The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, published in 1902, is a riveting mystery story about a fantastical legend that might turn out to be true. It is written with incredible atmosphere and prose that evokes images in the imagination of a moorland that is riddled with fog, danger, and the eerie sounds of howls in the dark.
The story takes place in Dartmoor, England, and its cast of characters include the infamous Sherlock Holmes and his friend, Dr. Watson, who are sought by Dr. Mortimer to protect Sir Henry, the last heir of the Baskerville estate, after Sir Charles, his uncle, was found deceased under mysterious circumstances. At the start, Sherlock Holmes finds the legend too fantastical to believe, but since there is a million pounds tied up in the estate, he suspects that there are confidants who are willing to stake a claim to that fortune.
Upon their investigation, strange things begin to happen upon meeting Sir Henry. A shoe has gone missing from his hotel, and they receive a message whose words have been cut and put together from newspaper clippings. As Sherlock Holmes stays behind to handle other cases, he sends Dr. Watson with Sir Henry to Baskerville Hall, and under no circumstances, is he to let Sir Henry travel to the moor on his own.
There on that acrid land, we meet the Baskerville neighbors including the Stapleton siblings, the Barrymores (both husband and wife, who are servants of the estate), Seldon, an escaped convict, etc. We also see the moorland taking the shape of a character in the plot, especially in an area called Grimpen Mire, which is treacherous to traverse, with parts that sink into the ground and ensnare whatever falls. The Hound of Baskervilles is a story where many secrets are hidden, including a letter that is discovered in a hearth. Given that it was burned–though not entirely–Dr. Watson tracks down its author, and discovers that Sir Henry’s uncle might’ve been drawn into a trap!
Always lurking is the question if the hound of the Baskervilles is real, if somewhere in that moorland, a creature awaits–given the dark legend of Hugo Baskerville. On this, the story has a foreboding atmosphere that never lets up, even when Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson unravel the human elements of the mystery. Because of how isolated Dartmoor feels, and how vast the moorland is, it is a story that grips with unrelenting tension, and even when each clue is solved, and the missing links are put together, there remains that question: is the hound of the Baskervilles real?
Fallton Havenstonne 