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hollyinthehumanities's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
sheepscuit's review against another edition
4.0
Fantastic 2nd book. Funnier and more open with the humour but most of the book was a single story/plotline around the hound of the Baskerville, which made the whole book more fluid and enjoyable
qalminator's review against another edition
4.0
Loving the second at least as much as the first.
The Adventure of the Blackened Beryls - Parodies The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet, remaining surprisingly faithful in certain details, while completely altering others. Oh, and,. I love that the only response of Watson's visitor, upon discovering an apparent corpse in Watson's apartment, is to tell him that he really needs a private house or estate for that sort of thing.
Silver Blaze: Murder Horse Starts off sounding like it's going to stay very true to the original Silver Blaze (other than the minor detail that Holmes summons all the evidence and witnesses into his and Watson's apartment, much to Watson's annoyance), then turns a bit... strange. Also, there is a demon called something pronounced like "retcon" (as I'm listening to the audio, I can't vouch for how it's spelled in-text). Turns out, it's very dangerous to use this demon's abilities.... hmm... imagine that.
The Reigateway to Another World - Runs with the obviously guilty party from The Adventure of the Reigate Squire, only it's about opening a gate to let demons in, motivated purely by how boring it is in Surrey.
The Adventure of the Solitary Tricyclist - Rather hilarious take on the original, where the bicycling woman eventually has 5 people on tricylces following her on her route. I think I laughed the hardest when the "words" from the priest were revealed:
it was a forced race, not a force marriage! There's also something that reminded me of the formula from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, used by a defrocked priest to, er, create "angels" (though his definition of angel does not appear to match anyone else's).
The Hell-hound of the Baskervilles Very enjoyable alternate version. It starts off much the same as the original (though the cane and boot disappeared in odder ways), diverges to give some background on Warlock Holmes, and concludes with almost the same guilty party (though his true identity is different this time). I think my favorite detail was Watson taking potshots at the will-o-the-wisps and wounding the butler in the process (as one of them was not, in fact a will-o-the-wisp).
The Adventure of the Blackened Beryls - Parodies The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet, remaining surprisingly faithful in certain details, while completely altering others. Oh, and,
Spoiler
Holmes is somewhat more alive at the end, having consumed all the magic in the coronetSilver Blaze: Murder Horse Starts off sounding like it's going to stay very true to the original Silver Blaze (other than the minor detail that Holmes summons all the evidence and witnesses into his and Watson's apartment, much to Watson's annoyance), then turns a bit... strange. Also, there is a demon called something pronounced like "retcon" (as I'm listening to the audio, I can't vouch for how it's spelled in-text). Turns out, it's very dangerous to use this demon's abilities.... hmm... imagine that.
The Reigateway to Another World - Runs with the obviously guilty party from The Adventure of the Reigate Squire, only it's about opening a gate to let demons in, motivated purely by how boring it is in Surrey.
The Adventure of the Solitary Tricyclist - Rather hilarious take on the original, where the bicycling woman eventually has 5 people on tricylces following her on her route. I think I laughed the hardest when the "words" from the priest were revealed:
Spoiler
"On your marks, get set...":it was a forced race, not a force marriage!
The Hell-hound of the Baskervilles Very enjoyable alternate version. It starts off much the same as the original (though the cane and boot disappeared in odder ways), diverges to give some background on Warlock Holmes, and concludes with almost the same guilty party (though his true identity is different this time). I think my favorite detail was Watson taking potshots at the will-o-the-wisps and wounding the butler in the process (as one of them was not, in fact a will-o-the-wisp).
phillyhufflepunk's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.5
bookish_whispers's review against another edition
5.0
The Hell-hound of the Baskervilles takes place not long after the first book, A Study in Brimstone, ends, and I've been waiting since then to get my hands on this book! Unlike the first book the main story takes place at the end. Believe me it's worth the wait. The short stories that G.S. Denning chose were ones I haven't read in years. In fact most I haven't read more than once.
This book is everything I loved about the first book, and more. Watson has always been my favorite of the duo, and G.S. Denning writes one of my favorite versions of Dr. John Watson. So I loved that he got the first story all to himself. However, it wasn't my favorite my story. That goes to the The Adventure of the Solitary Tricyclist. It was seriously adorable and I love Grogsson. He's so precious.
So what did I love about this book?
Well I love the paranormal take on Sherlock Holmes, in fact I'm a sucker for it. Add in the comedy and I'll just throw my money at you. However, what I adore about this book is Warlock himself. I love the bumbling and confused Detective of Baker Street. I love how Watson has to constantly remind Warlock how to do things like a mortal and stop having demons toss dead horses into their living room. Also, we finally get to see how Warlock Holmes became the, well, warlock that he is.
Warlock's backstory comes at the end of the book the Hell-hound of the Baskervilles, and it was wonderful. The original version is my favorite of all the Sherlock Holmes stories, because it was the first I ever read. And I loved G.S. Denning's version of that story. It had everything I loved about the original, plus so much more.
Another thing I love is the humor in this book. Waston's narrative is always fun and full of sass. I love the back and forth between Warlock and Watson, how comfortable they are with each other. But, what I liked the most was how much Watson had grown into the paranormal world since the first book. While he's still uncomfortable with most of it, he's started taking some of it with stride. Not much had changed with Warlock, except for the missing bits, but that was okay. I like Warlock the way he is. Strange and unusual.
Honestly, there wasn't much I didn't like about the The Hell-hound of the Baskervilles. The stories all flowed well together. Each happening not long after the other, and I felt like each one flowed without pause. I think my biggest upset was the fact I have to wait a while for the third book, but I'm super excited. There might be more Moriarty in the next one!
P.S. I love that the book is orange!
