This was the second book I read for the Semi-Charmed Winter 2014 Reading Challenge and I’m so glad I put it on my list! This book was for the category “Read two books with a different meal in each title”, which means as of right now it doesn’t get me any points because I need to read a second book to get them.
The plot:
It’s kind of difficult to describe this book without spoilers, so instead of writing my own text, here’s the blurb from the back of the book: “When a passenger check-in desk at London’s Heathrow Airport disappears in a ball of orange flame, the explosion is deemed an act of God. But which god, wonders holistic detective Dirk Gently? What god would be hanging around Heathrow trying to catch the 3:37 to Oslo? And what has this to do with Dirk’s latest–and late– client, found only this morning with his head revolving atop the hit record “Hot Potato”? Amid the hostile attentions of a stray eagle and the trauma of a very dirty refrigerator, super-sleuth Dirk Gently will once again solve the mysteries of the universe…”
My review:
In case you couldn’t tell from my introductory sentence, I LOVED this book! I’m sure you’ve all heard of Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series if nothing else. Well, this book has nothing to do with that series, but it’s just as good. It was written in 1987, but it’s perfectly possible to read it now. The only thing that seems dated (other than the lack of mobile phones) is that it’s impossible to get a pizza delivered. People who are older than me… is that really true? Could you not get pizza deliveries in the UK in 1987? I honestly don’t remember a time when you couldn’t order a pizza and have it brought to your house! But anyway, on with the review… Adams’ writing is as insightful and funny as ever. The main premise of the book seems to be “what happened to the immortal gods (Norse ones in this case) once people decided they didn’t need/believe in them any more?”, and the plot admittedly does get a bit thin at times, but the writing itself was so good that for the most part I didn’t even notice. The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul is a sequel to Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, but you can just as easily read it as a stand-alone book. I’ve forgotten the majority of the first book and that didn’t spoil my enjoyment of this one at all. I’m not being very articulate here, so I will sum by saying if you have any interest at all in Norse gods, Douglas Adams or indeed the fantasy genre you should definitely read this book. 5 stars!
This book is waiting for me at my parents’ house! I’ll be reading it by the weekend. 🙂 I had never heard of it until you mentioned it in October, but I like Douglas Adams.
I had heard of it, but never read it. I borrowed the first Dirk Gently book from my dad years ago but he didn’t have this one. The meal category seemed like the perfect excuse to buy it 🙂
Last year I visited Adams’ grave in Highgate Cemetery. There’s a pot for fans to leave pens in on top. I’d like to think he’d appreciate it x
I’ve heard about that! I’d love to go to Highgate Cemetery – everyone else’s photos of it always look so amazing.
I’ve got a picture of me leaving a pen in the pot. I didn’t know about it before-hand, but I *always* carry a pen.
http://stevenglassman.com/2013/10/28/highgate-cemetery-london/
I love that I’m getting so many book inspirations from you! This sounds like something I would definitely enjoy.
Inspiring people to read things is one of my favourite pastimes 😉
It sounds great. It is kind of weird that I have not heard about it before you mentioned it but I do like The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy a lot.
I think most people don’t realise he wrote anything apart from the Hitchhiker’s series.
He wrote a bunch of other stuff. He was a writer for Doctor Who for a while, among other things. Long Dark Teatime of the Soul is one of my favorite DNA books outside of the HHG series, though. He’s long been one of my favorite writers.
I knew he’d written something for Dr Who, although I’ve never actually watched the series!
I have read the Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy books but not heard of his other stuff. Loved them though remember thinking they were conpletely bonkers! So long and thanks for all the fish….. x
Bonkers is the right word! This one is pretty bonkers too.
Loved this book! Anything Douglas Adams did was gold in my book!
Agreed!
this book sounds so interesting – its been a long time since i read the hitchhikers guide but i remember loving it! i dont know about the UK (i’m from Aus) but it seems weird to think of a time when you couldn’t get pizza delivered! i remember we had commercials from the 90s with a pizza delivery guy but since i was born in 87 i don’t remember anything before that! lol
I was born in 1983 but I don’t remember whether we had pizza delivered in 1987! We definitely did in the early 90s though!
I was trying to remember the name of this earlier, but I just discovered that the whole thing is on Youtube: Doctor Snuggles and the Remarkably Fidgety River. Doctor Snuggles was a show from when *I* was a kid, and this particular episode was written by Douglas Adams and John Lloyd. Very good stuff!