Rating: 
Summary: No Doubt About It
Review: In May of last year, the world lost one of it's greatest minds, wits and writers when Douglas Adams suddenly passed away. Thankfully, "The Salmon of Doubt" gives us once last glimpse at the universe through Adams's wonderfully skewed eyes. Part autobiograpy, part tribute and totally brillant.Filled with various essays, interviews, short stories and the first ten chapters of his last, unfinished Dirk Gently novel, this book is a MUST OWN for even the most casual fan of Douglas's work. Here, beyond two headed ailens, hypergalatic bypasses, electric monks and homless Norse Gods, we get to know Douglas Adams the man. Though fans will mostly want this book for the Dirk Gently material (Which is 100% laugh out loud stuff), there are some truly wonderful gems to be found in the pages of this book that you'll want to read and re-read over and over again. If there was ever a doubt, Mr. Adams proved that essays can be entertianing, educational and thought provoking.
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Summary: Last Chance to Read...
Review: Adams was a brilliant writer whose voice was silenced too soon. With _The Salmon of Doubt_, we are given a work in progress so don't expect a final "novel". Part of the book contains the chapters and notes he was working on for a new Hitchhiker's novel (although he was writing it as a Dirk Gently novel (go figure)), The rest of the book contains unrelated articles and story sketches. While this may seem a strange way to sell a book, these highly enjoyable scraps underscore Adams' amazing ability to observe the world, twist it around and show us reality through the lens of fantasy. If you have read any of Adams' work, then this book will not disappoint. If you are new to Adams, then the articles presented in the book offer a great introduction.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic book, the great Dirk Gently
Review: There was one reason alone why I grabbed the first copy of this book I could get. I wanted to read the incomplete final works of Douglas Noel Adams. I cherish his Hitchhikers Guide books, and also his less spoken of Dirk Gently books, which contain fascinating puzzles, quirks and sheer madness. Having flicked through the first parts of the book, I reached the title page for The Salmon of Doubt, dubiously close to the end of the book! However, the storyline, is intense, others claim there is a disjointed feel to the book, and whilst this is not strictly untrue, it just adds to the ideas of the book. After reading this, your mind will try and work out what the heck is happening, I am just sad Douglas isn't here to put my mind to rest! ---- Story Spoiler ---- Dirk Gently is in a rut; he is at the point where he doesn't want to open his bank account statements because he doesn't want to see his balance. When he does open them, he realises he is being paid large sums of money, and presumes that someone must be paying him to do an investigation. Without knowing who, or what the job is, Dirk decides that the best way forward is to randomly follow people... ---- End Story Spoiler ---- A must read for all Douglas Adams fans, the rest of the book is varied, but contains the biscuit incident, which is always good for a laugh! Buy It! Also: The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy
The Restaurant and the End of the Universe
Life the Universe and Everything
So Long and Thanks for All the Fish
Mostly Harmless Dirk Gentlys Holistic Detective Agency
The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul
The Salmon of Doubt
Rating:
Summary: So long Douglas and thanks for all the laughs!
Review: I purchased Douglas Adams' posthumous book exactly one year and one day after his extremely untimely passing. I have always thought that there is something inherently wrong about losing one's idols. "Salmon of Doubt" is a prime example of how wrong it truly is. "Salmon of Doubt" is so absolutely and quite wonderfully Douglas. This collection of articles, interviews, random thoughts and unfinished novel is an genuine treat to read. His unmistakable voice shines through on each and every page. For someone who professed to agonize over the whole "writing thing", Douglas did it with a style that is often imitated, yet never will be duplicated. I was delighted to see "Cookies" make its way into this collection. I laughed when he included in the 4th Hitchhiker's novel, and was fortunate enough to hear him retelling this true story. He had everyone at this Chicago hotel bar in absolute hysterics some years ago, reliving the moment. I have never forgotten it. "Maggie and Trudie" also stands out as one of my other favorite entries here. As does "The Private Life of Genghis Khan". The interviews included also give a further glimpse into this marvelously gifted man. There is no doubt in my mind that the ever-so brief "Salmon of Doubt" story/novel itself would have been a joy to read had he been around to finish it. It would have worked perfectly well as the next Dirk Gently (or possible 6th HH) novel. I found myself reading this portion quickly, watching the pages dwindle and knowing it was going to abruptly end. It did. Now I'm left wondering what happened to Dirk and Desmond the rhinoceros. It's going to bug me till the end of time. Which I am sure would thrill Douglas to no end. I'll have to ask Douglas when I see him at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe how it all ends.
Rating: 
Summary: Insight into Douglas N Adams (DNA)
Review: This book disects the brain of Mr. Adams in a refreshing laugh out loud sort of way. I found myself intrigued by the various snippets that were inserted into this book.
Climbing Kilimanjaro in a rhino costume and explaining why Americans can't make a decent cup of tea were two of my favorite parts. Are there severa non-sequioters? YES, the man is dead and they collected his works into a final tribute, it's not going to flow as easily as if there was give and take and rewrites between himself and his editor.
It's a good final farewell to one of the most penetrating social critics and thinkers of our time. Even if you haven't read DNA, I think you'll enjoy his insights.
