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,

Scary Dogs and Misty Moors

Sir Charles Baskerville died in a mysterious way out on the moors away from Baskerville Manor, and his heir Sir Henry Baskerville moves into claim the stately old home. Dr. James Mortimer is concerned about Henry, and called for the famous Sherlock Holmes and John Watson.

Sir Charles died with a look of horror on his face, but the death is ruled as heart failure with no obvious signs of foul play. There is a rumored curse over the Baskervilles and a huge dog with terrifying red eyes howls moodily over the moors.

Holmes is his usual brilliant self who sends Watson to do the legwork, and is sure to correct any faulty assumptions Watson might make.

To be honest, this is my second time through this story, and I was hoping that as a more mature person I might have a better appreciation for it than the last time I read it. This is by far the most popular of the Sherlock Holmes novels and I keep thinking there must be something wrong with me since everyone loves it except me. I have decided that I do not like the dynamic between Holmes and Watson. I keep thinking Watson should tell him to … well, never mind. I gave it an extra star than I did last time. Three stars for being a classic with excellent writing style. Zero stars for being interesting and likable.

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.

Well, I just felt sorry for the hound

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

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.

Creo, de las novelas cortas que leído de Sherlock Holmes, esta por ahora es mi favorita porque empieza con un elemento que parece bastante sobrenatural, con una maldición que implica a un sabueso del infierno que maya a ciertas personas de una familia muy importante.

Obviamente llaman a Sherlock y a Watson, que entonces conocen a los involucrados y a las personas a las que tendrían que defender de la supuesta maldición. Lo triste es que la historia se divide mucho porque Watson y Sherlock se van por caminos diferentes para abarcar más en la investigación. A pesar de eso, es interesante entender cómo Watson ve las cosas desde una perspectiva mientras que Sherlock las ve desde una más analítica. También es tierno leer cómo Watson piensa que está haciendo grandes avances cuando en realidad Sherlock lo supo casi todo desde el principio.

Si bien la resolución no es mi favorita porque claramente yo soy fan de lo sobrenatural y la causa real no lo era, sí que disfruté de esta novela corta.

I read this book when i was about 15 years old.I reread it many years ago and still love it the same.Mystery,terror and an invincible Sherlock Holmes.His mind is genial,all i can say is respect to Sherlock but most of all to the writer that created him.Congratulations Arthur Conan Doyle for creating one of the most memorable fictional heroes that have ever existed.I'm in awe!!!!!

The best Sherlock Holmes book so far!

كلب آل باسكرفيل كانت هي بوابة طفولتي وصباي الي عالم شيرلوك هولمز البدبع. لا زالت لهذه المغامرة مكانة خاصة في قلبي.

قرأءات الطفولة لها مذاق خاص وإحساس خاص يستمر معنا طويلا; أحيانا قد نفقد هذا الإحساس والشعور إذا أعدنا قراءتها مرة ثانية ونحن كبار
لذلك لن أعيد قراءتها

و لتبقى كلب آل باسكرفيل بإحساسي الطفولي بها قابعة في ذكرياتي للأبد

I am a big fan of any writer who is capable of creating powerful and memorable characters in literature. And Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is no exception. His work on other books may also be quality but it is Sherlock Holmes who will always be remembered. And for good reason. The man is brilliant, eccentric and also flawed in slight ways morally and ethically. He's intriguing, he's slightly dangerous, he's obsessive... Is there no adjective you cannot throw at the blended mix that is Holmes? If I were to put pen to paper and name the most interesting characters in literature Holmes would rate highly. And why is that? Because of the psychology of the character, because he's hard to nail down and because his exact nature is hard to determine. He remains an enigma.

But I digress from this Sherlock Holmes story. I've merely explained why I appreciate Holmes as a character. I very much enjoyed this novel although I must state that I do not believe it to be the greatest Sherlock Holmes adventure although it is the most renowned. It certainly does however feature all the hallmarks of a strong Sherlock story. These of course being: 1. A bizarre story, 2. various motives 3. various threads which do not seem connected and 4. A strong finish that ties it all together.

n   A bizarre story n

The Hound of the Baskervilles follows Holmes investigating the mysterious death of an extremely wealthy baronet Charles Baskerville. Supposedly killed by a hell hound from...well hell.

n  Various motivesn

Which of course leads us to question? Was it the butler - isn't it always the butler? Or was it a distant relative hungry for more money? Was it a psychopath? Was it a hell hound?

n  Story threadsn

Which leads to: what are the various stories of the major suspects? And how do the stories of non-suspects even fit into our bizarre case?

n  Finished with stylen

After much confusing subtext we reach the climax where the villain is revealed, the threads woven together and Sherlock Holmes smugly answering ever problem. Of course I saw many aspects of the conclusion before the end but I could not see how they properly fitted together.

I shall now have to read Sherlock Holmes Was Wrong: Reopening the Case of the Hound of the Baskervilles to see how this apparently closed case remains open. Because it seems apparent that the author has tied everything together. So if you enjoy Holmes stories and/or detective/crime fiction or classics try this on for size.

Після "Дикого полювання короля Стаха" Караткевіча (як "Собака Баскервілів", але посеред поліських боліт і з радянською класовою пропагандою) вирішила перечитати незабутній оригінал. Досі атмосферно і душевно, як в дитинстві, але в дитинстві ти ще не знаєш слів "токс" і "ред флег", а в дорослому віці вже так, і тому ця історія про неприкаяного ветерана війни, який не знає, куди прибитися в житті, й тому влипає в кодепендент лівінг ерренджемент з токсік руммейтом, який всіляко підточує йому самооцінку, читається трошки сумніше. Ну тобто Холмс літераллі всю дорогу такий: "ти, канєшно, тупенький, зате я на твоєму фоні огого": "It may be that you are not yourself luminous, but you are a conductor of light. Some people without possessing genius have a remarkable power of stimulating it. I confess, my dear fellow, that I am very much in your debt." Ватсоне, друже, тікай.