samtherat17's reviews
158 reviews

The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Honestly, I'm quite surprised that this novel doesn't seem to be rated that highly by readers. I personally think that it's a masterpiece. Conan Doyle uses a similar technique to A Study In Scarlet, going back to provide the background to the main case, and to be honest, I think that the flashback part might be my favourite segment of any Sherlock story. I know, it's a pretty bold take, but that's just how I feel about it. The atmosphere of the 'Valley of Fear' is true to its name, and the tale of McMurdo is riveting. And of course, the final twist. What a mic drop moment, man.
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

A classic mystery novel for a reason. The narrative of Dr Watson is something pretty unique for a Sherlock story, as Holmes's absence allows for Conan Doyle to take a completely different route. The setting of the moor is also probably one of the best locations in a mystery thriller, and the author describes it beautifully and masterfully builds a threatening and creepy atmosphere. And of course, the resolution to the case is thrilling as always.
A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

A brilliant introduction to a character who is a detective fiction behemoth. The mystery is thrilling, and the while the switch to the other narrative does break the pace a little bit, it is still masterfully written, and the unraveling of the case is absolutely mind-blowing to read. Some of the Mormon stuff is a product of its time, though.
The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Probably the worst of the Sherlock novels, but still quite entertaining. It is definitely a product of its time and contains a fair amount of racism, but ignoring that, it is an engaging mystery. Although, the explanation at the end does stretch a bit too long.
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

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

4.5

A stellar collection, but I still prefer Adventures. Some of the stories just narrate an incident instead of an actual case, which is fine, but not exactly what I want coming into a Sherlock story.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I think if I was to recommend one Sherlock short story collection, it would be this one. It has some of his most iconic mysteries, and almost all of the stories are smash-hits for me.
The Lesser Devil by Christopher Ruocchio

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adventurous tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I found The Lesser Devil to be an entertaining novella, and the plot and battle scenes were engaging. Crispin’s character arc was also pretty good, but I felt like there were some clichés such as the
big battle speech
which sees the character come into his own. Apart from that though, it was really cool to see
Kyra
make a return and it was also nice to see how Crispin talked about Hadrian. The Catholic stuff was alright, I guess. I didn’t really care for it. The final act
on the ship
was epic, though.

So yeah, that’s about it I guess. This wasn’t at the level of the main Sun Eater series, and the prose was noticeably less flowery, but I think that it was still quality and definitely worth a read.
Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie

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

4.0

A pretty great Poirot mystery. Agatha Christie somehow made 5 people telling the same story after 16 years seem really interesting, and the trademark 'final meeting' was absolutely riveting. 
Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

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mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

A fairly decent Poirot whodunnit, but a little underwhelming considering the amount of praise it seems to have got. The first half or so was a bit hard to get through because it’s mainly just very slow paced character introduction and development, and to be honest I don’t think the slow burn really paid off, because I felt that while the final reveal was supposed to be shocking, it didn’t really land for me. Still though, a very cleverly concocted mystery by Agatha Christie—I guess that reading some of the most highly regarded Poirot novels first set my expectations too high.
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

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

5.0

A masterpiece in every sense of the word. It takes a lot to think about a genius concept such as this, and it takes even more to execute it in such a moving manner. One of best classics I have ever read, would genuinely recommend everyone who hasn't read it yet to give it a try. This is a type of book which can change your entire view of life, and leave you sobbing uncontrollably in the process.