Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

Unavailable
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Unavailable
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Unavailable
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Audiobook (abridged)1 hour

The Hound of the Baskervilles

Written by Arthur Conan Doyle

Narrated by Iman

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

This audio classic novel has been carefully abridged and adapted into 10 short easy to understand chapters. This format enables listeners of all ages and English language abilities to understand and enjoy the story. Composition includes original custom back ground music.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateJul 1, 2011
ISBN9780848113414
Author

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.

Related to The Hound of the Baskervilles

Related audiobooks

Children's Classics For You

View More

Related articles

Reviews for The Hound of the Baskervilles

Rating: 4.016528925619835 out of 5 stars
4/5

121 ratings138 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Classic Sherlock Holmes at his finest. A great story with thrills along the way. I've read and seen the movie versions of this story multiple times, but I still enjoy reading this over and over again. The story never gets old.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A veritable classic, what more can you say! Despite the course of time this is still a great story. After all the collections of stories about Sherlock Holmes I really enjoyed the greater depth that a novel allowed with a very intriguing story and some great inventiveness in the writing! I wish he'd written more as extended novels. Definitely should be read by everyone.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A very, very enjoyable read: definitely the pinnacle (thus far) of the Holmes canon.

    Every element fits into its proper place: the isolated location is well described, with many fascinating features such as the Neolithic huts, fatal bogs and rows of yews. Each character is well-drawn, and each has their own mystery which interlocks perfectly with the overarching puzzle. By utilising different aspects of Watson's narrative voice - his diary, his letters, his reminiscences - Conan Doyle is able to shake up his writing formula somewhat, and present us with a mystery in which both Watson and Holmes are used to their respective strengths.

    Beyond this, the mystery is multi-faceted and - particularly noteworthy - the novel is about every aspect of the crime, not just the "whodunnit" or how. As a result, even though the revelations are really no more than typical Conan Doyle fare, they are in no way a letdown, because it is only part of a larger canvas.

    Seasoned crime readers like myself will probably pick up on the big clue planted very early in the book but, even then, it by no means allows you to solve the crime. The only aspect which might be seen by some as negative is that the book is always happy to pause and consider any minute clue (half a chapter is spent on exactly which newspaper a ransom-style note was cut from). To me, though, this is quintessential Holmes. The traces of romantic characterisation and storytelling linger, but are kept in check by the power of the work overall. As a result, I'm soldiering on with renewed vigour to the sixth of the nine Holmes books.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    “The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes.” – Sherlock HolmesAfter having watched the movies and TV shows, I finally read my first Sherlock Holmes book. From various reviews and from the Foreword, I thought I had chosen one of the best, if not the best, Holmes book. Unfortunately, it felt --- ‘passive’. I’ll explain.The story surrounds a ghostly hound that haunts the Baskervilles family from several generations ago. After the untimely and unexplained death of Sir Charles Baskerville, the last Baskerville heir, Sir Henry, and his family friend, Dr. Mortimer, seek the help of the famous Sherlock Holmes to determine once and for all, the truth between the mystery hound and the legend that curses the Baskerville family members and estate. With a butler and wife at the estate, a number of inquisitive neighbors, an escaped convict, and the shadowy, foggy grounds of Grimpen Mire with moor and bog-hole that is the grassland version of quicksand, a delectable setting is laid for the whodunnit and how.Perhaps movies and televisions have ruined my perspective; I had expected to journey with Holmes and Watson in their fact-finding. Since Holmes is tied-up with his current cases, Watson accompanies Sir Henry to his newly inherited estate ahead of Holmes. The facts are then revealed via Watson’s reports and excerpts from his diary; this approach and associated writing-style yields a past-tense feeling and the reader is not on the same journey with them. When Holmes ‘arrives’ (I’ll let you interpret the reason for the air-quote marks), the action begins, but the culprit is already identified. Even the ta-da moment is rather flat, and a last chapter is written as a retrospection. I didn’t even have a chance to get excited. Having guessed a couple of things didn’t help either. The book simply didn’t generate the excitement I had wanted. I feel like such a traitor to literature for saying such blasphemy against the great Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Well, if it’ll make you feel better, when I was little, I thought these stories were based on a real detective. Anyway, it’s still a pretty good read, especially since its first release was 1901. I also valued the book having reinforced the Holmes’ and Watson’s behaviors and methods commonly depicted on the screen. One quote:On the love between siblings:“…But first I had the unpleasant duty of breaking the news to Barrymore and his wife. To him it may have been an unmitigated relief, but she wept bitterly in her apron. To all the world he was the man of violence, half animal and half demon; but to her he always remained the little willful boy of her own girlhood, the child who had clung to her hand. Evil indeed is the man who has not one woman to mourn him.”
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Actually now having "read" it, after having seen so many film versions. I had little trouble "seeing" it all happen.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I have really enjoyed the Sherlock Holmes stories and was excited for this one as it is often promoted as the best. While I did like this story, I did not think it was one of the best. The mystery was not all that challenging, and I felt that the story dragged a bit in places. I enjoyed the characters and the setting, but not my favorite.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    For a large section of this book Sherlock does not appear. You hear Dr. Watson's point of view. It is only later you learn what he has been doing off screen. It was a really enjoyable mystery.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Though the incredible cruelty to a dog gets totally ignored in this frightening tale,we get most of the clues and so can make more predictions than in previous short novels.The mystery is a complicated one, not the least of it is why Dr. Watson did not follow Sherlock'sexplicit instructions to never leave the baron alone. One other remaining mystery - since neither he, nor his body, were ever found, where is the final proof that the murderer is dead?
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Sherlock Holmes and the ever present Dr. Watson are brought in to investigate the untimely death of Sir Charles Baskerville where his body was found on the Devon moorland with the footprints of a giant hound nearby and a look of horror frozen on his face. The presumed blame for his death is placed on a family curse by the new baronet. This Gothic mystery novel of a murder will take all of Holmes brain power to solve. He must work within the framework of the family's dark legend of the moors and their fears that this legend will continue. These courageous sleuths have all their skills tested as they try to discover the truth. And we follow them as the plot takes us on a dark mysterious ride with surprising twist.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Doyle's descriptions of both characters and setting are top notch. I always enjoy "deducing" along with Sherlock and Watson. The mystery in this book was just so-so.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This was an interesting way to read this iconic Sherlock Holmes case. The illustrations worked well to bring the narrative to life, especially with the nature of abridgement making it difficult to get details into a story. A little more attention to word bubble (is that the technical term for them?) placement would have improved the reading experience a little bit, especially for younger readers. A few panels had a third, "off-screen" character talking, but the placement made it seem like one character had two spots of text when it wasn't the case.

