Adams misses his final deadline (The Salmon Of Doubt - Douglas Adams)

Member Name: brokenangel

Product:	The Salmon Of Doubt - Douglas Adams
Date:	18/01/09 (97 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A laugh - out - loud funny collection of pieces by the inimitiable Douglas Adams

Disadvantages: You'll hate not knowing how the story ends !

Douglas Adams is most famous for his trilogy-in-five-parts, The Hitchhiker novels/radio play/ TV adaptation, which was finally made into a film after his early death. (I'm sure he would have smiled to know that, after all the trials and tribulations, it was made at last, although it is highly unlikely that he would have approved of the final product.) His last, unfinished, hilariously comic novel is reproduced here alongside various fiction and non-fiction pieces, so although the title of the book is the same as the title of the incomplete novel, there is much more to this collection than one draft of a promising new novel.

The book opens with an editor's note from Peter Guzzardi who simply explains how the book came into being. This is followed by a prologue which outlines Adams' life story and then summarises his history in an almost CV-like format. Neither of these is particularly interesting, although they do offer a clear overview, which is their intended aim. Personally I found the quotations from Adams most interesting as they demonstrated his usual good humoured approach to life: he likened trying to get his film made to "trying to grill a steak by having a succession of people coming into the room and breathing on it".

The editor's note and prologue are followed by a foreword (I know, I know, you're wondering when the book begins,) written by Stephen Fry who laments Adams' passing and suggests that this collection will help to 'put off the full melancholy of his sudden departure'. This is moving and it is interesting to get a more personal viewpoint than is otherwise offered, but it's definitely time to get into the true purpose of the book: Adams' writings. The book contains three sections: Life, The Universe, And Everything, followed by an epilogue.

'Life' and 'The Universe' contain a diverse collection of fiction and non-fiction garnered from Adams' beloved Applemac and reproduced herein in what appears to be chronological order. From his first ever published piece (a creative letter from his twelve year old self to the Editor at the Eagle) and his complaints about short trousers, the letter Y (no other question gets a whole letter of the alphabet named after it), his baffling nose, insurance companies and Frank the Vandal, to his interview with American Atheists and speech on the possibility of an artificial God, this book is a true goldmine. It is impossible to choose a favourite, but 'Young Zaphod plays it Safe' (a short story concerning a major character from the Hitchhiker novels at an earlier age,) is brilliant and not something that you need to have read the other novels in order to appreciate. The true story 'Cookies' made me laugh out loud as it revealed a very typical English reticence and refusal to 'cause trouble' or 'make a scene'. There are snippets from interviews in which Adams reveals his plans for Dirk Gently and the Hitchhiker's film and debates in which he elaborates on his scientific beliefs. These vary in length from a page to several pages and are great to read in little bits so you can savour them like rich chocolates.

'And Everything' gives us eleven chapters of 'The Salmon of Doubt', patched together by Adams' editor and intended to be the beginning of the third Dirk Gently novel (following 'Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency' and 'The Long, Dark Teatime of the Soul'). His titles hint at the wonderfully surreal nature of his writing and this story is no exception. The best way to sum this up is to steal wholesale from the fax that has been reproduced in which Adams outlines the novel to his agent.

"Dirk Gently, hired by someone he never meets, to do a job that is never specified, starts following people at random. His investigations lead him to Los Angeles, through the nasal membranes of a rhinoceros, to a distant future dominated by estate agents and heavily armed kangaroos. Jokes, lightly poached fish, and the emergent properties of complex systems form the background to Dirk Gently's most baffling and incomprehensible case."

This is clearly not your standard detective fare, which becomes even more obvious in chapter two when Dirk is asked to investigate where half a cat has vanished to. The front half is fine; the back half is missing. Vanished. On the plus side, the cat does not appear to be affected, but the owner is a bit puzzled. Much of the humour arises from the calm manner in which characters respond to totally surreal conversations and situations.

You don't need to have read the first two novels in order to enjoy or understand this one, though I thoroughly recommend them both in their own right. Of course, 'understand' might not be the best word - as there is no conclusion in sight (the other two novels had roughly triple the amount of chapters). I was left somewhat bewildered at points, but this never affected my enjoyment. However, if you are someone who needs a nice, tied-up ending, I warn you now that you will not find one here.

The book closes after excerpts from another interview and an epilogue by Richard Dawkins, lamenting Adams' loss. In this way, it is very similar in tone and style to the Foreword and really adds nothing new, though of course it is sad.

Though a must for all serious fans, this collection is also fantastic fun for those who enjoy a sense of humour that occasionally dips into the surreal. The comic tone is akin to Bill Bryson, with a definitely odd edge and a strong sci-fi streak.

In a word: fantastic. Well-worth the £6.99 R.R.P


(The title is a reference to Adams' propensity to miss deadlines: he commented once that he 'loved dealines'; he loved 'the whoosing sound' they make as they go by.)

Summary: Unmissable if you like your comedy with a surreal edge.