the drawings which is a shame as a story like this you could do with a lot more imagination and creativity. It also took me just 30 minutes to read it, so yep really quick.

What can I say about this but if you want a quick summary of the Hounds of Baskervilles then this a way to go but there are other works out there that are a lot more imaginative and creative (or just read the actual book!)

[Abhinav · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for this book. John Green's art is bold and very clear. This abridged version is fast and does not disappoint the expectations of a reader of classics. Makes for a wonderful breezy read. Kids are sure to love this book. Some meetings and events crop up so abruptly that it disappoints the reader at times while trying to follow the thread of the story.

[Gustė · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of A. C. Doyle and reading the case of The Hound of the Baskervilles is something to remember.

1. It teaches you deduction, which, if I'm correct, means that you make a general summary of an aspect that depicts ones description. For example — when a woman or man carries a walking stick for old people, then you highlight the word "old", which then summarizes that the woman or man is old.

2. It teaches you to be attentive to detail. If you work as a detective or in general a police officer and your work on a particular case, any kind of footprint, fingerprint, any evidence left behind is considered essential to a case, whether it is considered liable or not.

3. Teammwork and trust is also one of the many perks that is mentioned here. Not every plan must be said to your partner for the plan to work.

4. Creating versions of scenarios of how the crime may have been committed, which is an important detail for every working officer, to try and understand how everything must've played out and make a conclusion, which could work as a piece of the puzzle.

5. An honorable mention of a famous law enforcement person is Eugene Francoi Vidocq, who is considered a master of disguise. He was once considered a criminal, but after he joined the police forces, he used his skill in understanding other criminal minds as he was one previously to easily catch criminals and understand their motives.

Currently, I'm trying to get to read other A. C. Doyle'a work, but they're too expensive... ;-;

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

1. I decided to read this book because I watch a lot of murder mysteries on the television and I thought that it would be a good book.
2.This book will go into the classics section because it was written in 1902 and is one of the oldest books I know.
3.The character I thought was most interesting was Sherlock Holmes because he is a extremely smart man and figured out the murderer from a few little clues and was able to think of a plan that could firstly kill the beast and also find who was sending it to kill Henry Baskervilles.
4.I good quote i found interesting was'never yet have we helped to hunt down a more dangerous man than he who is lying yonder' I found this quote interesting because it really emphasis that the man named Stapleton was dangerous and that he was the most clever foe that they came up against.
5.Once i had finished the book it made me think that now that the world has become more technological it has become much easier to track people that have committed crimes so nowadays it is much harder to get away with crimes.

[Lou · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a huge Sherlock fan. I think that The hound of the Baskervilles is one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most difficult story to make a comic. There are multiples mysteries that happen in the same time, and honestly I’m really glad with this comic.

It’s a great adaptation and captures the best of the story without change it –wich I think is important- and also is a funny and captivating reading.

Although I’d like to see it with colours, I think that the art is pretty good and I definitely recommend it.

I recieved a free eBook from NetGalley but this fact didn't influence the review.

[TK · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not terrible but not exactly impressed with the abridgment. Due to the extreme editing there is a choppiness to the story that leaves it still readable but less enjoyable. While i wasn't impressed by the illustrations they weren't horrible by any means either. Overall a decent introduction to Doyle, but not one that i could see being a great encouragement into reading the longer and more impressive Sherlock Holmes.
arc from NetGalley

[Stories. - Federica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Sherlock Holmes and his world! Everything about him is so... brilliant! Yes, this is probably the right word.
Even if "The Hound of The Baskervilles" isn't my favourite novel, I really liked this adaptation. This graphic novel is faithful to the one written by Arthur Conan Doyle.
The images are amazing!
A really interesting read!

[Karla Feldstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's more like a 4.5. My only complaint is that I wish it was in color. It was quite easy to follow along with. I really enjoyed it.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one and is getting hooked to graphic books. I liked the B &W drawings, but would have liked a little more shades of white/black/grey to emphasize few things

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

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[Jayden Stygar · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskerville by John Green is a mystery, and is not part of a series. The book is about Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson look for the identity of the owner of a cane that has been set there in their office. They don't know who the visitor was. So they try to find the mystery of who left it there and why they were in their office in the first place. Will they fin the person? I would rate this book a 10 out of 10 because I love mystery books and it was a good mystery.
I would recommend this book to a person who loves mystery books.

