DOUGLAS ADAMS
1 Sadly, there is no more
The good news is, "The Salmon of Doubt" is filled with the brilliant writings of Douglas Adams. The bad news is, there will be no more of his brilliant writings, since Adams passed away much too young in 2001.
"The Salmon of Doubt" is a collection of essays, newspaper columns, story ideas, speeches, and interviews that were culled from Adams' hard drive after he died. They offer insight into his personal life, as well as a tantalizing glimpse at projects that could have been. The text of one speech debating the existence of God gives one an idea of the depth of Adams' intelligence and thoughtfulness. The fact that, as the book notes, it was given extemporaneously, is staggering.
A substantial portion of what would have become another "Dirk Gently" novel is included. Be careful with this one: it's good, but of course it's unfinished. We will never know what happened to the other half of the cat, or who Dirk's mysterious benefactor was.
One minor complaint is that the sources for each item are not given until the end of each chapter. It would have been more helpful to learn the source at the beginning instead.
2 Surprisingly Good!
"The Salmon of Doubt" is a book that both excited and surprised me. Published posthumously following the unexpected death of Douglas Adams I and presumably many others expected it to be another instalment of "The Hitchhikers Guide To the Galaxy". This, the longest trilogy in the history of the Universe, is the work he remains famous for Worldwide. Unfortunately, within these pages you will not find Marvin the paranoid android; neither will you find Arthur Dent. Certainly this is a masterstroke and a little devious by the publishers to advertise the book with the sub-title "Hitchhiking the Galaxy One Last Time" and at first you may feel cheated.
However, do not discount this book as a cash-in on a great mans name. You may not find what you were expecting but what you will find is an eclectic mix of Adams writings, many of which have never been published before. You will find musings and notes, interviews and snippets and the Holy Grail itself. A short story revolving round a young Zaphod Beeblebrox the two headed alien infamous in the Hitchhiker's series.
The whole collection reads like a tribute to the man's genius and is presented in an almost autobiographical style. For every story or anecdote there is an interview or letter to his publisher. This book is as good as it gets to getting inside the mind of the mad genius himself. His frustration at the "constipation" in his attempts to get Hitchhikers made into a Hollywood film are plain to see in letters to Disney and colleagues as to the lack of progress being made. There are several interviews regarding his proclaimed atheism and it is fascinating to hear the background to his beliefs from a strict religious upbringing to the staunch non-believer he eventually became.
However, all of this is merely the tip of the iceberg. In summary, this book is as eclectic a collection as the late great man was himself. Click to purchase this one. Along with this book, let me introduce another wonderful novel (if you haven't heard of it) called "The Losers' Club" by Richard Perez, not science fiction at all but highly amusing, truly entertaining and loads of fun -- a terrific book, a "used" copy of which I picked up off Amazon. With Adams gone, we need to get our jollies where we can.
3 Farewell, Douglas
The world was robbed of one it's greatest and funniest writers on May 11, 2001, when Douglas Adams, author of the hugely popular "Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" and "Dirk Gently" books, died from a heart attack at the age of 49. As a writer, Adams was a true original. His style of humor was gloriously funny, and he certainly had a most unique way with words. His final book, the posthumous release "The Salmon Of Doubt," is a collection of assorted writings, including essays, e-mails, interviews, lectures and letters that Adams had given or written over the years, as well as an unfinished third "Dirk Gently" novel that Adams had been sporadically working on for many years. Much of the material was culled from the disk drives of Adams' collection of Macintosh computers, and we, Adams' faithful readers, can certainly be grateful for these golden DNA nuggets. The book contains such gems as Adams discussing his childhood, his nose, his friendship with dogs Maggie and Trudie, his great introduction to Procol Harum (a favorite band of Adams AND myself) just before they take the stage, his advice about how to make a cup of really good tea, his attempts to get "Hitchhiker's" made as a feature film (which is *finally* happening in 2005), and his lecture about the existence of an artificial God. There's also a hilarious sketch about Genghis Khan, a short "Hitchhiker's" story involving Zaphod Beeblebrox, and, finally, 11 chapters of the unfinished Dirk Gently novel, entitled "The Salmon Of Doubt," which, although it is quite obviously an unpolished work-in-progress, is still very funny (though I'm saddened that we'll never know what happens to Dirk after Chapter 11, which is a terrible shame). Douglas Adams had so much more left to give to this world, he had so much more left to write. But we can take comfort in the great, hysterically funny gifts he did leave us---"Hitchhiker's" (not only the books but also the radio & TV series, and the upcoming feature film), "Dirk Gently," the travelogue book "Last Chance To See" (which succeeds as a serious piece sprinkled with great humor throughout), and his writing for the "Doctor Who" TV series. Douglas, as a longtime fan of yours, I just want to thank you for all the good cheer you've given me over the years. I will treasure your work & your memory 'til the end of my days, and perhaps even after that. "The Salmon Of Doubt" is a very fond farewell to the late, great Douglas Noel Adams.
