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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
Sentence by sentence, this has all the things you want out of Adams, but on as whole it doesn't hang together very well.
Weird & Wonderful discussion notes: http://positronchicago.blogspot.com/2016/10/weird-wonderful-dirk-gentlys-holistic.html
Weird & Wonderful discussion notes: http://positronchicago.blogspot.com/2016/10/weird-wonderful-dirk-gentlys-holistic.html
And slimy things did crawl with legs
Upon the slimy sea...
You might or might not know the Legend of the Ancient Mariner now. But you will after you read this book. You might think you know what the Legend is about. Oh but do you REALLY know?
On a completely different note - have you ever regretted something that happened in the past so very very much that you were burning with desire to go back and fix it? There just MIGHT have been more to it than you thought... There just might...
So if you want to know what really happened - written in that awesome humorous way that Douglas Adams could write - read this book.
Upon the slimy sea...
You might or might not know the Legend of the Ancient Mariner now. But you will after you read this book. You might think you know what the Legend is about. Oh but do you REALLY know?
On a completely different note - have you ever regretted something that happened in the past so very very much that you were burning with desire to go back and fix it? There just MIGHT have been more to it than you thought... There just might...
So if you want to know what really happened - written in that awesome humorous way that Douglas Adams could write - read this book.
You know the stories that have all those lose ends as you approach the grand finale and you can't see how they'll ever be resolved in time? Dirk Gently puts them all to shame. At least in those stories there's some common thread tying them all together. This story starts with a mash of several completely unrelated incidents and characters and then slowly weaves them all together. That, my friends, is what Dirk Gently's holistic detective work is all about.
For those who watched the BBC series, you'll have some sense of how the absurd cacophony comes together, but the story itself is wholly different.
Sit back, relax, and suspend belief. Enjoy the absurdity.
For those who watched the BBC series, you'll have some sense of how the absurd cacophony comes together, but the story itself is wholly different.
Sit back, relax, and suspend belief. Enjoy the absurdity.
So mix some Agatha Christie, hitchhikers guide and doctor who and you get this
The first book in the Dirk Gently duet. It’s been many many years since I last reread this book. It’s something that I did remember reasonably well, but I did remember enjoying it more the first few times I read it.
I think, for me, this time around I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind. Of course, it could also be that my tastes have changed in the intervening years as well.
The first half dragged for me. There was a lot of set up and little bits of intriguing information, but took a lot longer to get to the introduction of Dirk than I wanted to.
Once Dirk became present in the book, things picked up and became a lot more interesting. The charisma of his character had instant impact for me, enlivening a book that was interesting but felt a bit dull and plodding.
The story, as always from Adams, was intriguing and unexpected as things started to unravel and get revealed. As well as the usual seeming randomness – like the Electric Monk and the Gordon Way storyline. That story tied things together, but in the end was kinda pointless as well.
I wanted to have loved this from start to finish I like I did a few years back, but I didn’t. I thoroughly enjoyed the second half, and the first half built up to that well, if slowly.
I think, for me, this time around I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind. Of course, it could also be that my tastes have changed in the intervening years as well.
The first half dragged for me. There was a lot of set up and little bits of intriguing information, but took a lot longer to get to the introduction of Dirk than I wanted to.
Once Dirk became present in the book, things picked up and became a lot more interesting. The charisma of his character had instant impact for me, enlivening a book that was interesting but felt a bit dull and plodding.
The story, as always from Adams, was intriguing and unexpected as things started to unravel and get revealed. As well as the usual seeming randomness – like the Electric Monk and the Gordon Way storyline. That story tied things together, but in the end was kinda pointless as well.
I wanted to have loved this from start to finish I like I did a few years back, but I didn’t. I thoroughly enjoyed the second half, and the first half built up to that well, if slowly.
It may just be because my brain has been addled by eating too much Thai takeaway but I found the ending of this (highly amusing) book rather convoluted and confusing.
