"It was at this point that [Dirk] made his mistake. With his mind entirely taken up with eagles, the possible intentions of eagles, and the many ways in which eagles might be considered to differ from small kittens, he did not concentrate enough on what he was doing as he stepped up out of the road and on to a pavement that was slick with the recent drizzle. As he brought his rear foot forward it caught on the bumper of the car; he wobbled, slipped, and then did that thing which one should never do to a large eagle of uncertain temper, which was to fling himself headlong at it with his arms outstretched. The eagle reacted instantly. Without a second's hesitation it hopped neatly aside and allowed Dirk the space he needed to collapse heavily onto his own doorstep. It then peered down at him with a scorn that would have withered a lesser man, or at least a man who had been looking up at that moment." -- The Long Dark Tea-time of the Soul by Douglas Adams This book is the sequel to Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. In this one, Dirk shows up a lot earlier in the story, it's still very funny, and there are some elements of Norse mythology included, which I thought was very fun. I do have to admit that I don't think this book was quite as strong as its predecessor, but it was still a very enjoyable read. The premise is a little hard to describe. There seems to have been a bombing at London's Heathrow airport. There certainly was an explosion at least that collapsed a large part of the building, but the police can find no evidence of a bomb. Dirk has a new client who is complaining of being menaced by a green skinned monster, wielding a scythe and a paper contract. Also, Dirk's refrigerator has started to loom at him in a very alarming fashion.

Posted by thewintersings at 2023-08-29 23:44:09 UTC