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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
2.5
So, I picked this up because it was a BotM in one of my groups and I was in the mood for something light and funny. I wanted real laugh-out-loud kind of humor, but, unfortunately, I thought there were only a few chuckles or wry grins, but I don't think one single vocal laugh in the whole book. Well, not for me, anyway. And most of the humor was towards the beginning and started petering out as it progressed, so... yeah...
As for the story itself - it's an odd little thing in which we don't actually meet the title character until a bit more than halfway through (or at least that's what it seemed), and while he was kind of interesting I just didn't care all that much about the overall story.
The one character that I wanted to see more of was the Electric Monk and his horse (ok, I guess that's two characters), but after they served their purpose, so to speak, we don't see all that much of them, and that was disappointing.
Overall not a terrible story, but I'd hoped for so much more than random zaniness which felt forced in places and often disconnected.
Meh.
So, I picked this up because it was a BotM in one of my groups and I was in the mood for something light and funny. I wanted real laugh-out-loud kind of humor, but, unfortunately, I thought there were only a few chuckles or wry grins, but I don't think one single vocal laugh in the whole book. Well, not for me, anyway. And most of the humor was towards the beginning and started petering out as it progressed, so... yeah...
As for the story itself - it's an odd little thing in which we don't actually meet the title character until a bit more than halfway through (or at least that's what it seemed), and while he was kind of interesting I just didn't care all that much about the overall story.
The one character that I wanted to see more of was the Electric Monk and his horse (ok, I guess that's two characters), but after they served their purpose, so to speak, we don't see all that much of them, and that was disappointing.
Overall not a terrible story, but I'd hoped for so much more than random zaniness which felt forced in places and often disconnected.
Meh.
The story jumps around a lot, which I found disorientating and when I finished it I wasn't entirely clear what had happened, nonetheless I enjoyed the story.
Simply not as clever or funny as Hitchhiker's, but I'm a sucker for an extended "Rhine of the Ancient Mariner" reference.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-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
I always give a book 50 pages to suck me in. My boyfriend is a huge Douglas Adams fan (gifted me with Hitchhikers, what a catch, I know) and I tried especially hard for his benefit. This book narrowly escaped my 50 page limit. I found the first bit (the dinner scene, especially) slogging along. It wasn't until the shotgun came out that I said, "Wait... what the fuck?!", flipped back a few pages and reread.
After that I was done for. Swallowed the book whole. What a great story.
After that I was done for. Swallowed the book whole. What a great story.
I have to say that I don't find this nearly as fun to read as The Hitchhiker's Guide series, but it's still pretty great writing. One or two chapters in particular stick out in my mind as being particularly awesome. For instance, the chapter dedicated to explaining who Dirk Gently was as a boy and what happened to him at St. Cedd's had me howling internally at how ridiculous it all was. I also really enjoyed the whole police plot regarding Richard and the late Gordon Way. That being said, I did have some plot based complaints. For one thing, while I did find these segments particularly interesting, there was no true climax to the book. They kind of just stumble from one sub-plot to the next. It didn't make it nearly as engaging as it might have been.
That being said, I can see how someone might enjoy making this into a TV show (although apparently the show doesn't follow the books at all because iMDB tells me none of the characters from this book aside from Dirk Gently himself are in it.) It would make a great mini-series, honestly. You could have a different genre per episode. One part horror story, one part cop drama, one part science fiction. The combination of different genres was definitely an interesting one. I just wish they had been better incorporated into one plot as opposed to three.
Overall, I enjoyed reading it but I don't know that it's something I'd reread regularly. As I have not seen the show, I can't recommend anything based on your enjoyment of the show. However, if you're worried about book accuracy, I can tell you that you can watch the show and enjoy the book and not be spoiled for either. This book is probably appropriate for all ages, but some jokes might go over the heads of younger people.
That being said, I can see how someone might enjoy making this into a TV show (although apparently the show doesn't follow the books at all because iMDB tells me none of the characters from this book aside from Dirk Gently himself are in it.) It would make a great mini-series, honestly. You could have a different genre per episode. One part horror story, one part cop drama, one part science fiction. The combination of different genres was definitely an interesting one. I just wish they had been better incorporated into one plot as opposed to three.
Overall, I enjoyed reading it but I don't know that it's something I'd reread regularly. As I have not seen the show, I can't recommend anything based on your enjoyment of the show. However, if you're worried about book accuracy, I can tell you that you can watch the show and enjoy the book and not be spoiled for either. This book is probably appropriate for all ages, but some jokes might go over the heads of younger people.
While it certainly embodies Adams' voice and spirit, this first Dirk Gently is not quite at the level of Tea-Time for commentary, or Hitchhiker for sheer nonesense. It is enjoyable and worth reading, but I would not recommend it as an introduction to Douglas Adams, as it's scattered format, while working well in terms of plot, would be difficult to follow without some trust in the author and under the unique auspices of a Holistic Detective Agency.
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes