The Salmon of Doubt
1995
- fiction
- science fiction
- english essays
- fiction, science fiction, general
- gently, dirk (fictitious character), fiction
- fiction, humorous
- private investigators, fiction
- english literature
- hitch-hiker's guide to the galaxy
- fiction, humorous, general
The story
On Friday, May 11, 2001, the world mourned the untimely passing of Douglas Adams, beloved creator of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, dead of a heart attack at age forty-nine. Thankfully, in addition to a magnificent literary legacy--which includes seven novels and three co-authored works of nonfiction--Douglas left us something more. The book you are about to enjoy was rescued from his four computers, culled from an archive of chapters from his long-awaited novel-in-progress, as well as his short stories, speeches, articles, interviews, and letters. In a way that none of his previous books could, The Salmon of Doubt provides the full, dazzling, laugh-out-loud experience of a journey through the galaxy as perceived by Douglas Adams. From a boy's first love letter (to his favorite science fiction magazine) to the distinction of possessing a nose of heroic proportions; from climbing Kilimanjaro in a rhino costume to explaining why Americans can't make a decent cup of tea; from lyrical tributes to the sublime pleasures found in music by Procol Harum, the Beatles, and Bach to the follies of his hopeless infatuation with technology; from fantastic, fictional forays into the private life of Genghis Khan to extended visits with Dirk Gently and Zaphod Beeblebrox: this is the vista from the elevated perch of one of the tallest, funniest, most brilliant, and most penetrating social critics and thinkers of our time.Welcome to the wonderful mind of Douglas Adams.From the Hardcover edition.
What it’s like
Brisk, bright and cheerfully digressive, the prose reads like a friend talking across a kitchen table: short paragraphs, sudden detours, asides that double back on themselves and land somewhere unexpected. Its sensory world is ordinary and vivid at once, with a boy's bedroom full of science fiction magazines, a rain-wet English garden, the hiss of a kettle, and the clatter of a computer keyboard in a cramped study. Stories about climbing Kilimanjaro in a rhino suit, the private life of Genghis Khan, and Dirk Gently's hazy inquiries sit alongside essays on music, technology and tea, so the register shifts often but never feels heavy. The vibe is wry, warm and mildly bewildered, the sort of book that suits a lazy weekend afternoon, a long train journey, or a stretch of reading in bed when you want to be amused rather than moved. Its emotional tone is affectionate, with a quiet undercurrent of grief from the posthumous setting, though it remains light. There is no graphic violence, sex or cruelty to speak of; the only threat is absurdity. It is for readers who enjoy humour that is clever without being cynical, and for anyone curious about how a playful mind looks at the world.
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