Others say...

"Maybe my expectations were a little too high?"
First I must state I am a huge Douglas Adams fan and enough of a Monty Python fan to know who Terry Jones is. So when I saw a book with the two names on the front, I was excited. I remembered hearing about the computer game of the same name, but had never gotten around to playing (still haven't) so I can't compare the two. Disclosures aside, I still can't believe I didn't enjoy this book.
In the beginning notes, Douglas Adams says this book is "altogether sillier and naughtier" than his would have been. That's not the half of it. This novel is Terry Jones' doing a poor imitation of Adams. It reminds me of what Adams may have written when he was 14, complete with disjointed plot, terrible dialogue and sophomoric sexual humor.
I actually found myself having to re-read passages because the editing was non-existant. This must have been a rush job, because I spotted quite a few spelling errors, and at least a dozen passages that were extremely confusing. Did I mention the dialogue was horrible?
I made it through the entire book only because I can't bear to leave a book unfinished. However, I would not recommend it to anyone. I hear the game is much better.

"That sinking feeling --"
-- and not just because of the starship itself. But let's look at that, first.

This isn't really a Douglas Adams book. It's an Adams video game, novelized by Monty Python's Terry Jones. The Starship Titanic, the hugest, most luxurious star cruiser ever, is set for its maiden voyage. Not just the biggest starship, it's also the biggest scam in history, one that shattered planetary economies even before its completion. And it's not really a starship, so much as a complex financial swindle and a barely-stable shell, about to be blown up for the insurance money. Peopled only by officious and arrogant robots, bewildered and unintentional stowaways, and by a ticking bomb, the story unfolds. Given Jones's writing and Adams's intellectual parentage, it's an amazing bit of comedy with a happy ending.

Jones's writing is good, but somehow lacks the sparkle of Adams's. It's also constrained by the video game that it emulates - face it, the video game isn't the richest of dramatic formats, so the book can't rise far above its origin. There's amusement to be had here, but it's a letdown after Adams's own writing.

//wiredweird

"Whimsical Fun"
It could be envisioned as another entertaining movie written, acted, and directed by the Monty Phyton's whole crew - skillful actors, writers, directors, cameramen, singers, dancers, jokers, complainers, etc. The amusement of wordplay, nuances of unthinkable actions, and basketfuls of basket case characters, make this screwy science fiction rather exciting. Mr. Jones's and Mr. Adams's sense of humor shines unadulterated on every page. The writing obeys the train of thoughts of a quirky story teller. Four earthlings find themselves swept up, up, and away into space on a magnificent spaceship full of robots. The reader would learn about the origin of the spaceship. Thus the humans embark on a short adventure but full of revelations. The ending is pretty exciting because for one, they practically race against time. Everything is tidied up pretty nicely as a conclusion by Mr. Jones. The language is easy and straightforward. The jokes are many and obvious. The dialogues are wholesome British humor, strictly Mr. Jones's way of making people laugh out loud.

"One of my favorite Douglas Adams tales!!"
I have the audio version of this book that I often listen to as I'm falling asleep, but realized that there were parts that I've probably *never* heard, so I ordered the book. It is wonderful!! And even though it was truly Terry Jones that wrote it, you can definitely feel the whimsy that is DA thoughout. Also, there is just something appealing about the story for those of us who LOVE to travel. = )

"Very Amusing"
Being a long time fan of Monty Python, I was surprised when I found a copy of this book. I had never heard of this project. Particularly with the recent rise in Douglas Adams's stock, I suspect this book will be getting more attention.

As a companion to a game project piloted by Douglas Adams, Terry Jones wrote "Starship Titanic". With parallels to the actual Titanic and the movie "2001", the book sees a luxury space ship run by an advanced intelligence system fall victim to SMEF, or Spontaneous Massive Existence Failure. When the ship disappears from one planet, it crashes on to Earth. While leaving Earth, it takes several Earthlings on-board for a voyage only to leave behind a key member of the crew with a key part of the intelligence system. Without a functioning intelligence system, the ship's bomb can not be deactivated. Fortunately, the bomb has a short attention span.

With a collection of irreverent twists that are the tradmark of Python humor, readers will enjoy this book. With the problems of aliens copulating with humans and a language barrier eliminated merely for the convenience of a science fiction writer, there are many good laughs in this book. While it is slow at times, I think most readers will enjoy it. I am actually surprised by the number of negative reviews given to the book.