• A Study in Emerald

  • By: Neil Gaiman
  • Narrated by: Neil Gaiman
  • Length: 49 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (3,517 ratings)

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A Study in Emerald  By  cover art

A Study in Emerald

By: Neil Gaiman
Narrated by: Neil Gaiman
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Publisher's summary

Alluding to both the Sherlock Holmes canon and the Old Ones of the Cthulhu Mythos, this Hugo Award-winning short story will delight fans of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, H. P. Lovecraft, and of course, Neil Gaiman.

A Study in Emerald draws listeners in through carefully revealed details as a consulting detective and his narrator friend solve the mystery of a murdered German noble. But with its subtle allusions and surprise ending, this mystery hints that the real fun in solving this case lies in imagining all the details that Gaiman doesn't reveal, and challenges listeners to be detectives themselves.

©2006 Neil Gaiman (P)2006 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

  • Hugo winner, Best Short Story, 2004

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and More From Neil Gaiman

What listeners say about A Study in Emerald

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,729
  • 4 Stars
    978
  • 3 Stars
    528
  • 2 Stars
    177
  • 1 Stars
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Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    1,126
  • 4 Stars
    451
  • 3 Stars
    237
  • 2 Stars
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  • 1 Stars
    43

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

A brilliant exercise...

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle could only be pleased by this work. Or feel a bit threatened even, because Neil Gaiman certainly has it in him to unravel clever clues.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Strange mix of genre - but well done anyway!

At first, it's an old Sherlock Holmes story, but then, throw in a globe-conquering alien life form, and then only "hint" at the alien's true nature. I know, sounds kinda weird, but in all, a great little story.

- Frederick

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting and Entertaining

This listen is an enjoyable spin on the Sherlock Holmes theme, in a kind of alternate reality. It is quite entertaining, and Gaiman's narration is very good.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

A fun take on a classic

This was a fun and slightly twisted take on a classic, one I enjoyed very much in a noir meets the creature from the black lagoon kind of way.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

great piece of meta-fiction

Gaiman is a true craftsman and a deft hand with the styles of other authors when he bends his will to it. This funny and fascinating piece of meta-fiction had me rapt from beginning to end. It will help if you're familiar with the work of Sir Conan Doyle and several of his contemporaries, but it's not necessary. This will leave you wanting more Gaiman awesomeness so I highly recommend Fragile Things, a collection of Short Stories that contains this as well as many others.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Sherlock with a twist

I really enjoyed this. It was very faithful with the original Sherlock Holmes story. But, the twist really enhances it. I loved all the detail. I would love to hear more stories in this vein from Neil Gaiman.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Sherlock Holmes crossover with a dash of Cthulhu

Sherlock Holmes mystery with a dash of Cthulhu and a twist of lime- I mean plot. As ever, Neil Gaiman adds further dimension and character to his stories by providing his own narration.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Glib and predictable.

I dislike this kind of fiction, here a play on a famous Arthur Conan Doyle novel. Yes, I guessed the ending long before it hit -- and when it hit it struck me as in the vein of a Rod Sterling TWILIGHT ZONE episode, where everything flips in the last uttered word. That kind of "plot" worked for me when I was a kid, but that was gimmick excitement and little more. None of the infinite careful loving detail of the real inventor of Sherlock Holmes, who really is so iconic that it is hard to imagine a universe without him and his equally iconic friend, Dr. Watson. Nothing fresh here, however, except a neat twist, just when you expect it most.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable

Neil Gaiman is a smart and interesting writer, and he narrates his own work wonderfully. This story is short- just under an hour to listen to. I would recommend this to any Gaiman fan.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Strange story

It was an unusual story and quite strange. It was quick and a conversation starter with the family.

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