Review of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy- Douglas Adams

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy- Douglas Adams

From Goodreads-

Seconds before the Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor.

Together this dynamic pair begin a journey through space aided by quotes from The Hitchhiker's Guide ("A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have") and a galaxy-full of fellow travelers: Zaphod Beeblebrox--the two-headed, three-armed ex-hippie and totally out-to-lunch president of the galaxy; Trillian, Zaphod's girlfriend (formally Tricia McMillan), whom Arthur tried to pick up at a cocktail party once upon a time zone; Marvin, a paranoid, brilliant, and chronically depressed robot; Veet Voojagig, a former graduate student who is obsessed with the disappearance of all the ballpoint pens he bought over the years.

Where are these pens? Why are we born? Why do we die? Why do we spend so much time between wearing digital watches? For all the answers stick your thumb to the stars. And don't forget to bring a towel!

 

 

I've had the whole Hitchhiker's trilogy sitting in my TBR for a couple of years now, so to get me motivated to start, I made a challenge, The Douglas Adams Hitchhikers Challenge.  I'm so glad I read this, because I have never read anything like it before, and it was hilarious to boot.

 

I knew stepping into this challenge that this series has a cult following, and I was intrigued, but still doubtful of its said brilliance. Wow, what imagination Douglas Adams had!  The book was extremely hilarious, and strange.  I already knew from reading reviews that it was a humorous read, but I had no idea how far out there it was.  I was laughing so hard when they described one alien forms horrendous punishment, reciting his bad poetry.  Douglas Adam makes fun of the human race throughout the whole book, and I laughed all the way through. 

 

One of my favorite quotes

 

"For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much - the wheel, New York, wars and so on - whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man - for precisely the same reasons."

 

  The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is very creative, and nothing like i've read before.  I'm looking forward to the next in the series.

Rating: 4/5