Published upon his death The Salmon of Doubt is Douglas Adams' final work. It is composed of various interviews, speeches, observations, short stories and the beginning of a new Dirk Gently novel. It is a combination of technology, science, fiction and humor. (It is also the title I assumed would be my fiftieth.)

I liked the book, but think I would have liked it more had I heeded the advice on the back cover and not read it straight through. There's not enough continuity to make it that kind of book. (Apparently the fact that it's a compilation of items rather than a story was not a big enough clue for me.)


Favorite Quotes:

"I only knew that the Beatles were the most exciting thing in the universe. It wasn't always an easy view to live with. First you had to fight the Stones fans, which was tricky because they fought dirty and had their knuckles nearer to the ground."

"Obviously the Sub Bug wins some points for being portable up to a point. You can take it on a plane, which you wouldn't do with a manta ray, or at least not with a manta ray you liked, and I think that we probably like all manta rays on principle really, don't we?"

"He moved his horse slowly forward and surveyed the small group of peasant huts that stood huddled together in the centre of the clearing, trying very hard at short notice to look deserted."

"There is a particular disdain with which Siamese cats regard you. Anyone who has accidentally walked in on the Queen cleaning her teeth will be familiar with this feeling."


Overall Opinion:

Unless you're an Adams' fanatic and looking to read everything he ever wrote on any subject then take it slowly. Read something else at the same time and you'll enjoy The Salmon of Doubt more than I did.



Rating:

6

I got this book because I love Douglas Adams, since he died & will no longer be writing another novel. Anything from his notes however incoherent was good enough for me to buy.

I did not expect this book to be such a life-changer for me. It was a catalyst that triggered a flood of ideas/books/authors that followed for the next few years. My rating of this book is purely for what this book has meant to me, not exactly the book itself.

A lovely summation of Douglas Adams, his life and his way of thinking. Unique and brilliant <3

Am recitit cartea cu multă bucurie - la fel de interesanta ca la prima întâlnire!

A book by Douglas Adams. Well, it's not actually by him, except in the sense that they were words that he wrote, mostly in that order. But he was dead when it was published. Collection of some previously published essays and the fragments of his final novel, which was harvested in bits from filing cabinets and from the hard drive of his computer, including some bits that weren't meant to be seen by the general public, as they were deleted, but someone foolhardily recovered the bits and slapped them back together to make money. Adams died so young that my sense of what is right in the world insists that I cling to a conspiratoratical hope that he was a very shy and private man thrust into too many spotlights because of his fame and having failed at politely asking people to just go away and leave him alone, he had to resort to publishing notices of his death so that he could quietly live on the considerable savings from his books.

Come on, haven't you read Christopher Moore and wondered about the possibility?

Perhaps I should have researched the book before reading it but I assumed it was a continuation of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. It is in fact a tedious collection of anecdotes, radio broadcasts, and magazine columns from Douglas Adams life with a partially written Dirk Gently novel at the end. But when the subtitle to the book is "Hitchhiking the galaxy one last time", what else is one supposed to think?

"Where do you get the ideas for your books?
- I tell myself I cannot have another cup of coffee till I've thought of an idea."

This book is such a beautiful tribute to the late Douglas Adams. The pieces in it are laugh out loud funny, deeply meaningful, and often poignant. Surely I am not the only person that cried reading "Sunset at Blandings"; the feelings that Douglas felt at losing one of his favourite authors are so reminiscent of what his fans must feel.

This book is absolutely wonderful. Douglas Adams really brings meaning to Life, The Universe and Everything.

I resisted reading this for a long time because I was under the misapprehension that it was merely a presentation of the sections of the Dirk Gently novel Adams was working on until his untimely death in 2001. Having seen multiple references to it in Neil Gaiman's excellent Hitchhiker's companion, Don't Panic, I finally broke down and got it from the library, and I was glad that I did.

The last third of the book does indeed contain the unfinished Salmon of Doubt, but that was to my mind the least interesting part of the book and could (and perhaps should) have been left out. Adams didn't yet know where he was going with it, and in fact, he was apparently thinking of changing it from a Dirk Gently novel to one set in the Hitchhiker's universe. The first two-thirds of the book comprise many different writings by Adams on topics ranging from computers (his beloved Macintoshes) to how to make tea to his atheism, as well as speeches, letters, and interviews with Adams. It's really an eye-opening look at the wide-ranging intellect and knowledge that underlies the seeming frivolity and true hilarity of his books.

My partner isn't much of a reader, but he has become an avid audiobook listener. Sometimes we'll sit and listen to books together after dinner, doing dishes or playing videogames or putting away laundry. Though Adams' writing isn't typically my cup of tea, this book was a nice listen. I think my fiancé enjoyed this book more than I did; he kept laughing at Adam's short quips and wit. So, for both my partner and I, I rated this book four stars.

Did not realize that this was the incomplete book Adams was working on at his sudden death. An interesting read - the majority of the book is interviews with Adams, thoughts by his friends and bits and pieces of his writing. The actual Salmon of Doubt part is only about 100 pages. I was glad to have once last glance of Dirk but as is usually the case with unfinished works - wished it was longer...

I'm very torn about rating this book, because it's just so many things crammed into a binding. Basically, it's a collection of essays that Douglas Adams had written, including a short story from the Hitchhiker's Guide series, and the first few chapters of an incomplete Dirk Gently book. It's so, so much fun reading what Douglas Adams writes. His writing is full of energy and wit and charm, and is just a pleasure to read. That's one of the great parts of the book. But it's clear that the editors who put this book together after Adams's death just sort of jumbled a bunch of his stuff together. It feels like a cash grab, which is really irritating after you read the multiple introductions written by people who just feel utterly pleased with themselves and their ability to package somebody else's work. So, really, the book is kind of a mess and unfocused, but is sometimes really fun. I probably wouldn't recommend it. Instead, read the books that Adams actually has written and completed. Reread them when you finish them. They, and Douglas Adams, are terrific.

This is most definitely not "Dirk Gently #3".
This is a motley collection of odds and ends found on Douglas Adams' many hard disks after his sudden death.
There is the beginning of a Dirk Gently story here that is going nowhere, padded with some stuff that just possibly might be connected to the plot, based on three sentences the author mailed to his editor. This whole mess runs to 79 pages. Very disappointing.
The rest of the collection I enjoyed. Letters, articles, speeches, interviews. The spirit of Douglas Adams, clever and funny, shines through. Still glad I got this in the library and didn't shell out any real money for it though.
And by the way, don't believe the subtitle "Hitchhiking the Galaxy One Last Time" either, you get thirteen pages of Zaphod, that's it.

Otostopçunun Galaksi Rehberi'nin son kitabı olarak pazarlanan Kuşkucu Somon'u severlerine tavsiye etmem. DNA'nın gazete yazılarından oluşuyor 3/4'ü. Son hikaye olan Kuşkucu Somon ise DNA'nın Dirk Gently karakterine ait bitmemiş bir hikaye. Devam kitabı denmesinin tek nedeni ise DNA'nın bu hikaye daha çok Otostopçu'ya benzedi ona evrilebilir diye bir açıklaması olması vakti zamanında.. Anısına okumak isteyen okusun tabii.