These are wonderful stories that transport you back to London in the 1800s.

The writing style flows really well and it doesn't take long to finish one of the stories, so you can read one and put it down, then go back to it.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this classic and would recommend it for those who seek a feel for 19th century society.

I'm continuing with writing reviews for all of the books in the Sherlock Holmes canon. Now is the turn of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes!



A Scandal in Bohemia:

Plot: The King of Bohemia comes to Holmes to ask him for help because an ex-lover he had owns a picture of him and her that can compromise his reputation... and it doesn't help that she's blackmailing him with it.

Opinion: Kick-ass female! Irene Adler might be the best woman in literature. She's the only one who manages to leave Holmes for a fool and ruin his plans. Ha! Ha! I love Holmes, but I love "the woman" more.

The Adventure of the Red-Headed League:

Plot: A red-headed man sees a newspaper add that's offering work in a company, but the condition to apply is that you're red-headed. He gets the job because his hair is the perfect tone. Some time after he starts to works there, the society dissolves. Why? Let Holmes answer the questions.

Opinion: I admit I guessed the answer for this story before Holmes revealed it. It's not a predictable story, but I followed the facts and got the answer. Holmes, I'm talking to you. Take. My. Application. As. Your. Assistant. I'm much better than Watson!

A Case of Identity:

Plot: A woman's fiance disappeared just when they were going to marry and she's worried. She goes to Holmes, and before she finishes her tale, he already has an idea as to the answer of her problem...

Opinion: I'm only going to laugh hysterically. Remember the case's name, for it is crucial if you want to get the answer before Holmes reveals it.

The Boscombe Valley Mystery:

Plot: A man has been murdered and his son is suspected. Holmes does not think the man's son did it, but that would require to investigate more...

Opinion: Woosh... The backstory in this case was creepy and compelling. At all points in the narration, I was feeling thrilled and I couldn't stop reading until the riddle was finally solved.

The Five Orange Pips:

Plot: A young gentleman receives a card signed by the K.K.K. with five orange pips contained in it. He goes to Holmes because some other strange things started to happen and he fears he's in danger.

Opinion: This one was a little meh. DON'T GET ME WRONG, it was good, just not as good as the other ones. Holmes' solution to the problem is quite simple, but I couldn't help but think "Take that, you assholes!" (the asshole is not Holmes, in case you were wondering).

The Man with the Twisted Lip:

Plot: A woman's husband disappeared, and the last time she saw him was in an opium den. When the man noticed her, he immediately withdrew from a window in which he could be seen. She obviously felt something was off, so she ran to the window, but when she got there, the man was nowhere to be seen.

Opinion: Clever, clever, clever... This one started really dark, but then started to clear off a little. I really enjoyed this one. Holmes, as usual, has the answer before the lady has her tale finished. Clever, as I said.

The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle:

Plot: A priceless jewel has gone missing and there's no clue as to where it is. Holmes finds an old hat and a goose, but inside that goose was the lost blue carbuncle. How did it get there? Who was the thief? That's the question.

Opinion:



That's all I'm gonna say!

The Adventure of the Speckled Band:

Plot: A lady's step-father urges her to move to a house. In this certain house, the lady's sister had died a terrible death, so the lady is obviously frightened.

Opinion: AMAZING. I think this is the best one in this collection. Full of mystery... and it also has a wicked man with wicked purposes...

The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb:

Plot: We all know Watson is a doctor, so he's constantly attending his patients. Well, one night, a man without a thumb came to him. This man has an interesting story to tell, and he's about to give Holmes one hell of a case.

Opinion: Mein. Gott. This one, besides having mystery and a full pack of thrill, also had a chase and many action and kick-ass scenes. I truly enjoyed it. One of the best in this collection. *thumbs up*

The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor:

Plot: A lady disappears on her wedding day. Her fiance asks Holmes for his help because he's worried and he wonders why she left... but Holmes of course knows what became of her.

Opinion: For you, noble bachelor:



The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet:

Plot: A man must guard a coronet, but one night, when a noise awakens him and he goes to see what happened, he finds his son with the coronet in his hands... and with three of the beryls missing. Is he guilty? Where are the beryls? Why would he do that?

Opinion: One advice for you, humans: If Holmes tells you something, never argue with him. He's always right.

The Adventure of the Copper Beeches:

Plot: A young beautiful lady is offered a job with good payment, but she has to cut her hair in order to accept. She's puzzled but after her salary offer is raised, she finally accepts. At her job, she's asked to do weird things, so she decides to ask Holmes' advice (she had previously asked him whether she should accept or not the offer), for he's also suspicious.

