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    The Hound of the Baskervilles
    The Hound of the Baskervilles
    The Hound of the Baskervilles
    Audiobook2 hours

    The Hound of the Baskervilles

    Written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Richard Dinnick

    Narrated by Nicholas Briggs and Richard Earl

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Young Dr Mortimer ventures from Devonshire to Baker Street, with news of the death of his friend, Sir Charles Baskerville. Can it really be that the grisly legend of the Hound of the Baskervilles might have something to do with the case?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBig Finish Productions
    Release dateDec 1, 2011
    ISBN9781785753770
    Author

    Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

    Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930) was a Scottish writer and physician, most famous for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes and long-suffering sidekick Dr Watson. Conan Doyle was a prolific writer whose other works include fantasy and science fiction stories, plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction and historical novels.

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    Reviews for The Hound of the Baskervilles

    4/5

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    • 4/5
      A Sherlock Holmes classic. Spooky things are happening on the moors surrouding and old estate. Is it a family curse, a ghost, or something a bit more earthly? Has the charm of a Victorian mystery novel.
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 3/5
      I read this book aloud to my 12-year-old son. We both found the language difficult. Still worthwhile.
    • 4/5
      Hound is pure Gothic goodness, with the moors, and mysterious lights, and noises, and danger everywhere. When people talk about life having passed at a slower pace in the past, they could have been talking about this book. A doctor comes to see Holmes about his concern, and over a few days of meetings over meals and slow chases, we get the set-up. Then Watson sets off for an extended stay with the new baronet. The two of them potter about in the country going on lots of long walks and being creeped out half the time. Eventually all is resolved, but apparently Watson doesn't get the final story from Holmes until much later. Leisurely. Plenty of time for Baskerville to fall in love in a non-ridiculous sort of way.

