• Professor Moriarty: The Hound of the D'Urbervilles

  • By: Kim Newman
  • Narrated by: Tom Hodgkins
  • Length: 14 hrs and 12 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (174 ratings)

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Professor Moriarty: The Hound of the D'Urbervilles  By  cover art

Professor Moriarty: The Hound of the D'Urbervilles

By: Kim Newman
Narrated by: Tom Hodgkins
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Publisher's summary

Imagine the twisted evil twins of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson and you have the dangerous duo of Professor James Moriarty - wily, snake-like, fiercely intelligent, terrifyingly unpredictable - and Colonel Sebastian Basher Moran - violent, politically incorrect, debauched. Together they run London crime, owning police and criminals alike. When a certain Irene Adler turns up on their doorstep with a proposition, neither man is able to resist.

An entertaining and wickedly humorous crime adventure from the best-selling author of Anno Dracula.

©2011 Kim Newman (P)2011 Audible Ltd

Critic reviews

"It's witty, often hilarious stuff. The author portrays the scurrilous flipside of Holmes's civil ordered world, pokes fun at 'guest stars' from contemporary novels and ventures into more outre territory than Conan Doyle even dared." ( Financial Times)
"Kim Newman has done something really audacious with Conan Doyle's criminal genius.... The notion of reinventing Moriarty and Moran as malign dopplegangers of Holmes and Watson may have been done before, but not with the firecracker exuberance that Newman brings to it." ( Independent)

What listeners say about Professor Moriarty: The Hound of the D'Urbervilles

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  • Overall
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Newman at His Best

Nobody spins Victorian literature on its ear quite like Kim Newman. I'm already a shameless fan of his Anno-Dracula series, and I have yet to read anything else of his that I thought was less than sub-par. This book fits right in with his proven track record.

This particular story is actually a handful of stories, all written from the memoirs of Moriarty's right-hand thug, Col. Sebastian Moran. What's inside? Depravity, cunning, top-notch characterization, and humor.

Not only do we get to see inside Moriarty's genius through the eyes of his loyal operative, we also get a look at the likes of Raffles, Lupin, Irene Adler (a rather obnoxious but humorous take on her), and of course, Holmes himself. And there are plenty others. The more you know about the pulp greats of that age, the better Newman's books are, but don't let that deter you. These books are gateways to discovery. The plots for this one are ingenius. My personal favorite from this one? Moriarty defiles the reputation of a former student by staging a martian invasion. The weapon of choice: vampire squid. It's priceless.

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Rollicking good story, great reader

I can't recommend this audiobook highly enough.

Kim Newman tells Moriarty's criminal exploits in his associate Colonel Moran's voice. Colonel Moran makes the novel. He's a charismatic, unapologetic sociopath with an unquenchable relish for action. He loves to hunt and bags tigers, natives and Moriarty's enemies with equal verve.

Tom Hodgkins delivers a pitch-perfect performance, with a very convincing accent for a Victorian English colonel. What really makes the performance is the way he transmits Colonel Moran's unabashed relish in his dastardly deeds.

Colonel Moran loves action, even when the odds are stacked against him. This is an action-packed narrative of unscrupulous derring-do, and Hodgkins' rendering of Moran's voice makes it come alive.

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3 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

close shave

This work employs the plot devices and style of the Flashman stories in all respects but date of writing. A modern Doyle cover can be a lot of fun. There are several authors in your collection who out- Doyle Doyle. What is the point of out- MacDonald Fraser-ing MacDonald Fraser? This work is too close a shave. I am exhausted and and left pining for the real thing -- Flashman.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Absolutely Remarkable

Stop reading reviews and buy it. Believe me, it's worth it.

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1 person found this helpful

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Fan-f-blank-blank-blank-ing-tastic!

As far as pastiches on Sherlock Holmes go, this is one of the best ones. If you’re a fan of Moriarty and/or Sebastian Moran, then sink your teeth into this one. I loved every second of it.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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THE Professor Moriarty novel

I’ve loved villains ever since my mother read me Peter Pan and I became fascinated with Captain Hook. Villains are often far more compelling than their heroes. It’s however surprisingly difficult to make them so compelling and relatable that they stay with you forever. Kim Newman does both here. Professor James Moriarty is at different points funny, horrifying, disturbingly intelligent, and utterly capable of anything he sets his fiendish mind to. While I hesitate to say he’s relatable, Newman does an excellent job of making the reader empathize with both main characters but with Moriarty especially.
Outside of the Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes canon I consider Newman’s work THE definitive Professor Moriarty novel. Moriarty isn’t the only villain that shows up to stake a claim to London however. The worst of the worst from literature and popular culture show up to work with and against the professor and his capable right hand Sebastian Moran. Fu Manchu, Rupert of Hentzau, Irene Adler, Raffles, Dr. Nikola, and many others are featured at different points. Particularly interesting is the war between Moriarty and his TRUE arch-nemesis where they fight for control of the criminal underworld of London and Europe. I can’t recommend this one enough. If you’re a fan of the Holmes canon or just really appreciate Victorian villainy you’ll love this book.

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Lively action and equal opportunity insults

Unlike Newman's Dracula book (I didn't find Anno Dracula interesting), this one is fast-paced, humorous and worth a listen for the bon mots alone. Colonel Moran is hilariously amoral and cynical. The Holmes-Watson world is turned inside-out. Moriarity, for instance, cultivates wasps and takes great satisfaction in their deadly effects on experimental subjects. The action rushes along a little too quickly in places. I don't know if I cared whether there was any action at all; I was that captivated by the language.

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excellent fun if you are a sherlockian

I enjoyed Anno Dracula and was so disappointed in Bloody Red Baron that I didn't go to this one for a long time even though it was already in my library. Mistake. This is by far Newman's best. I would take stars away from Anno and give extras to this if i could. at times funny, bawdy, adventurous. nod's to not only sherlock of course, but victorian lit all over the place and even some others. a lot of fun. the irene adler episode, the red planet league, and the hound are my favorites, but the others are fun too. narrator is great, the voice is great and the stories are great. enjoyed it.

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More Please!!!

I must have listened to this book at least 20 times now and as a fan of Sebastian Moran this just makes my life. Not only is it narrated perfectly but it's also written as if the author was in his mind and it's absolutely amazing for any fan of Moriarty and Moran. I would love for there to be another book of this but I'm just happy there's one. Major love for the author thank you for this!!!!

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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Tedious and Camp

Unlike the Complete Stories of Sherlock Holmes, I found this adventure of Moriarty to be very difficult to concentrate on. Having taken it up several times, I finally quit and sent it back to the library. I believe this is the first time out of hundreds of books that I reacted this way. With apologies …

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