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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
I read the hitchhiker books 15 years ago and somehow Adams became the "Pratchett for SciFi". What a miss. Though I still love Mr. Pratchett dearly Adams humor is much more british and has a very badly hidden dark edge. Great as an audio as well.
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Laugh out loud funny!
The different story lines connected in ways I did not expect, but were very fun to read. The characters are just the right amount of quirky and weird, the plot seems convoluted and then makes perfect sense (in its own way). Will read more from Douglas Adams if I happen upon it!
The different story lines connected in ways I did not expect, but were very fun to read. The characters are just the right amount of quirky and weird, the plot seems convoluted and then makes perfect sense (in its own way). Will read more from Douglas Adams if I happen upon it!
(7)
Wonderful ideas and whimsy and just what you would expect from Douglas Adams. Very fun read.
I found it much more engaging once Dirk had shown up and that does take almost half the book to happen but once he does I loved it!
Wonderful ideas and whimsy and just what you would expect from Douglas Adams. Very fun read.
I found it much more engaging once Dirk had shown up and that does take almost half the book to happen but once he does I loved it!
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Interesting concept, poor execution. Or maybe Douglas Adams was experimenting with magic mushrooms? Who knows? Dirk Gently believes in the interconnectedness of things. Dirk Gently and is Holistic Detective Agency also only appear about halfway through the book. The novel begins with a collection of random scenes, some of them silly, that lend a disjointed feeling to the narrative. The reader knows these scattered fragments are going to converge because this is a novel. But it still doesn't lend itself to entertaining reading, especially when the characters aren't well developed, are not particularly interesting, and the story takes for eons (that's what it felt like!) to get anywhere. There are a few clever ideas, but I didn't find the writing style particularly engaging (or Douglas Adams brand of humour/ witticisms went right over my head - take your pick). For a short story that includes such curiosities as a ghost, an Electric Monk, a horse found in a second-storey bathroom (I feel sorry for the horse!), couches irretrievably stuck in stairwells, a 200 year old professor, a time machine, the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, aliens and a spaceship; this book is rather tedious to read. The plot ending was also a bit muddled, but at this point I was relieved to reach the end of the story. A disappointing reading experience.
funny
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The exceedingly complex narrative gets lost a little as sentences jostle for space on the page, but as is typical of Adams' writing, it's such a joy to read that it doesn't really matter.
I can't believe how much I loved this! I might have to give The Hitchhiker's Guide another try. ;)
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes