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A review by mpclemens
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Tertiary Phase by Douglas Adams
3.0
Considerably better than [b:The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Secondary Phase|6125323|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy The Secondary Phase (Hitchhiker's Guide Radio Play, #2)|Douglas Adams|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1328744000s/6125323.jpg|17062843], this series has the benefit of a solid plotline that carries all the way through the story, instead of discrete humorous elements that were glued together to form a manic whole. Zaphod is rightly delegated to a supporting role, and Arthur, despite his many misadventures, continues to grow as a character, and as such, finally gets a chance to do a bit more than complain, although even this is a long time coming. He's perhaps the most relate-able character of the cast, and it's good to see him regain the focus of the story.
Production quality is outstanding, and certainly benefits from the time between the original series and this one. There's more subtle asides, and genuine smiles and laughs from this phase, too. I found myself gritting my teeth through some of the longer portions of the Secondary, but genuinely regretted the end of the Tertiary. It doesn't hurt that the source material was already published and honed to a fine edge first, so the radio play could focus on just the "best bits" and be entertaining. A good balance of humor and philosophizing, in Adams' own style.
Production quality is outstanding, and certainly benefits from the time between the original series and this one. There's more subtle asides, and genuine smiles and laughs from this phase, too. I found myself gritting my teeth through some of the longer portions of the Secondary, but genuinely regretted the end of the Tertiary. It doesn't hurt that the source material was already published and honed to a fine edge first, so the radio play could focus on just the "best bits" and be entertaining. A good balance of humor and philosophizing, in Adams' own style.