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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
Thoroughly enjoyed it, and wish I could give it 1/2 a star more. I love Adams's work, but I can't help but compare this to how much I love HGttG and it falls short. It's frenetic and absolutely bizarre but the weirdness doesn't seem rooted in something like the Galaxy series.
Douglas Adams' second Dirk Gently is mostly more of the same - quirky characters, a wacky plot, and Adams' signature dark humor.
I loved the first Dirk Gently book (Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency), and I like this one just as much. I would try and explain the story, but it's impossible to, so I'll just say that it involves a refridgerator, Norse gods, a song about hot potatoes, and the fact that you can't get pizza delivered anywhere in London.
One of the things I love the most about Douglas Adams' books are his characters. I loved Kate in this novel (the sub-plot with her calling up pizza places in London and asking to get her food delivered, being fully aware that no one in London does, was adorably endearing), and Dirk Gently is, of course, one of a kind.
I'm also becoming a big-time fan of the humor and writing style in Douglas Adams' books. Some of my favorite passages, for example:
"A door flopped open, wobbling periously on its one remaining hinge, and there emerged from the car a pair of the sort of legs which sound-track editors are unable to see without needing to slap a smoky saxophone solo all over, for reasons which no one besides sound-track editors has ever been able to understand. In this particular case, however, the saxophone would have been silenced by the proximity of the kazoo which the same sound-track editor would almost certainly have slapped all over the progress of the vehicle."
"Confuse your enemy, he thought. It was a little like phoning somebody up, and saying 'Yes? Hello?' in a testy voice when they answered, which was one of Dirk's favorite methods of whiling away long, hot summer afternoons."
And, of course, any book that opens with a line like this has to be good: "It can hardly be a coincidence that no language on earth has ever produced the expression 'As pretty as an airport.'"
Basically, after reading every Douglas Adams book in print (except The Salmon of Doubt, which is on my To-Read list), I've turned into quite the fan, and The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul has only confirmed my feelings. I will never not be sad that Douglas Adams is no longer; we've lost a great writer.
I loved the first Dirk Gently book (Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency), and I like this one just as much. I would try and explain the story, but it's impossible to, so I'll just say that it involves a refridgerator, Norse gods, a song about hot potatoes, and the fact that you can't get pizza delivered anywhere in London.
One of the things I love the most about Douglas Adams' books are his characters. I loved Kate in this novel (the sub-plot with her calling up pizza places in London and asking to get her food delivered, being fully aware that no one in London does, was adorably endearing), and Dirk Gently is, of course, one of a kind.
I'm also becoming a big-time fan of the humor and writing style in Douglas Adams' books. Some of my favorite passages, for example:
"A door flopped open, wobbling periously on its one remaining hinge, and there emerged from the car a pair of the sort of legs which sound-track editors are unable to see without needing to slap a smoky saxophone solo all over, for reasons which no one besides sound-track editors has ever been able to understand. In this particular case, however, the saxophone would have been silenced by the proximity of the kazoo which the same sound-track editor would almost certainly have slapped all over the progress of the vehicle."
"Confuse your enemy, he thought. It was a little like phoning somebody up, and saying 'Yes? Hello?' in a testy voice when they answered, which was one of Dirk's favorite methods of whiling away long, hot summer afternoons."
And, of course, any book that opens with a line like this has to be good: "It can hardly be a coincidence that no language on earth has ever produced the expression 'As pretty as an airport.'"
Basically, after reading every Douglas Adams book in print (except The Salmon of Doubt, which is on my To-Read list), I've turned into quite the fan, and The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul has only confirmed my feelings. I will never not be sad that Douglas Adams is no longer; we've lost a great writer.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
This was also great, but less so. Too much of a focus on Dirk this time around to enjoy him as much as I did in the first one. Still, a great read - just not a brilliant one.
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked this, the sequel, much better than Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. I think it's more accessible on a whole, and funnier.
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes