The Valley Of Fear - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

...I was just too lazy, the fact that I could spend so much time on writing it but never have it published, or perhaps it was the fact that although I had some good ideas I just couldn’t write them as a story.

You see ideas are great, they fire the imagination, but to write them as a novel you need a plot, suspense, action, things to happen and so on, and a lot more ideas besides, and this was where I had the real problem. So it seemed ...
...I read Hamlet, I bought the original Frankenstien novel (yet to be read), the original Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde novel (which I read last year), and a Sherlock Holmes book.

And how did I get on?... well I read a bit but not as much as I’d intended, in fact I stopped reading altogether not so long after, and started again in ‘99, with Terry Pratchett books (for a completely different reason), in rediscovering my passion for reading I ... more

A Sherlock Holmes novel, that’s only really half a Sherlock Holmes novel, but its a fantastic read for a detective that first appeared in 1887, so good in fact I could hardly put it down.

Why This Book?
I have always been an aspiring writer, since early school days (well primary school days anyhow), I remember that anytime my imagination was needed for a story, I tried a little harder in writing it than for anything else, not that I did any better than anyone else but still. I have tried on many occasions to write a novel, but never got very far, weather I was just too lazy, the fact that I could spend so much time on writing it but never have it published, or perhaps it was the fact that although I had some good ideas I just couldn’t write them as a story.

You see ideas are great, they fire the imagination, but to write them as a novel you need a plot, suspense, action, things to happen and so on, and a lot more ideas besides, and this was where I had the real problem. So it seemed a good idea to get more experience, to get a better understanding of how ideas and plots come together. I decided to read more (this was around 1996), I read Hamlet, I bought the original Frankenstien novel (yet to be read), the original Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde novel (which I read last year), and a Sherlock Holmes book.

And how did I get on?... well I read a bit but not as much as I’d intended, in fact I stopped reading altogether not so long after, and started again in ‘99, with Terry Pratchett books (for a completely different reason), in rediscovering my passion for reading I came round to reading some of the other books I had. After recently reading an opinion of a Sherlock Holmes novel and watching the Young Sherlock Holmes film, I was in the mood to read a Sherlock Holmes novel myself, and this is my opinion...

The Valley Of Fear
I actually bought this novel as a collection of four Sherlock Holmes novels in one book, where I got it from I’m not quite sure, but Woolworth’s seems familiar. The book I have is called Sherlock Holmes - Four Great Novels (which are; A Study In Scarlet, The Sign Of The Four, The Hound Of The Baskervilles and The Valley Of Fear), the price I paid I’m not sure of either, but about £8.99/£11.99 at a guess, not bad for four novels. One thing I have noticed about this volume is that no mention is made by the author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (the author), except at the beginning of one of the novels where a dedication is made by A Conan Doyle, so I can be reasonably sure that they are the original novels. I guess its because this was a cheap collection by Parragon books.

I read the first three novels sometime around 1996 and decided to have a break and read something different before reading the last novel, which of course I never got round to, until now...

Details
I believe this is the first to feature Moriarty, Sherlock Holmes’ arch enemy, though featuring is a strong word, he is mentioned but has little to do with the story. The first Sherlock Holmes novel first appeared in 1887, 115 years ago, and the books have been very successful as the detective is probably one of the best known fictional detectives ever, if not THE best known fictional detective.

The Valley Of Fear comes in two parts, with 7 chapters in each, and an epilogue. Like all Sherlock Holmes novels, The Valley Of Fear, is told from Dr Waston’s point of view, and so reads as the first person.

The Plot
Sherlock Holmes receives a coded message from an agent of Professor Moriarity - the scientific criminal, warning of a coming murder, but before the detective has time to act, an inspector form Scotland yard visits, and informs Sherlock and Dr. Watson, that the man in question has already been murdered...

Sherlock and Dr. Watson agree to assist the inspector and they travel down to Birlstone Manor House to take stock of the situation. They find the body of the murdered man, John Douglas, killed by a shot gun blast to his face. They also discover a hidden bicycle, a stolen wedding ring, a missing dumb bell and a wife who isn’t as upset as you may expect...

My Opinion
This novel is possibly not the best to read if you want a good idea of what Sherlock Holmes novels are like, as less than half of the novel features Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, the second half is the story behind what happened in the first half. You also might be disappointed by the fact the Professor Moriairty doesn’t actually make an appearance himself, but is referred to, I did read that this was the first to feature Sherlock’s arch enemy, so the fact that he isn’t a real part of the story, only mentioned at the beginning and end was a little misleading, but I didn’t actually notice as it was a riveting read.

The use of language, or rather the way it written, you may find a little strange particularly if you’re used to modern novels, but its actually quite refreshing and it makes you take more notice and take in what’s happening in the plot. You also find that the case is presented to you, as opposed to experiencing the story like the characters, you have an introduction, the facts, the investigation, the solution and then why it happened.

I found this novel extremely gripping, as the case starts I was amazed at Sherlock’s powers of deduction, and as more details and clues were uncovered I wanted to stop and see if I could work out the mystery for myself (as you do with these types of who dunnit), but I found that I simply could not put the book down. Any deductions I made were as I was reading and of course the further you go the more details you know and the more you can piece together, so I was delighted when I found out that I had managed to work out part of the mystery for myself as Sherlock unravelled the mystery of the murder to the players.

As I have mentioned this novel is in two parts, once the murder mystery has been solved, you are left with the mystery of why the murder occurred. This is presented as a story of events, chronicled and passed on to Dr. Watson, and thus to the reader.

The second half of The Valley Of Fear therefore reads as a third person novel, where none of the characters in the first half are present. As the story progresses you wonder why your reading it and what it all has to do with the murder, its very much like seeing one of those films where you see the end first and then see how everything came to be that way. I spent a long time trying to work out why I was reading about people who had nothing to do with the murder, though you do have knowledge of certain thing’s (mentioned in the first half), you try to imagine how the story unfolds and fits in with the murder.

As for the end, fantastic, I wasn’t expecting it at all, it was such a shock and a twist, you have to give credit to the writer, for even though you know that it has to work out in such a way, you’re not ready for it in the way that it does come.

All in all, its a very gripping novel that I didn’t want to put down, it has twists turns and unexpected happenings, and has left me wanting more.

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