However Improbable

Our dear listeners, we owe you a thousand apologies!

The Hound of the Baskervilles is the closest that Arthur Conan Doyle comes to writing a real supernatural horror story (in his Holmes tales anyway) and one adaptation stands above the rest by truly committing to that idea. Happy Halloween and welcome to our case file on Hammer Film’s Hound of the Baskervilles!

Released in 1959 by Hammer Film Ltd., this horror-ified take on Doyle's classic story wasn't a commercial success at the time, but has gained cult status for its star-studded cast, moody scenic design, and over-the-top movie posters (A SIGHT TO STUN THE NERVES!) We talk about our love for old horror movies, Dracula on Dracula, and why it's so much fun to see lauded villain-playing, opera and heavy metal singing, Nazi-stabbing English acting legend Sir Christopher Lee... be the damsel in distress. 

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

https://www.howeverimprobablepodcast.com

https://twitter.com/improbablepod

A family curse. A desolate moor. An unexplained death. A monstrous dog. Arguably one of the most famous short stories of all time, The Hound of the Baskervilles is the third of four novellas about the great detective, and the first story Doyle wrote after Holmes’s (spoilers!) apparent demise in “The Final Problem.” It all comes together into a spine-tingling mystery that Watson's writing turns into a horror tale. 

We discuss Watson's turn as a Gothic heroine, the genre-hopping joy of Hound, Dracula Daily, and how Sir Henry should have ended up with Beryl at the end of this one, actually. 

Content warning: Racism, death, British preoccupation with bloodlines - and some animals meet some nasty ends in this story. Sorry - the dog dies in this one. 

Spoiler alert: We talk extensively about what happens in "The Final Problem" and "The Empty House."

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

https://www.howeverimprobablepodcast.com/listen/the-hound-of-the-baskervilles

https://twitter.com/improbablepod

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by Jenna Hanchey.

Chapter 13: Fixing the Nets

Chapter 14: The Hound of the Baskervilles

Chapter 15: A Retrospection

“And now I come rapidly to the conclusion of this singular narrative, in which I have tried to make the reader share those dark fears and vague surmises which clouded our lives so long and ended in so tragic a manner."

The Hound of the Baskervilles is narrated by Jenna Hanchey. Jenna is a critical/cultural communication professor by day, and a speculative fiction author and audiobook narrator by...uh...earlier in the day. All of her work, whether research or creative, aims to imagine and enact better futures. Her fiction has been published in Daily Science Fiction, the Apex Patreon, and Stupefying Stories, and is forthcoming in Nature: Futures. For more of her audiowork, check out the Bloodlines series by Emily S. Hurricane.

Professional Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jennahanchey

Website: www.jennahanchey.com

https://www.howeverimprobablepodcast.com/listen/the-hound-of-the-baskervilles

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by Jenna Hanchey.

Chapter 10: Extract from the Diary of Dr. Watson

Chapter 11: The Man on the Tor

Chapter 12: Death on the Moor

“That cold, incisive, ironical voice could belong to but one man in all the world."

The Hound of the Baskervilles is narrated by Jenna Hanchey. Jenna is a critical/cultural communication professor by day, and a speculative fiction author and audiobook narrator by...uh...earlier in the day. All of her work, whether research or creative, aims to imagine and enact better futures. Her fiction has been published in Daily Science Fiction, the Apex Patreon, and Stupefying Stories, and is forthcoming in Nature: Futures. For more of her audiowork, check out the Bloodlines series by Emily S. Hurricane.

Professional Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jennahanchey

Website: www.jennahanchey.com

https://www.howeverimprobablepodcast.com/listen/the-hound-of-the-baskervilles

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by Jenna Hanchey.

Chapter 7: The Stapletons of Merripit House

Chapter 8: First Report of Dr. Watson

Chapter 9: The Light upon the Moor [Second Report of Dr. Watson]

“But the moor with its mysteries and its strange inhabitants remains as inscrutable as ever. Perhaps in my next I may be able to throw some light upon this also.”