4 Smashing...
You know, it's not easy to put in words what I think of this book; all I can say is that it's one of the best books I've ever read. I found myself laughing outloud many times (never experienced that before). Douglas Adams is indeed a genius. It definitly deserves 5 stars (if not more). I'm sure a lot of people will enjoy the easy flow of the book, the sarcasm and the wit. If you're feeling uninspired, blue or simply just bored, then I definitly recommend this title for you... you'll feel so much different after a few pages :-)
5 btw
c.s. lewis is another great author to read if you enjoy this book. take care
aim - idioteque182
silveradio182@hotmail.com
6 literature at best
the best thing about a wonderful piece of literature sucha as this, it that it can be seen in many different lights and perspectives. it's a multi-dimensional work of art and i enjoyed it. although some of my beliefs are strongly grounded and don't necessarily coincide with his, his work grabs you and you appreciate every word. i recommend it. for any questions, feel free to email
silverchair7983@yahoo.com
7 A Tribute
The wit of the late Douglas Adams shines through in this brief volume. It consists of mainly two parts. The first part consists of essays and interviews with Adams that have appeared in magazines and on the internet. Hitchhiker fans will especially love "Young Zaphod Plays it Safe." The second part is an unfinished novel by Adams. The first part is satisfying because you can see Adams' character shining through. In these writings, different facets of his personality sparkle for all to see. The second part is unsatisfactory though. It is patched together from a few early drafts, and it is unpolished. Second, it only consists of a few chapters, so the story stops midway through without any resolution, which is a little frustrating. Perhaps this volume would have been better if it had focused on the essays and letters of Adams and left the unfinished novel alone. If you're a big Adams fan, you'll want to pick this up for the first part and to see the second part to satisfy your curiousity. If you're not a big fan, you should skip this one, and try the Hitchhiker's series instead.
8 More a sort of apres-vie
This is a distinctly different book to his popular novels, but I enjoyed it a lot. Mostly composed of non-fiction pieces, it tends to dwell on the obsessions familiar to his readers - mainly ecology, computers, language and music, in approximately that order. His self-styled "radical atheism" gets an airing too, especially in the best piece in the collection, "Is There An Artifical God?".
The Dirk Gently novel included at the end of the book isn't merely unfinished, it's only half-started. But it's good stuff anyway, and the central mystery is intriguing. Shame we'll never know how it turns out - though given the way Douglas Adams used to work, the chances are that he hadn't the foggiest idea either. Unfortunately the short story "The Private Life Of Genghis Khan" which appeared in the first printing of this book has since been removed for legal reasons (in short, it was based on a sketch he wrote with Graham Chapman, whose estate blocked its appearance) but if you really want to read it, you can track it down in the 1986 "Utterly Merry Comic Relief Christmas Book" where it first appeared. The other story from that source, "Young Zaphod Plays It Safe", is an excellent addition to the Hitchhikers' saga, though many readers will already be familiar with it as it has appeared in some Hitchhikers compilations.
But it's the non-fiction that makes this book worth buying. It's a side of Douglas Adams' work that is less well-known but just as enchanting - and as humourous - as his novels. Truly, there was a frood who really knew where his towel was.
9 Possibly His Best
This book contains a conspicuous collection of DNA texts, most of them having been published prehumously. These texts vary considerably in style, depth, age, and length, giving a broad perspective on Adams' approach to writing and even his approach to life. As the author had some rough times during his short existence, a few passages may seem surprisingly depressing from such a humorous author. This, in itself, is quite interesting though it may sound a bit too much like the "sad clown syndrome" at times.
These texts are arranged in a rough chronological order. As Adams' darkest moments seem to have happened between the mid-80s and mid-90s, the optimistic candor and freshness of both his early and later texts balance the comparative gloominess of that middle period. As such, reading the book linearly could provide for a not-so-unhollywoodian "all is well that ends well" continuity though picking through texts at random obviously intensifies the quality of the Adamsesque experience.
By itself, the actual novel contained in the book represents an amazing piece of Adamsism. Unfinished, it stands in all its clever whackiness as the editor has seen fit not to alter it too much. While it surely is sad that the author won't be able to tell us "how it ends," the eleven finished chapters are of the raw beauty of mating hippopotami in a Venezuelan bowling alley. Even more so than for any of DNA's other books, it leaves a lot to the imagination. Fortunately, there are enough imaginative thoughts in these little pieces of genius to generate several dissertations, novels, and pound cakes.
These eleven chapters made more than my day.
10 Part of me hated this book
...but only because it was a sad reminder that one of the greatest minds in literature, and one of my own greatest influences, is gone.
