Rating: 
Summary: So long, and thanks...
Review: Hearing about Douglas Adams' untimely death was certainly a shock to all of his fans, myself included. I had been a big follower of his HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE series, I had greatly enjoyed his DOCTOR WHO scripts, and his DIRK GENTLY novels simply get better and better on every read-through. The thought of a world with nothing more forthcoming from Douglas Adams is simply not a happy one. However, upon hearing about the release of what existed of his final novel, I'll admit that I was slightly skeptical. From all reports, Adams was quite a perfectionist, and it seemed clear that whatever was pieced together from his hard-drive would be nothing like what he would have eventually completed. But now, having read the book, I'm glad that I did so, despite its fragmented style and incomplete status. It's given us a last look, and for that alone we should be grateful.The book with the words "The Salmon Of Doubt" on the cover is actually a hodgepodge of various articles, essays, introductions, speeches, odd thoughts and other writings of which the incomplete novel, THE SALMON OF DOUBT, is only a small part. The non-fiction portion (which accounts for most of the pages) reveals a very witty and intelligent author, who was quite outspoken about those topics close to his heart, and who put those views forward in a thought-provoking and amusing way. The editor has gamely attempted to organize this collection into groups of similar topics, but to be honest it doesn't feel organized at all. This is basically just a random compilation of different writings all thrown together into a single volume. Douglas Adams had far-ranging tastes and interests, and while you will see some recurring topics (his love of the Beatles is omnipresent), you won't find any real sense of coherence. But you will find a lot of intelligently argued and hilarious essays on subjects as diverse as technology, the environment, P. G. Wodehouse, atheism, and other people's dogs. Reviewing what exists of THE SALMON OF DOUBT is a very difficult task. There are a lot of plot points and threads that obviously aren't wrapped up or even properly started. What is here is great, but would that level of quality be maintained? Would the plot be continued in a satisfying manner, or would all the clever hints that were dropped be discarded? It's impossible to determine how the rest of the story would have gone. The editors give us as much information as they could, but even Douglas Adams apparently hadn't decided whether it would continue to be a Dirk Gently book, or if he would switch it over to his Hitchhikers universe. The only real way I have of reviewing the tiny (80 pages) block of THE SALMON OF DOUBT is to say that I did enjoy reading it, I'm heartbroken that there isn't any more of it, and I'll certainly reread this in the future. If only it wasn't so short. If you had any misgivings about reading an incomplete work, then I can only try to persuade you to go ahead and devour this anyway. A tantalizing fraction of a Douglas Adams book is still better than no Douglas Adams book at all. The non-fiction writings are provocative and the Hitchhiker humor is displayed on every page. Take a final stroll through the last words of Douglas Adams; you'll be very sorry that the ride is over, but you'll be glad that you got on board. So long, Doug, and thanks for all the wit.
Rating:
Summary: An overview of a lifetime of writing
Review: I has hoped to see more previously unpublished work in this last offering from the great Douglas Adams. I was instead presented with a collection of new and old writing from throughout his life. This is both its strength and weakness. Diehard fans will be familiar with fully half of the book, but then agin, they will also need to buy this book, so I guess its alright! The novella which ends the collection is his most recent work. It is frustratingly unfinished, and we will all have to imagine where it might have gone...
Don't let anyone fool you though, this is NOT a Hitchhiker's book, but rather the third in Adams' Dirk Gently series. Quite good, and very funny though!
Rating:
Summary: DNA reveals mother lode of wisdom lurking under fool's gold
Review: Marcus Chown, author of THE AFTERGLOW OF CREATION, THE MAGIC FURNACE, and THE UNIVERSE NEXT DOOR, e-mailed to me one of his favorite quotations from Douglas Adams: "There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened." Perhaps as well as any other, this quotation reveals the quirky humor of Douglas Adams, a comic genius who died of a heart attack, at the age of 49, on Friday, May 11, 2001. Adams was the author of five novels in THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY trilogy (sic!); two Dirk Gently novels (DIRK GENTLY'S HOLISTIC DETECTIVE AGENCY and THE LONG DARK TEA-TIME OF THE SOUL); LAST CHANCE TO SEE (with Mark Carwardine); and THE MEANING OF LIFF and THE DEEPER MEANING OF LIFF (both with John Lloyd). The writings collected in THE SALMON OF DOUBT were retrieved posthumously from the disk drive of Douglas' Macintosh and from three other computers. To this treasure-trove has been added assorted letters, articles, interviews, speeches, and short stories, such as "The Private Life of Genghis Khan." The present volume also includes the title story, "The Salmon of Doubt," a novel-in-progress that was to be Adams' third Dirk Gently novel. When asked to list his favorite authors, Adams gave this surprising reply: Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Kurt Vonnegut, P.G. Wodehouse, and Ruth Rendell. He also said that the two books that changed his life were Richard Dawkins' THE BLIND WATCHMAKER and THE SELFISH GENE, both of which explicate and celebrate Darwinian evolution. Born on March 11, 1952, Douglas Noel Adams claimed that there is probably no connection with the fact that, less than a year later, on Feb. 28, 1953, James Watson and Francis Crick announced that they had broken the code of DNA. Adams was that rare combination of scientific intelligence and comedic genius. Many of his stories strike one as if they were collaborative efforts--scripts written by Kurt Vonnegut, Woody Allen, Lewis Carroll, and Franz Kafka--for a Monty Python movie. THE SALMON OF DOUBT contains sidesplitting, laugh-out-loud humor. The Dirk Gently story, although unfinished, shows that Adams had not lost his touch. Alas, we will never know why and how Gusty Winds--a tomcat that functions quite normally, although half of his body is missing--came to be in his bizarre condition. Here is off-the-wall slapstick humor and out-of-left-field, zany wit. Beneath the fool's gold, however, there lurks a mother lode of wisdom.