[Hut · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book because it’s about a mystery about a hound that killed the Baskervilles family from generation to generation until Sherlock Holmes and his man Dr Watson to find the hound and end it’s misery. I like the idea of killing a huge hound that murdered the whole family tree of a well known family. It’s really cruel to kill an animal but he is doing to protect the Baskervilles family from the bloodthirsty hound. I also like the way Sir Arther Conan Doyale describe the moor and made it sound like a really beautiful place to visit.

[شارلوك هولمز · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hello, I hope that you will be in the best condition. I am very impressed by the works of the writer "Arthur Conan Doyle" , especially his short novel The Debascal ",The Hound of the Baskervilles" to solve the mystery of the issue and I suggest to everyone who is interested in this narrative color to exchange discussion, opinions, experiences, and ideas

[Colin James · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was aiiight.

[Matilda Dunér · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sherlock Holmes är extremt osympatisk.

[Charlie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Note: I took the approach of reviewing this title looking at it for what it is, an abridged graphic novel version of the classic Sherlock Holmes story meant for children. As a result, I don't address Doyle's story, but rather the abridgment, artwork, layout, and effectiveness of this work as a graphic novel.

I wanted to like this one, I really did. I am a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles, and I have always loved Dover Publication's approach to the classics and they way that they work to make them accessible and easy to read for children and young adults. When I saw the opportunity to review a graphic novel version from Dover, I was naturally excited. Unfortunately this was short lived.

By its nature, an abridged version of a novel or story is going to be missing subplots or chunks of action, or have them explained away in a simple narrative. The same formula was followed here, but with the unique feature of keeping most, if not all of the original dialogue intact. The resulting story was then choppy and did not flow well at all, switching between John Green's simpler descriptive terms and Doyle's more formal Victorian language. Since the idea here is to get readers "ages 8 and up" interested in the story, I felt that it fell short. This type of editing should be an all or nothing proposition. The language should be geared to that age and reading level advertised for it to be an effective introduction. I would like to see a book like this in a simple form, then refer those students who are able to and ready to handle the more complex original text to then read that after. The other downfall of this adaptation is that it had tried to oversimplify a complex story. The themes, character motivations, and actions are quite mature and difficult to tone down for the recommended age group to understand. I am afraid that much of the story is lost on this age group because of that.

I would be remiss in a review of a graphic novel to not address the artwork as well. Reading the cover description provided in my copy, stated that this is not your average graphic novel, but rather one that readers can color themselves. Because of this, all the drawings are simple black line drawings. The lack of color aside, and explained, I found the art to still be lacking. Most characters were lacking any depth, showed no emotion to the point of rigidity, and unfortunately, looked too similar in appearance to make them distinguishable without color. Even as a coloring book, this work is lacking, as several panels and pages are simply closeups of a character's face with their word bubble, leaving little to the imagination for a child to color.

While a wonderful idea and a unique concept to find a way to introduce children to classic literature, The Hound of the Baskervilles here falls short. It is not really a graphic novel, nor an abridged, simplified version. I would not recommend this for reluctant readers because of the liberal use of the original text, nor for graphic novel fans as it is barely that as well. Perhaps only the Holmes or Dover completest would find this book to be a perfect fit in their collection, but otherwise it missed the mark.

Many thanks to Dover Publications, NetGalley, and John Green for the opportunity to read and review The Hound of the Baskervilles (Dover Graphic Classics) early in exchange for an honest review. The final version will be released on November 19, 2014.

[Lynne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Final Verdict: An interesting take on the classic story, but ultimately failing to make a connection with the audience.

Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles follows the plot of the original story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In this adventure the famed detective Sherlock Holmes and his friend and occasional assistant Dr. John Watson head to the Devonshire moors to try and investigate a family curse and try and save the last Baskerville heir from a hound-like beast.

For as short as this adaptation is it is a rather accurate abridgment of the original. Some of the original dialogue is still there, including my favorite exchange which you can view below. However, there were also points where things jumped a bit, and it might be hard to follow or understand if you have not read the original material. The good news is that because the original story was so strong, there was little chance of this not being interesting as well.

The trouble with this book is I cannot tell who the intended audience is. The plot is a bit advanced and complicated for kids. The artwork is not that inspired and while I like adult coloring books, this one has no appeal to me to color in. If it was meant for kids it feels like the plot should have been more streamlined or simplified. If it is meant for an adult coloring book, I think they would have been better served to have larger blocks of text and then more elaborate or interesting pictures filling up whole pages. Part of dislike for the art is that with lines only it is very hard to tell the various Victorian men apart, especially when you only see part of them. It made it a bit confusing to tell who was talking or even who was actually present, and I know the story.

