Excellent production

Previously bought Charlton Griffiths production of Sherlock Holmes.
Bought this one as I would like to listen to Stephen Fry’s narration.

Did an excellent job of pronunciation, characterisation including excellent Australian, South African and German accents.
The female voices were believable and added to the story.
Particularly liked the tone and inflection of the narration which fit with the speech. Eg Sherlock chuckled resulted in the passage being read with a chuckle.

Things which could have been added that I enjoyed Charlton Griffiths production were certain sound effects. Eg the gunshots during the narration of the killing of the despicable blackmailer Augustus Milverton.

Other than that very minor point would highly recommend to anybody wanting to transport themselves to a different age as I found it highly immersive.

I now press play to hear it again.

25 people found this helpful

Best bang for credit!

Oh-my-god! Best purchase ever, 1 credit for 70+ hours of audio book! Stephan Fry is an amazing reader, he is a big fan of Sherlock Holmes and it shows!

20 people found this helpful

Outstanding!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this to anyone without hesitation.

What about Stephen Fry’s performance did you like?

Stephen Fry is truly a treasure. His style and technique are simply perfect. He is clear and his tone is steady and consistent. His voice characterizations are realistic and do not, in any way, irritate me like so many other readers. Additionally, Mr. Fry provides commentary at the start of each section. His comments are humorous and intelligent. I can't think of anyone else of this calibre. It is so easy to see that this is truly a work of love for Mr. Fry.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It is impossible to listen to 71 hours in one sitting!

Any additional comments?

I have read the original stories many times. I also have many variations of Sherlock Homes, either radio productions or voiced reading. By far and above, this is absolutely the finest collection and reading made. For anyone who wants a "definitive" version which will be their "go to" version, this is it. Hands down. I will be listening to this collection for many years.

8 people found this helpful

A gem to take in doses

Just shy of 72 hours, this is not a “book” (it is a collection of books) to listen to continuously. Sherlock Holmes stories can become a bit boilerplate, so it is good to listen to some, and then it it aside for a while, though many times when you think you figured it out, you missed something. But every one is delightful in itself, and I recommend that you definitely add this to your library, and then listen to a few stories at a time, especially when you need a break from whatever might be getting you down. You couldn’t get a better deal (and I think I got it on some sale), penny per amount of pleasurable listening. Stephen Fry is magical. In the introduction he tells us that he is a big fan, and you can hear the enchantment in his superlative rendition. (Even his American accent is not bad!) I felt truly privileged to listen to him read to me.
I would not be responsible, though, if I did not express my usual dismay at the bits of racism and anti-Semitic tropes found here and there in these stories. It is no surprise - it is pretty standard for literature of the time, but I squirmed when a particular thug, who happened to be black (why am I told this at all? Why the dialect?) was described as a savage, or his hair as wooly. We read of a “Jew peddler” and other such tropes, and, in the very last story, The Case of Shoscombe Old Place, we repeatedly hear about “the Jews”, when the intent is creditors. In fact, Sir Robert - a bad guy in deep debt - says that his “chief creditor” is Sam Brewer, which doesn’t sound like a Jewish name at all. But even if he is Jewish, Sir Robert is not “in the hands of the Jews”. He owes a lot of money to Sam Brewer. Like much other literature that is otherwise worthy, my own approach is that we should call it out, we should express our discomfort and hopes that it is history and that readers today recognize these attitudes for the bigotry that they were, but we can still enjoy the books. In the case of this collection, these are definitely minor warts (unlike, for example, Shylock or Fagin). There are essays and articles that address Arthur Conan Doyle’s attitudes to people who were not white and to Jews - they are worth looking at to put a historical context on this problem.

3 people found this helpful

Stephen Fry's mastery performance

The stories are magical. The performance is splendid. One of my best listening experiences ever. Fry's different voices gives life to the great detective and his partner in a way that you think you're in the opposite chair.

10 people found this helpful

For a sherlock holmes fan , just the best

Stefen Fry is a great interpreter for audio books and this collection contains all of the original stories,

just loved it

2 people found this helpful

Holmes & Fry can't go wrong

although the Holmes stories are not all world class 90 % are and Fry is always 100 %

2 people found this helpful

WOW

I could listen to Stephen Fry all day, and I did, for multiple days, weeks even. This is a truely massive collection of stories and well worth the money!

8 people found this helpful

A narrator to fit the story.

The immortality of the stories about the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson speaks for themselves.
What makes this collection special is the narration of Stephen Fry. He makes the characters come to life and gives them personality with his splendid performance. A truly extraordinaire storyteller.
His forewords too are filled with passion for the Sherlock-saga, personal anecdotes and information about the author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
I can only recommend this!

1 person found this helpful

Absolutely Enthralling

Have you ever binge watched your favorite series and when you finally get to the last episode, you feel a bit lost and sad that you have finished the series. That's how I felt after listening to the epic stories that make up this amazing audio book. I loved every story, so brilliantly told by Stephen Fry who is an absolute genius in his narrating. Rather than become old and dated, Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes is as clever and entertaining as he was when he first appeared on paper. I cannot state how much I enjoyed listening to these stories in the car, on my walks, while running, while cooking.. just whenever I could get away with having earphones attached to my head. This is the most worthwhile audio book I have ever bought!

1 person found this helpful