    The abridgement itself would likely be effective for a young reader to read and enjoy this Holmes story. For an adult I felt it was a little too abridged in places; a little rushed. Overall it was an entertaining, refreshing look at Doyle's work.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The real hero of these stories is Watson for having the restraint not to have strangled that insufferable egomaniac Holmes whenever he had a chance. Holmes is brilliant...and never misses an opportunity to let you know it.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This is the first Sherlock Holmes novel I've read, though I've long been a great fan of the short stories. I think the most interesting character in this story, by far, was the moor itself. Having finished the tale, I feel somewhat ambivalent about the mystery itself, but I am very much intrigued by the moor, and would love very much to see it for myself and find out if it deserves all the superlatives that were heaped upon it by Conan Doyle. I found the mystery itself so-so mainly because there was no answer to the question provided by Watson at the end: what was Stapleton thinking he'd do once Sir Henry was out of the way? No clear logic was present and Holmes' theories all somewhat unsatisfying. It felt as if Conan Doyle couldn't think of a solution himself, so he just wrote it off as an unfathomable bit of the mystery. Not what I expect out of our good friend Mr. Holmes.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I did not mention this book in anything I wrote which has survived, but I do remember I liked it much.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was my first Sherlock Holmes story and I ended up enjoying reading this even though. Had to restart it after halfway through. I apparently read through too fast and got lost in the story and felt that to better appreciate what we have been given in this masterful mystery. I felt that this decision helped establish the characters better and helped me figure out some of the mystery before it came upon us. I'll definitely be reading more, probably starting at book one for a change.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Another brilliant story. This one takes on a bit of a different flavor as Watson takes on the central roll for most of the book. Definitely worth a read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This was a terrific read. I can't wait to read more of Doyle's work.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    really like every single sherlock holmes story except for this one
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I first read this book sometime in elementary school, and I'm not going to say exactly how long it's been since then, but suffice to say that I don't really remember the story all that well. It's been on my "need to read again" list for quite awhile, and then my sister got me hooked on the show Sherlock (you guys, SO GOOD!), and after watching their modern rendition of the story, I felt the need to go back to the original.The Hound of the Baskervilles is probably one of the best known Sherlock Holmes novels. It's about a man who has just become the heir to the Baskerville estate; the only thing is, the Baskerville family is cursed to die from a hellhound that comes out at night. And Sir Charles, the man's predecessor, seems to have died from that very hound.There's a reason why the Sherlock Holmes stories have been adapted -- and is currently being adapted -- into movies, TV shows, and other novels: it's just good fun. The Hound of the Baskervilles is a standard Holmes mystery and doesn't contain any real surprises or material that can't be found in his other stories. However, as one of the longer stories, there is much more time to fully develop the characters and intrigues, which is nice. I always love seeing the relationship between Watson and Holmes. Also, I think that this story has some of the more interesting side characters that I've found in Doyle's works.The characters are familiar and loveable, especially Watson. God, do I love Watson. In this particular novel, there are so many surprises, I was thoroughly entertained from beginning to end. It's also nice to read from one of the authors who has inspired today's detective genre. I will say, however, that the novel has a fairly direct solution to the mystery (not nearly as complicated, or unfortunately, as intriguing, as Sherlock's rendition). But overall, I enjoyed reading this story and think that any Sherlock Holmes or detective mystery fan will like it just as much.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Being a Sherlock Holmes fan, picking a favorite is difficult... but pressed to do so this would have to be the winner! It has everything, mystery, horror, it's creepy, Dr. Watson get to shine a bit, and the interactions between Holmes and Watson are exemplary. There is also no shortage of the incorrigible behavior Sherlock is so well known for. If you haven't perused this book yet, get a copy and read a great story!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    When you recognize that you love a good mystery book it is hard to say that you hate the king of the mystery/detective story, so I won't because this was legitimately an excellent book. It held my interest from the first few pages until the very end, which is rare for a book to do for me. In most instances I find myself not wanting to come back for at least a day and then pushing myself to read the rest of a book, but this one I read every single day since I started it for at least an hour a day.

