Hound of the Baskervilles,The: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery

Written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Narrated by Gene Engene

"The last red streaks had faded away in the west and night settled upon the moor. A few faint stars were gleaming in a violet sky. Watson and I gazed out over the shadowy moor, half silver and half gloom. A distant howl arose from the shadowy depths, menacing, almost musical, rising and falling like the low constant murmur of the sea, the hound!" Complete and unabridged, in its original serial format from THE STRAND MAGAZINE, The Hound of the Baskervilles is a superb audiobook. It remains one of Arthur Conan Doyle's most popular works.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Books in Motion
• Release date: Dec 11, 2014
• ISBN: 9781614536819

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) was a Scottish author best known for his classic detective fiction, although he wrote in many other genres including dramatic work, plays, and poetry. He began writing stories while studying medicine and published his first story in 1887. His Sherlock Holmes character is one of the most popular inventions of English literature, and has inspired films, stage adaptions, and literary adaptations for over 100 years.

Reviews for Hound of the Baskervilles,The

[robert.zimmermann · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

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.

[hermit_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sherlock Holmes and the ever present Dr. Watson are brought in to investigate the untimely death of Sir Charles Baskerville where his body was found on the Devon moorland with the footprints of a giant hound nearby and a look of horror frozen on his face. The presumed blame for his death is placed on a family curse by the new baronet. This Gothic mystery novel of a murder will take all of Holmes brain power to solve. He must work within the framework of the family's dark legend of the moors and their fears that this legend will continue. These courageous sleuths have all their skills tested as they try to discover the truth. And we follow them as the plot takes us on a dark mysterious ride with surprising twist.

[she_climber · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As a lover of mysteries and thrillers I felt this was required reading. The powers of deduction are simply amazing! Great full length story for Holmes with an added bonus of the short story, "The Adventure of the Dancing Men" at the end.

[jthierer_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A classic of the mystery genre. Sherlock Holmes and his faithful assistant are called in to investigate a seemingly supernatural hound haunting the Baskerville family. The mystery is satisfyingly creepy, without becoming ridiculous or unbelievable. I would complain about the notes in the Penguin Classic edition, though. People who have never read the story before should be careful not to read the notes, as several of them reveal important plot points.

[gbill_7 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A classic. "The Hound" does not have the most intricate plot, but it's tight and mostly believable. The imagery is striking and for me really takes the book up to a higher rating: I enjoyed the descriptions of the dark and foggy moors, the phantom hound baying, and the butler's creepy doings in the night - all of which created a very distinctive tone. Along with these types of elements, Holmes and his sidekick Watson have spawned so much of what we see today in books, TV, and film.Favorite quote:"My body has remained in this armchair, and has, I regret to observe, consumed in my absence two large pots of coffee and an incredible amouont of tobacco."The short story "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" was also included in this edition, and I was very surprised to read that Doyle considered it his best Holmes story. The setup is intriguing but the conclusion is far too contrived.

[donghoonpx2014 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Really good books with a lot of suspense, mystery. But as you read this book, you "might" don't like Holmes because he is very arrogant to Watson. I think everybody should read this mystery book

[csweder · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Perhaps the most interesting part of this book was the absence of Holmes himself. It's been a long time since I've read a Holmes story--and so I had forgotten that, in actuality, the story is told by Watson, Holmes' trusty sidekick.

I think that I have read this book before (but so long ago in high school it is hard to remember...), so when I guessed correctly who the killer was, I wasn't too shocked.

All in all, this was a good book to read bit by bit (emailed daily to me by DailyLit.com--check it out), but I don't think it would be one that I would want to take and read on my own. Good stuff.

[benuathanasia · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

My least favorite (so far) of Doyle's works. It seems a bit more forced than the other stories. I believe it may have been padded to create something more significant than his short stories.

