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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
I always adore Douglas Adams. This book was perfect. The best moment was when I realized that this was the Doctor Who City of Death serial. Also, how cool is it that he worked in so much Coleridge?
Loveable characters:
No
I ended up reading The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul, which is the next book, before this one. I liked it alot more than this one. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency is just not as funny as I expected. It is still a good read but I would recomend the second Dirk Gently book more than this one.
>>Spoilers<<
Things the book and the series have in common: Dirk does and does not have weird powers, "everything is connected," time machines. That is it. Both are good.
Things the book and the series have in common: Dirk does and does not have weird powers, "everything is connected," time machines. That is it. Both are good.
Fuck it, if the world is nonsense anyway, we're going full nonsense.
Subconsciously, (or, in a way that I only just now realized) I always seem to reach for Adams when my world is in utter chaos, up to and including: three deaths in the family, making life-changing choices about my future, and now, apparently, a global health crisis.
Whenever I am trying and failing to make sense of the world around me, Douglas Adams has been the chaotic balm on my overworked brain. And I think that's due to his particular brand of what I call "authoritative nonsense."
Nothing in Adams' many worlds makes a lick of sense, but the narrative voice is relaxed and somehow knowledgeable in spite of a total lack of knowledge. He hurls his characters thither and yon across the universe but somehow, they still make it out. So if the world MUST be nonsense right now, when the universe IS hurling us humans about thither and yon like leaves on the wind (RIP Wash) then FUCK IT, WE'RE "THIS IS SPINAL TAP" -ING THIS BULLSHIT & DIALING THE NONSENSE ALL THE WAY TO ELEVEN.
And on that front, this book did not disappoint. This book was complete madness from page one and broke every trope of the detective genre along the way, my favorite of which was the absurd notion that the detective in question must be a damn-near omniscient superhuman, which must be such a boring way to live now that I think about it.
While I did end up committing the cardinal sin of book snobbery (which is a stupid concept, by the way- read what you like and don't let anyone shame you for it) and watched the 2016 BBC adaptation before reading the books, that decision turned out to be absolutely fine because the books and the TV show have less in common than you might think, while still managing to strike almost identical tones and to be charming and likable in their own, unique ways (which is exceedingly rare).
So. Embrace the nonsense. Trust that wherever the universe throws you, you'll come out of it like Arthur Dent, Dirk Gently or Richard MacDuff: whiplashed by confusion, but somehow comfortable in the absurdity that surrounds and binds us all.
Subconsciously, (or, in a way that I only just now realized) I always seem to reach for Adams when my world is in utter chaos, up to and including: three deaths in the family, making life-changing choices about my future, and now, apparently, a global health crisis.
Whenever I am trying and failing to make sense of the world around me, Douglas Adams has been the chaotic balm on my overworked brain. And I think that's due to his particular brand of what I call "authoritative nonsense."
Nothing in Adams' many worlds makes a lick of sense, but the narrative voice is relaxed and somehow knowledgeable in spite of a total lack of knowledge. He hurls his characters thither and yon across the universe but somehow, they still make it out. So if the world MUST be nonsense right now, when the universe IS hurling us humans about thither and yon like leaves on the wind (RIP Wash) then FUCK IT, WE'RE "THIS IS SPINAL TAP" -ING THIS BULLSHIT & DIALING THE NONSENSE ALL THE WAY TO ELEVEN.
And on that front, this book did not disappoint. This book was complete madness from page one and broke every trope of the detective genre along the way, my favorite of which was the absurd notion that the detective in question must be a damn-near omniscient superhuman, which must be such a boring way to live now that I think about it.
While I did end up committing the cardinal sin of book snobbery (which is a stupid concept, by the way- read what you like and don't let anyone shame you for it) and watched the 2016 BBC adaptation before reading the books, that decision turned out to be absolutely fine because the books and the TV show have less in common than you might think, while still managing to strike almost identical tones and to be charming and likable in their own, unique ways (which is exceedingly rare).
So. Embrace the nonsense. Trust that wherever the universe throws you, you'll come out of it like Arthur Dent, Dirk Gently or Richard MacDuff: whiplashed by confusion, but somehow comfortable in the absurdity that surrounds and binds us all.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
So much fun. I guess I read it before, but this time, I remember it and loved it.
adventurous
funny
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Fav DA series
Funny and quirky. Everything you would expect from Douglas Adams. Reminds me of Doctor Who. Way better than the TV show and similar in any way.