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A review by jenzyme
Dimension of Miracles by Robert Sheckley
3.0
I first heard about this book as a part of "Neil Gaiman Presents" on Audible, a series Gaiman has done where he gives a short introduction to books he loved that don't get nearly enough attention. The audiobook was read by John Hodgman, who does a very good job at giving distinct voices to each of the different (bizarre and unusual) characters. The premise of this book is that a human man, Carmody, wins the Galactic Lottery, and then gets whisked on a series of adventures throughout the galaxy while trying to get back home with his prize.
Even though this book was published 10 years before Hitchhiker's Guide was first aired, there's a lot of similarity, both in terms of the madcap adventures the poor unwitting protagonist is dragged through, but also in the varied personalities of all of the aliens Carmody encounters on his way. While I do think Hodgman breathes life into this book and is a joy to listen to, there are large portions where one character will go on a philosophical rant, or two characters will have a rapid, witty, debate-like back and forth, and the audiobook format does not lend itself well to those styles of prose. Additionally, this book is VERY much grounded in the late 60s (one of the last scenes in the book does a fantastic riff on bohemians), so be prepared to use that as the lens you are viewing all of the characters. All in all, a quick little read (214 pages/5 hours and 20 minute audiobook), so check it out if any of the above sounds good to you.
Even though this book was published 10 years before Hitchhiker's Guide was first aired, there's a lot of similarity, both in terms of the madcap adventures the poor unwitting protagonist is dragged through, but also in the varied personalities of all of the aliens Carmody encounters on his way. While I do think Hodgman breathes life into this book and is a joy to listen to, there are large portions where one character will go on a philosophical rant, or two characters will have a rapid, witty, debate-like back and forth, and the audiobook format does not lend itself well to those styles of prose. Additionally, this book is VERY much grounded in the late 60s (one of the last scenes in the book does a fantastic riff on bohemians), so be prepared to use that as the lens you are viewing all of the characters. All in all, a quick little read (214 pages/5 hours and 20 minute audiobook), so check it out if any of the above sounds good to you.