Review of "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency" on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
3.5, if I could!
Hardcover, 296 pages
Published Aug. 7, 1988 by Rogner & Bernhard bei Zweitausendeins.
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency is a humorous detective novel by English writer Douglas Adams, first published in 1987. It is described by the author on its cover as a "thumping good detective-ghost-horror-who dunnit-time travel-romantic-musical-comedy-epic".
The book was followed by a sequel, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul. The only recurring major characters are the eponymous Dirk Gently, his secretary Janice Pearce and Sergeant Gilks. Adams also began work on another novel, The Salmon of Doubt, with the intention of publishing it as the third book in the series, but died before completing it.
3.5, if I could!
3.5, if I could!
I first read this many years ago and, while I remember quite liking it, I didn't remember much of the plot apart from the occasional scene. Reading it again, the book has proved to be much, much better than I remembered.
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency is pure Douglas Adams - silly, smart and surreal in equal measure and and it's a novel that takes a collection of seemingly random events and connects them in a manner that is... well, holistic.
Some of the references are a little dated, but the book as a whole is a superb read and one that was well worth coming back to.
a funny, genre-defying trip through space and time...
short plot description: not possible, so just some highlights. Aliens, time travel, computers, romance, ghosts, detectives, poets, electric monks, cats, horses and that's just from the top of my head...
my thoughts: a wild and funny ride. What starts out as a mess of seemingly unconnected events has an astonishing explanation. Told tongue-in-cheek, a mostly delightful read.
my advice: light and amusing read.