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Jan 11, 2011

Madeline rated it:

Just as good as Volume One. I want someone to make me a tshirt with a picture of Holmes and Watson exchanging necklaces with "BFFs" inscribed on them. (actually, considering the time period, I suppose they'd exchange engraved watches or something.)
Oh Watson, how I love you.

And Now A Word On The Movie:
It had so much potential. Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law are wonderful as Holmes and Watson, and their combined awesome can overcome Rachel McAdam's miscasting as More...

7 comments like (6 people liked it)

Jan 07, 2012

AnEyeSpy rated it:

For Wiki, I check, correct, verify, add, such as synopsis for Mazarin Stone, so slow progress here. Summaries have spoilers, so here I'll extract teasers, enough to remind me, postpone opinions to after cogitation. I prefer plots outside set format. I first thought I'd rather skip Baker Street and starts with what he's given, dive right into the clues he finds, then wrap-up. But consistent openings do increase our familiarity with the setting - sips of tepid tea, crumbs of crisp crumpet, mornin More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 19, 2011

Amy added it

Reading the complete Sherlock Holmes canon by Arthur Conan Doyle in these two volumes has been a remarkably rewarding experience. I'm truly sorry to be finished with these stories and novels (although I know from past experience that they reward rereading). In this reading I've gained an even clearer appreciation for the links between Holmes and the traditions of Gothic and science fiction literature, and I've certainly enhanced my enjoyment of the BBC's brilliant new Sherlock series. These are More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

May 18, 2011

Mike rated it:

This is the second volume completing the Holmes canon. Like the first volume it includes both short and long fiction. It takes up where the first volume ended, after Holmes disappears into the falls at Reichenbach. This volume contains the short story collections The Return of Sherlock Holmes, His Last Bow, and The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes, as well as the fourth Holmes novel, The Valley of Fear.

It is the weaker of the two volumes. After Doyle initially killed off the famous More...

1 comment like

May 13, 2011

Kaydern rated it:

I suppose I started reading this collection for the same reason I watch regular TV shows every week. I wanted consistently interesting short stories, and that's exactly what I got. However I made a mistake reading them all straight through in this convenient collection, and the formulaic plots bothered me more than they would have otherwise.

I did notice an improvement in terms of the mystery complexity, which I appreciated. No where is this more evident than in "The Valley of Fea More...

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May 24, 2010

Don rated it:

It's very satisfying finishing this book. It's my first introduction to Holmes and I wish now I had read volume 1 before this one, simply because this one picks up after Holmes comes back from the dead. I wish I could have read his early stuff before that. From the introduction and other sources, however close Holmes was to his self before his "death," it seems he was subtly changed (which would be reasonable), so I'd like to read what he was like before. Some of the stories aren't as More...

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Jul 06, 2011

Mary Anne rated it:

It makes me very pleased to be able to say I've read all of Sherlock Holmes. Thank goodness for these awesome classics collections.

I found myself really interested in what changes I'd encounter in this volume, especially after reading the warning in the introduction. Indeed. Sherlock Holmes seemed to have changed in some subtle and not-so-subtle ways, but I think that tends to happen, especially when a writer gets downright tired of the protagonist.

While it's likely that none More...

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Feb 07, 2011

Clayton rated it:

Just as great as Volume I, though the stories from "The Case Book" are not as good as the rest. I liked the inclusion of the two parodies and the two letters on Holmes that Conan Doyle had written; it makes for an interesting bit of information.
"The Valley of Fear" was, surprisingly, much better than the short novels included in Volume I. The flashback in the middle to America was much, much better than that of "A Study in Scarlet", which has a similar struct More...

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Feb 22, 2011

Tori rated it:

Sherlock Holmes is amazing. :) That's all there is to it.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 17, 2011

Kayt rated it:

Continuing the complete stories of Holmes, this volume starts with the novel The Hound of the Baskervilles, a great Holmes adventure, and continues through the last short stories ever written (canonically) about the detective.

