(12 ratings) Submit Your Own Review More reviews by author A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z

Submitted by Peter
(Apr 17, 2000)

Adams demonstrates in these novels that he is one of the most clever minds in fiction. Brilliant humour carries you all the way through -- if you ever want a good laugh, pick up a copy of the Guide.

This is above all the story about a book titled "The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy",
-a wholly remarkable book, never published on Earth and until the terrible accident occurred, never seen or even heard of by any earthman. But nevertheless an utterly remarkable book, that’s something you’ll soon be aware of.

This wholly remarkable book have also been very successful - it has become more popular than "The Celestial Home Care Book", better selling than "Fifty-three More Things to do in Zero Gravity" and more controversial than Oolon Culluphid´s trilogy of philosophical blockbusters "Where God Went Wrong", "Some More of God’s greatest Mistakes" and "Who is this God Person Anyway?".

The story about this wholly remarkable book begins on a Thursday, a very simple and ordinary day on an utterly insignificant little blue-green planet, far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm of the milkyway galaxy. This totally ordinary Thursday, almost two thousand years after a man had been nailed to a tree for saying how great it would be if people could be nice to each other for a change, a terrible accident occurred that had terrible consequences. This is the review of the book that is about the book "The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy" and the terrible consequences of the accident. This is the review of the book you’ll sure reed soon.

Make contact with diverse persons, occurrences, gargets and machines you yet haven’t heard about. Ever heard of a Sub-Etha Sens-O-matik or a book published as a Micro-Sub-meson-component? Have you ever seen two nuclear missiles being transformed into a bowl of petunias and a very surprised looking whale? I don’t think so.
You’re going to learn how to mix a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, the best drink in existence. The effect of drinking it is described as having your brain smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick. You’re going to make contact with a new Universe. Finally you’re going to believe that this is just the everyday life of Universe.

All main characters in this book are of course charming, fantastic and adorable with egos as big and overwhelming as the red giant star Betelgeuse. How would anything else be possible? After all they all are a part of the long story you can follow though the most supreme books ever written; "The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy", "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe", "Life, the Universe and Everything", "So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!" and "Almost Totally Harmless".

What can you tell about the earthling Arthur Dent? Well… before the Earth was cleared away he was just an ordinary human beeing . He lived in a squarish house, had two arms and two legs, couldn’t fly and used sun lotion. Further, he was long, dark, not exaggeratedly intelligent and had an inexplicable passion for a liquid made of sun dried leaves dipped in hot water with another liquid squeezed out from an animal, that on Earth usually was called "cow". He lived somewhere in southern England close to a pub called "Horse and Groom" where he spent quite a lot of his time. In other words: he was just an ordinary guy that had absolutely no idea he knew an alien.

Ford Prefekt wasn’t conspicuously tall, his features were striking out but not conspicuously handsome. His hair was always wiry and brushed backwards from the temples. He’s skin seemed to be pulled backwards from the nose. It was hard to say exactly what it was, but there was something very slightly odd about him. Perhaps it was that his eyes didn’t seem to blink often enough and when you talked to him for any length of time your eyes began involuntary to water on his behalf. Perhaps it was that he smiled slightly to broadly and gave people the unnerving impression that he was about to go for their neck.
Ford isn’t just any ordinary alien. Besides that he is an alien humanoid he is also something as fantastic as a roving researcher for the wholly remarkable book "The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy". His intention was to stay on Earth a couple of weeks but he got stuck here for fifteen years. You know, fifteen year is a long time to get stranded anywhere but particularly somewhere as mindbogglingly dull as the Earth.

Meet Marvin and wish you hadn’t. Marvin - the mano depressive, misfortunate paranoid android. Once there was this very clever person who came to the conclusion it would be SO nice if the droids have had personalities. That really sounds good, but… in the beginning depression was the only humour they were able to give a droid. And Marvin was of course one of the first exemplars that was made. He is also the most intelligent person now living in the Universe. That’s the combination that makes him so unbelievable insufferable.
Of course there are several main characters but those you have to read about yourselves!

This is an utterly wonderful book for everybody who likes a good laugh. I have read it so many times and I still think it’s the best book ever written. The great lack of everything that’s on the whole distantly reminds about reality makes it so extremely funny. I’m very impressed about Douglas Adam’s selection of words and way of twisting and turning the language to make just the right sense of
After reading this book you will certainly know that we are not at all alone in the Universe. You will people it with Vogons, Dentrasses, Jatravids** and several other weird creatures.

Prepare for a new Universe - But don’t forget your towel!

*those who have read this book will instantly recognise those parts I have taken from the book and attached with my own text. My intention was not to steel but to write this review as a mix of my way of writing and Douglas Adams.

**Who, by the way, are small and blue and with more than fifty arms each. They are unique cause they were the first people in Universe who invented the spray deodorant before the wheel.