The Salmon of Doubt

The Salmon of Doubt is the second "unfinished" work out of the last three books I've read. I really can't allow this to become a habit.

Salmon contains a smorgasbord of writings collected from the personalSaving... computers of Douglas Adams, famous for the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, shortly after his tragic death in 2001. The works range from interviews to essays, from random musings to short stories, and includes the first section of a new Dirk Gently book he worked on prior to his death.

Adams writes in the style of Vonnegut - humorous and witty, yet insightful and clever. Many of the essays, musings, and interviews contain laugh-out-loud moments. Some of them contain meaningful insight. Some contain eerily accurate pictures of the future of computing (predicting wireless technology and the popularity of portable computers in 1989, also hinting at super-programs such as the current forms of word and excel).

The 80 or so pages of the new Dirk Gently book (to be titled The Salmon of Doubt, hence this volume's title) are, for the most part, compelling and polished, despite being drafts. I wanted to continue reading to see what happens - but alas, I cannot.

I enjoyed reading this book, but I would caution people on a few things. First, Adams is a self-described radical atheist. Several articles expound upon his atheistic views. These articles reveal Adam's intellectual arrogance (as seen elsewhere in the book) and were annoying to read. Second, this book is for Adams fans only - wait to read this until you've read at least the Hitchhiker's series and the Dirk Gently books. Otherwise you will likely find yourself lost or disconnected. Finally, the Dirk Gently snippet is likely to annoy you. It's great and highly imaginative, but it leaves you hanging with so many questions. Imagine if the TV series Lost had ended after the second or third season. Is it even worth the energy to read? I think so, but others may disagree.

I think I may have to re-read the Hitchhiker "trilogy" soon. I enjoyed this tastes of Adams I got from this book and want more!

Rating: 3.5 stars (It's not so much a book as it is a random collection - in other words, a chance for his publishers to make some extra $$$)

32 books, 127 days...at this rate I'll read 92 books (I'm catching up! Yay!)