Rating:
Summary: To be cherished...
Review: Although I had this book pre-ordered months in advance, upon its arrival I found it strangely hard to pick up. Thus, having gathered that there was new Dirk Gently material to be found within, my first stalling tactic was simply to re-read my other Gently novels as a sort of refresher. I can only guess that I was artificially postponing the sad moment when I would read my last bit of Douglas Adams' writing. Unfortunately, with my re-reads completed, I had no more excuses and set to work. Quite simply, I found it a "rollicking good read." Most of the stories, interviews, magazine articles, etc. were totally new to me and delightfully full of Adams' trademark satire. The pieces on manta rays, Genghis Khan, and especially all his thoughts on music were special favorites. Of course, the fragments of the new novel were disjointed, but full of wit and possibility. This volume is not Adams' best work, no. In fact, from a certain point of view, it's not really his work at all. All of the material contained between its covers either was intended by Mr. Adams for other formats or purposes, or, in the case of THE SALMON OF DOUBT story itself, was in a totally unfinished state. This stuff was never supposed to be in a book, or at least not yet. As such, THE SALMON OF DOUBT is really a book just for Douglas Adams super-fans. Others might appreciate some of the humor and insight contained therein, but without a context in which to place it, too much of it will be missed. Just as an anecdote that falls flat is excused with an "I guess you had to be there...", I maintain that this book, for full understanding, requires a comprehensive knowledge and appreciation of (not to mention a raging love affair with) Douglas Adams' version of our universe. Thus, while I was reading THE SALMON OF DOUBT novel section, I noticed that some of the writing wasn't up to snuff. I recognized that especially the dialogue was a bit on the weak side. However, most of my thoughts were focused instead on the wonderful possibilities for the story, and, as I had predicted, it was an extremely sad and touching moment when I read the last page. The perfectionist in Mr. Adams probably would have initially disapproved of the release of this compilation, provided he still had a functioning body with which to be concerned with such things. However, I'm willing to bet that he would have come around eventually and let us have our table scraps. And I am willing to bet that he was the first one on his block to pick up a copy of The Beatles ANTHOLOGY 1 back in '95, ANTHOLOGY 2 in '96... EXTRA:
As an aside, I must address the most recent "review" by [another reviewer]. Readers please note that there is exactly ONE piece in this book which directly concerns Douglas Adams' atheism, an interview which he granted to the American Atheists organization --- strange that atheism would have come up in the discussion, I know. How this made our confused reviewer feel that he was being "preached at about atheism" I am not entirely sure, but Mr. Adams' feelings about a given god are hardly relevant to a literary review. It should be obvious that Mr. Adams doesn't "believe" in Thor either, but nobody is complaining about that. It is tough for any and all curiosities, absurdities, and assumptions to stand against the subtle siege that is Douglas Adams' humor. Sorry if you feel threatened, but there are no taboo questions or answers in the world of actual free will. Nevertheless, I implore said reviewer to refrain from using book review space for lame religious propaganda in the future.
Rating: 
Summary: I've been a huge Douglas Adams fan for a long time...
Review: but this book just didn't quite deliver. Sure there are some funny moments, but as has been mentioned, it's just not something that Douglas was probably ready to have published. I would have loved to have been able to read another Hitchhiker book, or especially another Dirk Gently book, but in it's unfinished form, it's just not what Douglas would have wanted it to be. Not to mention that it was tiring hearing so much about Adams' atheistic beliefs. I read Adams' books for their humor, not to be preached at about atheism, although some of his atheistic statements actually were better support for theism, which was obviously completely unintentional by Adams.
