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tinybird47's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
knitnetic's review against another edition
4.0
In 1893, tired of writing his Sherlock Holmes stories and eager to focus on historical novels, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle sent his famous detective to his death down the Reichenbach Fall in "The Final Problem". For years, the public clamored for the next installment in Holmes's tale and finally, nine years and several generous offers from his publishers later, Doyle was back to writing his Holmes stories.
Now, I'm a big fan of mysteries and an even bigger fan of Holmes - having finished this collection, I've now read about 65% of the canon. However, I've gotta say - I was disappointed. It was clear that Doyle's heart simply wasn't in these stories. The logic of Holmes isn't nearly so clear as in the earlier tales, usually relying on some important piece of information that has been withheld from the reader. Beyond that, the stories are much darker than those found in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. In those stories, the only people to die were generally on the wrong side of the law, and certainly didn't have the sympathy of the reader. In the tales recounted in this collection, however, at least one character we care about dies in each story. Perhaps this is to be expected - his readers stole Holmes's death from him, and as a result, he hits them upside the head with death in every story.
This is not to say that the book was entirely unenjoyable. There's still enough of the old Holmes left to satisfy, and I'm always happy to have decent short stories to read. Still, if you're looking to start the Holmes canon, this is not the place to do it.
Now, I'm a big fan of mysteries and an even bigger fan of Holmes - having finished this collection, I've now read about 65% of the canon. However, I've gotta say - I was disappointed. It was clear that Doyle's heart simply wasn't in these stories. The logic of Holmes isn't nearly so clear as in the earlier tales, usually relying on some important piece of information that has been withheld from the reader. Beyond that, the stories are much darker than those found in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. In those stories, the only people to die were generally on the wrong side of the law, and certainly didn't have the sympathy of the reader. In the tales recounted in this collection, however, at least one character we care about dies in each story. Perhaps this is to be expected - his readers stole Holmes's death from him, and as a result, he hits them upside the head with death in every story.
This is not to say that the book was entirely unenjoyable. There's still enough of the old Holmes left to satisfy, and I'm always happy to have decent short stories to read. Still, if you're looking to start the Holmes canon, this is not the place to do it.
sophia_med's review against another edition
mysterious
relaxing
slow-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
steph72000's review against another edition
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
4.0
yeggietalesfacts's review against another edition
4.25
that one short story in which Holmes nd Watson hold hands is rly fruity🫡💯
oliviaalice_199's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
rashthedoctor's review against another edition
4.0
In opposition to popular opinion , i actually liked these collections of Holmes short stories more than any other Holmes tale
WHAT I LIKED :
To start with this was the book that saw Holmes come back from his grave and solve mysteries . The mysteries range from being simplistic to national crisis . The faculties of the detective are on superb display , there's less of posturing and far fetch talent on display and some of the mysteries are actually brain twisters .
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE :
The dialogue , although i understand the time it was written in , still the interactions of the characters were really grating. Inspector Lestrade especially becomes tiresome real soon . Some of the mystery conclusion were also unsatisfying
CONCLUSION:
For those who love Holmes , this is an awesome addition, for those who dont , will still have enough material to enjoy the mysteries told
WHAT I LIKED :
To start with this was the book that saw Holmes come back from his grave and solve mysteries . The mysteries range from being simplistic to national crisis . The faculties of the detective are on superb display , there's less of posturing and far fetch talent on display and some of the mysteries are actually brain twisters .
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE :
The dialogue , although i understand the time it was written in , still the interactions of the characters were really grating. Inspector Lestrade especially becomes tiresome real soon . Some of the mystery conclusion were also unsatisfying
CONCLUSION:
For those who love Holmes , this is an awesome addition, for those who dont , will still have enough material to enjoy the mysteries told