Holmes lovers will know--actually, it's mentioned in the book's forward--that author Conan Doyle had killed off Holmes, to great public outcry, and brought him back seven years later. This particular story (and his reemergence) were collected in the previous volum More...

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Aug 19, 2010

Bear rated it:

It was very good, although I think the first book was better. The more I read, the less shocking the reveals became. I was able to predict a number of the stories' conclusions. This may have been a result of reading over a thousand pages of Holmes mysteries, however. But I think Doyle also started to burn out a little. The mysteries became less mysterious, the adventures became less adventurous, the crimes became less criminal (seriously, a great number of the stories involve no criminal behavio More...

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Oct 05, 2011

Mike rated it:

Here are all the Sherlock Holmes stories that take place after the "Great Hiatus", that is, the break between "The Final Problem" and "The Adventure of the Empty House". These are some really great stories, though most scholars, and many fans, will tell you that these stores are not on the same par as those stories from before Holmes and Moriarty fought at Reichenbach Falls. There are some differences and some changes and several of the later collections seems lik More...

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Nov 19, 2010

NicoleMichele rated it:

"The Return of Sherlock Holmes" - 5 stars

I can't read as much as I'd like to amid the pleasant weather months owing to springtime cleaning and yard chores. If I'm fortunate I can get 1-2 hours in before bedtime. Doyle's short stories are ideal at the close of days like these.

"The Valley of Fear" - 5 stars

The repartee between Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson is what I appreciate most about this series and certainly Holmes's satire. Thi More...

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Oct 19, 2011

Brie rated it:

This took me quite awhile to read, but that is because I would read a short story here and there while I was between other books. I finally just bit the bullet and read the last 2/3 of the book straight through. I thought I would tire of the stories and want a break, but that turned out not to be the case.

If you enjoyed the first volume, then definately pick up this volume. I have now read all the Sherlock Holmes stories and thoroughly enjoyed them. I also enjoyed the parodies and es More...

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Aug 01, 2010

Aislinn rated it:

I love Sherlock Holmes stories! My favorite part of this book was when Conan Doyle ressurects Holmes and he surprises Watson. The explanation for how Holmes survived was also ingenious, as are the ways he uses deduction and observations to solve puzzles and astonish people until he explains how he figured it out, which always seems so simple. This book also contains the novel The Valley of Fear, which I think was my least favorite novel of the four, which is why this book only gets four stars.

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Jan 25, 2011

Danielle rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Aug 20, 2011

Nikita rated it:

Witty, funny and well-written as well! So good that you just can't put it down until you complete it! Enjoyed the long as well as short stories though my ultimate favorite was the Adventure of Dying Detective. Something about Mr. Holmes' not-so-subtle and over-the-top theatrics just gets me every time I read the book, and I just simply can't seem to let go! Lovely book, and I hope to read volume 1 in near future...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 14, 2008

Kerri rated it:

Moreover than the actual stories, the superior writing style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is what really draws me to the Sherlock Holmes series. Doyle was an expertly skilled writer, whose attention to detail and ability to weave together tantalizing clues into the solution of a mystery are to be envied. His character development is also exemplary, as there is much to mystify one about Sherlock Holmes; his aversion to women and distance from his family, his lack of friends save one physician who More...

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Jun 30, 2011

Tashfeen rated it:

Brilliant and as crisp as the first volume. One thing that i really loved about the book is the finesse. Its exquisite how the author has based the entire chain of events which are simplistic to the very basics, coupled with the fact that all of us do know it, for the most part, but also at the same time fail to notice it none the less. To explore this particular side of the human weakness and to garner interest from the same aspect everytime is a work which surely deserve appreciation. This wh More...

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Mar 09, 2007

Otis rated it:

The second volume of the masterful Sherlock Holmes. The first was probably better, but this was a very good read as well. I have all the respect for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as he really makes you believe in Holmes' genius.