[sturlington_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A demonic hound is terrorizing the Baskerville family.I have to admit that the first thing I thought upon finishing this book was: "I would have gotten away with it first if it hadn't been for that meddling detective!" To be fair, Conan Doyle long preceded Scooby-Doo, and the writing is much better. But in terms of plot, they certainly could be kissing cousins.I remember reading a lot of Sherlock Holmes as a kid, although I don't remember which stories I read, or if this famous novel was among them. I have the Puffin Classics edition, and I think this novel, and Sherlock Holmes in general, holds up well for young readers. Conan Doyle's writing is clean, straightforward, and evocative. I particularly enjoyed his descriptions of the moors in this book--they came across as both beautiful and menacing. I was glad to revisit Sherlock Holmes. After seeing so many televised and film adaptations, we can lose sight of the original work and forget that it's also worth reading in its own right.This story was inspired by the legend of ghostly black dogs in Dartmoor. Its appearance was regarded as a portent of death.Revisiting children's classics (2014). I also read this as part of the MysteryCAT challenge for March 2014: children's mysteries.

[sedelia_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I first read this book sometime in elementary school, and I'm not going to say exactly how long it's been since then, but suffice to say that I don't really remember the story all that well. It's been on my "need to read again" list for quite awhile, and then my sister got me hooked on the show Sherlock (you guys, SO GOOD!), and after watching their modern rendition of the story, I felt the need to go back to the original.The Hound of the Baskervilles is probably one of the best known Sherlock Holmes novels. It's about a man who has just become the heir to the Baskerville estate; the only thing is, the Baskerville family is cursed to die from a hellhound that comes out at night. And Sir Charles, the man's predecessor, seems to have died from that very hound.There's a reason why the Sherlock Holmes stories have been adapted -- and is currently being adapted -- into movies, TV shows, and other novels: it's just good fun. The Hound of the Baskervilles is a standard Holmes mystery and doesn't contain any real surprises or material that can't be found in his other stories. However, as one of the longer stories, there is much more time to fully develop the characters and intrigues, which is nice. I always love seeing the relationship between Watson and Holmes. Also, I think that this story has some of the more interesting side characters that I've found in Doyle's works.The characters are familiar and loveable, especially Watson. God, do I love Watson. In this particular novel, there are so many surprises, I was thoroughly entertained from beginning to end. It's also nice to read from one of the authors who has inspired today's detective genre. I will say, however, that the novel has a fairly direct solution to the mystery (not nearly as complicated, or unfortunately, as intriguing, as Sherlock's rendition). But overall, I enjoyed reading this story and think that any Sherlock Holmes or detective mystery fan will like it just as much.

[ianigsy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of those books which gets better every time you re-read it and let the atmosphere work on you. A good critical edition is a must and brings out some of the more interesting ideas, such as Conan Doyle's use of the Hound as a metaphor for hereditary disease.

[tess_schoolmarm · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was the first "Sherlock Holmes" book that I had ever read. It was very good and interesting; quick and witty dialogue fast-paced, etc. My only complaint was that it did begin to drag near the end. I will definitely read another of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's detective stories!

[yv21 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a great book by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A great powerful and intense story of bravey and intelligence. After Sir Hugo Baskerville and Charles Baskerville died only Sir Henry was left. Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes were on the case met by honesy and betrayal and probably most of all suspicion.

[dverdecia-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is a classic. When you look at all the other reviews of it out there I wonder, what can I add? I think that out of all of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries this would have to be the best one. At least, in my eyes the most popular. I highly recommend this book.

[niquetteb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sherlock Holmes mystery taking place in England, told by his accomplice, Dr. Watson. It has a rather slow beginning, but the end makes up for it with suspense and action.

[debnance_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a book I never expected to like. I have to admit that I sometimes get lost in books with complicated plot lines. My perception of this book was that it might be overly dramatic. I sometimes find books regarded as classics as intimidating. I was very worried that I might get lost in the plot or that the story might be overly dramatic or that I might find the text to be intimidating.I’m happy to report that none of these things happened. I found this book to be one of the best books I’ve read. The plot is clever and unexpected, but easy to follow. The characters are dramatic but also witty and funny. And the text was surprisingly easy to read. Add another tally mark for me for Classics I’ve Read and Loved.

