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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
So completely confusing and charming. Very very hard to follow when tired
What it's about: Richard MacDuff works in computers, designing accounting software that turns company's earnings into musical compositions. His product is a hit, and his boss and owner of the company, Gordon Way, wants him to get the next version of the product done. Gordon is pressuring his sister, Susan, to get her boyfriend, Richard, to complete the software, but she wants nothing to do with any of it.
And then, one evening while Richard is having dinner with his old university mentor, Gordon is killed.
This is surprising to Gordon - and moreso when it turns out that being killed is only the beginning of his difficulties.
Soon, Richard is seeking help from an old college chum - Svlad Cjelli, now going by the name Dirk Gently. Dirk is a detective - but not like you're expecting.
And nothing in this story is like you're expecting.
What I thought: I probably read this 30+ years ago, and had completely forgotten about it until I saw the rave reviews the TV series was getting. Watched the show, and was absolutely blown away by how weird and interesting and fun it was. Decided to get my hands on the book and check it out.
My library has every other book by Douglas Adams in the Sci Fi section; but this one specific book is shelved in "Mystery". While it does have a character who calls himself a "holistic detective", and while there is a murder and a body, that's about the end of the similarities between this book and something I would classify as a mystery. This book hasaliens, androids, sentient horses, dimension hopping, time travel, possibly-immortal beings, ghosts, supernatural possessions, and a heavy reliance on a macro-level application of the quantum mechanical theory, which basically suggests that everything is interrelated (thus the "holistic detection"). It is not, in any sense, a detective mystery wherein clues are amassed that lead to the solution to the problem. Oh no. It's much, much more weird than that, and relies on intuition more than detection.
So I might have a word with my library about where they're shelving this bad boy.
Why I rated it like I did: This is a weird story that's not as humorous as Hitchhiker's Guide, but it's interesting and kind of thought-provoking.
And then, one evening while Richard is having dinner with his old university mentor, Gordon is killed.
This is surprising to Gordon - and moreso when it turns out that being killed is only the beginning of his difficulties.
Soon, Richard is seeking help from an old college chum - Svlad Cjelli, now going by the name Dirk Gently. Dirk is a detective - but not like you're expecting.
And nothing in this story is like you're expecting.
What I thought: I probably read this 30+ years ago, and had completely forgotten about it until I saw the rave reviews the TV series was getting. Watched the show, and was absolutely blown away by how weird and interesting and fun it was. Decided to get my hands on the book and check it out.
My library has every other book by Douglas Adams in the Sci Fi section; but this one specific book is shelved in "Mystery". While it does have a character who calls himself a "holistic detective", and while there is a murder and a body, that's about the end of the similarities between this book and something I would classify as a mystery. This book has
So I might have a word with my library about where they're shelving this bad boy.
Why I rated it like I did: This is a weird story that's not as humorous as Hitchhiker's Guide, but it's interesting and kind of thought-provoking.
Douglas Adams does mystery. It's quirky and there are a few funny moments in it. So, I finished it. It's ok. And now I've moved on.
"That isn't to say that if you get involved in a paradox a few things won't strike you as being very odd, but if you've got though life without that already happening to you, then I don't know which Universe you've been living in, but it isn't this one."
his amazing writing style makes up for the confusion i had while reading this - so nothing new
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wish I could say I enjoyed this more, but reading it reminded me of all the reasons why the 'Hitchhikers' series, though good, never felt like enough. And not in a good way. A lot of that has to do with the serial nature of his writings, Adams never really ended his books and stories, and when he did have an Actual Occurrence he didn't hesitate to change it all back. Earth destroyed? No it wasn't!
He's a clever and funny writer; he comes up with the most absurd similes and characters imaginable and pulls off what could have been an impossibly confusing narrative that frequently switches perspective and time. It's just that he's not only not afraid to put in little asides for humor, the main plot barely exists, it's a framework for him to hang jokes on.
So I was asked about the comparison between Pratchett and Adams, and I said something along the lines about how they were pretty close as funny 'genre' satirists, Pratchett just had more time to develop. Which is not really fair now that I think about it. Pratchett is waaaay better. Adams' brand of chaos is fun and all, in a 'Animaniacs', slapstick kind of way, but at the end of the day give me something that will make me laugh and think
That said, I did like Dirk Gently and his brand of holistic detection. He's kind of an asshole, but most of the good detectives are. So read this if you, like me, have read all of 'Hitchhikers' and have been left with a vague desire for more ever since. You know this is better than the 'new' book churned out by the Artemis Fowl guy.
Dirk Gently
Next: 'The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul'
He's a clever and funny writer; he comes up with the most absurd similes and characters imaginable and pulls off what could have been an impossibly confusing narrative that frequently switches perspective and time. It's just that he's not only not afraid to put in little asides for humor, the main plot barely exists, it's a framework for him to hang jokes on.
So I was asked about the comparison between Pratchett and Adams, and I said something along the lines about how they were pretty close as funny 'genre' satirists, Pratchett just had more time to develop. Which is not really fair now that I think about it. Pratchett is waaaay better. Adams' brand of chaos is fun and all, in a 'Animaniacs', slapstick kind of way, but at the end of the day give me something that will make me laugh and think
That said, I did like Dirk Gently and his brand of holistic detection. He's kind of an asshole, but most of the good detectives are. So read this if you, like me, have read all of 'Hitchhikers' and have been left with a vague desire for more ever since. You know this is better than the 'new' book churned out by the Artemis Fowl guy.
Dirk Gently
Next: 'The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul'
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
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:
No
პირველი ნახევარი ძაან გულისგამაწვრილებელი იყო და მერე აკრიფა. Coleridge ს წავიკითხავ და ბახს მოვუსმენ ახლა :დდ