      A fun read, with lots of red herrings strewn about.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      audiobook from the library - The narrator of this book was SO difficult to listen to, but I made it through. The only thing more painful than his 1930s British high society accent was his fake 1930s American/Canadian accent. The story itself was good, but of course I more or less knew the plot already (thank you, Wishbone)
    • 5/5
      A great classic! I had to read it over a few times to understand the old English but otherwise it was excellent!
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Hound of the Baskervilles" far more as a story than as a mystery. Holmes investigates a family legend about a murderous hound in this case.I found the mystery fairly easy to figure out.... most of the plot twists and turns were not a surprise (perhaps I've just read too many Sherlock Holmes cases to be surprised any more.) That said, having a good idea of what was happening with the plot didn't really lessen my enjoyment of the book because the story is so engrossing. The plot moves along at a good clip making the book hard to put down. Not my favorite Holmes book, but a fun read nonetheless.
    • 4/5
      I wanted to join in some of the challenge reads for October, but the horror genre is not for me. However, this old classic was just spooky enough – the atmospheric moor, with its swamp, and chill, and fog; the hound and its legend; the sinister designs on the house of Baskerville – all combined to make a great murder mystery.
    • 4/5
      This was a super fun read. I was looking for something a little lighter to read and this definitely fit the bill!
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      One of Doyle’s better known Holmes stories, The Hound of the Baskervilles, is one that begins in benign city drudgery and ends in the sensational, sensual moors of the countryside. A family history, plagued by the evil tale of a spiritual being, imposes itself on the pragmatic and scientific modernity of Holmes and Watson’s practice, throwing them for a ghostly loop.When I was in third grade, I “read” the Hound of the Baskervilles. I had been given a collection of Doyle’s Holmes stories by some well-intentioned relative and being the avid little reader that I was, dug in. I remember very few of the the other stories but because I was, even (or especially) at 9, an avid animal advocate, I remember the The Hound.At least I thought I did. When I am distressed about the things my son (currently 19 months) is reading in seven and a half years, I’ll have to remind myself that The Hound stuck with me in little part regarding the plot. The tawdry implied love affairs and inherent violence had no effect on me at that age. I think I read it simply because of the dog.Of course, as a 26 year old, Watson’s recount of the countryside drama, packed with supernatural intrigue, holds much more weight. There are great writers still working today and they’ll certainly do in a pinch but there is nothing quite like the witty one liners and beautiful mysterious prose of Dolye’s stories. Through and through its tiny entirety, the Hound of the Baskerville is fantastic craftsmanship and an inevitable crowd favorite.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      Surprisingly fresh sleuthing romp through the eerie moors of Devon. Hounds of the Baskervilles may hail from a vastly different era but it reads true to the form we have all come to love. Thank you Conan Doyle for starting our addiction to mysteries.
    • 3/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      Sherlock Holmes is HOT right now. Between the Robert Downey Jr. interpretation, the Masterpiece Classic episodes, the books for kids, the House of Silk, A Study in Sherlock, just to name a few examples, we are showered in Sherlock. Despite all of this exposure I had never read an actual Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes novel. A few months ago I read the House of Silk, a Sherlock Homes novel, although not written by Conan Doyle but authorized by his estate. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Then while reading the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, another lovely book by the way, the main character references the Hound of the Baskervilles. I read quite a few Agatha Christie novels and I was interested to see how Conan Doyles master detective would stand up to the Queen of Crime so with that in mind I embarked on my first ever Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes novel.The story takes place on the Moors of England at the Baskerville estate. The old heir has just died by somewhat mysterious circumstances and the new heir is set to take over. There is a curse on the family having to do with an ancestor who kidnapped a yeoman's daughter. She escaped and was pursued by the not so nice ancestor. When both were found, the girl and the ancestor were dead with a large hound standing over them. Since that day the Hound of the Baskervilles is said to plaque the generations of the Baskerville family. It looks like the new heir is in danger and if that's not bad enough there is a serial killer on the loose. Holmes and Watson are called in to take a look at the case of course solve it in due course.The resolution of the mystery was not a very complicated one. I find the Agatha Christie novels to be far more clever in their solutions. That said, it was still a very enjoyable novel. I loved the description of the creepy moor. It was a character unto itself. My favorite part of the book was when Watson was asked to present a certain theory to Holmes. Watson goes into great detail and he feels pleased with his deductions when Holmes seems to agree with his conclusions. Holmes soon bursts his bubble when he informs Watson that he just wanted to see what a lay person would think. Holmes then proceeds to lay out what really happened which is nothing like Watson thought. Very funny stuff.This a classic story that I think everyone should read at least once since it is referred to quite often. I am not sure when I will visit Holmes again as I have quite a few Christies on my TBR pile. However I am certain Holmes and I will meet again.
    • 4/5
      This novella is quite the classic - and one of the longest-standing books on my TBR list - so I'm glad I was finally, ever so gently pushed into reading it by my ABC challenge. Basic story: Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson get called in to investigate the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of Sir Charles Baskerville, and to protect his heir, Sir Henry, from falling foul of the family curse - the dreaded Hound of the Baskervilles, a demonic monster on the moors. Twists unfold, characters become suspects before falling out of suspicion again... poor Dr Watson struggles to fulfil his detective duties in the bleak Devonshire countryside, and Sherlock Holmes sits quietly in the background, smoking his pipe, cultivating his ego, and like the Miss Marple of classic literature, forming spectacular conclusions from overlooked details. The joy of this novel is that the likeable Dr Watson narrates the tale, so his fear and curiosity becomes our own without clever Holmes spoiling the excitement by working everything out too quickly.Even though I've seen the television adaptation (starring Richard Roxburgh and Ian Hart) a couple of times, I still couldn't remember all the details of the climactic unravelling of the mystery - and there is something fundamentally chilling about the bleak moors, the craggy limestone and treacherous marshes, and the blood-freezing howl of the unseen, fiendish hell-hound echoing across the empty landscape. A very, very good little book.
    • 5/5
      Readers do a disservice to Arthur Conan Doyle in preparing to read "The Hound of the Baskervilles," if they expect a predictable story. Doyle wrote the book 100 years ago, at a time when "the butler did it" was far less cliché a plot device than it is now.Though the book begins that way, with Holmes and Watson focusing their suspicions on Sir Henry Baskerville's servants, the story quickly turns the reader on his head. Doyle effects numerous twists and keeps his audience clueless 'til nearly the book’s end.Doyle doesn't give his readers enough information to solve the mystery themselves, but he expertly draws together all the seemingly meaningless minutiae as the story progresses.The writing style holds up remarkably well, despite its age. Doyle is quite the wordsmith:"When the butler had left us Sir Henry turned to me. 'Well, Watson, what do you think of this new light?''It seems to leave the darkness rather blacker than before.'"Delicious irony.Only occasionally was do the 19th-century British colloquialisms fail to translate easily into present-day spoken English.This was the first Sherlock Holmes story I'd ever read, so I’m not sure if "The Hound of the Baskervilles" is typical of Doyle's writing style. I tend to hope it is. I'm anxious to read others!Trivial aside: Holmes only mutters the word "elementary" twice in this novel, both near the book's beginning. Much like Star Trek's standard bearer, "Beam me up, Scotty," Holmes never utters the phrase, "Elementary, my dear Watson," in the canonical Doyle stories.
    • 5/5
      I love all Holmes, and this story is perhaps the finest. those dark hours when the powers of evil are exalted
    • 3/5
      The only Sherlock Holmes book I have ever read. This was a fairly straightforward read, with enough characters to treat as 'suspects' so it isn't obvious 'whodunnit'. In fact, given that the source of the deaths appears to be a supernatural being, it's always at the back of your mind that there may be some spooky solution, which adds an interesting dimension.
    • 4/5
      I've always loved this story and it's set in what is now my backyard. The gothic atmosphere is over the top, of course and it's quite difficult to get completely sucked into a Dartmoor bog. And did the trains actually run to time between London and Newton Abbot??
    • 4/5
      The only full-length novel written by Sir Conan Doyle, this book is very chilling and suspenseful. A classic and a perfect mystery novel!
    • 5/5
      Audiobook. Very good and interesting mystery. The narration was very well done too. I liked listening to the story rather than reading it since I tend to get lost and forget what happened in the written Sherlock Holmes books.
    • 5/5
      My favorite Sherlock Holmes story. I love the longer format and the spooky location.
    • 3/5
      _The Hound of the Baskervilles_ is probably one of the more famous cases of Sherlock Holmes and is also one of only four novel-length treatments of the cases of the great detective. It’s a solid story and is perhaps primarily of interest in the apparently supernatural element which lies at the heart of the case. Indeed this element of the tale, along with its ultimate resolution, is very interesting when viewed in the light of Doyle’s subsequent conversion to spiritualism and when looked at from this angle the numerous comments in the story about the credulous peasants who give credence to the supernatural gain a somewhat ironic lustre.

