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4.42 AVERAGE
4.42 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
The Hitchhiker's four-part trilogy is a jocular romp through time and space, replete with satire, and put together by the power of wordplay.
And it's alright.
I wish I could say more for it, but I found it very much less than the sum of its parts. It's a little fun, and that about covers it.
And it's alright.
I wish I could say more for it, but I found it very much less than the sum of its parts. It's a little fun, and that about covers it.
Depending on who you talk to “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” is made up of five or six books. The first five are written by Douglas Adams, while the sixth was published on the tenth anniversary of Adams’ death and is written by Eoin Colfer. I have read the first five books and do not intend to read the sixth, since it is not written by the same author.
Although I do not tend to choose science-fiction works to read, I was happily impressed with “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”. I found it amusing, humourous, and easy to get into. The plot moved along at a good place and each book stood out on its own, not relying on the previous books to keep the reader’s interest. The adventures of Arthur Dent are interesting and fully of funny little moments. Each of the books are only around two-hundred pages, which makes for a fast, but enjoyable read. I flew through the four-book omnibus and had a great time while reading it. It is a science-fiction classic that anyone can enjoy, no matter their reading preferences.
“The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” is the first book of the five-part trilogy, and the name of the trilogy. It follows the adventure of Arthur Dent’s travel through space after the Earth got blown up. It starts fast and just keeps going. I often forget that Arthur is spending this whole adventure in a housecoat and that just adds to the amusement. Unfortunately, as this is an omnibus, I may be getting my passages and moments wrong. I believe it is in this book that Arthur tries to get a real cup of tea and we learn how many roads a man walks down. Both, two of my favourite moments in the series.
“The Restaurant at the End of the Universe” made my head spin. I do not do well with time travel and have to put that to the side and read the other things going on in the story. I love the concept of “The Restaurant at the End of the Universe” and the payment method made me laugh. There is so much social commentary in this series that it is easy to miss, but this had some that I thoroughly enjoyed.
“Life, The Universe, and Everything” kept the good times coming. I loved how “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” was able to keep all the books good and holding their own to the first book. I believe this is where Arthur meets the alien that is letting everyone know he hates them because he is immortal, which is one of the best life goals I have ever heard. “Life, the Universe, and Everything” also presents a unique alternative to the beginning of Earth that has nothing to do with mice.
“So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish” is the last book in the omnibus, but not in the series. My mind was in over-thinking heaven trying to figure out the inside/outside bit. Is there Earth real or just a giant lie? Awesome. So many things to think about and figure out. I love the reveal of the Final Message and how perfectly it fits into a narrative about modern day life. It is a beautiful ending to an amazing trilogy. It definitely felt like Adams could have meant to end it here, or even in the third book (“Life, the Universe, and Everything) as both have epilogues and feel like an end to a series. I may have to do research into Adams’ actual intentions.
After finishing the omnibus I decided to watch the movie trailer. Nope, no way, never going to happen. I am not going to watch the movie when I already realized so many mistakes in the trailer. Zaphod is supposed to have two heads beside each other, not one inside the other (ew!). Marvin is not a squat robot, but is lanky and made of metal (as revealed by the use of his leg in an important historical artifact). I believe that the Vogon ships were yellow and not square bricks, but my memory may be wrong on that account. Watching the trailer just made me cringe because it seemed to have way to many inconsistencies with the book. I enjoyed the book and am not going to tarnish my memory of them by watching something that is so wrong.
Although I do not tend to choose science-fiction works to read, I was happily impressed with “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”. I found it amusing, humourous, and easy to get into. The plot moved along at a good place and each book stood out on its own, not relying on the previous books to keep the reader’s interest. The adventures of Arthur Dent are interesting and fully of funny little moments. Each of the books are only around two-hundred pages, which makes for a fast, but enjoyable read. I flew through the four-book omnibus and had a great time while reading it. It is a science-fiction classic that anyone can enjoy, no matter their reading preferences.
“The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” is the first book of the five-part trilogy, and the name of the trilogy. It follows the adventure of Arthur Dent’s travel through space after the Earth got blown up. It starts fast and just keeps going. I often forget that Arthur is spending this whole adventure in a housecoat and that just adds to the amusement. Unfortunately, as this is an omnibus, I may be getting my passages and moments wrong. I believe it is in this book that Arthur tries to get a real cup of tea and we learn how many roads a man walks down. Both, two of my favourite moments in the series.
“The Restaurant at the End of the Universe” made my head spin. I do not do well with time travel and have to put that to the side and read the other things going on in the story. I love the concept of “The Restaurant at the End of the Universe” and the payment method made me laugh. There is so much social commentary in this series that it is easy to miss, but this had some that I thoroughly enjoyed.
“Life, The Universe, and Everything” kept the good times coming. I loved how “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” was able to keep all the books good and holding their own to the first book. I believe this is where Arthur meets the alien that is letting everyone know he hates them because he is immortal, which is one of the best life goals I have ever heard. “Life, the Universe, and Everything” also presents a unique alternative to the beginning of Earth that has nothing to do with mice.
“So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish” is the last book in the omnibus, but not in the series. My mind was in over-thinking heaven trying to figure out the inside/outside bit. Is there Earth real or just a giant lie? Awesome. So many things to think about and figure out. I love the reveal of the Final Message and how perfectly it fits into a narrative about modern day life. It is a beautiful ending to an amazing trilogy. It definitely felt like Adams could have meant to end it here, or even in the third book (“Life, the Universe, and Everything) as both have epilogues and feel like an end to a series. I may have to do research into Adams’ actual intentions.
After finishing the omnibus I decided to watch the movie trailer. Nope, no way, never going to happen. I am not going to watch the movie when I already realized so many mistakes in the trailer. Zaphod is supposed to have two heads beside each other, not one inside the other (ew!). Marvin is not a squat robot, but is lanky and made of metal (as revealed by the use of his leg in an important historical artifact). I believe that the Vogon ships were yellow and not square bricks, but my memory may be wrong on that account. Watching the trailer just made me cringe because it seemed to have way to many inconsistencies with the book. I enjoyed the book and am not going to tarnish my memory of them by watching something that is so wrong.
Well, I really liked the first book. And I enjoyed the fourth book. But during the middle, I kind of just wanted to be done with it. I know, I know - I'm clearly a Philistine!
This is one of my all time favourites novels, first read in my uni days. I was worried that it wouldn't hold up 20 years later but needn't have been concerned. Not all of my book club members loved it, but we had a great discussion - particularly around his prescience!
Book Club gave it 6/7/6/8/9/9
Book Club gave it 6/7/6/8/9/9
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No