Opinion: I've just one thing to say: The family for which Miss Hunter worked is weird... and creepy. Seriously, they made me shudder and they also made me think "WTF?" all the time. I never saw any of the things coming.

...

So well, did I think this was good?



Hell yeah! This was absolutely amazing, just as all of the Sherlock Holmes' stories. They're all thrilling and well-written. I have no complaints for any of them. That should tell you something, because I always have something bad to say for things.

Now, marry me, Holmes!



Mmm... charming.

100% recommended. If you have not read this, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? THIS IS THE BOMB! To add one more thing, this is my favorite collection of short stories.

P.S.: Wow, imagine if all the fictional characters to which I've proposed marriage accepted...

3.75 Stars

Favorite one in the series so far.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of twelve short stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, featuring his fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. It was first published on 14 October 1892; the individual stories had been serialised in The Strand Magazine between July 1891 and June 1892. The stories are not in chronological order, and the only characters common to all twelve are Holmes and Dr. Watson. The stories are related in first-person narrative from Watson's point of view.

In general the stories in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes identify, and try to correct, social injustices. Holmes is portrayed as offering a new, fairer sense of justice. The stories were well received, and boosted the subscriptions figures of The Strand Magazine, prompting Doyle to be able to demand more money for his next set of stories. The first story, "A Scandal in Bohemia", includes the character of Irene Adler, who, despite being featured only within this one story by Doyle, is a prominent character in modern Sherlock Holmes adaptations, generally as a love interest for Holmes. Doyle included four of the twelve stories from this collection in his twelve favourite Sherlock Holmes stories, picking "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" as his
overall favourite.

Arthur Conan Doyale began writing while studying medicine at university in the late 1870s, and had his first short story, "The Mystery of Sasassa Valley", published in September 1879. After eight years, A Study in Scarlet, Doyle's first Sherlock Holmes story, was published by Ward Lock & Co. The novel was well received, but Doyle was paid little for it, and despite a sequel novel, The Sign of the Four, which was published in Lipincott's Monthly Magazine, he shifted his focus to short stories. In early 1891, the first editor of The Strand Magazine, Herbert Greenhough Smith, received two submissions from Doyle for the newly established magazine. He later described his reaction: "I at once realised that here was the greatest short story writer since Edgar Allan Poe." The first of these, "A Scandal in Bohemia" was published near the back of The Strand Magazine in July 1891. The stories proved popular, helping to boost the circulation of the magazine, and Doyle received 30 guineas for each short story in the initial run of twelve. These first twelve stories were published monthly from July 1891 until June 1892, and then were collected together and published as a book, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes on 14 October 1892 by George Newnes, the publisher of The Strand Magazine. The initial print run of the book was for 10,000 copies in the United Kingdom, and a further 4,500 copies in the United States, which were published by Harper Brothers the following day.

All of the stories within The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes are told in a first-person narrative from the point of view of Dr. Watson, as is the case for all but four of the Sherlock Holmes stories. The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography entry for Doyle suggests that the short stories contained in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes tend to point out social injustices, such as "a king's betrayal of an opera singer, a stepfather's deception of his ward as a fictitious lover, an aristocratic crook's exploitation of a failing pawnbroker, a beggar's extensive estate in Kent." It suggests that, in contrast, Holmes is portrayed as offering a fresh and fair approach in an unjust world of "official incompetence and aristocratic privilege". The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes contains many of Doyle's favourite Sherlock Holmes stories. In 1927, he submitted a list of what he believed were his twelve best Sherlock Holmes stories to The Strand Magazine. Among those he listed were:

"The Adventure of the Speckled Band" (as his favourite),
"The Red-Headed League"
"A Scandal in Bohemia"
"The Boscombe Valley Mystery",
"The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor"
"A Case of Identity",
"The Five Orange Pips"
"The Man with the Twisted Lip"
"The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet"
"The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle"
"The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb"
"The Adventure of the Copper Beeches"

This was most enjoyable. Highly Recommend.

Oh my. So, I’ve never read any Sherlock Holmes novels before, but the Robert Downey Jr. movies are my absolute favorite. I came into this book anticipating 1800th century English writing, which I got, but I had zero expectations as to humor, having assumed that the movies were just clever adaptations of antiquated books. So color me DELIGHTED when these stories had many laugh out loud moments, and plenty of times that I was completely tickled. This is a collection of 12 short stories, all mysteries in some way, that were published separately as part of a newspaper series if I’m not mistaken. Each story is unique, with varying degrees of humor and darkness.