Rating: 
Summary: A must for fans--but read the real (finished) books first
Review: The late author Douglas Adams is a giant in modern SF with his immortal HITCHHIKERS GUIDE TO THE GALAXY series and the fine Dirk Gently series as well. THE SALMON OF DOUBT is the assembled draft of an uncompleted novel that features Dirk Gently but that Adams had discussed transforming into a HITCHHIKER novel. In addition to the novel fragment (approximately 100 pages), the book includes various descriptions of Adams, some of his humorous writings and interviews, and some general hero worshiping. That said, what about the novel fragment itself? Dirk Gently finds that his (always empty) bank account is being unaccountably filled and decides that he is being paid to investigate. Since he doesn't know what he is being paid for, he resolves to follow the fifth person who passes a certain corner and investigate him. With a few digressions into a near-god's hang-glider experience, a rampaging rhino, and Thor--the Norse god of thunder, Dirk sets out on a bizzare adventure. In typical Adams fashion, everything is silly, but everything hangs together with a strange logic. Is it worth reading? Of course. It's Douglas Adams, after all.
Is it wonderful? Uh, not really. It's definitely interesting. Interesting to learn about what makes a writer tick and also interesting in that you get to see the scafoldings of a novel in the making--with what Adams describes as its placeholders (one of the non-novel sections of this volume is Adams' description of an unfinished book by the late P. G. Wodehouse in which Adams describes SUNSET AT BLANDINGS). Adams fans will be overjoyed to see one last addition to the corpus. Those not so familiar with Adams should start with his finished (and polished) novels. Everyone should be aware that although this may be 'Hitchhiking the Galaxy One Last Time,' it isn't really in the HITCHHIKER series at all--although Adams might have moved it there had he lived.
Rating:
Summary: A Doubtful Salmon
Review: Sadly, I must disagree with most other reviewers on the merits of this well-intentioned pastiche from the computer files of the late Douglas Adams. People who have read and loved Adams' novels ought to see what a weak hodge-podge The Salmon of Doubt really is. Stephen Fry says on the dust jacket, "The bottom drawer of recently deceased writers is often best left firmly locked and bolted." He goes on to say this book is an exception. It's not. Adams, perfectionist that he was, would be embarrassed at what has been published in his name. The material Adams actually wrote for novels-in-progress (three disparate fragments)amounts to just eighty pages. Though very funny, the writing is less polished than in his finished novels. And, of course, the reader is left with a tangle of plot threads like the "Little Dongly Things" Adams deplores in a MacUser article. The remainder of the book consists of previously published magazine articles, previously published interviews, a short comic sketch on Genghis Kahn published in a 1986 book, and a couple of letters. In the articles and interviews Adams occasionally comes across as querulous (on remodeling his home) or pompous (on the subject of his atheism). His best essays are on music -- from Bach to the Beattles -- where passion ignites his language. I hope the people who control the material from Adams' computer files give us a book of his letters. Richard Dawkins, in his epilogue, says Adams was a prolific and funny email correspondent. The Collected Email of Douglas Adams might be a more fitting memorial to Adams than The Salmon of Doubt.
Rating: 
Summary: The Final Writings of Douglas Adams
Review: The Salmon of Doubt is not a novel as you would expect to find. It is a collection of stories and writings, many of which, were found on Douglas Adams's computer after he died. I found the book a little slow when I started reading it, mostly because it's not a regular type of book. After I got deeper into the book, however, I couldn't put it down. The Last quarter of the book is the start of Adam's next Dirk Gently novel that would have been titled Salmon of Doubt. This story is very interesting and but slightly disappointing only because it is uncompleted. This is a good book and I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Douglas Adams.
Rating:
Summary: A fitting goodbye to a great author
Review: The Salmon Of Doubt story is really only 83 pages long, and really is not affiliated with the Hitchhiker's trilogy, except for being written by the same man. It's primarily a Dirk Gently book, and I must say I was rather enjoying it, when it stops abruptly for the obvious reason. (Now I'm desperately wondering what was up with the cat?)
However, the book is a very fine collection of Douglas Adams output, fictional and non, over the years, which collected gives you a satisfying image of the man and renews your appreciation for the body of work which he has left behind.
Rating:
Summary: read as slowly as you can
Review: I've never actually wanted to be able to stop myself reading a book before. There are books I've given up on or thrown away in the past, but that was easy because they were garbage. I would dearly loved to have been able to put The Salmon of Doubt down. As words formed sentences, then paragraphs, then pages it began to register that I was coming to the end of the last new material I would ever read from Dougas Adams, and try as I might I just couldn't stop.
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