The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul

Rating:
Summary: Adams' best so far?
Review: Most people seem to prefer the more obvious slapstick of the early Hitchhiker's books, but I've found myself enjoying Adams more and more as he's matured. Many of the situations in this book are outrageous and silly, and there are plenty of the one-liners that are Adams' trademark ("It can hardly be a coincidence that no language on earth has ever produced the expression 'As pretty as an airport,'" the book begins) but there are very few passages intended solely for the purpose of eliciting a laugh. Everything's integral to the story, and it all makes sense in the end, although Adams doesn't hand you the answer on a silver platter. This novel is part social commentary, part Rubik's Cube (how DO those piecses fit together, anyway?), and part humor. It took me several re-readings to get the bit about the concentric circles on the eagle's wings, but it was worth it. If you enjoy exercising your mind through the contemplation of the absurd, you'll enjoy reading -- and re-reading -- "The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul."

Rating:
Summary: A word or two concerning The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul
Review: Much can be said of The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul, most of it rather meaningless. After all, how many detective stories have a very dirty refrigerator as the key to the mystery and a detective with an 8th sense? The world of the gods has been drastically altered, and the realm of humanity has been adversely affected. Only one man can save both. Dirk Gently, super-sleuth. As is typical of Douglas Adams's genius, a series of seemingly meaningless and unrelated events turn out to be tremendously important...to the story anyway. Dirk has to relate all of these events to find out what is wrong, and an eagle following him down a street has a goodly amount of anger towards him, causing even more problems. Other...interesting (for lack of a better word) situations confront Dirk while on his quest, including car accidents, a man who had his head cut off and placed on a record player, and navigating a massive party thrown by the gods themselves. The situations, and the dialogue, keep the reader interested, as you end up asking yourself, "What the hell is going on?" Of course, they are also extremely funny. A rather interesting example, when Dirk is talking to Kate, a person nearly killed when the check-in desk at Heathrow Airport explodes, follows. Kate: "Well, this name here is Dennis Hutch, isn't it? See?" Dirk: "Oh, yes. Yes I do. Er, should I know that name?" Kate: "Well, it depends if you're alive or not, I suppose. He's the head of the Aries Rising Record Group. Less famous than the Pope, I grant you, but--you know of the Pope, I take it?" Dirk: "Yes, yes. White haired chap." Kate: "That's him. He seems to be the only person of note this envelope hasn't been addressed to at some time. Here's Stan Dubcek, the head of Dubcek, Danton, Heidegger, Draycott. I know they handle the ARRGH! account." Dirk: "The--?" Kate: "ARRGH! Aries Rising Record Group Holdings. Getting that account made the agency's fortunes." The entire book is full of these crazy, yet meaningful conversations. Put together, they make for a very good mystery, and a humorous one at that (yes, the conversation about the dirty refrigerator does have meaning, the first one with his secretary). Perhaps the greatest achievement of this book is the skill at which Douglas Adams creates situations that show how stupid humans can be, and how callous we are. Although there is not nearly as much of this as in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (also very funny) series, the ideas make you think, the universal trademark of a great book. They can be hard to identify, but they are there, if one looks hard enough. The above is why I like this book. It has real meaning, and it is very entertaining to read, something that can not be said of many books. I can honestly say that there is nothing that I dont like about this book. I would recommend it to anyone, especially to those who have a sense of humor that has been dulled by the daily routine of life. They will benefit most.

Rating:
Summary: Way way out man ! ! !
Review: Of all the Adams books...and I have read the lot several times over, this one is THE BEST!!! I never get tired of re-reading this one. About the only thing I hate about Douglas Adams is that he had to go and die on us! 'So long Doug . . . rip mate and thanks!'

Rating:
Summary: Certainly one of the best books ever written
Review: Personally I could not put this book down,if it wasn't for the fact that I had class I would have sat in my dorm and not stopped reading it until I was done.

I wish that there was a way to describe the plot of this book that would do it justice, but the simple fact is that there isn't. I tried to explain it to a friend but got the same confused look as I did when I tried to explain the Hitchhiker's Guide. Aside from the inexplicable nature of this book there is true genius in the characters and the holistic nature of everything in it. And as always Adams provides the reader with a plethora of quotes that you can use to impress your friends, or worry them as to your mental stability or lack there of.