    Doyle came back to Holmes for this great story that infused supernatural and reality together nicely. He made you believe that it was possible the supernatural was occurring, but then revealed all when appropriate. I enjoy a writer that can turn the plot around quickly to reveal the truth of what is happening to characters.

    The characters are believable for the time period. The motives are sound and reasonable as well. Some mysteries I have felt that the author is grasping at straws, but here everything adds nicely. It may just be that Doyle has had enough experience filling in every plot hole imaginable that one doesn't feel that he is lacking. He even goes as far to explain how an animal was fed while its master was away. These things showcase a brilliant writer who thinks about the aspects that a reader may notice or question.

    This story made me desire to devour more Doyle in the future. I believe that reading some more Sherlock Holmes stories may be in my near future!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    My first Sherlock Holmes mystery, but probably not my last. Slighly slower pace than a modern mystery, but good whodunit.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Im fan of everything Sherlock Holmes by Doyle & Laurie King. I wish Dolye was here to continue the stories because no one but Laurie King compares.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Holmes and Watson are engaged on a case to both find out how someone died and to save his heir from the same fate. Legend has it that there is a giant demon hound with glowing eyes and mouth who prowls about the moors, and giant dog footprints are found near the body of the victim. Naturally, Holmes doesn't believe it's something supernatural, and so he sends Watson off to investigate & report back to him.

    This is my first, and most likely last, Conrad Doyle novel. I almost liked it. I'm not sure what all the fuss is about over this writer or his Sherlock Holmes character. It was not the best 19th century mystery novel I've read, and I wasn't particularly impressed with Holmes. The writing is so-so, and so I'm really rating this 2.5, but have rounded it up.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    really like every single sherlock holmes story except for this one
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Having read the earlier novels I was under the impression that Sherlock Holmes only really worked in short stories. Now I have read this I see I was wrong and would like to apologise unreservedly to Mr Doyle through the medium of Librarything... or just through the medium (ha ha)! This is just as good as many of the stories but there's more of it.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The text was adapted extremely well however the style of the illustrations was a little bit to bright and happy for the tale. I felt like this should have had a darker illustration style.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Slow and monotonous, and the world flip toward the end was jarring at best.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    It was good, but not great. One of the most popular and enduring detective series ever written? Well, I would rather read an Agatha Christie, I think. I still think about Ten Little Indians...

    Don't get me wrong, I liked the book and enjoyed reading it, but it doesn't make me want to run out and get another Sherlock Holmes book. However, nor will it keep me from reading another one, should it be recommended.

    As for recommending this one, I would say that yes, you should read it. If for nothing else than it is of some repute and should be added to your read list based solely on that merit.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I read this as a youngster, and I'm so glad I read it again! Good thriller, tightly paced, with enough twists and turns to keep my interest! Bravo Holmes!