I guessed the outcome to several of them, but that was secondary in my enjoyment of this book. This entire novel was told in the first person by Dr. Watson, and I absolutely loved his perspective. Holmes is sharp and witty, delights is delivering shocking statements with utter nonchalance that never fail to scandalize Dr. Holmes, and made me giggle and sometimes throw back my head and laugh! That was my favorite aspect of these stories, the juxtaposition of the two men, one buttoned up and proper, one unorthodox and untamable. I can only imagine how charming people of that time found these stories to be, but I had a great time reading them.

Very entertaining, good to see where all the legends come from. Very interesting attention to detail, how many authors have been influenced by these stories?

I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. Reading this book was my first experience with Sherlock Holmes, but I discovered that there were so many elements to the stories that I was already familiar with (probably through other books, tv programs, films etc. that I’ve seen over the years and were inspired by Sherlock Holmes?). Anyway, it was fun!
I would rate this book with 4 out of 5 stars.

n  n    As a rule, the more bizarre a thing is, the less mysterious it proves to be. It is your commonplace, featureless crimes which are really puzzling, just as a commonplace face is the most difficult to identify.n  n

Who doesn't know Sherlock Holmes these days? Even if not everyone might be familiar with the original version invented by Arthur Conan Doyle, Mr. Holmes has become such a legend in his own right, a development fed and supported by numerous stage, screen and radio adaptions, that it is nearly impossible to hear the word 'detective' without immediately associating Sherlock Holmes.

'The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' is a collection of altogether twelve short stories, published as the third part of the Sherlock Holmes series following Doyle's novels "A Study in Scarlet" and "The Sign of Four". Not without reason do many readers consider this collection to be Doyle's masterpiece, myself included. It simply was no masterpiece which absolutely thrilled or stunned me. Blame it on me or my inability to read all the stories from this collection in less than four months, but a lot of the fun about Holmes' and Watson's adventures was deprived from the novel by repeating exactly the same concept in each and every one of those stories.

Let's take a look at the short stories itself, which may very well represent the very essence of Doyle's works in the Sherlock Holmes canon. Beginning with A Scandal in Bohemia and concluding with The Adventure of the Copper Beeches, Doyle invented two famous female characters frequently associated with the stories about Holmes: Irene Adler and Violet Hunter. Both may be considered ahead of their times, surprisingly independent and brave. The other characters Doyle brought into play during the other ten stories were not quite as memorable, however. The Red-Headed League turned out to be a sweet little short story which isn't very outstanding in the Sherlock Holmes series because of its predictability, but still includes some interesting quotes and follows a suspense-packed plot with a conclusion which will keep you turning the pages ... just as The Boscombe Valley Mystery, an interesting mystery story about a man being suspected of having murdered his father, consisting of fast-paced dialogues and an exciting turning point. Everyone seems to have guessed the ending correctly before reading it - everyone except for me -, which may be the reason for why I liked it so much.

A Case of Identity was far off being nearly as intriguing - I have written a full review for this story here - while The Man with the Twisted Lip emerged as a really good short story with an interesting twist I would never have figured out on my own. In addition, Arthur Conan Doyle included some interesting material surrounding Sherlock's drug addiction here, and once again, he masterfully explored the friendship between Sherlock and Watson. Afterwards, a story about the influence of the Ku Klux Klan, The Five Orange Pips, eloquently narrated by Watson as usual, once again followed the pattern of a classic Holmes tale with an interesting plot and new layers of depth to the character of Sherlock Holmes. Sadly enough, it wasn't as unique as Doyle wanted the story to appear.

Another rather interesting little story, but not outstanding or mind-blowing was The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle, enjoyable, but nothing more. Therein, Holmes has to deal with a stolen carbuncle appearing in the throat of a Christmas goose, entering on the search for the real culprit. The Speckled Band is one of the most well-known stories in this collection, and the hype this short story received is understandable due to its complex mystery and the stunning conclusion. I liked the story myself. However, never before has Doyle confronted us with so many plot holes, which ultimately disappointed me. A story full of potential which was stripped from its credibility for the sake of cutting it short - the story certainly provided home for more potential than some of Doyle's full-length novels. The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb deals with an engineer whose thumb is chopped off, stinging Sherlock to work out the background of this new case.

The Noble Bachelor focuses on the disappearance of a Lord's bride immediately after the wedding ceremony. Quite an entertaining story with snarky Sherlock Holmes at his best, and a stunning conclusion which once again made the reader feel as dumbfounded as John Watson about Sherlock's investigative talents. The second-last story, The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet, deals with the damage mysteriously inflicted to the coronet of a British earl, and, finally, during the conclusion of the collection Doyle rises to fresh heights of his writing with The Adventure of the Copper Beeches, breathing life into a suspenseful story surrounding a woman who assumes work at the mansion of a strange couple with dark secrets.


