Synopses & Reviews
On Friday, May 11, 2001, the world mourned the untimely passing of Douglas Adams, beloved creator of
The Hitchhikers 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 boys 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 cant 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.
Synopsis
"A fitting eulogy to the master of wacky words and even wackier tales . . . Salmon leaves no doubt as to Adams's lasting legacy."--Entertainment Weekly With an introduction to the introduction by Terry Jones
Douglas Adams changed the face of science fiction with his cosmically comic novel The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and its classic sequels. Sadly for his countless admirers, he hitched his own ride to the great beyond much too soon. Culled posthumously from Adams's fleet of beloved Macintosh computers, this selection of essays, articles, anecdotes, and stories offers a fascinating and intimate portrait of the multifaceted artist and absurdist wordsmith.
Join Adams on an excursion to climb Kilimanjaro . . . dressed in a rhino costume; peek into the private life of Genghis Khan--warrior and world-class neurotic; root for the harried author's efforts to get a Hitchhiker movie off the ground in Hollywood; thrill to the further exploits of private eye Dirk Gently and two-headed alien Zaphod Beeblebrox. Though Douglas Adams is gone, he's left us something very special to remember him by. Without a doubt.
"Worth reading and even cherishing, if only because it's the last we'll hear from the master of comic science fiction."--The Star-Ledger
About the Author
Douglas Adams was the author of the five novels in The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy trilogy (yes, you read that right!); two Dirk Gently novels;
Last Chance to See (with Mark Carwardine); and
The Meaning of Liff and The
Deeper Meaning of Liff (both with John Lloyd).
From the Hardcover edition.