M.J. Simpson
1 Mostly Harmless, but also Barely Adequate
It's clear that M. J. Simpson knows a lot about the bare facts of Douglas Adams' life, but there is little heart or deep understanding in this biography. Because Douglas Adams is an intrinsically interesting character, the book is still enjoyable enough to read for the anecdotes as well as for its descriptions of Douglas' projects. I found it interesting to read about the many failures or quasi failures that followed the publication of the Hitchiker's books. It just goes to show that talent is often not enough and that success is relative. The author seems to have a strangely forensic delight in finding inconsistencies in different versions of some of the anecdotes surrounding Douglas' life... Which I suppose may be of interest to some, but for me that wasn't really something I was terribly interested in anyway. Amazingly, even John Lloyd's forward is a bit critical: He writes, "The initial conditions in which Douglas was saddled were rather more trying, I suspect, than the author of this book has been able either to discern or to put in print."
John Lloyd's forward is really quite wonderful, and I would gladly read more material from his hand about "The Big Man." As for this book, I'd say if you enjoy Mr. Adams' books and you're looking for some moderately enjoyable bed-time reading, this isn't such a bad choice.
2 Astonishingly Complete
What's most impressive about this volume is how often it is forced to go against conventional wisdom. Through astonishingly complete research, Simpson manages to root out dozens of stories Adams told about his work and then provide the true story behind Adams' half-truths. In all, a wonderfully assembled timeline of an interesting person.
3 Tall on tales, short on insight
How ironic that a writer whose Achilles Heel was character development should have a biography that suffers from the same malaise. I don't think I've ever finished such a long biography with so little insight into the inner workings of the subject. This book is remarkably shallow, spending page after page discussing Adams' projects but precious little space analyzing who Douglas Adams was and what made him tick. Even non sci fi fans are familiar with the chatty, insecure, name-dropping public persona Adams portrayed, but I was hoping this book would look far beyond that. Sadly, it does not, and thus showcases a man who is as one-dimensional and underdeveloped as the characters who inhabit his novels.
4 Reheated
Like many books of this type, Simpson's is content to reheat the same tired tales while giving little (if any) fresh insight into the man behind the curtain. While not a complete waste of time, it is a complete waste of money. Don't give this hitcher a lift.
5 Everything you ever wanted to know about Douglas Adams...
...and then some. I have read all of the books out there about Douglas Adams and his work, and this is by far the most in depth and comprehensive(as well as the most fun). This work is at times funny, personal and warm, at others written with astonishing factual detail. Mr. Simpson's meticulous research and attention to detail, as well as his personal passion for the life and work of Douglas Adams stand out like Douglas in a crowd. I highly recommend this book for any DNA fan.
6 Better than Vogon poetry
And better than pretty much anything else out there right now. Douglas Adams may be dead (or only hiding), but I'd rather read him or even just read about him than a lot of the self-congratulatory cyber-muck being peddled as SF these days. Hitchhiker is exhaustive (at times, exhausting), dead-on, funny, sad, nostalgic and true. For anyone you know who's read all of DA, or even just some of DA, this is a perfect complement, and a perfect capstone. Neil Gaiman's Don't Panic might be funnier, but Hitchhiker is richer.
7 Too short a life, what does it all mean, eh?
42 of course.
He had an all too short life for the witty and intelligent creations he gave us, although I was left thinking after I read this book that Douglas was just too much of procrastinator. So we are left with a reletively small legacy to enjoy. The book put it well when the biographer felt that not enough publishers and friends would lock themselves up with Adams and watch him like a hawk to get his books done, because that is often what it would take to get a book out of him!
This bio is very informative and well done. It was rather dissapointing to learn that his last ten years unfortunately didn't produce much, I was left feeling his talent was wasted...
at least we have the trilogy.
