Here's another instance of an author dying too soon. Douglas Adams died at 49 in 2001. He's probably best known for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy that has been a radio series, a trilogy of five books, a computer game, a play, a TV series and a movie. I've experienced all of those apart from the stage play. I was a big science fiction fan as a kid and I loved the humour he brought to the genre. I've read most of the books several times. Unfortunately my copy of So Long, And Thanks for all the Fish has lost the hologram from the cover.
I also enjoyed the Dirk Gently books. These were very clever stories with all sorts of connections going on in them. He was working on a third when he died and there's some of it in the Salmon of Doubt collection. There was a further Hitchhiker's book written by Eoin Colfer. Not quite the same, but fun. I just realised I have another of his books about his travels to see animals in danger of going extinct (Last Chance to See).
He is much missed. I know he would have gone on to write many more funny books.
I know several people who had some connection to him. A friend spoke to him when selling him music gear. Douglas was a keen musician with a big collection of left-handed guitars. When some of his gear was sold off another friend bought one of his amplifier. Yet another friend acted as host when Douglas visited a university. I feel like I almost got close to him. I expect he was a great conversationalist.
I can recommend the Hitchhiker's and Dirk Gently books. Probably best to read each set in order.
This documentary he made predicts a lot of features of the modern internet. He died before his ideas became real.
