2006-08-06
The Salmon of Doubt
Author: Douglas Adams
Following Adams's premature death, the announcement that a work in progress on his hard drive would be published led to confusing media reports. Was it a nearly complete sixth Hitchhiker novel? Was it a third Dirk Gently? Was it going to be finished, to create a complete work? I can now tell you what is between the covers:
I found this more satisfying than I expected. I thought the novel was a bigger part of the book, but apparently there wasn't that much material done. Think of this as a collection of columns and assorted short-form material, with a bonus of one quarter of a novel, and you can decide whether it sounds readable.
Having the Dirk Gently story end early really isn't that big a deal -- didn't all of Adams's stories meander around a lot and only vaguely have a plot? It's not as if the ending would really explain that much. The plot is just a scaffolding for jokes. Would you rather have experienced the first third of HHGttG than none at all? I would, so I recommend this book to all fans of the author. It's not a casual or introductory book, but a good final volume in the Douglas Adams bibliography.
Following Adams's premature death, the announcement that a work in progress on his hard drive would be published led to confusing media reports. Was it a nearly complete sixth Hitchhiker novel? Was it a third Dirk Gently? Was it going to be finished, to create a complete work? I can now tell you what is between the covers:
- Multiple introductions covering 30 pages
- 200 pages of assorted speeches, essays, columns, and other various output from Adams's career. This is arranged in three sections.
- 82 pages of a Dirk Gently novel
- A final interview and epilogue
I found this more satisfying than I expected. I thought the novel was a bigger part of the book, but apparently there wasn't that much material done. Think of this as a collection of columns and assorted short-form material, with a bonus of one quarter of a novel, and you can decide whether it sounds readable.
Having the Dirk Gently story end early really isn't that big a deal -- didn't all of Adams's stories meander around a lot and only vaguely have a plot? It's not as if the ending would really explain that much. The plot is just a scaffolding for jokes. Would you rather have experienced the first third of HHGttG than none at all? I would, so I recommend this book to all fans of the author. It's not a casual or introductory book, but a good final volume in the Douglas Adams bibliography.