So while an interesting read, I am not sure who I would recommend this for. Probably some older kids and fans of Doyle’s work will be those best served by this story, but it was not one of my favorite adaptations.

Review originally posted: https://francesandlynne.wordpress.com...

[Olga Rezanova · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way changes my opinion of the book.

As I'm sure you already know, graphic novel adaptations are usually nothing compared to the real thing. This was the case with this read. I did like it as an individual graphic novel though, the drawings were done well and I enjoyed the images.

The plot of this graphic novel is the same as the plot of the original book (which I haven't read...) if you didn't know. It has just been "adapted" by John Green (whatever that means...). We follow Holmes and Watson as they solve a case involving a hound and a curse.

As usual, Holmes is up to something and confuses the ba-jeezus out of Watson and then randomly shows up where he isn't supposed to and bla bla bla. Typical Holmes.


Overall I liked this book quite a lot. Not a perfect read by all means, (mostly because I am not a fan of seeing my characters in front of me) but pretty good. The drawings were done well, they story was a bit rushed (but that's what you get when you need to fit it into a condensed amount of pages), and nothing will ever beat the original, but it was pretty good.

What did you think?

[Charlie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A hound is roaming around Baskerville Hall and it's attacking people. Holmes and Watson are going to investigate this seemingly centuries-old family curse.

Review

I never really read graphic novels, only mangas. It's only 48 pages and this I found to be quite refreshing from the long books I usually read.

Simple black-white illustrations, but they told the story wonderfully.

They changed the dialogue, but I still recognised Holmes and Watson in their distinct voices.

The other characters don't have a distinct personality. They're all telling facts all the time. Never once, they're actually having fun or feel real. All they are, are little robots made to aid the plot.

Holmes is completely flawless and it bugs me to no end. He literally knows everything about everyone by just looking at them. At some times it's quite farfetched and unbelievable.

To be really honest with you, in some of the stories I feel like Watson is just there. He really doesn't add anything. In this graphic novel I actually liked Watson more than I did Holmes. Even up to the point that I was disappointed when he came back into the story.

The story was enjoyable. It's a really short version of The Hound of Baskervilles and you still get the whole story. It was an okay read for me, but I did like the illustrations.

Thank you to Dover Publications for this eARC.

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles (Dover Graphic Novel Classics)' takes me back to the classic comics of my youth. It's a pretty good adaptation.

Certainly, the nuances of a story are lost in such a distilled form, but John Green's adaptation does a good job of hitting on the main point. The book is drawn in black and white, so as to also double as a coloring book. The art has thick lines and there were quite a few times when I wanted to break out the colored pencils and start adding color to the pages.

It's only 48 pages long, but it's also less than five bucks. I think it's worth it to introduce younger readers to classic stories. This one might not hold the interest of some kids, but I was a big Sherlock Holmes fan when I was about 10 and Mr. Holmes is still quite popular in TV and films.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Dover Publications and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a digital copy of this book for review through NetGalley
The story of the Hound of the Baskervilles is one that I have loved for many years, I first began reading Sherlock Holmes stories late in Primary School and it has been a series that I have loved ever since. The BBC television adaptation of the books made my love grow even more so when I saw this book was available on NetGalley I leapt at the chance to download it.
In this graphic novel the story itself is abridged which makes it much faster to read than Conan-Doyle's original novel, making it perfect for someone looking for a quick read and refresh of a story, or an introduction into an otherwise daunting world. However, I felt the illustrations were nothing special; I do feel though that if this were purchased as a physical book these drawing would work fantastically as a colouring book.
Read my review here: http://laurareads95.wordpress.com/201...

[D · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got my review copy from Netgalley.

This graphic novel is quite short, and each panel is packed with information. The art is excellent and clear, making it easy to understand what is going on in each panel. The story was easy to follow, thought it felt the story was being told more than shown to the reader.

My recommendation is that this graphic novel be given color and, if possible, there should be a few 'silent' panels added. As I was reading, there were a few panels which had expository text which were not needed, particularly the scenes in the Moor. I think if there were more "show, not tell" panels this would be a perfect graphic novel.

Despite my critiques, I think this would make for a decent suggestion for students that struggle to read. There is quite a lot of text in this short graphic novel, and I think it would make a nice transition to books for troubled readers.

As it is right now, I don't believe I will be purchasing it for my library.

[Jessie H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a huge Sherlock Holmes fan. He is one of my favorite literary characters ever. So I jumped at the chance to read this graphic novel. It was fun and I think it will help the younger generation get into reading the collection of Sherlock stories.