The Hound of the Baskervilles is narrated by Jenna Hanchey. Jenna is a critical/cultural communication professor by day, and a speculative fiction author and audiobook narrator by...uh...earlier in the day. All of her work, whether research or creative, aims to imagine and enact better futures. Her fiction has been published in Daily Science Fiction, the Apex Patreon, and Stupefying Stories, and is forthcoming in Nature: Futures. For more of her audiowork, check out the Bloodlines series by Emily S. Hurricane.

Professional Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jennahanchey

Website: www.jennahanchey.com

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by Jenna Hanchey.

Chapter 4: Sir Henry Baskerville

Chapter 5: Three Broken Threads

Chapter 6: Baskerville Hall

“It’s an ugly business, Watson, an ugly dangerous business, and the more I see of it the less I like it. Yes, my dear fellow, you may laugh, but I give you my word that I shall be very glad to have you back safe and sound in Baker Street once more.”

The Hound of the Baskervilles is narrated by Jenna Hanchey. Jenna is a critical/cultural communication professor by day, and a speculative fiction author and audiobook narrator by...uh...earlier in the day. All of her work, whether research or creative, aims to imagine and enact better futures. Her fiction has been published in Daily Science Fiction, the Apex Patreon, and Stupefying Stories, and is forthcoming in Nature: Futures. For more of her audiowork, check out the Bloodlines series by Emily S. Hurricane.

Professional Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jennahanchey

Website: www.jennahanchey.com

https://www.howeverimprobablepodcast.com/listen/the-hound-of-the-baskervilles

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by Jenna Hanchey.

Chapter 1: Mr. Sherlock Holmes

Chapter 2: The Curse of the Baskervilles

Chapter 3: The Problem

“Mr. Holmes, they were the footprints of a gigantic hound!”

The Hound of the Baskervilles is narrated by Jenna Hanchey. Jenna is a critical/cultural communication professor by day, and a speculative fiction author and audiobook narrator by...uh...earlier in the day. All of her work, whether research or creative, aims to imagine and enact better futures. Her fiction has been published in Daily Science Fiction, the Apex Patreon, and Stupefying Stories, and is forthcoming in Nature: Futures. For more of her audiowork, check out the Bloodlines series by Emily S. Hurricane.

Professional Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jennahanchey

Website: www.jennahanchey.com

https://www.howeverimprobablepodcast.com/listen/the-hound-of-the-baskervilles

In the second of 2 discussions on the novella The Sign of Four, we dive into the story's messy and rather sad interpersonal drama by shining a light on the most understated of narrators - Dr. Watson himself, and the tension that is dividing his heart. Join us for a 221B vibe check (spoilers: bad vibes) as we take a look at the state of Holmes and Watson's friendship, and why Watson makes a choice that threatens it... as well as our narrative structure. Do we die defending Miss Mary Morstan? Is Doyle actually just a bad writer? Is The Sign of Four the queerest story in the canon? 

Content warning: Drug use, murder, and serious themes of imperialism and racism. So much racism.

Listen to part 1 of our discussion on SIGN here: https://anchor.fm/however-improbable/episodes/Wild--dark-business-The-Sign-of-Four-discussion--Part-1-e1kbjrv 

Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website:

https://www.howeverimprobablepodcast.com/listen/the-sign-of-four

https://twitter.com/improbablepod

A young woman named Mary Morstan comes to Baker Street with a most unusual problem… kicking off a tale of treasure, murder and romance. The Sign of Four blends decadence, imperialism, dark family secrets and literal buried treasure with an almost genre-bending romantic air and some interpersonal drama. 

This is part 1 of 2 on our episodes covering Doyle's second novella. Today, we're building a theoretical backbone for this story, and examining what Holmes's actions and conflicts symbolize. We discuss Holmes's drug use as a symbol for London as a whole, what Doyle might have been trying to say about empire and power, and how SIGN is kind of like a noir.

Content warning: Drug use, murder, and serious themes of imperialism and racism. So much racism. 

https://www.howeverimprobablepodcast.com/listen/the-sign-of-four

https://twitter.com/improbablepod