The one hundred and fiftieth book: #820 Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency - Douglas Adams
Sometimes, it does feel like I'm criticizing a still great work as I'm writing this. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency has all the hallmarks of a great Douglas Adams novel, but it feels like it teases a bit too often leaving you a bit short. The titular Dirk Gently - the interesting force of chaos you want to interact with - doesn't show up until halfway through the novel and doesn't get to shine until later. Instead, there is a lot of set up of the book. It's fun set up, following all the hallmarks of Adams' writing, but it almost stays too rooted in reality. The balance also means that it feels like the resolution gets quite rushed, going from a decent speed to rushing through a lot of concepts in a short amount of time. It's a satisfying read, but I wish it got to its titular character a bit earlier - a shift I hope we can see in the sequel more quickly.