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Title: The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Arthur Conan Doyle, David Schulz ISBN: 0-87406-698-0 Publisher: PAGES Publishing Group - Silver Elm Classic Pub. Date: 01 August, 1994 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $2.99

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Average Customer Rating: 4.44 (89 reviews)

Rating: 4
Summary: An intriguing and suspenseful detective story.
Comment: First I must make a note of the fact that this is the first and only Sherlock Holmes story I've read thus far. Therefore I cannot offer any kind of comparison between "The Hound of the Baskervilles" and Doyle's other works. I will simply give you my thoughts about it as a story in and of itself.

The book is simply written and easy to understand, but the plot remains engaging throughout. It is not overly complicated, but neither is it too simplistic or predictable. The Baskerville family has passed down the legend of a giant black hound that plagues the residents of Baskerville Hall, bringing a swift end to any that dare venture alone onto the nearby moor at night. When Sir Charles Baskerville is found dead upon the moor with the pawprints of a large dog in the earth nearby, the case is presented to Sherlock Holmes in hopes of unraveling the mystery and ensuring the safety of Sir Charles's nephew and Baskerville Hall's new occupant, Sir Henry Baskerville.

Too busy to investigate the matter himself, Holmes sends his friend and assistant, Dr. Watson, out to Baskerville Hall in his stead. Watson is the narrator of the story, and we see threads of the mystery slowly unravel as he makes his reports back to Holmes. Other reviewers have complained about the fact that Holmes is not the central figure in this particular novel, but I actually liked the way the story was done. And as we find out toward the end of the book, Holmes actually plays a larger part than he initially appears to. I must admit, though, that it was a bit depressing to see Watson toil away at investigating and drawing conclusions only to have Holmes repeatedly inform him that his conclusions are wrong. Watson does most of the drudge-work but gets very little in return.

The style of the writing was very appealing to me. The story has a very dark, gothic feel, and is full of suspense. Doyle's descriptions make the eerie moor feel very real. For a book written a century ago, it is still very reader-friendly. The only part where I thought the book dropped off a little was in the last few chapters. For all the build-up and suspense, the climax of the story is much too short and quickly resolved, leaving a feeling of unreality. Also, Doyle concludes by having Holmes simply recite to Watson all the details of his sleuthing that were left out of the action of the book. I think the rule "Show, don't tell," is a good one when it comes to literature, and I would rather have actually seen Holmes come to his conclusions as the story progressed.

Overall, though, I did enjoy the book, and look forward to reading more of Doyle's work. My one last word of advice regards this particular edition of the book (the 1993 Signet Classics printing with Afterword by Frederick Busch). There are numerous typos that really should have been caught and corrected before publishing (most, curiously, are instances where the letter "t" is inexplicably replaced with the letter "b"). I would recommend looking for a different version that is more competently edited.

Rating: 4
Summary: Men of science investigate the supernatural
Comment: "The Hound of the Baskervilles" is among the most famous of the Sherlock Holmes stories overall, and certainly the most famous of the four Holmes novels. Perhaps this is because of its ingenious plot premise. In this story, the famous deductive detective and his friend Dr. Watson are called upon to investigate at Baskerville Hall, a remote country mansion where the new heir to the property fears for his life. Apparently an old family legend has come true, and a horrible hound who haunts the moors is thought responsible for the deaths of the previous landowners. I know of no more chillingly atmospheric and mysterious setups for a mystery than this one. Unfortunately, large portions of the book feature yawning gaps in which Holmes himself does not appear, and we are forced to subsist on less interesting characters. Still, it *is* a Holmes story (fans of Holmes were delighted when this novel first appeared, since it was the first new Holmes story in some years, the author having previously killed off his famous hero in "The Final Problem") and the mystery is a good one, featuring red herrings, suspicious goings-on, and clever sleuthing by the great detective. The climax of the tale, when it finally comes, is as exciting as any Conan Doyle ever wrote. A must for mystery fans.

Rating: 4
Summary: The Hound of the Baskervilles
Comment: I really enjoyed reading The Hound of the Baskervilles. I thought it was very exciting and suspensful. Conan Doyle uses a very elevated vocabulary which may not be appropriate for young people. Also Conan Doyle does a great job of illustrating to us what Baskerville Hall might look like and what the moor may seem like at midnight on a cloudy evening. He also depicts the characters very well and he did a great job with the death scenes. I was a little dissappointed that the book was not more scarey. It was not the best I have ever read but The Hound of the Baskervilles was certainly a great book.