You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
With shades of the guide, Dirk Gently is wholly irreverent and incredible fun.
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. This is what Amazon says it is about: "There is a long tradition of Great Detectives, and Dirk Gently does not belong to it. But his search for a missing cat uncovers a ghost, a time traveler, AND the devastating secret of humankind! Detective Gently's bill for saving the human race from extinction: NO CHARGE."
It's kinda about that, but it is not really about that.
Dirk himself doesn't show up until about Chapter 16 and you never get a story from his perspective.
It is really the story of an Electric Monk (a robot whose function is to believe in things very strongly, though not necessarily consistently), a man named Gordon Way, who soon becomes a ghost named Gordon Way, and a guy named Richard, who has girl troubles and is working on some pretty cool software that creates music out of the mathematical representation of every day activities, like the flap of a bird's wing. And the eccentric and forgetful college professor, "Reg," who I think was my absolute favorite!
Those were the characters I cared the most about, and really that is who the story is about. Dirk comes in to be the person who figures stuff out.
And the mystery is not even what you think it is. You expect that they will solve the mystery of who murdered Gordon Way, but it turns out that you kinda already know who did it, and the real mystery is incredibly bewildering, and you are not quite sure how exactly they resolve the situation in the end.
But it is Douglas Adams! He is a comedy genius, with strange and witty situations, delicious turns of phrase, and an astronomical scientific imagination! This was written in 1987, and it was a bagillion times more creatively advanced (science fiction wise) than The Doomsday Book which was written in 1992.
It's kinda about that, but it is not really about that.
Dirk himself doesn't show up until about Chapter 16 and you never get a story from his perspective.
It is really the story of an Electric Monk (a robot whose function is to believe in things very strongly, though not necessarily consistently), a man named Gordon Way, who soon becomes a ghost named Gordon Way, and a guy named Richard, who has girl troubles and is working on some pretty cool software that creates music out of the mathematical representation of every day activities, like the flap of a bird's wing. And the eccentric and forgetful college professor, "Reg," who I think was my absolute favorite!
Those were the characters I cared the most about, and really that is who the story is about. Dirk comes in to be the person who figures stuff out.
And the mystery is not even what you think it is. You expect that they will solve the mystery of who murdered Gordon Way, but it turns out that you kinda already know who did it, and the real mystery is incredibly bewildering, and you are not quite sure how exactly they resolve the situation in the end.
But it is Douglas Adams! He is a comedy genius, with strange and witty situations, delicious turns of phrase, and an astronomical scientific imagination! This was written in 1987, and it was a bagillion times more creatively advanced (science fiction wise) than The Doomsday Book which was written in 1992.
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-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
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-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
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A guy at work mentioned that Douglas Adams had written more than just the hitchhiker's guide books. I had no idea, and immediately went searching. It is amazing listening to the man himself read a book you didn't even know existed. LOVED it. I will be sad once I have finished all of them.
There's a chance I liked the second one more, but at the same time, I still really liked this one. Here's to absurdity at its very best.
I didn't like it as much as Hitchhiker's Guide, but it's still good, fun, and Douglas Adams-y.
What can I say about it other than time travel, ghosts, and sofas? It's all weird and whacky and a good, chill, relaxed read.
What can I say about it other than time travel, ghosts, and sofas? It's all weird and whacky and a good, chill, relaxed read.