A fascinating look at Douglas Adams' life (a bit) and the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (a lot). It was most fascinating for revealing the tortured process that Adams underwent in writing his books, plays and radio programs. Perhaps not a book for anyone except Hitchhiker's fans, this is still well written and a fascinating look at the writer and his works. ( )

Don't Panic is a wonderfully written, inspiring and touching biography of Douglas Adams, told by the people who worked with him and drawn together by Neil Gaiman. This book provides perspective on the work, and on Adams himself, that make hitchikers itself an even better read. A must-read for any hitchhikers fan. ( )

A fascinating book about one of the funniest authors written by one of my favorite authors. What more could I ask for? Nothing. ( )

Neil Gaiman - "Don't Panic: Douglas Adams & The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"

"The lights went out in his eyes for absolutely the last time ever." This quote from "So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish" was posted on the Digital Village website on May 11th, 2002 - the day of Douglas Adams' sudden and unexpected death. It is also the quote with which Neil Gaiman has chosen to end the third edition of "Don't Panic".

In this book about a book about a book, Gaiman tells the story of Douglas Adams, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" (in its various incarnations) and Adams' other works. It is important to remember that the
greater part of the book was written and published long before Adams' death. In fact, it has been about since 1988, with a second edition published in 1993, and had been long out of print prior to the release of this new edition. It thus offers a unique perspective on the life and work of Douglas Adams.

A central part of "Don't Panic" is a series of interviews with Douglas Adams and a number of others who were at one point or another involved in the Hitchhiker's as well as other projects. They include Adams' close friend and co-author of "The Meaning of Liff", John Lloyd; producer of the original Hitchhiker's radio series Geoffrey Perkins; producer of the Hitchhiker's TV series Alan Bell;
co-author of "Last Chance to See" Mark Carwardine and man others. These voices are supplemented by a large number of highlyi mprobable but, given that it's Douglas Adams we're talking about, probably true anecdotes. The reader learns of Adams' chronic case of writer's block and his rather strange relationship with deadlines. We also get a glimpse into his life pre-Hitchhiker's and his obsession with technology and nifty gadgets. Also, if you're anything like me, you will have always wondered just who the hell Paula Nancy Millstone Jennings (the worst poet
in the universe) is. "Don't Panic" provides an answer to that, too. In addition to this, Gaiman quotes countless bits of scripts and books that never made it into the final version of whatever they were meant to
be. All this is rounded off and held together by Gaiman's excellent writing, which alternates between being funny andi nformative where appropriate and staying decently in the background where others have
something to say.

It must be noted that, should Neil Gaiman, ever get fed up with writing, he has a brilliant career in sales and marketing waiting for him. He manages to mention every single bit of Hitchhiker's merchandising that's out there and make you want to own it. At one point, he almost had
me convinced that I wanted a copy of "The Illustrated Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" (which, under normal circumstances, I think is tacky and should never have seen the light of day). Gaiman does all this in an entirely natural way without forcing anything on the reader.

Another effect "Don't Panic" is likely to have on you is to make you want to re-read Hitchhiker's from front to back to see if it seems any different with the benefit of newly-gained information. It certainly does. For one, you will understand most of the dedications in the books and know who they are meant for. Also, you will look at the
books themselves differently, having found out under what circumstances they were written and that Adams never intended to write a sequel to "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe"; or to "Life, the
Universe and Everything"; or to "So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish".

"Don't Panic" will make you chuckle at times, and it will make you laugh out loud at times. Ultimately, however, it will also make you cry. The book had a cathartic effect on anyone who loved Douglas Adams and for whom his early death came as such a shock. Neil Gaiman pays Adams the necessary respect, and the admiration he holds for the creator of
Hitchhiker's comes through in both his writing and the diligence with which he has conducted his research. Douglas Adams, in life or in death, could not have wished for a better biographer. Several years ago, Gaiman was offered by the BBC to write a third Hitchhiker's radio series (a fact he conveniently chooses to omit in "Don't Panic"). By writing this book, however, he has done Adams a far greater service
than a third radio series could ever have.

The one thing I missed in "Don't Panic" was a personal introduction (or afterword) by Gaiman about his relationship with Adams and why he wrote "Don't Panic" in the first place. I am sure, however, that he had his reasons for this omission and can, to some extent, understand them. Even without this, though, "Don't Panic" is a fantastic book and mandatory for any Douglas Adams fan.

"The lights went out in his eyes for absolutely the last time ever." ----from "So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish"

Douglas Adams, 1952 - 2001, RiP