Sherlock Holmes: The Ultimate Collection

I suppose this is really a 4.5-star read for me - some of the individual stories are less than great. However, even the lesser stories benefit hugely from Stephen Fry's reading. It's just pure fun to listen to him recount the adventures of Holmes & Watson. (Even his slightly strained American accent is charming, and his depictions of Holmes and Watson are perfect.) Fry's knowledgeable and fond reflections preface each book, providing a nice peek behind the scenes without distracting from the stories.

The stories themselves are remarkably engrossing given their publication dates from 1892-1927. There are of course some cultural references (and sadly, cultural biases) that don't translate well to modern day, but on the whole, the narration provides an easy and natural immersion in Holmes's London, and triggers a keen desire to find out the solution to each mystery. It was delightful to find myself eager to get back to a 100-year-old story to find out what happens next.

I adore the Sherlock Holmes canon, and this has to be the preeminent audio edition. It is splendid from start to finish. I can't imagine a better narrator than Stephen Fry, whose mellifluous voice, and deft use of accent and characterization bring every nuance of these classic stories to vibrant life. Early in the set, I was mesmerized by Stephen Fry's adept voice acting, but in the later chapters I heard only Holmes, Watson, and their supporting characters.

My singular critique is that Fry's default “male American” voice appeared with little variation between the stories which called for it, which left a very minor blemish in the veil of believability in the separateness of the characters. There were variations for other “male American” characters, especially when several appeared in a single story, but this standard voice was uniquely identifiable enough to stand out.

This is a phenomenal achievement, and if you're a Holmes fan I would hold this up—along with the Jeremy Brett television series—as one of the definitive, canonical Holmes collections.