It took one of my favorite Sherlock stories, Hound of the Baskervilles, and turned it into a graphic novel. The illustrations were nice, but they are definitely not my favorite. Although, if I had a physical copy I would probably color them myself. The adaptation was done well so that the reader will be able to follow the story. It includes all of the really significant events and conversations the original contains.

It is definitely a fast paced adaptation which makes it an enjoyable graphic novel. I would highly recommend it! Although I would recommend reading the actual story shortly after.

[Christopher Lawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

"THE HOUND! COME, WATSON, COME!"

A fun way to introduce kids to the exciting world of Sherlock Holmes. The illustrations are very well done, and make the whole book a lot of fun to read. The characters are portrayed in the classical fashion--Watson in a tweed coat, and Holmes with pipe in hand in almost every scene. The dialogue must necessarily be shortened to fit this smaller volume, but the key conversations are preserved nicely.

The illustrations are in monochrome for a reason--so that young readers can have fun penciling, or using some markers to add color.

The Watson resembles David Burke of the PBS "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes series" (Burke was the "first" Watson in that series.)

THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES will be a fun, enjoyable read for young readers (and artists, too).

[Odette Cortés · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a huge Sherlock Holmes fan and having the opportunity to read a comic book adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles made me very happy.

There are some things I wished this adaptation had: color is the first one to come to mind. The black and white style is too simple for my taste. When reading a black and white comic book (or manga) I like a more profuse style and everything looked to neat and tidy, and very simple. I wish the illustrations had more personality.

The story has been heavily cropped; this makes me think that, along with the simple drawings, this particular comic book is meant for a younger audience. The language is simple and understandable; the text bubbles are not overwhelmed with dialogue. Therefore all in all this is a very easy to read version of Conan Doyle’s work. It was enjoyable but not my cup of tea.

[Marisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a graphic novel that I believe had good potential, but I was disappointed. It is certainly difficult to adapt a full-length novel into a graphic novel without losing significant aspects, but that was not my complaint. The story-telling was well done, but the artwork was lackluster to me. Many of the characters looked as though their face had been copy/pasted throughout every panel. I found this absence of facial expression and variety disconcerting. If this aspect of the artwork is improved, I think the story/series will have better success.

Please note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review on NetGalley.

Who should read it? Huge fans of Sherlock Holmes, but otherwise skip.

See all my reviews at www.ReadingToDistraction.com or @Read2Distract

[Robert Zimmermann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting way to read this iconic Sherlock Holmes case. The illustrations worked well to bring the narrative to life, especially with the nature of abridgement making it difficult to get details into a story. A little more attention to word bubble (is that the technical term for them?) placement would have improved the reading experience a little bit, especially for younger readers. A few panels had a third, "off-screen" character talking, but the placement made it seem like one character had two spots of text when it wasn't the case.

The abridgement itself would likely be effective for a young reader to read and enjoy this Holmes story. For an adult I felt it was a little too abridged in places; a little rushed. Overall it was an entertaining, refreshing look at Doyle's work.

[Julia Nashif · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, that went by quickly.

Thank you, NetGalley and Dover Publications, for this free book to review!

Apparently, this is not only a graphic novel, but also a coloring book. I wish I had a print copy! The art was awesome, especially with Sherlock; not so much Lestrade. I will forever picture him as Rupert Graves. To each his own, I guess.

The story itself is extremely abridged. While that might make it appealing to younger readers, I was kind of annoyed at how Sir Henry's love for Mrs. Stapleton was mentioned twice: once when the Stapletons came over to visit, and once when he found out her secret. I haven't read the original in a while though, so maybe this is accurate.

Would I recommend it? Yes! It's perfect for younger readers who want to get started on Sherlock Holmes. I'm pretty sure Arthur Conan Doyle didn't write this himself though. I don't know who did.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Advance copy provided for review by publisher through Net Galley.

I already know students I am excited to recommend this title to. Hounds of the Baskervilles is a great text to begin with. The graphic novel format helps to make it more accessible. It is an easy enough read for young readers, but engaging enough for readers of all ages. Understand that it is not the original text, but I feel that very little was lost in the adaptation.

Color images would have been nice, but on the other hand, I appreciate that the black and white approach keeps the cost down. Graphic Novels can be pricey, and this one is incredibly affordable. Some of the pages/frame seem a little text heavy, especially when a scene is primarily dialog or monologue. That is a challenge that comes with this text in particular. However, these pages are alternated nicely, with some full page panels.