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annapox's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, and Animal death
Minor: Grief, Torture, Abandonment, Ableism, Genocide, Medical content, Self harm, War, Confinement, and Gun violence
amysaura's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
It is a funny book, but I don’t feel the plot really got anywhere. It feels like a first chapter in a longer book instead of a book of its own. It was funny though! I am a sucker for dry, British humor. There are a lot of instances, where completely absurd things are explained to the reader in a very matter-of-fact manner, and in Stephen Fry's voice, they sound hilarious. If you're going to read this book, I recommend the audiobook, because Stephen Fry's voice elevates the story from good to great.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Minor: Death and Violence
chalkletters's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The first time I ever experienced The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, it was the radio show. One of my parents presented the tapes to me on a very long, very boring drive through Oman. I’d never heard of it (though, it would later turn out that my headmaster <had read an extract from it, though I believe he presented the story as his own). It didn’t seem, on the face of it, like something that I would enjoy. I wasn’t into space things, and at that age, some of the British things my parents found funny flew over my head. As I mentioned, though, it really was a very long drive, so I ended up putting it on out of desperation. And it was hilarious! I knew as soon as Arthur Dent descended into the basement of the planning office that I was going to have a great time.
During the intervening years, I experienced The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy in other ways. I listened to the audiobooks, I watched the film, I listened to the third instalment of the radio series. I even went to a live revival of the radio series. Somehow, the one thing I never did was sit down and read the book, so it was exciting to revisit the story in a new form.
That said, most of my favourite bits of the reading experience are close to word-for-word the bits I’d mark as my favourite in the radio series. I know that later books in the 'trilogy’ diverge more, whereas this book is pretty close to the original, so perhaps that’s to be expected. It’s hard to say whether the bits that are laugh-out-loud funny are because I can hear the voices in my head.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy was a fun and familiar read, with a few moments that took me right back to studying 'Theory of Knowledge’ with Nickie. I think I’ll have more to say about the other books in the series. For now, the radio series is great, but if you can’t listen to that, read this!
During the intervening years, I experienced The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy in other ways. I listened to the audiobooks, I watched the film, I listened to the third instalment of the radio series. I even went to a live revival of the radio series. Somehow, the one thing I never did was sit down and read the book, so it was exciting to revisit the story in a new form.
That said, most of my favourite bits of the reading experience are close to word-for-word the bits I’d mark as my favourite in the radio series. I know that later books in the 'trilogy’ diverge more, whereas this book is pretty close to the original, so perhaps that’s to be expected. It’s hard to say whether the bits that are laugh-out-loud funny are because I can hear the voices in my head.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy was a fun and familiar read, with a few moments that took me right back to studying 'Theory of Knowledge’ with Nickie. I think I’ll have more to say about the other books in the series. For now, the radio series is great, but if you can’t listen to that, read this!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death
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