Book Review - The Hound of the Baskervilles

My final post for this weird Batman month will be another one that inspired Batman and one of the coolest literary characters of all time: Sherlock Holmes. What’s there to say about the detective? Apparently, there’s a lot but I’ll touch the broad strokes. He was created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and first saw print in 1887. He’s been in four novels and a crapload of short stories that were written by Doyle and other later writers. He’s also been featured on radio, TV, film, video games, and stage plays. If you can name the piece of media, he’s probably been there. He’s also been played by a lot of notable actors and they include Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Caine, Ian McKellen, Robert Downey Jr., Tom Baker, and shockingly Charlton Heston.

Batman and Holmes share a lot of things. Their most powerful weapon is their mind. They are both masters at deducting crimes and motivations. They both are really good at disguises and they use forensics to do their detective work. They both are pretty skilled in different forms of combat. Yes, Holmes can get down and fight if he needs to. I think Guy Ritchie’s movies have definitely shown that and a lot more. They also have weird personalities but Holmes is less “darkness, no parents” and more dispassionate, logical, and a little egotistical. The two have actually met in the comics and on TV (Batman: The Brave and the Bold).

I’ve really only been exposed to the character through TV and movies. I tried reading A Study in Scarlet a couple of years ago but I never finished it. A couple of years ago, I picked up The Hound of the Baskervilles at my high school band’s yard sale. It was the third novel Doyle wrote for the character. I haven’t read it until now. I vaguely remember wanting to do this book for a report back in high school. Basically, we had to read it and then give a quick summary of it in front of the class. My teacher said to pick something a little easier. To Mrs. Childers’ credit, I now see why she said that. By the way, I ended up picking up War of the Worlds… not the best idea for a guy who kind of sucked at that public speaking thing.

Told ya they met.

 The Hound of the Baskervilles

Writer: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

BRIEF BLURB: Sherlock Holmes and John Watson are asked to help solve the mysterious death of Charles Baskerville. When his nephew, Henry, enters the picture, the two must make sure Henry doesn’t meet the same fate as his uncle.

Top 36 Heroes - Part 5

I'm almost there, folks. I start today's post with a shocking omission. I didn't even realize I left this person out until yesterday.

12. Sherlock Holmes

You know, I thought I had this list ready when I wrote it a few days ago. Then, I remembered a certain detective. Sorry, Aang. Anyway, the famous Sherlock Holmes is a personal favorite of mine. I haven’t read many of the books, but I plan to one day. The guy’s a freaking genius in figuring out different mysteries and crimes. He’s also a master of disguise and is supposed to be a good fighter. While his digging and prodding can be annoying to people, Holmes is cool in my book.

When it comes to TV and movies, there are a few I like. Recently, there’s been Benedict Cumberbatch’s version of the character. If you haven’t seen the show Sherlock, what are you waiting for? It rocks! There are also the recent movies with Robert Downey Jr. as the character which bring a different look at the character. I’ve only seen the first movie and I enjoyed it. Lastly, there’s Basil Rathbone’s portrayal of the character. Yeah, I’m going old-school on this. It’s probably the definitive version of the character in general.