Rating:
Summary: Adams Fans
Review: First off, I very much dislike when stupid people use computers. Hense the one and only terrible review given on this book, it's really not anyone's fault he can't understand Adams' humor. For those people out there looking for an author that has a very funny and unique writing style, with originallity the mind can't comprehend, look no further. Adams is one of the greatest, if not the greatest writers of the Comedy/Sci-fi genre. Although, I highly recomend reading "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" first to really see Adams' best work, and really shine. True Adams fan, or newbie to his work, you will appreciate this book from cover to cover. Even though some of the writings are unfinished due to his tragic and untimely death, I would give them all five out of five, and highly reccomend this book to all!
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Summary: The Fishnet of Frustration
Review: I've been reading and rereading, watching and listening to the works of Douglas Adams for a quarter century now. As such, I really, really wanted to like this book. I even had a small hope that it would begin to undo the travesty of the last chapters of Mostly Harmless.
Well, of course, it doesn't. DNA's sudden, premature death and his painfully slow writing process have robbed us all of any closure (other than the entirely wrong closure of Mostly Harmless) with respect to these characters or the author's body of work.
The attempt to piece together what was to have been Adams' next novel is a fascinating, frustrating failure. Bits of at least two largely incompatable drafts are placed in uneasy coexistence to form a confusing, messy, all-too-brief narrative. There are some really interesting scenes here, but they are contradictory and without context. Given enough time, he would have added and contracted, rewritten and honed; and it would have been, presumably, a good book. Sadly, he wasn't given that time. The result is the literary equivalent of a bootleg record, a mismash of false starts, promises of things to come. Except that we know that the promise will remain unfulfilled, forever.
The book is padded out with essays and things, ancillary material that mostly has little bearing on Adams' main body of work. I'm glad to have it, and someday I'll take the time to read every word of it. That day has not yet come.
For the Adams fan, a completist who enjoys the Dirk Gently books and the games and every flavor of Hitchhiker's, this is a book that must be owned, and eventually read. Just don't expect to derive much pleasure or satisfaction from it.
Sigh.
Rating: 
Summary: The Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy review
Review: The "novelty" wore off after page 2. The book was tedious, boring and insanely stupid. I just can't understand the positive reviews. It was physically painful to turn the page, it was that bad. I actually bought the "Ultimate Hitchhikers Guide" which containted his 5 complete novels. All of them were equally bad. This book was anything but funny, I think my 3rd grade son can write better. Save your money and go with a much better author like Heinlin or Hogan.
Rating:
Summary: A tantalizing tease
Review: Plot Smmary: Well, you can't really summarize the plot in a book full of notes, chapters, speeches, etc. from some writers computer that he is no longer using. Therefore, I won't try.
Opinion: Wonderful. Many of the letters and stories are excellent and funny. I chuckled aloud at least a few times. I thought some of the longer speeches in the middle section of the book sounded forced and were not as clever as some of the others, but still, they were great. This book lets you get a small glimpse into some of the everyday thoughts of DNA. I particularly liked the 2 stories "Young Zaphod Plays It Safe" and "The Secret Life of Genghis Khan" both of which touch on the Hitchhiker world in some way. The titular story "Salmon of Doubt" was also excellent, in what chapters there were, of course. It made me 1. wish the story was a complete novel and 2. want to re-read my Dirk Gently books. All-in-all it was a nice collection with many high points and very few low.
Recommendation: As a fan of all things Adams, get this book. 4 out of 5 stars. This is good for fans and newbies alike as each letter is just a small sampling of the greater funny that can be had in any of his books. Something to whet the appetite before reading the Hitchhiker or Dirk Gently (or even Starship Titanic) novels.
Rating:
Summary: A Worthly Posthumous Collection----
Review: My experience in reading various collections of "uncollected" works is not good. Almost every time, I've discovered, the author had a very good reason for not "collecting" the ragged bits, and those publishers knew their business when they decided that the unpublished selections in question should stay "unpublished." But Don't Panic--as they say where Mr. Adams comes from--The Salmon of Doubt is the exception that proves the rule. I had seen Mr. Adams's "Hitchhiker's" books for several years, and always wondered about them. Still, I had not read any of them--until the word came down that he had suddenly died, and died at a young age. Somehow, I sensed this was a terrible loss, and bought the "Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide" to see if my sense was right. It was. Douglas Adams wrote the books that I wanted to have written. The language is fun, interesting, and the characters wonderful. And they are funny. The selections in "Salmon of Doubt" also reflect this same spirit. In one selection, Adams is explaining how he was listening to Procul Harem's "Grand Hotel." At one point in the song, there is a pause--and then the music really takes off. Adams was thinking how something really special, really fantastic needed to happen at that moment--something like the end of the universe. And out of that thought was born "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe." In this book, you'll travel to Kenya with Adams--and see what it is like to climb a mountain wearing a huge rhino costume. You'll also find why Adams loved P.G. Woodehouse--which inspired me to read Woodehouse (Adams, of course, is right). Ride along with Adams's perhaps futile efforts to get up close and personal with giant manta rays off Austrailia. Finally, you will really get a sense of what it was like to be Douglas Adams--including his insecurities, which manifested in his legendary obsession with missing deadlines. In one essay, Mr. Adams in a brief digression says that if anyone who has the opportunity to go to Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, and doesn't--then you are "a complete idiot." I visited New Mexico once, perhaps twenty five years ago. I still love Santa Fe--and have to agree with Mr. Adams. So while I am at it: If you have ever enjoyed anything by Douglas Adams, but still do not read this book, then I am afraid you are a complete idiot..............
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