Writing Excuses Episode 21: Humor

The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul is a 1988 humorous fantasy detective novel by Douglas Adams. It follows the misadventures of Dirk Gently, a holistic detective, as he unravels a mystery involving Norse gods and modern society. The novel blends absurd humor with philosophical insights, critiquing societal norms and the decline of divine power in the modern world.

Set in 2855, 'Ringworld' follows the story of Louis Wu, a 200-year-old human, Teela Brown, a young woman with extraordinary luck, Nessus, a Pierson’s Puppeteer, and Speaker-to-Animals, a Kzin ambassador. They embark on a hazardous mission to explore the Ringworld, an enormous rotating ring with a habitable inner surface equivalent in area to approximately three million Earths. The novel combines hard science fiction with imaginative concepts, including the Ringworld's artificial gravity, shadow squares for night and day, and advanced technologies like hyperspace travel and impact armor. Despite some dated social attitudes and scientific inaccuracies, 'Ringworld' is a classic in the science fiction genre, known for its monumental sci-fi creation and influential ideas.