This might be controversial, but I prefer Douglas Adams’ Dirk Gently books to the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

I re-read them this week, and couldn’t believe it when I saw 1987 on the copyright page.

So I bought Dirk Gently’s Detective Agency when it first came out…

39 years ago!

Which makes me 21-plus and a bit, I suppose.

Luckily, we’ve aged well, for the most part.

There’s a joke about not being able to get pizza delivered in London, which might have been cutting-edge at the time, but is hard to believe these days.

But the Electric Monks…

Wow!

That was spot on.

The joke there is that, just as dishwashers wash tedious dishes for you, and video recorders watch tedious television for you, an Electric Monk will believe tedious things for you.

Don’t tell me there are no Electric Monks.

I can’t say much without giving away the ending, but comparing criticism of how people are using AI and how the Electric Monk fits into the plot gave me shivers at how prescient it was.

And Adams makes it all seem effortless. I gulped the whole thing down in two nights. The story – and jokes – trip off the page.

If you didn’t know how much he struggled to write, you’d swear he banged the whole thing out with one hand while eating brunch. A sliver of smoked salmon dangling from his fork in his other hand.

Writing good comedy is hard.

What gets me through it is being able to spend the time with all my pals.

The Alumières, de Glube, Curly, Mrs Sniffacre, Lorry Tassel.

And best pals, Mr Ball and Mr Nooney, who are up on the church roof for the epic finale of The Forgotten Creatures!

Chat soon,

Morgan

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