      I do think, however, that the story was far from the strongest of Doyle’s outings with his most famous creation. Its main failing lies primarily in the fact that the real draw of all of these stories is largely absent for the bulk of it: Sherlock Holmes himself. I wonder whether Conan Doyle was trying to keep his distance from the creation whose popularity he had begun to view with a growing ambivalence? As it is we do have the opportunity to see Watson acting on his own as Holmes’ agent which is of some interest, but I’m afraid that he doesn’t hold a candle to his confederate as a fully compelling character study. Stolid and not without resources as an investigator he may be, but there really is no substitute to the biting commentary and unique perspective of Holmes himself.

      I will avoid giving much of a plot outline, since it’s probably either already known or not desired due to the possibility of spoilers in the case. Suffice it to say that an apparently insoluble death leads our intrepid team to the foggy moors of England’s West Country where they not only hope to solve one death, but also to prevent another. Doyle goes all out in peppering the trail with utterly ambiguous clues and numerous strands and false leads until things can be brought to their ultimate and satisfying conclusion. I did learn one interesting tidbit: apparently as far as Dr. Watson is concerned it's ok to let an insane psychopath go free as long as he will leave England and only be a burden and a danger to the people of South America. Nice one, doc.
    • 4/5
      A classic tale which never gets old, this short novel has something for everyone. It's classic Sherlock Holmes, so there is a compelling mystery, great characters and wonderful atmosphere. From the rooms of 221B Baker Street, to the streets of London, to the misty Moor, the sense of time and place is masterfully evoked. There are clues to be discovered and the resolution to be explained to Dr Watson (and thus the reader!) in Holmes' inimitable style. Small wonder that Conan Doyle has influenced generations of mystery writers and that his tales of the great detective still resonate today.

      The audiobook was competently narrated by Simon Prebble. A small quibble I have is with his voice for Beryl Stapleton. Her "slight lisp" - as it is described in the text - came out as akin to the accent of Manuel in Fawlty Towers: somewhat distracting, but not fatal to enjoyment.

      This was a fun buddy read with my friend Jemidar. Highly recommended!
    • 2/5
      My first Sherlock Holmes; I want to read more just because I'm sure there must be better ones.
    • 5/5
      This is the most famous Sherlock Holmes novel, and certainly one of the best, the spookiest and most atmospheric, set in 1889 in the eerie moors of Devonshire. Right from the beginning we're given a demonstration of Holmes' gifts when, from a walking stick left behind by a visitor, Holmes is able to deduce a wealth of details about the man, down to the breed of his dog. Add a centuries old manor inherited by the young Sir Henry Baskerville along with a centuries old family curse involving a demon hound that has seemingly killed the previous squire, a butler and housekeeper of the manor with secrets, an escaped murderer loose upon the moor, and several suspicious neighbors: Franklin, a litigious crank with an estranged daughter, the mysterious Stapletons--and you have quite a delicious brew served up.One thing I noted, giving some of the bumbling depictions of Watson I've seen, is that Holmes himself commends Watson for his "zeal and intelligence" and Holmes tells Baskerville that "no man ... is better worth having at your side when you are in a tight place." If Watson seems dim, it's only because Holmes casts such a bright light. Not very long, this was a very enjoyable and quick read.
    • 3/5
      I have seen several movie versions of this story, but the actual written word surpasses the visual presentation. Doyle is a master of description of character and setting. He sets the mood for that great hound to come charging into the moor. The women are minor characters in the majority of the stories, but they hold a few trump cards. I like the way Dr Watson unfolds the story and summarizes the deeds. Watson stands like a celebrated barrister and presents the case.
    • 4/5
      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.