Buy, Borrow, and Skip: Buy! Buy them both! Read them and love them and then share them with all your friends!
This and other bookish things can be found at my blog, Bookish Whisperst!
This book is everything I loved about the first book, and more. Watson has always been my favorite of the duo, and G.S. Denning writes one of my favorite versions of Dr. John Watson. So I loved that he got the first story all to himself. However, it wasn't my favorite my story. That goes to the The Adventure of the Solitary Tricyclist. It was seriously adorable and I love Grogsson. He's so precious.
So what did I love about this book?
Well I love the paranormal take on Sherlock Holmes, in fact I'm a sucker for it. Add in the comedy and I'll just throw my money at you. However, what I adore about this book is Warlock himself. I love the bumbling and confused Detective of Baker Street. I love how Watson has to constantly remind Warlock how to do things like a mortal and stop having demons toss dead horses into their living room. Also, we finally get to see how Warlock Holmes became the, well, warlock that he is.
Warlock's backstory comes at the end of the book the Hell-hound of the Baskervilles, and it was wonderful. The original version is my favorite of all the Sherlock Holmes stories, because it was the first I ever read. And I loved G.S. Denning's version of that story. It had everything I loved about the original, plus so much more.
Another thing I love is the humor in this book. Waston's narrative is always fun and full of sass. I love the back and forth between Warlock and Watson, how comfortable they are with each other. But, what I liked the most was how much Watson had grown into the paranormal world since the first book. While he's still uncomfortable with most of it, he's started taking some of it with stride. Not much had changed with Warlock, except for the missing bits, but that was okay. I like Warlock the way he is. Strange and unusual.
Honestly, there wasn't much I didn't like about the The Hell-hound of the Baskervilles. The stories all flowed well together. Each happening not long after the other, and I felt like each one flowed without pause. I think my biggest upset was the fact I have to wait a while for the third book, but I'm super excited. There might be more Moriarty in the next one!
P.S. I love that the book is orange!
Buy, Borrow, and Skip: Buy! Buy them both! Read them and love them and then share them with all your friends!
This and other bookish things can be found at my blog, Bookish Whisperst!
jscarpa14's review against another edition
4.0
This begins about a month after the first book ends, with Holmes as a breathing corpse, having been murdered by Watson in an attempt to stop Moriarty, then in control of Holmes's body from conquering the world. In the beginning, it's episodic, much like the first novel with short cases that chronicle Holmes's return to life and subsequent recovery. It shares the same ridiculous humor of the previous novel where the characters are often beyond ludicrous and I honestly expected to give it a similar rating and review to that which I gave the first title in the series.
Then it begins the tale for which the book is titled, The Hellhound of the Baskervilles. This story encompasses at least the latter half of the book, if not a little bit more than that, and is considerably longer than any other tale within the story. It's also so much more than the tales previously told of Warlock Holmes adventures with this version of Doctor John Watson. The tale tells of Holmes's real origins and I believe, though I'm not certain, gives an insight as to Moriarty's first life, before he began body jumping as he is when introduced in this series. What concerned me a bit is that when he appeared in this story, he's depicted as Scottish by the narrator, at least in the accent used and he had an English accent in the first novel. I certainly hope this is addressed in future titles as the end of this novel hints that this isn't the last that we've seen of Holmes's main traditional villain even if he's not the least traditional in this portrayal of the character.
The bulk story of this book does have a bit of the humor that characterizes the series, but it is more engrossing with more of an air of danger than any previously told tale of Denning's imaginings of these characters. This brings out the mystery, magic, and page-turning excitement that isn't a big part of the previous stories and it really shines as a part of the series. I hope this writing style shown in the latter half of the book continues in future titles because it far outshines the series opener. Learning of Holmes's origins in this version of him was absolutely enthralling and I can't wait to learn more of Warlock Holmes's long history.
While the series opener is kind of lukewarm title for me, this second installment is one that I'd highly recommend and I'm looking forward to future titles in the series.
Then it begins the tale for which the book is titled, The Hellhound of the Baskervilles. This story encompasses at least the latter half of the book, if not a little bit more than that, and is considerably longer than any other tale within the story. It's also so much more than the tales previously told of Warlock Holmes adventures with this version of Doctor John Watson. The tale tells of Holmes's real origins and I believe, though I'm not certain, gives an insight as to Moriarty's first life, before he began body jumping as he is when introduced in this series. What concerned me a bit is that when he appeared in this story, he's depicted as Scottish by the narrator, at least in the accent used and he had an English accent in the first novel. I certainly hope this is addressed in future titles as the end of this novel hints that this isn't the last that we've seen of Holmes's main traditional villain even if he's not the least traditional in this portrayal of the character.
The bulk story of this book does have a bit of the humor that characterizes the series, but it is more engrossing with more of an air of danger than any previously told tale of Denning's imaginings of these characters. This brings out the mystery, magic, and page-turning excitement that isn't a big part of the previous stories and it really shines as a part of the series. I hope this writing style shown in the latter half of the book continues in future titles because it far outshines the series opener. Learning of Holmes's origins in this version of him was absolutely enthralling and I can't wait to learn more of Warlock Holmes's long history.
While the series opener is kind of lukewarm title for me, this second installment is one that I'd highly recommend and I'm looking forward to future titles in the series.
tetiana's review
4.0
I came to laugh at a clever Sherlock Holmes riff, and here I am, finishing the second book in a series with surprising emotional heft. The final act made me cry. And yeah, I readily admit I cry easily, but I’ve been feeling rather numb lately (for obvious reasons), and this book managed to lance the emotional tension I didn’t realize I was holding.
Really good.
Really good.
cardaisy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Misogyny, Racism, and Classism
sir_meowsalot's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0