To determine whether I can enjoy this book to a greater extent, I've tried skipping over the references to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Mk II, but I'm still finding something lacking. What is missing is Douglas Adams' humour. It is this quality that has always stood out prominently in my remembrance of "The Hitchhiker's Guide" books.
As I mentioned in my previous entry, I recently referred back to Douglas Adams' previous novels. I reread a few passages as a comparison and, in doing so, found, once again, the old smile at the corner of my lips and occasional chuckle aloud that characterized my enjoyment of the reading material. That is what I am missing in "And Another Thing...". I do think Colfer is trying, but the descriptive attempts, the character's dialogue and the unusual situations that they are placed in fall short of being humourous to me. I find that I am forcing myself to continue with the expectation that things will improve but such is not the case.
Perhaps I am expecting too much and not giving Colfer the chance to make his perspective and writing style appealing. But, that is the danger in writing a sequel. The reader expects the follow-up to provide a similar experience as the previous works and when this doesn't happen, it is particularly disturbing and uninspiring.
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