Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
thoughtful, unforgettable comic fiction, May 26, 2002
Douglas Adams is well known for his "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" series of books. They are filled with often smart, sometimes absurd and slapstick humor. This book contains two of his lesser-known novels--"Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency" and "The Log, Dark, Tea Time of the Soul." While not quite as nonstop and rapid fire as the Hitchhiker books, they are possibly Adams' greatest work.First of all, these books are unique. Where else in literature do science fiction and humor intersect with topics such as Quantum physics, Norse mythology, and the poetry of Samuel Taylor Coleridge? Adams weaves these elements into stories that entertain, provoke, and even educate. Adams also creates lasting images: a wonderful depiction of the nonsense that so often surrounds academic and professional banquets, a great representation of the pitfalls of furniture moving, the absurdity of airline check-in lines, and a description of a "lurking" refrigerator that speaks to some universal human interaction with maltreated appliances. These two novels are wonderful pieces of comic literature. They are also something more. Get a copy and experience them yourself. I recommend this book.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Literary slapstick in the tradition of Kurt Vonnegut, September 1, 2002
Douglas Adams, the author of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, followed up with the most whimsical character I have "met" since reading Vonnegut, and like Vonnegut, creates a slapstick creation for mankind. There are an alien or two, eccentric college professors, a Electric Monk, and many other labor-saving devices to be found in the two books. Roaring funny - if you like slapstick characters - the Dirk Gently books poke fun at everything from Apple Computer to Isaac Newton's discovery of gravity. Since these books were originally published, some of the jokes have aged, but their recent re-discovery was worth the trip all over again.Dirk Gently is a detective who thinks nothing of charging his clients for a spontaneous trip to the Bahamas, because of his "holistic" approach to investigations. Everything is connected, you see, so he - well, investigates everything. The ride is fast, daring, and you won't anticipate what will happen around the next turn. Adams has penned a carnival ride that approximates the best of Vonnegut, and a joy these many years later. Having not read the Hitchhiker's Guide books for some time, I will confess that I actually enjoyed the Gently books a bit more, as the writing is much faster paced, the lunacy a little more looney (with the possible exception of "So Long and Thanks for All The Fish"), and the names much easier to remember. One of my favorite books.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best book ever, January 30, 2000
Dirk Gentlys Holistic Detective Agency is my favorite book EVER. You cannot read this book once for a start, and each subsequent read gets better! Funny to the point of hysterical at times, these books are the best comedy sci-fi you will find.
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