Douglas Adams makes me laugh. Sometimes out loud in public places. He has a charming way of describing things that I admire. For example, he describes the gait of key character Richard as:- "even muffled inside a heavy dark coat he walked a little like an affronted heron." It's a brilliant description, simple but so visual! Using similes without being irritating or trying too hard is tricky and Adams nails it.
I really enjoyed Dirk Gently's first novel - it was great fun. Douglas Adams has a distinctive style that is hard to emulate well.
The supernatural and sci fi elements don't really kick off until midway through and a lot of explanation and tying up loose ends is done in a short space of time. This felt a little rushed to me. He'd only just introduced time travel and possession and ghosts and aliens and things quickly started wrapping themselves up. I'm not sure how it could have been extended but it would have benefited from a little more clarity, in my opinion.
All in all, funny, interesting and lots packed in! I would recommend this book to anybody.
Douglas Adams makes me laugh. Sometimes out loud in public places. He has a charming way of describing things that I admire. For example, he describes the gait of key character Richard as:- "even muffled inside a heavy dark coat he walked a little like an affronted heron." It's a brilliant description, simple but so visual! Using similes without being irritating or trying too hard is tricky and Adams nails it.
I really enjoyed Dirk Gently's first novel - it was great fun. Douglas Adams has a distinctive style that is hard to emulate well.
The supernatural and sci fi elements don't really kick off until midway through and a lot of explanation and tying up loose ends is done in a short space of time. This felt a little rushed to me. He'd only just introduced time travel and possession and ghosts and aliens and things quickly started wrapping themselves up. I'm not sure how it could have been extended but it would have benefited from a little more clarity, in my opinion.
All in all, funny, interesting and lots packed in! I would recommend this book to anybody.
Since it has been about 4 years since I first read this, I thought it would be good to go again. This time, I had a much better time with it. First, I didn't take a long break halfway through it, so I remembered all the characters, which is always a good thing. More importantly, though, I had a better knowledge of English literature this time, thanks to my junior year English class. Before reading this, you should read up on Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the Romantic poet. So much of this book's final quarter relies on the reader knowing his poems, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" and "Kubla Khan", and knowing how Coleridge was known to, um, find inspiration for his poems. This was the reason why I didn't understand this book 4 years ago; I thought Coleridge was just a character in this book, not a real life poet, and I certainly hadn't read any of his poems yet. Because I didn’t know what his poems were about, I had no idea what was happening, and it was a slog to get through. This time, I did pick up on all these connections, so it was much more enjoyable. This might even be my favorite book now, so I highly recommend it. The research you have to do before reading it is necessary, but is totally worth it!
Was it chaotic as f? yes.
Was it sometimes too weird to understand? maybe.
Did i care? no, because it is written in such a good and funny way (or maybe Way hehe), that when you're reading this then after some time you just accept everything that's happening, while being truly surprised by a lot of things (and by a lot I mean A LOT, and the Electric Monk and his horse aren't even the weirdest). And characters don't know what's happening, too, so you'll not be alone with this. Also the kind of humor is exactly the kind of humor that I love the most.
Besides this, the story and the characters (especially Dirk, yes he is very irritating but he's awesome ok) are really amazing.
I remember that I finished reading this at almost 5 AM and I didn't regret any second of it.
Was it sometimes too weird to understand? maybe.
Did i care? no, because it is written in such a good and funny way (or maybe Way hehe), that when you're reading this then after some time you just accept everything that's happening, while being truly surprised by a lot of things (and by a lot I mean A LOT, and the Electric Monk and his horse aren't even the weirdest). And characters don't know what's happening, too, so you'll not be alone with this. Also the kind of humor is exactly the kind of humor that I love the most.
Besides this, the story and the characters (especially Dirk, yes he is very irritating but he's awesome ok) are really amazing.
I remember that I finished reading this at almost 5 AM and I didn't regret any second of it.
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes