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vermidian 's review for:
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
by Douglas Adams
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.