I've been an avid fan of Adam's ever since I was a kid. I remember laughing out loud at The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy and watching my parent's amazed expressions... "he's laughing at a book?" I also remember that, when sitting on an airplane, on my way to disney land, sticking the paperback in the seat-pocket in front of me and realizing with much delight that the "hitchhiking hand" on the cover looks a lot like a bum* when you turn it upside down and then cover up the bottom half.... but I digress.
This book will appeal to two types of people. Those who are, like me, fans of Douglas Adams and are rabid to gain more of his wit, humor and insight will definitely enjoy getting this last bitter-sweet sample of his work.
However, it will also appeal to anyone who enjoys a religious, socioeconomic or environmental debate. So much more real than the Hitchhiker books, Adam's various essays and articles apply his intellect (which is significant) and an almost frighteningly open mind to many important and delicate issues.
Those who are looking for another complete Dirk Gently story will be sadly disappointed, unless they enjoy reading an incomplete, very early draft of the never-to-be-completed installment that is provided at the end of the book. Lucky for me, I did enjoy it. In fact, I loved it; It was a fantastic study of Adams' technique, although it was very hard to close the book afterwards. I'm still in denial that it is all over.
Eric D. Knapp
PS - If anyone cares to know, my own author-photo that I used on my first book was a sort of tribute to Douglas Adams. I remember his early books, that all had the same photo of Adams on the cover. It was oddly distorted by an early version MacDraw (or some such ancient Mac program), and I always said to myself "If I ever publish a book, I'm going to put a goofy picture of myself on the cover, too." Well, I did. And I did. Thanks, Doug.
*EDIT: I can't put URLs on an amazon review, but I've posted the Hitchhiker-cover-to-bum-conversion experiment on my web site... I'm sure you can find it via Google if you try hard enough :-)
11 A great read...
The first two thirds of the book can be enjoyed by all, but the final third is really for the fans who have enjoyed Dirk Gently and Hitchhikers. The only thing the book is missing is interconnectedness that only Douglas Adams himself could have provided... May his memory live on.
12 A Fine Tribute
Put together as a tribute to the man that was Douglas Adams, it is a three part book that includes Adams' everyday musings, his social/economic hardships and triumphs, his numerous articles on some of the most random topics for respectable magazines and newspapers - including a trip to K2 dressed as a rhino and an attempt to ride a manta ray -, his views on the argument of God and creationism versus Darwin and evolution, a couple humorous short stories, and the beginnings of a new novel we will never see completed.
The book is separated into three sections, appropriately titled, respectively, Life, the Universe, and Everything. The first, Life, is made up primarily of newspaper and magazine articles - including one he wrote at the ripe old age of twelve - regarding his background and upbringing, his escapades paid for by various unsuspecting patrons, his love/hate relationship with Macintosh, and other ramblings on things such as unwritten rules of travel, the proper way to make tea, the social strategies of canines, and New Year hangovers.
The second section, the Universe, is made up of half unpublished musings, half interviews with aethiests, and half speeches on our "artificial god" of money. As the title of this section would suggest, as well as my flawed arithmetic, everything discusses topics having to do with universal religion and/or ideas regarding the universe and multiple reality theories.
The third secion, and Everything, is everything else. Starting off with an interview with The Onion, then going back in time to a short story about the personal life of Ghengis Khan, followed a few thousand years in the future by the short story many of us have read in The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, "Young Zaphod Plays it Safe," and back to the deceptively modern setting of Dirk Gently in Salmon of Doubt, the beginnings of a novel that will, hopefully, remain incomplete for eternity.
Throughout the book things pick up and then fall down again, some things funny and some things insightful and, as was Adams' style, some things both at the same time, for an emotional roller-coaster ride that I would not have put down save for the persuasive calls of nature. I highly recommend this book, even moreso if you are intimately acquainted with his Hitchiker, Dirk Gently, and Liff novels.
13 Two books, really: Adams' articles and a short story
This book is really two books. The first is a collection of articles written by or about Douglas Adams. The second is the short story 'The Salmon of Doubt' which is said to have been rescued from Adams's computer after his death.
The collection of articles was so fascinating that the story, appearing toward the end of the text, failed to sustain my interest.
If reading for the articles, make sure to look to the end of the book to read what Richard Dawkins had to say about Adams after his untimely death.
14 A collection of laughter to remember the greatest author of
Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup they slither wildly as they slip away across the universe. Pools of sorrow, waves of joy are drifting through my open mind. Possessing and caressing me. Images of broken light which dance before me like a million eyes they call me on and on across the universe. Thoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letter box they tumble blindly as they make their way across the universe. Sounds of laughter shades of live are ringing through my open ears inciting and inviting me. Limitless undying love which shines around me like a million suns it calls me on and on across the universe.
Sitting in an English garden waiting for the sun. If the sun don't come, you get a tan from standing in the English rain.
Goo goo gooooooooooo jooooob
