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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (1995) ( )

This book (and radio/television series) is almost legendary now, and it's only after becoming personally acquainted with Douglas Adams' vivid imagination and absurd sense of humour that certain everyday names and cult catchphrases start to make sense. So that's where 'Babel fish' comes from! 'So long, and thanks for all the fish'. Not to mention that the 80s pop group Level 42 are said to have named their band after the meaning of life, the universe and everything.

Utterly random, but very entertaining, and Mr Adams' imagination is staggering. I love Marvin the Paranoid Android (I think we share a life philosophy), and can't wait to read the rest of the series. Better late than never! ( )

With the release of a new book written in Adams’ world I wanted to reacquaint myself with Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect and the wonderful Marvin the Paranoid Android. As smart and as clever as I remembered with some sparkingly dialogue. An undoubted classic. ( )

Great book, better than the tapes ( )

Good novel, personally enjoyed the BBC radio adaptation much better. However the novel was very funny and I intend to read the following four novels as well.

Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the Galaxy lies a small, unregarded yellow sun.

Orbiting this at a distance of roughly ninety-eight million miles is an utterly insignificant little blue-green planet whose ape-descended life forms are so amazingly primitive that they still think digital watches are a pretty neat idea.

On this planet there is a book, one of the most remarkable books ever to come out of the great publishing houses of London: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Not a serious book, by any means; not a book to be enjoyed by anyone who takes things too seriously. Still, though, a wholly remarkable book.

It begins with the end of the world, and things go steadily downhill from there. Arthur Dent, the lone human survivor of the terrible, stupid tragedy which destroyed the Earth, finds himself pulled along on a madcap adventure with the President of the Galaxy, his best friend from Earth (who turns out to actually be from Betelgeuse Five), a terminally-depressed robot, and a girl he once met at a party and completely failed to get anywhere with. The results are hilarious.

Douglas Adams was a writer who excelled at the kind of non-sequitur humor best captured in Monty Python's sketches and films. However, if that were all there were to HGTG and its sequels, it would grow boring rather quickly. Fortunately, Adams' talents lay far beyond the merely absurd. Despite the silliness and the frequent asides (which quote the titular in-universe Guide), he makes you care about the characters. It's hard not to identify with Arthur Dent's inability to cope with the bizarre circumstances he finds himself in; one imagines this would be the reaction of anyone suddenly taken away from everything they know, never to return. It's hard not to empathize with Ford Prefect, the man from Betelgeuse who finds himself trapped on a planet out in the galactic boondocks for fifteen years. And hell, even Marvin elicits some sympathy for the interminable bleakness of his lot in life.

Also, specifically in reference to the 2005 audiobook recording: While the original audiobooks (featuring Adams himself as the narrator) are not bad by any means, Stephen Fry is amazing. He was practically the only good thing about the film adaptation, and this new audiobook recording (which was a tie-in to that movie) is probably the only good thing that came out of it, in the end. Unfortunately, the fact that the movie flopped apparently also means that we won't get recordings of the rest of the books read by Fry. Still, the Adams editions are perfectly adequate. ( )

At this point in my life, I've read this book too late. As I read, I got the distinct impression that I would have found it absolutely hilarious in my grade school/teen years, and I think I'd definitely recommend this book (and most likely the entire series, though I won't be reading it myself) as a "gateway" to other science fiction, but would I recommend it to other adults? No. It's cute, and I enjoy the originality of the concept, but the high-ish rating I'm giving this book is only due to the fact that I probably would have loved it as a child. Right now, it's done nothing for me (besides raising my pop culture knowledge score just that tiny bit). ( )

This book was a very easy, very fast read. Much more entertaining than the 2005 movie. It was very sci-fi and very different from anything I have ever read. Aliens aren't something I generally enjoy in my entertainment but I really enjoyed the humorous approach and casualness of the book. I was so blown away even though there were aliens and it mostly took place in outer space. ( )

Outrageous and hilarious. Adams brought on a new meaning to fun with aliens and other worldly beings.

Normally these types of books are not my cup of tea but reading it, I was astound at how much laughter could come out of me. The characters were quirky and fun, saying the right things at the right moments.

