I know most people love Douglas Adams for his H2G2 series, and certainly I am one of them, but the (tragically short) Dirk gently series is--at least to me--the much better of the two. Here we see Adams's humor evolving and maturing, moving away from the realm of crude and slapstick humor and solidly into the realm of high-level wordplay. It's still uniquely, bizarrely Adams, with the same profound sense of wacky playfulness and plots more twisted than a coil of rope, but the Gently characters run deeper (and Gently himself is a masterpiece) and the language is sharper, more carefully chosen and masterfully wielded. If you loved H2G2, I cannot recommend the Gently books highly enough. Even if you didn't love H2G2, I cannot recommend the Gently books highly enough.