The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul

Rating:
Summary: Do pick it up, pick it up, pick it up...
Review: Audio can be a wonderful way to experience the Douglas Adams aura. This sequel is much better than its precursor. Dirk Gently is funny and bizarre, yet oh so seriously English. Funny.

Rating:
Summary: A Confusing but Humorous Book
Review: A long dark tea-time of the soul. Only the title makes you aware of Adam's genious way of writing. The dark time of our souls... It is written with a British humor which I love, being áboring Swede'. Sometimes it really confuses me and I have to read a few parts twice, but it is generally a great novel with a silly sense of humor. He geniously connects to his other books, i.e. by having a sofa from `The hitchhiker's...` (I think) appear. There are lots of encounters with Gods, especially Thor and Oden (Odin in Eng.) If you liked 'The Hitch-hiker's...'you will love this as well as 'Dirk Gently's Holistic Agency`.

Rating:
Summary: Adams' best so far?
Review: Most people seem to prefer the more obvious slapstick of the early Hitchhiker's books, but I've found myself enjoying Adams more and more as he's matured. Many of the situations in this book are outrageous and silly, and there are plenty of the one-liners that are Adams' trademark ("It can hardly be a coincidence that no language on earth has ever produced the expression 'As pretty as an airport,'" the book begins) but there are very few passages intended solely for the purpose of eliciting a laugh. Everything's integral to the story, and it all makes sense in the end, although Adams doesn't hand you the answer on a silver platter. This novel is part social commentary, part Rubik's Cube (how DO those piecses fit together, anyway?), and part humor. It took me several re-readings to get the bit about the concentric circles on the eagle's wings, but it was worth it. If you enjoy exercising your mind through the contemplation of the absurd, you'll enjoy reading -- and re-reading -- "The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul."

Rating:
Summary: John Cleese + Isaac Asimov = Douglas Adams
Review: A reader of this book could easily get lost in Douglas Adams' unrelenting British dry humor and overlook the touching tragedy in his brilliant tale about immortal gods who have been cast aside, ignored and all but forgotten by their vapid subjects. His characters spend their time stumbling down a bouncing high-wire, teetering between silliness and profundity. Just when they seem in danger of plummeting off one side or the other, the author pulls them back and sends them down another plot twist that at first seems absurd and then seems absurd that it's all beginning to make sense. Adams has an ability to at once convey both the complexity and the insanity of the post-quantum physics world. This is a book which will help us understand why Einstein always had that bizarre, far-away look in his eyes. Einstein had caught a glimpse of the true nature of the universe -- and so will the reader of this extraordinary story

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Summary: A word or two concerning The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul
Review: Much can be said of The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul, most of it rather meaningless. After all, how many detective stories have a very dirty refrigerator as the key to the mystery and a detective with an 8th sense? The world of the gods has been drastically altered, and the realm of humanity has been adversely affected. Only one man can save both. Dirk Gently, super-sleuth. As is typical of Douglas Adams's genius, a series of seemingly meaningless and unrelated events turn out to be tremendously important...to the story anyway. Dirk has to relate all of these events to find out what is wrong, and an eagle following him down a street has a goodly amount of anger towards him, causing even more problems. Other...interesting (for lack of a better word) situations confront Dirk while on his quest, including car accidents, a man who had his head cut off and placed on a record player, and navigating a massive party thrown by the gods themselves. The situations, and the dialogue, keep the reader interested, as you end up asking yourself, "What the hell is going on?" Of course, they are also extremely funny. A rather interesting example, when Dirk is talking to Kate, a person nearly killed when the check-in desk at Heathrow Airport explodes, follows. Kate: "Well, this name here is Dennis Hutch, isn't it? See?" Dirk: "Oh, yes. Yes I do. Er, should I know that name?" Kate: "Well, it depends if you're alive or not, I suppose. He's the head of the Aries Rising Record Group. Less famous than the Pope, I grant you, but--you know of the Pope, I take it?" Dirk: "Yes, yes. White haired chap." Kate: "That's him. He seems to be the only person of note this envelope hasn't been addressed to at some time. Here's Stan Dubcek, the head of Dubcek, Danton, Heidegger, Draycott. I know they handle the ARRGH! account." Dirk: "The--?" Kate: "ARRGH! Aries Rising Record Group Holdings. Getting that account made the agency's fortunes." The entire book is full of these crazy, yet meaningful conversations. Put together, they make for a very good mystery, and a humorous one at that (yes, the conversation about the dirty refrigerator does have meaning, the first one with his secretary). Perhaps the greatest achievement of this book is the skill at which Douglas Adams creates situations that show how stupid humans can be, and how callous we are. Although there is not nearly as much of this as in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (also very funny) series, the ideas make you think, the universal trademark of a great book. They can be hard to identify, but they are there, if one looks hard enough. The above is why I like this book. It has real meaning, and it is very entertaining to read, something that can not be said of many books. I can honestly say that there is nothing that I dont like about this book. I would recommend it to anyone, especially to those who have a sense of humor that has been dulled by the daily routine of life. They will benefit most.

Rating:
Summary: Well written but confusing story line.
Review: When Dirk Gently, not-so-master-detective, is on the case, who know what can happen? The story opens with an explosion in an airport. This introduces the female lead character and basis of the story. While moving through the story you learn that the old Norse Gods were actually real, but as their human believers dwindled, their powers became less and less. As a large scam between the most powerfull god, a human lawer, and an advitiser rocks the world of the gods, Dirk Gently must smooth everything out, or else the balence between the God's world and the human world will tip, and the angry Gods will run amuck! While this story is supremely written, a couple parts need to be reread a couple times so you can follow the story line. Adam's familiar humor and observations are just a prevalent, and just as funny as always. If you like this twisted story line as a break from all the other predictable Fantasies, this book is for you!

