Recent Reads: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Series:Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy #1
Publisher: Del Ray Books
Publication Date:  September 27, 1995

 

Format:  Paperback
Source: Bought/Own

Rating:
 


 



Goodreads Synopsis: 

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.

Review: 
I am happy to say that I now know the answer to the ultimate question and I realize how important a towel really is and I have been severely lacking in that area.  

I bought this paperback a while ago with all intention in reading it and it sat on my shelf for a while. My husband picked it up and enjoyed it and then finally I decided it was a good idea to grab pick it up (then by happy chance it was also an online book club pick too).

This is probably the wackiest book I have ever read and I really liked it. It was crazy to be crazy but also crazy accurate in some things that in the time it was written were futuristic but we have these things an use them now - the biggest one being the Guide itself being a Nook/Kindle like contraption. I thought that by itself was a crazy and wonderful realization on his part.

I loved that Arthur Dent is very needy and complains the whole time, and normally I wouldn't say that but he is thrown into such a strange and crappy situation that I think it was necessary. Ford is hilarious and the other characters all live up to their parts well. I really enjoyed the book a lot more than I thought I would and can't wait to read the next installment.