Dirk Gently : The BBC Radio Collection
by Douglas Adams, Full Cast, Harry Enfield, Olivia Colman · first published 2017
41% recommend59% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Douglas Adams' absurdist, character-driven detective stories are more cohesive than his Hitchhiker's books and suit fans of his humor who want fuller narratives.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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On the other hand, if it weren't for the Salmon of Doubt, I wouldn't have realized Adams' genius writings on other (non-fiction) topics besides THHGTTG and Dirk Gently. In fairness, I could have found that out in other ways if I'd have looked, but thanks to Salmon of Doubt I've come to appreciate the man's writings and personality in a much broader way. So I say it…
on “Terry Pratchett's unfinished novels destroyed by steamroller” ↗Douglas Adams' Dirk Gently books are not nearly as well known as his Hitchhiker's Guide "trilogy", but they are better books. The Lord of the Rings is spectacular. The movies were remarkable feats, but they missed the trilogy's…
on “Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?” ↗Relevant novel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirk_Gently%27s_Holistic_Detec... Further reading for anybody who enjoys Adams, Wodehouse was said to be one of his influences: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._G._Wodehouse
on “The moving sofa problem” ↗While I enjoy HHGTTG, I've long been of the opinion that the Dirk Gently books are Adams' best works. HHGTTG originated as a radio show, and while they're fun, they meander, almost a loosely connected series of vignettes rather than novels. The 2 (+1/2) Gently books are more…
on “Still alive” ↗Anything by Douglas Adams, but especially his Dirk Gently books. If I have to pick one, The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul.
on “Ask HN: What is your favorite fiction book?” ↗…separate and independent TV series, but I highly recommend going to the original: the 2 later novels from Douglas Adams, after he wrote the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirk_Gently%27s_Holistic_Detec... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Long_Dark_Tea-Time_of_the_... In the novels, a stuck sofa is revealed to have got there because a retired Time Lord, Professor Urban Chronotis,…
on “Six-decade math puzzle solved by Korean mathematician” ↗Douglas Adams, Dirk Gently holistic detective
on “What is the single most influential book every programmer should read?” ↗I learned the tale from Douglas Adams' Dirk Gently books.
on “World’s Oldest Cat Door Has Let Working Cats Enter the Cathedral Since 14c” ↗…construct a plausible series of logical-sounding steps to connect the premises with the conclusion. [...] The entire project was bought up, lock, stock and barrel, by the Pentagon." -- Douglas Adams, Dirk Gently's Holisitic Detective Agency.
on “IBM's Watson AI trumps humans in "Jeopardy!"” ↗…everyone sends an AI to attend a meeting, will all these AI's (which are all instances of the SAME platform!) still have to act out a human meeting...? Reminds me of the "Electric Monk" from Douglas Adams' Dirk Gently novels, which is an appliance whose job it is to believe in things on the behalf of its owner...
on “Google Meet’s new AI will be able to go to meetings for you” ↗…think of the right word that expresses it. Cheap, dinky, small, something bad. But Rendezvous is a must read for everyone. Douglas Adams, of course. The whole Hitchhikers' series is a must, while the Dirk Gently stuff is also funny, but not sci-fi and not mandatory. I mentioned in another thread my love of dystopias, and one of the best ever is The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. She's one of the best sci-fi…
on “Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?” ↗Yeah. I always think back to an offhand quip by Douglas Adams in the Dirk Gently book when I see people complaining about this. "... nearly two thousand years after one man had been nailed to a tree for saying how great it would be to be nice to people for a change,"
on “How did American “wokeness” jump from elite schools to everyday life?” ↗…Wally works well. The Ride of the Valkyries (sp?) is of course famous, but not so impressive. Let's not forget 2001, a Space Oddyssey. My favorite moment is literary. In one of Douglas Adams' books (Dirk Gently), someone hears fantastic music from some alien space station that he has to "destroy" in the past or something, altering the timeline of the universe, and thus losing the music. But then when he comes…
on “How to Write Music for Rolling Boulders” ↗> People want to have AI be on the internet for them instead of themselves. Hah that's the electric Monks of Douglas Adams' Dirk Gently universe.. Happening too soon i'd say.
on “Return to Innocence” ↗Electric Monk ? from Douglas Adams' Dirk Gently series "Electric monks believed things for you, thus saving you what was becoming an increasingly onerous task, ..." EDit: or maybe, since it's not just believing, a Janitor?
on “Show HN: DeepSeek My User Agent” ↗