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A review by john01meyer
The Greatest Adventures of Sherlock Homes by Arthur Conan Doyle
5.0
Brilliant stuff. This collection contains almost the entire canon, missing only The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes (an anthology of twelve more stories composed near the end of Doyle's life). I recommend checking out the stories in that collection as well, particularly "The Illustrious Client" and "The Lion's Mane," both of which were favorites of Doyle himself. But on to the actual stories contained in this collection.
This is quite the collection. If you're looking for a complete review of all four novels and 44 short stories, this isn't it. But if you're looking to discover the best of the best of Holmes stories, then you've come to the right place.
Of the novels, The Hound of the Baskervilles is far and away my favorite. If you read one and only one Holmes story, let it be this one. Sign of the Four is also quite good, and A Study in Scarlet is iconic for its introduction of the main characters, but The Hound of the Baskervilles surpasses them all. I'll keep details to a minimum and just say that its atmosphere is tense, its characters intriguing and suspicious, and its ending surprising.
In the collection The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes the best stories are: (1) "The Red-Headed League" (really love this one), (2) "The Man with the Twisted Lip," (3) "The Speckled Band," and (4) "The Copper Beeches." As the first anthology of short stories, they make a pretty good place to get started with Holmes.
In the collection The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes the best stories are: (1) "Silver Blaze," (2) "The Gloria Scott," (3) "The Reigate Squire," (4) "The Greek Interpreter," (5) "The Naval Treaty," and (6) "The Final Problem." As the title suggests, these stories follow Holmes' perspective in the mysteries a little more closely than the previous anthology, in some cases being told entirely from his perspective as he recounts the mysteries to Watson. If you're fresh off of watching the BBC series, I think you'll find this collection the most interesting. It includes Holmes' first ever mystery ("The Gloria Scott") and it introduces Mycroft's character ("The Greek Interpreter").
In the collection The Return of Sherlock Holmes the best stories are: (1) The Dancing Men , (2) Charles Augustus Milverton, (3) The Six Napoleons, (4) The Golden Pince-Nez, (5) The Abbey Grange, and (6) The Second Stain. These stories are at the very top of my list of favorite short stories, because these stories are Doyle at his most unpredictable and brilliant.
In the collection His Last Bow the best stories are: (1) Wisteria Lodge, (2) The Bruce-Partington Plans, (3) The Dying Detective, (4) The Devil's Foot, and (5) His Last Bow. This collection is also interesting if you're fresh off the BBC series.
We owe a great debt to Doyle for popularizing and solidifying the mystery genre. Other mystery writers have moved on from the base that Doyle helped create in order to come up with new, brilliantly innovative stories of their own. And there are some inconsistencies, especially with Holmes and Watson's characters. Still, there is something ingenious about Doyle's stories and characters that keeps people coming back for more.
This is quite the collection. If you're looking for a complete review of all four novels and 44 short stories, this isn't it. But if you're looking to discover the best of the best of Holmes stories, then you've come to the right place.
Of the novels, The Hound of the Baskervilles is far and away my favorite. If you read one and only one Holmes story, let it be this one. Sign of the Four is also quite good, and A Study in Scarlet is iconic for its introduction of the main characters, but The Hound of the Baskervilles surpasses them all. I'll keep details to a minimum and just say that its atmosphere is tense, its characters intriguing and suspicious, and its ending surprising.
In the collection The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes the best stories are: (1) "The Red-Headed League" (really love this one), (2) "The Man with the Twisted Lip," (3) "The Speckled Band," and (4) "The Copper Beeches." As the first anthology of short stories, they make a pretty good place to get started with Holmes.
In the collection The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes the best stories are: (1) "Silver Blaze," (2) "The Gloria Scott," (3) "The Reigate Squire," (4) "The Greek Interpreter," (5) "The Naval Treaty," and (6) "The Final Problem." As the title suggests, these stories follow Holmes' perspective in the mysteries a little more closely than the previous anthology, in some cases being told entirely from his perspective as he recounts the mysteries to Watson. If you're fresh off of watching the BBC series, I think you'll find this collection the most interesting. It includes Holmes' first ever mystery ("The Gloria Scott") and it introduces Mycroft's character ("The Greek Interpreter").
In the collection The Return of Sherlock Holmes the best stories are: (1) The Dancing Men , (2) Charles Augustus Milverton, (3) The Six Napoleons, (4) The Golden Pince-Nez, (5) The Abbey Grange, and (6) The Second Stain. These stories are at the very top of my list of favorite short stories, because these stories are Doyle at his most unpredictable and brilliant.
In the collection His Last Bow the best stories are: (1) Wisteria Lodge, (2) The Bruce-Partington Plans, (3) The Dying Detective, (4) The Devil's Foot, and (5) His Last Bow. This collection is also interesting if you're fresh off the BBC series.
We owe a great debt to Doyle for popularizing and solidifying the mystery genre. Other mystery writers have moved on from the base that Doyle helped create in order to come up with new, brilliantly innovative stories of their own. And there are some inconsistencies, especially with Holmes and Watson's characters. Still, there is something ingenious about Doyle's stories and characters that keeps people coming back for more.