It is so absurd it's amazing. Props to being hit when you think ! ( )

I've never managed to finish it & I've tried several times over the years. British humor, I guess. It either rolls me on the floor or leaves me cold. This definitely did the latter. I couldn't even watch the movie (or the BBC version) all the way through. Just found it dumb. I guess what I use as a sense of humor just doesn't plug in correctly to this. I feel about the same way for the Monty Python stuff, while I enjoyed the Benny Hill Show. ( )

I believe this to be Douglas Adam's greatest work of all time. He takes us on a crazy ride that starts with the earth being blown into bits so Ford Prefect and Arthur Dent hitch a ride on a spaceship and travel the galaxy. This is the 1st book of the 5 book trilogy, and it is a laugh-out-loud romp through time and space. I am not much of a sci-fi reader, but this stuff is worth the time. ( )

Ford Prefect has been stuck on Earth for 15 years, but when he realizes that Earth is about to be demolished to make way for a hyperspace bypass, he grabs his Earthman friend, Arthur Dent, and the two of them hitch a ride on a Vogon spaceship. That's just the first few pages...

My Thoughts

I have read this book many many times, and each time I laugh. Funny is the first word that comes to mind. Clever is the second. Throughout the book there are neat little statements, concepts, and ideas that are both ridiculous and oddly infused with Truth. Philosophers adamantly demanding the destruction of a computer which can provide the ultimate answer; physicists lynching the student who figured out the Infinite Improbability problem; mice and dolphins being a bit more intelligent than commonly assumed; etc.

The part that makes it clever and funny though is not necessarily the plot so much as the writing. Adams employs syntax and turns of phrase that make the writing as clever as the ideas. For example: "...it invariably delivered a liquid that tasted almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea." The first time I read that line, I paused, went back, and read it again. I love it when a writer can make me pause for a clever turn of phrase.

Recommendation

I highly recommend this book to anyone as I truly believe that even those who are not necessarily science fiction fans will still find something to enjoy in Douglas Adams Hitchhiker's Guide. Pretty much all ages can enjoy this book as well. While there are a few sexual innuendos (pretty innocent ones such as "Best Bang since the Big One") and references to drinking and smoking, this is nothing that will surprise most pre-teens. ( )

The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy is an absolutely hilarious science fiction spoof in which the Earth is a giant computer built by sentient mice in order to figure out the meaning of the universe, only to be destroyed seconds before it fulfills it's purpose; Vogons epitomise the very essence of Public Service mentality; and intergalactic hitch-hikers travel the universe with the help of the best-selling Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy. This book is easy to read, often odd and , above all, funny. I highly recommend this and I will be on the lookout for the rest of the books in the series. ( )

More years ago than I care to admit, my high school physics teacher took the class to the library and made us read a science fiction book for the class period. I picked up Hitchhiker's and was hooked. I read the then four book trilogy (and doesn't that just say it all) in a weekend.

Since that time I've probably re-read the book every few years. Each time is as refreshingly funny as the first time. Though I understand the humor is not everyone's cup of tea (or cup of almost but not quite entirely unlike tea).

Some humor is lost in translation. For the unintiated a Ford Prefect is the British version of the Ford Escort ( )

Is it possible that 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' is well-loved because it's so well-remembered? Or did I miss something in my initial reading of it?

I can see why some people would find it funny. Adams matches irony with a sardonic view of the world (and the universe by extension), and perfectly represents a certain brand of British humour. Unfortunately for me it's not the kind of humour that I go in for - the idea that somehow it's funny for a name to sound like a bodily process isn't something that causes me even to smile, and although some of the observations about segments of culture like bureaucracy and marketing were spot on, I'd read them before or seen them elsewhere.

Perhaps that's the problem, the obstacle that prevents me from enjoying these jokes and witticisms is that I now have so much else in my head - television series, other books - that interferes with my appreciation of these jokes and their originality. Had I read 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' when I was, say, twelve, maybe I would have taken a lot more from it. I came onto the scene too late, that's all. ( )

What can I say that hasn't already been said before?

_The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_ is a wholly remarkable book.

I have read it three times by now, and I am certain I shall read it many more times. Every time I pick it up, the writing feels fresh and new. Adams' narration is full of humor and wit. The tone of the book is whimsical and light, yet somehow still manages to be philosophical and enlightening.

