"...it was reading the Sherlock Holmes stories as a boy that first turned me on to the power of writing and storytelling." (Stephen Fry)
Ever since he made his first appearance in A Study in Scarlet, Sherlock Holmes has enthralled and delighted millions of fans throughout the world. Now Audible is proud to present Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Collection, read by Stephen Fry. A lifelong fan of Doyle's detective fiction, Fry has narrated the complete works of Sherlock Holmes - four novels and five collections of short stories. And, exclusively for Audible, Stephen has written and narrated nine insightful, intimate and deeply personal introductions to each title.
Stephen Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, comedian, television presenter, film director and all round national treasure. He is the acclaimed narrator of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter audiobooks and most recently recorded The Tales of Max Carrados for Audible Studios. Stephen has contributed columns and articles to newspapers and magazines, appears frequently on radio and has written four novels and three volumes of autobiography.
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(Audible Studios, 27 February 2017, 71 hours and 58 minutes, narrated by Stephen Fry, Audible)
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Includes:
- A Study in Scarlet
- The Sign of Four
- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
- The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
- The Hound of the Baskervilles
- The Return of Sherlock Holmes
- The Valley of Fear
- His Last Bow
- The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes
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I found this audiobook completely engrossing. It certainly helped while away the long hours working 12-hour nightshifts.
I enjoyed listening to the stories a bit more than the novels. This is simply because these fitted in with my shifts much easier than the novels. The stories were easier to dip and out of as I only listened 3 days a week during work hours. Days would pass listening to the longer pieces and I had to re-listen to pick up the threads of the tale.
My favourite of all the novels and stories gathered here is The Hound of the Baskervilles. I've read this a couple of times and seem various adaptations. I love it.
I was surprised by how dark some of the stories got from The Return of Sherlock Holmes. The tales become quite dark and more intense than previous, much lighter pieces.
I really enjoyed seeing how the character develops over the years, gradually becoming flesh and blood.
Each section has an introduction narrated by Stephen Fry where he discusses especially popular stories and shares some interesting facts about the character and author. I'm the kind of bookworm who loves this kind of stuff.
My only gripe is the way the collection is structured. There are 6 audiobooks, with a total of 9 parts splits across them as outlined above. Each part has numerous chapters with one or more for each piece. I would have preferred it if the chapters had a heading as well, especially the short stories. This would have made navigation a bit easier. It also meant it would be hard to re-listen to a specific story.
Stephen Fry's narration is fantastic. I really enjoyed listening to him. He bought the novels and stories to life in an entertaining way. The fact he's a Sherlock Holmes fanatic helped as well.
