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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Completely silly. I'm a fan of Adams' style and though I am not a fan of Odin or Thor, this was a comfort food kind of read. The more Adams I read, the stronger I see his influences in other prominent writers.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Interestingly enough, my thoughts on this second book are the mirror opposites of the first. I felt that the first book had interesting characters but a plot that seemed a little too non sequitur to really make sense. This book had a plot that came to better way easier but I found the characters (aside from Dirk, of course, as he has already been established) to not be as interesting.
First off, I love love love the concept of old gods in the modern world. It makes me cackle with joy in any book of this variety. From American Gods to Rick Riordan to one of my favorite TV shows The Almighty Johnsons, I'm a total sucker for immortals sucking at living around mortals. However, I can't really say I loved these interpretations of them so much. Thor was fine. He was sufficiently booming and bull-headed. However, ultimately, I wanted more out of him than just the normal cookie-cutter Thor stereotype. Odin was kind of frustrating as he was nothing like any normal Odin as compared the the mythology. Granted, he was supposed to be kind of being subdued about it, but all in all, he just didn't scream of someone who could have been a retired all-father. And Toe Rag? Where in the world did that come from? Regardless, the Norse gods in this book are more like parodies of the Marvel comics versions of Norse gods and weren't really as entertaining as I wanted them to be. They weren't bad, per se, but I wanted more depth from all of the characters in this book and I just didn't get it.
The plot actually made way more sense than the first book did, interestingly enough. While you can't even begin to predict how the two plots will come together in the end, as is the nature of ANY Douglas Adams book, I thought it was pretty clever. I don't want to spoil it for prospective readers so I won't, but the clues of how things fit together are peppered in as things go along. While I didn't find any chapters to be particularly awesome as I did in the first book, I feel that overall his storyline was much better constructed in this one.
Overall, I would say this is an unusual book in that I feel like you can safely read the second book without having to read the first. While I always feel it's best to read books in order, you can pretty much get a solid understanding of Dirk from the chapters of his perspective without having to read his backstory bits in the prior book. I definitely feel like 3 stars is fair as far as my enjoyment went. It was not a book that was as easy for me to enjoy as the Hitchhikers series. Still, if Adams's works are among your favorites, I definitely wouldn't give this one a miss.
First off, I love love love the concept of old gods in the modern world. It makes me cackle with joy in any book of this variety. From American Gods to Rick Riordan to one of my favorite TV shows The Almighty Johnsons, I'm a total sucker for immortals sucking at living around mortals. However, I can't really say I loved these interpretations of them so much. Thor was fine. He was sufficiently booming and bull-headed. However, ultimately, I wanted more out of him than just the normal cookie-cutter Thor stereotype. Odin was kind of frustrating as he was nothing like any normal Odin as compared the the mythology. Granted, he was supposed to be kind of being subdued about it, but all in all, he just didn't scream of someone who could have been a retired all-father. And Toe Rag? Where in the world did that come from? Regardless, the Norse gods in this book are more like parodies of the Marvel comics versions of Norse gods and weren't really as entertaining as I wanted them to be. They weren't bad, per se, but I wanted more depth from all of the characters in this book and I just didn't get it.
The plot actually made way more sense than the first book did, interestingly enough. While you can't even begin to predict how the two plots will come together in the end, as is the nature of ANY Douglas Adams book, I thought it was pretty clever. I don't want to spoil it for prospective readers so I won't, but the clues of how things fit together are peppered in as things go along. While I didn't find any chapters to be particularly awesome as I did in the first book, I feel that overall his storyline was much better constructed in this one.
Overall, I would say this is an unusual book in that I feel like you can safely read the second book without having to read the first. While I always feel it's best to read books in order, you can pretty much get a solid understanding of Dirk from the chapters of his perspective without having to read his backstory bits in the prior book. I definitely feel like 3 stars is fair as far as my enjoyment went. It was not a book that was as easy for me to enjoy as the Hitchhikers series. Still, if Adams's works are among your favorites, I definitely wouldn't give this one a miss.
Have re-read this a few times; doesn't get old. Laugh out loud each time.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed this one, though it took some time to get going. While I think the Dirk Gently books are amusing, I don't think they're as good (or as funny) as the Hitch-hiker's guide series.
Another funny and quirky Douglas Adams book, the second Drik Gentley book, and its just as charming as the first. Worth reading if a fan of Adams or you like quirky British humor
milujem jeho humor a to že sa to tvári ako šialený výplod ale pritom je to také geniálne :D