The actual plot revolves around Arthur Dent, an everyday Englishman who's house is about to be demolished to make way for a new bypass. But actually planet Earth is about to be destroyed for the very same reasons. The plans have been on display for the past fifty years at the local planning office on Alpha Centauri. What's that? Humans have never been to Alpha Centauri? Apathetic bloody planet. Why should anyone have any sympathy at all?

Anyway, Arthur, being the protagonist, escapes the demolition of the Earth via his friend, Ford Prefect who is actually an alien (who chose the name Ford Prefect because due to shoddy research he thought it was the most common Earth-name.) Ford is a field researcher for the book, _The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_, which means he knows how to hitch lifts on passing spaceships. Eventually the duo team up with the charismatic two-headed President of the Galaxy and his traveling companion, a young woman also from Earth, whom Arthur once met at a party. The four of them proceed to have fantastic adventures aboard the most sophisticated ship in the universe, the Heart of Gold, which runs on an Infinite Improbability Drive - meaning it is possible to go anywhere in the universe, without all that tedious mucking about in hyperspace, albeit with some very, very improbable side effects.

Of course the real reason you read the book is to enjoy Adams' delightful narration - his humorous meanderings into life, the universe, and everything. His hilarious side notes, often written as entries in the Hitchhiker's Guide, regarding matters of the galactic importance.

If you enjoy English humor such as P.G. Wodehouse or Terry Pratchett, you will love this book, and it's four sequels. 5/5 stars from me - this is one of my all-time favorites, it never fails to get me smiling, and even after three reads, there are still passages that make me laugh out loud. ( )

Douglas adams for me was the first humor writer I found in science fiction. His idea of the absurd appealed to me through my teen years but I have found other authors who produce a more pleasing finished story.
There are a number of memorable sceens in the book that will stick with me for may years to come. The repititon of the word yellow. I do wonder if my taste for this book has been affected by the later good BBC production. It maintained to story well but I have often found that once you have seen a film or TV version it affects your reaction to a book, often negativly ( )

This very silly sci-fi series has a very complicated plot. It is basically the story of 'average guy' Arthur Dent, of England. He's rescued from the Earth shortly before it's blown up to make way for a Hyperspace Bypass, and spends many years afterwards traveling through space and time. His companions are Ford Prefect, an intergalactic hitchhiker pretending to be from Earth, Zaphod Beeblebrox, the President of the Universe, Trillian, an Earth woman pretending to be an intergalactic hitchhiker, and Marvin the Paranoid Android, a frighteningly intelligent robot with low self-esteem. Using the cutting-edge technology of the Heart of Gold (a space ship run on the newly-developed 'improbability drive'), they attempt to find out just what the deal is with this Universe, anyway. This is best read in the complete and unabridged omnibus, 'The More than Complete Hitchhiker's Guide.' The story is complicated enough without forgetting bits between volumes, and besides, you won't want to stop reading! ( )

I first read this when I was 8, and I probably read it a dozen times before I turned 10. I don't return to it as often now, but I remember it fondly still. If you aren't in the right frame of mind, there are sections that can seem meandering, but this book is up there with Monty Python's Holy Grail in the pantheon of nerdy humor for many of my generation. ( )

I first read this when I was 8, and I probably read it a dozen times before I turned 10. I don't return to it as often now, but I remember it fondly still. If you aren't in the right frame of mind, there are sections that can seem meandering, but this book is up there with Monty Python's Holy Grail in the pantheon of nerdy humor for many of my generation. ( )

Full review at:
http://lisally.wordpress.com/2009/07/...

Loved it!!

An amusing, whimsical, nerdy space fantasy. ( )

The first installment of Adams’ literary adaptation of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is by far the best of the series. Combining the humor that one comes to expect from Adams with a fantastic plot, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy never lets the reader down. The story follows the ordinary Earthling Arthur Dent and his alien friend Ford Prefect (named so because Ford thought cars were the most intelligent creature on Earth when he first arrived and found Ford Prefect to be a perfectly common name). The two, along with their companions and the ever helpful Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, go one a journey through space that leads them to a fantastic realization concerning the nature of Earth, humanity, and the answer to life, the universe, and everything. No matter how many times I read The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy I find a new and even more wonderful reason to love this story. ( )