Reviews

The Hound of the Baskervilles & The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle

neverenoughhhh's review against another edition

4.0

4 stars for the Hound of the Baskervilles
3.5 stars for the Valley of Fear

hasseltkoffie's review against another edition

3.0

I sincerely believe this I'd enjoy these more without Sherlock. This character is insufferably obnoxious.

All in all I liked both stories, especially The Valley of Fear (the bits about the valley are really cool. The bits where Sherlock is bragging about his intellect not so much)

lewa's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

jujuwhales's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

rita0nthemoon's review against another edition

3.0

Only read the first story for class
It was okay, I guess, but less engaging than I was expecting

joshkolditz's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

nothingforpomegranted's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I remember reading a few Sherlock Holmes stories as a child, encouraged my dad who remembered loving them when he was a kid. I always appreciated and admired the clever detective, but I never got hooked. Recently, my husband and I have been ploughing our way through the TV adaptions, binging Sherlock and now more slowly watching Elementary, so when I discovered this copy of Conan Doyle’s most famous story in our local used bookstore, I had to pick it up. 

I completely understand why Sherlock Holmes has fascinated readers for so many generations. The clever, creative, calculating hero is exciting and inspiring, and these two stories highlight the surprises of crime and the intellectualism behind it all. I was actually a bit disappointed by how little Sherlock Holmes himself was involved in these two particular stories, but the writing was engaging as these fast paced plots intermingled with character study. 

I was surprised that I actually preferred “The Valley of Fear,” despite Holmes’ near-total absence. Conan Doyle’s talent for writing and for building a complicated story shone through, and I look forward to reading more Sherlock Holmes stories as I encounter them.  

momreads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This was hard to rate because there are two stories in the book.  The Hound of the Baskervilles I thoroughly enjoyed and found the mystery interesting.  The Valley of Fear had too much of the back story.  This was necessary for the overall Holmes and Moriarty conflict and there were some definite plot twists.  I prefer the stories that center on Holmes and his detective work.  

pulvi0phile's review against another edition

3.75

the hound of baskervilles was pretty good, but the valley of fear on the other hand....

halberdbooks's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I should note that I only read The Valley of Fear out of this volume, having read The Hound of the Baskervilles out of a different volume not long ago. Here again, Doyle has pulled the same trick he did in A Study in Scarlet -- the second half of the book is someone else's backstory that takes place in rural America. The two stories in this book are both very good (if the second one's politics are a little questionable), but it still is strange that out of four novels, only the second one features Holmes throughout the whole thing. You can tell the author didn't like the character, and yet he continues to shine on the page.