[enamoredsoul_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Reading Sherlock Holmes in an edited version as part of your fifth grade curriculum is probably not the best introduction to the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - however, my initiation into the world of Sherlock Holmes was through the story of the Hound of the Baskervilles. And once I got into this world, I could never extract myself. The story starts with the calling of Sherlock Holmes to investigate the death of a Charles Baskerville, whose fortune is being inherited by a Henry Baskervilles, whose life is also in danger, according to Holmes upon investigation. The twist in the story comes with the family history including the legend of a supernatural "Hound" that has haunted the moors, and the Baskervilles, due to an ancestors cruelty. Holmes and Watson work together to solve the mystery, as you well know, neither believes in the supernatural. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's genius lay not only in the forensics that he brought into play in his tales, or merely the mystery and the thrills his stories entail, but also in characterization. He had a knack of creating characters that you could visually, and then set them in scenarios and locations just as vivid as the characters themselves. That, therein, is what made The Hound of the Baskervilles such an interesting read for me.

[bookmarque · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Features Holmes of course, but a fair amount of the actual "screen time" belongs to Watson. Sent to Dartmoor to protect the heir, Henry Baskerville, Watson contributes to the solving of the case with regular reports and updates in his diary. There are some things that happen as part of the solution that should have been obvious to Watson. Hasn't he been hanging around with Holmes long enough to know what the man's like? And of course a seemingly innocent party is the guilty one of course. It would take a far less jaded eye than mine not to have spotted it, but of course no one in the story does except Holmes, which is par for the course. All in all a satisfying romp through Holmes's world.

[shoo9139 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

this astonishing book is about a myth of a hound that kills but a mean and sellfish person named Jack made it come true. Everyone in Baskerville Hall is scared to look for the hound and see what they would find, whether the sight isd too scary for them and they don't want to say anything or the hound eats them alive. Sherlock Holes and Mr. watson came from scottland so that they could find out who is holding the hound and how it only kills at night. when they find out that Sir Henry is comming to inherit what his fatyher left, like Baskerville Hall, Sherlock holmes looks through his years of life, and finds out that he has another brother and the girl he wants to get engaged to is actually his so called brothers wife, even though they pretended that they were brother and sister. so that is why jack wants to kill Sir Henry, because Jack would be next to inherit all of his fathers fortunes.

[bassocantor · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"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).

[michaeldwebb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If you look at the rest of my library you'll notice a distinct lack of classics. I read more of these when I was younger, but haven't recently. Why now? Because I read it as an eBook on my iPhone - Classics application - a few pence for a bundle of books. And it really was readable. Best thing was I could read in the dark (ie at night) with no problem.Anyway, on to the book. I've not read any Sherlock Holmes before, and, luckily, had somehow avoided catching it on TV etc, so didn't know the ending. Lets face it, some classics can feel a little, you know, worthy (?) now, but this was just thoroughly enjoyable, perfectly readable, could have been written an time. OK, the characters aren't deep, but they are deep enough for a mystery story, the setting is great, and the twists and turns still work well today. Kept me gripped to the end.

[capiam1234 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was my first Sherlock Holmes story and I ended up enjoying reading this even though. Had to restart it after halfway through. I apparently read through too fast and got lost in the story and felt that to better appreciate what we have been given in this masterful mystery. I felt that this decision helped establish the characters better and helped me figure out some of the mystery before it came upon us. I'll definitely be reading more, probably starting at book one for a change.

[m.belljackson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Though the incredible cruelty to a dog gets totally ignored in this frightening tale,we get most of the clues and so can make more predictions than in previous short novels.The mystery is a complicated one, not the least of it is why Dr. Watson did not follow Sherlock'sexplicit instructions to never leave the baron alone. One other remaining mystery - since neither he, nor his body, were ever found, where is the final proof that the murderer is dead?

[melydia_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've read a fair number of Sherlock Holmes mysteries, but this was the first novel-length one I've picked up. Holmes is called in to get to the bottom of the death of a man connected to a family legend of a hellhound. Holmes and Watson of course do not believe in the supernatural, and their methodical tying up of all the loose threads is fascinating, particularly considering this was written in a time before fingerprinting and DNA evidence. I suppose there are those who do not enjoy having every single minute detail explained, but to me that's what delights me most about Holmes stories: he loves to explain how he came to every single one of his seemingly random deductions. I especially like Holmes's childlike enthusiasm when faced with a challenge: the more difficult it is, the more he enjoys himself. Perhaps the most memorable aspect of this story, however, is how much of it is solved by Watson on his own. Evidently his many years as Holmes's companion have rubbed off on him. My husband has a huge tome o' Holmes on our bookshelf; I may have to read more of it.