One interesting tidbit is that he killed Holmes off at the end of the last book, because he thought he was "obscuring my higher work". Ironic since none of his other work has any popularity. Due to popular demand, Holmes returned 20 years later.
More...

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May 14, 2011

Heather rated it:

Well, it took me forever to read, but I'm finally done with Sherlock Holmes. Despite it's ominous heft and tiny type, there are a lot of good things to find here. I was particularly surprised how much I enjoyed "The Hound of the Baskervilles," though the conclusion, like many of the conclusions to these stories, felt a bit silly.

You have to be able to sort of put away 21st century liberal sensibilities to fully enjoy these stories, at least from my perspective. They are fr More...

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Jul 31, 2010

Sandi Lee rated it:

Not as good as the first volume. Either Doyle starts to lose it towards the end, or it's not all his writing. Either way, the quality dwindles towards the end of this volume. Yet, some of the oddities that lower the quality are of interest simply because they are so odd. Look for a surprisingly racist Holmes and a new, convenient backdoor out of his apartment.

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Dec 12, 2011

Michele rated it:

My version of this book had a lot of extras than what this one they are showing had, including a few bits from the author about how he created Holmes and some snarky bits. The parodies were cute, but not great. There is also at least one story at the end of the volume (I read both 1 and 2) that I feel pretty sure were not written by Doyle. All the same, I liked the readings. They were short, so I could stop and not feel like I was missing something, which is great because I was reading 12 other More...

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Mar 10, 2011

Stacie marked it as to-read

Finished reading The Hound of the Baskervilles yesterday (9 March). Really enjoyed the story. I felt the plot moved along quite quickly and was engaging. I really enjoyed the dialog and felt that it leant itself nicely to the feel of the story.

Moving back to Volume I for a bit and will return to Volume II.

3 comments like

Nov 14, 2011

Bebe rated it:

This was just such a fun book to read. Sherlock Holmes continued to delight and surprise as he did in the first volume. The editor made some notes that suggested some of the stories were questionable as to whether they were written by Doyle. Without that, I probably would not have noticed.

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Dec 22, 2011

Katie rated it:

Sherlock Holmes stories are AMAZING!!!! The characters are excellent and you become very attached to them very quickly. Just don't read them if you have a short attention span as they can be a bit dry at times. The full-length stories aren't as good as the short ones, with the exception of Hound of the Baskervilles, because they go into a lot of background info with no Holmes-Watson-deduction action going on whatsoever. But other than that they are fantastic! This edition was really great, besid More...

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Nov 29, 2010

totalwitch rated it:

Wonderful-as I always find Holmes to be. But this collection has an advantage beyond its size-the first chapters on the life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle are very interesting. I never had an interest in the man himself, but am now looking for a good biography.

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Aug 15, 2010

Alison rated it:

I enjoyed the Return of Sherlock Holmes and The Valley of Fear, but The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes was hard to get through. It seems like Conan Doyle was running out of steam, and fast. I was so tired of Sherlock Holmes by the end of it that I was glad I was done! On the whole, I really enjoyed the Sherlock Holmes series - but I would recommend not trying to read them all at once. And there are definitely some "adventures" in the Case Book of Sherlock Holmes I'd recommend skipping.

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Mar 01, 2010

Linwe rated it:

An endlessly fascinating collection of stories, worth reading again and again. I don't know what else to say about this collection and its previous volume except how much I enjoyed it. Figuring out not only the mystery, but the character and eccentricities of Sherlock Holmes itself makes this one of the most satisfying reading experiences I've ever had. Definitely a re-read, and highly recommended to fans of mystery and Victorian literature.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

Amy rated it:

I finally finished reading everything Sherlock Holmes related by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I just love Sherlock Holmes and I don't think I need to comment on the stories. I thought this collection was interesting because it ended with some parodies and an essay by Doyle about Sherlock Holmes. It's funny that he thinks he will be remembered for his other stuff and Sherlock Holmes is just a silly side thing (he sounds a bit pretentious actually). Though now I want to read some of his other stuff More...

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