While most of these stories are independently enjoyable and memorable on their own, added up on each other they amount to a collection of great mysteries Doyle could have been proud of. However, for me, the problem in getting through the anthology proved to be the similar execution of each and every story. All of them started with Sherlock and Watson sitting or conversing in Sherlock's home, right before the case's new victim appeared - in most cases on the story's second page. After elaborately recounting their experiences in a way so explicitly formulated that they might have been the starting-point of a story without Sherlock or Watson being present, the second part of all the stories mainly consisted in Sherlock and Watson calling upon the location of the occurence, right before the third part was used to allow Sherlock to narrate the real events leading up to the upcoming of the mystery based on his investigations. Now and then, the second step was even skipped if Sherlock started the investigation without Watson (who was the first-person narrator, which resulted in us only being allowed to look at Sherlock's approach if Watson was present as well), and it just bothered me to read the same concept over and over again, only embedded in different plotlines. And, just as a footnote, someone should have told Sherlock not to consider every single one of his cases as the greatest challenge of his career. It became repetitive after a certain point.

However, "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" remains a great work and can be seen as a tribute to the wonderful and world-wide famous characters of Holmes and Watson. My only disappointment results in my shattered hopes that Mycroft - Holmes' brother - or Moriarty - Holmes' archenemy - might be introduced during one of these stories, but my anticipation of meeting them obviously needs to wait slightly longer. Up next on my Sherlock Holmes quest: The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.

Gotta love the old-school dash!

Arthur Conan Doyle created such an intriguing vehicle for his mystery stories in the figure of Sherlock Holmes, a man almost inhuman, nearly robotic in his exacting speech and actions, so much so that the reader longs for and grasps on to the minute human aspects (a hint of carnal desire, for example) on the fleeting instances they appear.

In story after tightly wound story intelligence and rational thought wins the day. But before it gets all too academic, Conan Doyle throws in a bit of action, some good old fashioned horror or a grotesque morsel for the reader to chew on, for he realized man can not be sustained on thought alone.

Taken on their own, each short story in this collection would receive 3 or 4 stars, but put them together and you've got a 5 star body of work. A lone stick breaks easily, but bundled together the sticks form a strong bond. Case after solved case impresses with its almost overwhelming accumulation of ingenuity. The character of Holmes eventually develops with nuggets of personal detail and, on rare occasion, even a display of pathos.

4/5

Los relatos de Sherlock Holmes siempre son una lectura segura a la que recurrir. Y es que da igual que todos sigan el mismo patrón y ya esté muy familiarizada con los métodos deductivos de Sherlock, siempre me reconforta leerlos.

Ya hablé en otras reseñas de Arthur Conan Doyle de lo que me gusta el personaje de Sherlock. Es impresionante cómo a través de Watson descubrimos a este genio, que a veces me inspira asombro y otras veces me parece el mejor personaje cómico que haya existido. Y además de esto, lo buenos que son los casos a los que se enfrenta. De verdad que no entiendo cómo Sir Arthur pudo inventarse tantos casos que además son tan originales y misteriosos.

Ojalá nunca se me acaben los relatos de Sherlock Holmes porque es una delicia leerlos y un acierto seguro.

Nothing compares to the original. If you really want to know Holmes and Watson, this is what you read. The characterization and pacing is, for me, delightful. The insights into a London of trains and mail more than once a day, the manners of the time, the dialogue . . . this is a feast.

Very honestly speaking, none of the movie or television adaptations have ever given me the sensation of 'being there' at Baker Street, with Holmes and Watson, that I get from the original stories.

Read them. You owe it to yourself!

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is the third book in the Sherlock Holmes series. Instead of novels, Adventures is a short story compilation that collects twelve of Holmes' most well-known cases that range from early to late in the famous detective's career. From the first story, A Scandal in Bohemia, where Holmes takes on Irene Adler, Arthur Conan Doyle seems to want to provide a better perspective of the investigator, a more wholistic view of Holmes and his relationship with Watson, both before he got married and after. The Bohemia case is amazingly feminist for the fact it was written with Victorian ideals prevalent. In the Blue Carbuncle, the reader is treated to another iconic case where the Holmes considers a justice that is more social-conscious and less punitive. Truth be told, I enjoyed every single story, unique for its time, building a mystery genre that begins with a singular mind, colorful cases, and superior story-telling. At root, this is an excellent collection of tales that amplify the Sherlock Holmes mythos by demonstrating not only the extraordinary logic of Holmes' reasoning but also the tremendous joy he would experience via the process and the depressing valleys he would travel when not engaged in an investigation.