Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

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Summary: Way Forward Humor
Review: Until I read Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, I did not think a more superintelligent blend of wit and science friction existed than could be found in Adam's Hitchhikers "Trilogy" -- but from one of the first several chapters of Dirk Gently my face muscles actually ached from laughing out loud. I even quoted that ENTIRE chapter to my university's academic dean in a long tirade. Although sometimes the humor is quite catty and there is a good bit of horsing around, I found Dirk Gently the most thoroughly masterful book of its type. My only criticism is that the book is never returned when I loan it to friends, so I've had to buy about eight copies at last count.

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Summary: Adams must have read "Dancing Wu Li Masters"
Review: This is by far Douglas Adams best book. Much better than HHGTTG. I've just read The Dancing Wu Li Masters by Gary Zukov. As I am rereading Dirk Gently, it is clear to me that Adams had his mind opened by Zukov to the amazing changes in leading edge physics that happened at the beginning of this century. He masterfully sculpts a story that brings together Quantum Physics, Gothic-Ghost-Storyism, and Modern Computer Technology, while intertwining, the poetry and eccentricity of Coleridge. Buy it and read it to your children, (when they are older).

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Summary: This book should get more attention.
Review: When you think Douglas Adams, you immediately think of the Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. Admittedly, this series is quite excellent (well, the first three books of it are, anyway), but in all the excitement over HHGTTG, this book and its sequel often get ignored. This is a real shame because this book is almost as good if not just as good as HHGTTG. Just don't expect this book to be another sequel to HHGTTG and go in with an open mind. One caveat: Adams has started to be more linguistically vulgar in his more recent works, and I think there is at least one gratuitous use of the "F" word in this novel. It's a shame, because it detracts rather than adds to this book's enjoyment (at least for me).

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Summary: Complicated
Review: This is a superb, but highly complicated book. Because most of the story went over my head the first time I read it, I didn't even finish it. However, I went back and tried again and much to my surprise it was great. I recomend it to anyone who is an intelligent reader and is willing to reread things. In my opinion, this is Douglas Adams's finest work.

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Summary: But please for god's sakes don't take my word for it
Review: Boring. Boring. Boring. Slow. Dull. (I'm running out of synonyms here) I think you get the point. I couldn't even read the whole thing. It's the second book ever (and I read constantly) that I've thrown down in discust.

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Summary: One Of His Best
Review: When reading this book, don't try to figure out what is going on. You can't -- at least, not until the end. After all, this IS a mystery, a detective story. But, as is typical with Adams, this is unlike any other detective story you have ever read. It is extremely funny, baffling, and brilliant all at once. And in the end, it all makes perfect sense, in its own wonderfully unique way. On a more serious note, I have always thought that beneath the wacky humor of Adams' books, there are always very interesting concepts and certain truths that go deeper than the crazy stories on the surface. For instance, Dirk Gently's belief in the "interconnectedness of all things" is actually a true belief of many religious groups, such as the American Indians. But even if you don't buy into the philosophy, you certainly can enjoy this great book. Just stick with it until the end. For me, this was easy, since I have read all of Adams' books and am used to his sometim! es seemingly-disjointed style. I say "seemingly" disjointed because, again, it will eventually all come together. And it does so brilliantly.

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Summary: If you like Hitchhiker's you'll like this!
Review: This is a wonderfully funny book. Any Hitchhiker's fan will love this book. Seriously hillarious and silly.

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Summary: You have to really pay attention
Review: Although I'm a ridiculously big fan of Douglas Adams, I was initially put off by the book. But I gave it another shot and was surprised by how much more sense it made and how much more fun it was. Now every time I read this book I pick up something new. Also, understanding this novel is a great deal easier if you're familiar with Cambridge and the work of Coleridge.

Perhaps because his writing style isn't all that complicated, I wasn't ready for the complexities involved in the story so I didn't really pay as much attention to the fine details as I should have. In the end though, it is the story's seemingly random events and how they gradualy fit together that makes this his finest work.

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Summary: Complex and Rewarding
Review: Sadly, I did not finish this book the first time I started reading it. It seemed dull and disjointed and eventually put me off.

A few years later, I came back for a second try, and found it to be the best of Adams' books--a true masterpiece. Since the book had not changed in the mean time, I can only assume that I had changed, and the problem the first time was MYSELF.

This book is complex, with several threads that may not seem to be connected. The brilliance, though, is that they are skillfully woven and interconnected. As a reader, you are required to bring more to the table for this book to work. For instance, it is absolutely necessary to understand a bit about Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem, "Kubla Khan." The author assumes that the reader understands that it is an unfinished poem taken from a dream. Only Part 1 exists because Coleridge was interrupted by someone who came to the door. By the time the poet returned to work, he had forgotten the rest of the dream; thus he was unable to complete the poem.

Without this understanding, the reader will completely miss the point when PART 2 is read aloud in a university setting at the beginning of the book. This is supposed to be a slap in the face, but the reader who doesn't know the history of the poem will not realize that something is wrong with the historical timeline. This type of thing can lead many people to think that plot points are not resolved or don't make sense.

The other point that needs to be made is that the style is different from the books in the Hitchhiker series. It is a novel set in the (almost) real world. At least it's based on the real world, anyway. While it is still filled with outrageously funny characters, there are more constraints in place than you will find in the no-rules universe of Vogons and Babblefish. The humor is more subtle. You may even find that--like me--the style grows on you. After finishing the book, I found that the humor in the others seemed a little overdone in comparis! on.

I still like all of the author's fiction books, but this is the crowning jewel.

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Summary: A very rewarding book if you have patience.
Review: The first time I read this book, most of it didn't make sense - I didn't understand what they do at the end, or how everything was connected. However, that's the catch of the book; like Dirk's detective agency, Adams uses a holistic approach to storytelling. Everything in this book is connected, and makes sense once you think about it. However, I did not fully appreciate this book until the second or third reading. It is now my personal belief that it is the best book Adams has ever written. Give it a chance.