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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Look, I love Adams' writing style, but I felt that the ending of this novel didn't quite satisfy. Some scenes were fun but I think the best character (indisputably Reg) did not get enough scenes. Dare I say the TV show was better? (Yes.)
A wild and fascinating romp through Adams' imagination and his holistic detective who has strange ideas - at least for the friend who reluctantly seeks his assistance in an effort to discover how a magic trick was performed and what happened to his boss. Involves an electric monk and his horse, a professor of chronology at Cambridge, a magic trick, an obsessive boss and music.
It's hard not to judge this against H2G2. It pales in comparison to that. And yet … in its own right, it's an excellent mashup of detective fiction, science fiction, and Very British humour.
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book was kind of all over the place. Everything tied up in the end, though not very satisfactorily. Oh, well.
Simply not as clever or funny as Hitchhiker's, but I'm a sucker for an extended "Rhine of the Ancient Mariner" reference.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Let's think the unthinkable, let's do the undoable. Let us prepare to grapple with the ineffable itself, and see if we may not eff it after all.— Malcolm Tucker, probably
This is a must read for any fans of Hitch Hiker's Guide, and it's a wonder that it's taken me this long to get around to actually reading it myself.
This is a book that has been so thoroughly read and referenced by family and friends around me that I was quite familiar with a lot of the references before I encountered them on my own. I am very grateful that this did not impinge on my enjoyment of the story. It's also really marvelous to hear the story told by the author in this publication. I did notice while looking up some text quotes that in a couple of places he changes a word or two here and there.. but I think that it's just really cool that he's the creator of the work so he has that prerogative.
Douglas Adams was clearly still vibing from the whole Ford Prefect:Arthur Dent dynamic from his other works. Richard is a straight-man to Dirk's deliberately bizarre manner. Being published as a "detective-ghost-horror-who dunnit-time travel-romantic-musical-comedy" in 1987, the setting is going to seem a little old fashioned for younger readers. A lot of the plot relates to the use of old computers, and a reliance on telephone answering machines.. which are a definite throwback these days. As it's the 80s there are also mentions of cigarettes.
If you haven't read Adams before you may find the humour a bit bizarre. There is a definite British absurdism to it, and a whimsical manner similar to Monty Python. He uses hyperbole and deliberate understatement to highlight things that we take for granted. The comedy is witty and very silly... but then so is life if you look at it the right may.. or, maybe, the wrong way.. and perhaps if you squint a bit.
There are very few women in the story, but at least those who are there are real people with their own wants, needs and opinions, so all in all, A+ for a solid story that stands the test of time (if being a little tech focused on old tech) and hurray! for an influential piece of the landscape of modern Geek Culture.
This is a book that has been so thoroughly read and referenced by family and friends around me that I was quite familiar with a lot of the references before I encountered them on my own. I am very grateful that this did not impinge on my enjoyment of the story. It's also really marvelous to hear the story told by the author in this publication. I did notice while looking up some text quotes that in a couple of places he changes a word or two here and there.. but I think that it's just really cool that he's the creator of the work so he has that prerogative.
Douglas Adams was clearly still vibing from the whole Ford Prefect:Arthur Dent dynamic from his other works. Richard is a straight-man to Dirk's deliberately bizarre manner. Being published as a "detective-ghost-horror-who dunnit-time travel-romantic-musical-comedy" in 1987, the setting is going to seem a little old fashioned for younger readers. A lot of the plot relates to the use of old computers, and a reliance on telephone answering machines.. which are a definite throwback these days. As it's the 80s there are also mentions of cigarettes.
If you haven't read Adams before you may find the humour a bit bizarre. There is a definite British absurdism to it, and a whimsical manner similar to Monty Python. He uses hyperbole and deliberate understatement to highlight things that we take for granted. The comedy is witty and very silly... but then so is life if you look at it the right may.. or, maybe, the wrong way.. and perhaps if you squint a bit.
There are very few women in the story, but at least those who are there are real people with their own wants, needs and opinions, so all in all, A+ for a solid story that stands the test of time (if being a little tech focused on old tech) and hurray! for an influential piece of the landscape of modern Geek Culture.