[missteacher_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A fairly enjoyable tale, but not at all what I expected. This was my first experience with Sherlock Holmes, and I must say I was just a bit put off by it. Holmes has a cocky, uber-intelligent manner of solving mysteries, which would be great if we got to share in the fun. Give me all the details...all the little things I should have noticed about a person's demeanor or dress, and then let me be blow away when Holmes points out all the clues I glazed over in the first. Don't go ahead and loudly boast about what you've found without giving the reader the thrill of the hunt as well! I want a chance to be stupefied by Holmes! I want to say, "Ah! I completely missed that!", not, "Oh, well, how would I have known anyway?" Is it the age or style that leaves out this thread of audience participation? I do admit, I'm very new to the mystery genre, so maybe I've just grown accustomed to the subtle sleights-of-hand in the more modern works. I will give Doyle and Holmes another shot at some point...it just won't be anytime soon.

[novimarra · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story begins at Sherlock Holmes' place, where he's joined by his friend Dr. Watson. The two are naturally in the middle of investigating a stranger's walking stick, accidentally left at Holmes' house. The stick, it turns out, belongs to a Dr. Mortimer, who is asking the two for help with a manuscript documenting the Curse of the Baskervilles. And so it begins, in a 19th-century smoke-filled room, as Sherlock meditates on the strange, morbid occurrences that have plagued the Baskerville family for generations. And you, reader, if I still have your attention, will soon become another detective, unlocking the mysterious past of these sad characters trapped in the gloom of the moor.Needless to say, this story of Mr. Baskerville's eerie family legacy is a classic for a reason. I liked it just as I had expected to like it, knowing I'm not so crazy about detective novels, and yet that I love a good gothic atmosphere and interesting tale of death, evil and melancholy. Definitely worth a read for the beautiful language and atmosphere.

[thebookmagpie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

There is nothing that needs said about this that has not already been said.

Although sometimes I wish that Holmes would be a TOUCH nicer to Watson?

[amyelizabeth_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was the first Sherlock Holmes novel I've ever read, even though I have had The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes sitting on my bookshelf since middle school or earlier (I got it with a 2 for $1 deal at Walmart). I like to read a series in its entirety and in order, and it was frustrating to me to not know which came first and what else there was; but then I realized that I was going to have to let it go and just enjoy what was in front of me (especially if I was going to finish it in time for the book club next week).This, I believe, was a great introduction to the world of Sherlock Holmes. We all know of Holmes, through TV, movies, stories, etc. And really, he lived up to all of my expectations. I can't really say that his character surprised me in any way, because he's been so well-defined in other media. Which, in this case, is a good thing.The Hound of the Baskervilles is the only full-length Holmes novel, and it is definitely an adventure. From London to the moors of Devonshire, the reader is kept interested by Dr. Watson's account and interest in the neighbors of the haunted and cursed Baskervilles.Legend has it that Hugo Baskerville was a villainous man, and his evil deeds led to the creation of a very real demon from Hell, which hunted him down and killed him, with the threat/promise of killing the rest of his family for generations to come to atone for his misdeeds. And it seems that this curse is real, because many years later his descendant, Sir Charles Baskerville, is chased down and killed, the only evidence being a single footprint of a hound near the body. The last living relative, therefore, must come to live at Baskerville Hall, but not before enlisting the services of the one and only Sherlock Holmes.Will Holmes solve the mystery in time, or is there really a supernatural demon loose that cannot be stopped until vengeance is had? I was kept intrigued throughout the creepy and mysterious chapters, but not freaked out enough that I had to sleep with the lights on, which is a good combination for me. So, if you like a good mystery but don't like being scared silly, I highly recommend you read The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. 4 out of 5 stars.

[lgandt · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Actually now having "read" it, after having seen so many film versions. I had little trouble "seeing" it all happen.

[ben_a_11 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love all Holmes, and this story is perhaps the finest. those dark hours when the powers of evil are exalted