Rating:
Summary: A second, and perhaps more funny, novel in the Dirk Gently's
Review: Summary:
Unlike Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, this book focuses much more on Dirk Gently and his 'detective' efforts. Dirk is hired by Geoff Anstey to do 'something' relating to Mr. Anstey's contract selling his soul to a demon from another dimension. When Dirk remembers that he is supposed to be helping Geoff Anstey and heads towards his home he ends up finding Mr. Anstey's head separated from his body. As are all things in Dirk Gently's world, this job is interconnected with the bolt of lightening that destroyed a service desk at Heathrow airport a few days before. As it turns out, a disgruntled potential passenger who turns out to be the Norse god Thor was so upset by the mistreatment he was receiving that he called a bolt of lightning from the sky to destroy the service desk (a very literal 'act of god'). Though Thor was frustrated by the airline employee, Kate Schechter, an American journalist, actually tried to help him out leading to him wanting her help later on. Well, Kate and Dirk are sucked into a an adventure revolving around the selling of the Norse gods power by their king, Odin, to an advertising executive and a lawyer that happen to live next door to Geoff Anstey. Everything is interconnected in Douglas Adams novels.

My Comments:
The book is hilarious (though not quite as funny as the Hitchiker's Guide). I liked the fact that the focus was on Dirk Gently and we were even more exposed to his bizarre antics. Also, though it is never actually specified, it is hard to distinguish whether or not this book takes place before or after the first book in the series (I believe it takes place before). The only thing I felt was left unresolved, though Adams's resolutions are typically one to two pages and sometimes leaving you wanting, was what happened to Geoff Anstey's son who was spellbound and remarkably violent in his TV watching. Perhaps it was just meant to be funny, but it seemed like it should have more of a role in the book. Other than that small distraction, the book actually tends to stay mostly on track (other than Kate's trip to the mental hospital and the characters she meets there).

As is the case with most of Adams's work, if you like it, you like it. And, I would submit, this could actually be a good introductory book for someone that would like to become familiar with Adams's work. Great book; lots of fun.

Rating:
Summary: The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul
Review: The adventures of Dirk Gently (Svlad Jelly)continues in this second and most unfortunatly last (not including the partially written Salmon of Doubt)book of the series. This book is filled with typical humor of Douglas Adams, from Gods giving up thier power for nice clean sheets, to an advertising agency bent on ruling the world. (Don't forget Thor counting all the rocks...) This is a must read for any DNA fan. What I like best about this book (and indeed most of DNA's books) is how the minutae come together at the end, as Dirk would put it "the fundemental interconnectedness of all things" really plays a part here.

Rating:
Summary: The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul
Review: The adventures of Dirk Gently (Svlad Jelly)continues in this second and most unfortunatly last (not including the partially written Salmon of Doubt)book of the series. This book is filled with typical humor of Douglas Adams, from Gods giving up thier power for nice clean sheets, to an advertising agency bent on ruling the world. (Don't forget Thor counting all the rocks...) This is a must read for any DNA fan. What I like best about this book (and indeed most of DNA's books) is how the minutae come together at the end, as Dirk would put it "the fundemental interconnectedness of all things" really plays a part here.

Rating:
Summary: Weak attempt
Review: The Douglas Adams I remember from the first Dirk Gently novel is not present in this one. The storyline feels thrown together, the ending is forced, and the ability of the text to hold an audience is poor. Though there were a few bright spots, this book was a large disappointment. However, the Hitchhikers Guide five book trilogy and the first Dirk Gently novels are wonderful. Don't read this, it just disappoints. At best, it's a B-.

Rating:
Summary: Weak attempt
Review: The Douglas Adams I remember from the first Dirk Gently novel is not present in this one. The storyline feels thrown together, the ending is forced, and the ability of the text to hold an audience is poor. Though there were a few bright spots, this book was a large disappointment. However, the Hitchhikers Guide five book trilogy and the first Dirk Gently novels are wonderful. Don't read this, it just disappoints. At best, it's a B-.

Rating:
Summary: a hard read, but worth it
Review: The first time I read this book, I hardly could understand anything about it, and I left it, pining for the old Dirk Gently. But I picked it up again a month ago, and when I reread it, I loved it. I got more of the jokes and I finally figured out most of the plot. It's not his best, but it's pretty funny. And if you like this book, read Ye Gods! by Tom Holt. Very close premise, except with Greek Gods.