Rating:
Summary: Classic Douglas Adams
Review: A check-in counter at London's Heathrow Airport spontaneously explodes in a ball of flame, and is ruled by the authorities as "an act of God." As it turns out, the explosion was an act of *a* god---Thor, the God Of Thunder, trying to catch a plane to Oslo, Norway. But why would an almighty god be trying to catch a plane flight in the first place? Enter holistic detective Dirk Gently to solve the mystery....The second and, sadly, final "Dirk Gently" book written by the late, great Douglas Adams, "The Long Dark Tea Time Of The Soul" is a hysterically funny book, and a major improvement over the decent but unspectacular first book, "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency," which certainly had it's funny moments, but was too long (and long-winded) and confusing. This time around, Adams' writing is a LOT sharper & funnier, and he keeps the book excellently paced. And the character of Dirk Gently really grows here---he's much more concise and focused, and he doesn't ramble on and on about his philosophical views & methods of detective work as he did in the first book. "Long Dark Tea Time" contains many outrageously funny scenes---Dirk's dilemma with his old refridgerator, and his surprising encounter with a young boy watching TV are both particularly memorable---and great characters, too, not only Dirk Gently but also the spunky American girl Kate Schechter, Thor the hot-headed God Of Thunder, and the vile creature named Toe Rag. The story is clever, moves along nicely, and, if I haven't made it clear enough, is very, very funny.I'm saddened that Douglas Adams never got around to writing a third "Dirk Gently" book, as I would've loved to have read further adventures of this most oddball of detectives. But at least Adams wrote a pair of them, and "The Long Dark Tea Time Of The Soul" is a fabulously hilarious book that can proudly sit right alongside Adams' very best "Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" books, in particular volumes 1, 2 and 4. "The Long Dark Tea Time Of The Soul" is classic Douglas Adams all the way.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating
Review: I just wanted to add (to all of the other reviews) that, while the Dirk Gently books may not be as hilarious as the Hitchhiker's book (and at times verge toward drama), I would say they are much more interesting. The plots are complicated to be sure, at times esoteric and puzzling, and you may even have to re-read, but I find it is well worth it. Fascinating.

Rating:
Summary: Classic Douglas Adams
Review: A check-in counter at London's Heathrow Airport spontaneously explodes in a ball of flame, and is ruled by the authorities as "an act of God." As it turns out, the explosion was an act of *a* god---Thor, the God Of Thunder, trying to catch a plane to Oslo, Norway. But why would an almighty god be trying to catch a plane flight in the first place? Enter holistic detective Dirk Gently to solve the mystery....The second and, sadly, final "Dirk Gently" book written by the late, great Douglas Adams, "The Long Dark Tea Time Of The Soul" is a hysterically funny book, and a major improvement over the decent but unspectacular first book, "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency," which certainly had it's funny moments, but was too long (and long-winded) and confusing. This time around, Adams' writing is a LOT sharper & funnier, and he keeps the book excellently paced. And the character of Dirk Gently really grows here---he's much more concise and focused, and he doesn't ramble on and on about his philosophical views & methods of detective work as he did in the first book. "Long Dark Tea Time" contains many outrageously funny scenes---Dirk's dilemma with his old refridgerator, and his surprising encounter with a young boy watching TV are both particularly memorable---and great characters, too, not only Dirk Gently but also the spunky American girl Kate Schechter, Thor the hot-headed God Of Thunder, and the vile creature named Toe Rag. The story is clever, moves along nicely, and, if I haven't made it clear enough, is very, very funny.I'm saddened that Douglas Adams never got around to writing a third "Dirk Gently" book, as I would've loved to have read further adventures of this most oddball of detectives. But at least Adams wrote a pair of them, and "The Long Dark Tea Time Of The Soul" is a fabulously hilarious book that can proudly sit right alongside Adams' very best "Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" books, in particular volumes 1, 2 and 4. "The Long Dark Tea Time Of The Soul" is classic Douglas Adams all the way.

Rating:
Summary: Wacky and Fun But Missing Something at the End
Review: Kate Schechter should have taken the signs the universe was trying to give her. That's what she tells herself as she shows up at the airport for a trip to Norway in spite of all the warnings. Still, she is unprepared for the check in desk to be blown through the roof just after she misses her flight.

Meanwhile, Dirk Gently has hit a low. He has almost no money and no clients. Except the one he's forgotten about who promptly gets himself killed. Now Dirk feels responsible for not taking this guy's claims serious and wants to track down the green eyed monster. As if that weren't enough, he and his cleaning lady are having a war over who will open his fridge first, an out of order soda machine keeps appearing and disappearing, and he's being stalked by an eagle. What these seemingly unrelated events have to do with each other provides plenty of wacky entertainment.

I am still only mildly familiar with the books of Douglas Adams, and I simply must correct that. This fantasy novel was wonderfully strange and entertaining. The opening bits about the airport and Kate's trip had me laughing out loud. The laughs slowed down over the course of the book, but they were still plentiful. Maybe it's my normal reading of mysteries, but my only real complaint was an ending that was really more confusing then enlightening of what had gone on before.

Actually, I listened to the audio version of this book, read by the author. These can be hit or miss, depending on the author. Douglas Adams did an exceptional job of reading, throwing just the right tones and inflections in for the best effect. About the only complaint on this part was that the scene changes were so sudden and abrupt that it could confuse you for a few seconds even when you're paying attention.

Whether you get your hands on the audio version of stick with the traditional print version, this is a wonderful title sure to entertain. I must move more of his books higher up my to be read pile.