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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
This is the first time I've read this book. Until now I'd only read The Hitchhiker's Guide series. It definitely has a different tone to it while still being a very British and funny book at its core. That might have to do with the fact that it was originally an unused Dr Who script or it might just be that Mr Adams was writing in a different universe with a different tone. There's definitely something very modern in a sort of 80s or 90s way about this book - the way it talks about computers and algorithms that we just don't talk about nowadays. We take PCs for granted, but Adams, like Richard, was a computer geek when that was still a pretty new thing.
The plot takes a while to gel together as there are about 4 different plots going in the beginning that are tied together in a way that only Dirk can eventually figure out. Even Dirk Gently, for whom the book is named, is not really a main character and doesn't appear for quite some time. This is one of those books where it's REALLY hard to have a good synopsis that doesn't give something away. Let's see what I can do:
Richard, our main character, ends up suspected in the murder of his boss. He finds his old college buddy who's currently going under the name of Dirk Gently and has recently started an investigative agency.
That's about all you can say because everything else is about how all the plots tie together in a way that makes Dirk's investigation quite unique. If you like British humor and detective/mystery stories, you owe it to yourself to see exactly what I'm talking about.
The plot takes a while to gel together as there are about 4 different plots going in the beginning that are tied together in a way that only Dirk can eventually figure out. Even Dirk Gently, for whom the book is named, is not really a main character and doesn't appear for quite some time. This is one of those books where it's REALLY hard to have a good synopsis that doesn't give something away. Let's see what I can do:
Richard, our main character, ends up suspected in the murder of his boss. He finds his old college buddy who's currently going under the name of Dirk Gently and has recently started an investigative agency.
That's about all you can say because everything else is about how all the plots tie together in a way that makes Dirk's investigation quite unique. If you like British humor and detective/mystery stories, you owe it to yourself to see exactly what I'm talking about.
This was completely ridiculous and too clever for its own good. I enjoyed almost every page of it.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Possibly even more exhausting than Hitchiker’s Guide. Thinks itself a lot wittier than it is and not wirth the payoff.
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Douglas Adams is a superb writer. That much is evident from whatever you read of his. I'd read Hitchiker's Guide To The Galaxy and absolutely adored it. Adams makes you laugh out loud and makes complicated ideas or stories simple and believable when they shouldn't be!
This was the problem I had with this book. I was on board for the ghost, the electric monk and his horse, even for the time travel, but the space ship for me was a step too far. I know that's a completely absurd thing to say, but I just think Adams took it too far to a stage where I was actually bored a didn't care. In fact I skipped quite a bit towards the end.
It took far to long for the reader to meet Dirk Gently as well. In fact, the book was really about Richard and his various problems. Richard was a brilliant loveable character who struggled with several things including wrapping his head around the whole concept. Dirk on the other hand was a bit of an arse. He spent the majority of the last third of the book sulking because someone beat him to an idea.
In the end I'm quite glad that I watched the series first because I loved it. Stephen Mangan is a fantastic Dirk Gently that can be an arse and loveable and Darren Boyd is a brilliant Richard MacDuff who bumbles through the case, trying to clear up Dirk's mistakes. I don't think I'll be reading another unfortunately.
Just a quick note. Adams is brilliant with dialogue and he has a wonderful sense of imagination.
This was the problem I had with this book. I was on board for the ghost, the electric monk and his horse, even for the time travel, but the space ship for me was a step too far. I know that's a completely absurd thing to say, but I just think Adams took it too far to a stage where I was actually bored a didn't care. In fact I skipped quite a bit towards the end.
It took far to long for the reader to meet Dirk Gently as well. In fact, the book was really about Richard and his various problems. Richard was a brilliant loveable character who struggled with several things including wrapping his head around the whole concept. Dirk on the other hand was a bit of an arse. He spent the majority of the last third of the book sulking because someone beat him to an idea.
In the end I'm quite glad that I watched the series first because I loved it. Stephen Mangan is a fantastic Dirk Gently that can be an arse and loveable and Darren Boyd is a brilliant Richard MacDuff who bumbles through the case, trying to clear up Dirk's mistakes. I don't think I'll be reading another unfortunately.
Just a quick note. Adams is brilliant with dialogue and he has a wonderful sense of imagination.
adventurous
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:
Yes
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced