n  

“If there's anything more important than my ego around, I want it caught and shot now.”

n

n  n    “You know," said Arthur, "it's at times like this, when I'm trapped in a Vogon airlock with a man from Betelgeuse, and about to die of asphyxiation in deep space that I really wish I'd listened to what my mother told me when I was young."
"Why, what did she tell you?"
"I don't know, I didn't listen.” n  n

Did this make you laugh already? Fine, because the rest of Douglas Adams' famous novel includes many more of those humorous elements.

I have a very difficult personal history with Sci-Fi novels; some of them I could appreciate but not enjoy; some I could appreciate but got bored with them very quickly; but The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was the first Sci-Fi novel which ever made me simultaneously appreciate, enjoy and even love the book. Love is a strong word, but if a book is filled with sentences like “The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don't” or “Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job” or “My capacity for happiness you could fit into a matchbox without taking out the matches first”, then I simply can't help but fall in love with it.

n  n    “So this is it," said Arthur, "We are going to die."
"Yes," said Ford, "except... no! Wait a minute!" He suddenly lunged across the chamber at something behind Arthur's line of vision. "What's this switch?" he cried.
"What? Where?" cried Arthur, twisting round.
"No, I was only fooling," said Ford, "we are going to die after all.”n  n

I could go on and quote the entire book now, that's how much fun it was reading this and that's how quotable the book is. But Douglas Adams didn't only attempt (and succeed) to write this groundbreaking approach to the science fiction genre, he was also able to make you think a lot about several important questions: What is the meaning of life? Why do we live? Why do we die? What is the meaning of the Universe? Adams intentionally answers these questions in rather absurd ways, mainly because it is impossible to find ultimate answers and definitions for these topics. But those are all questions everyone has already asked themselves, and Adams isn't afraid to tackle them in a way that the reader can't help but laugh about it.

n  n    “For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much—the wheel, New York, wars and so on—whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man—for precisely the same reasons.”n  n

If you haven't read this book yet, perhaps because you are afraid of the Sci-Fi genre (which I was as well, until I started my adventures with Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect, Marvin and all the others in this book): then don't hesitate to read it. But don't be mistaken, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is (probably) not the best book you will ever find, it is (probably) not going to make you cry because of its emotional intensity, it is (probably) not going to keep you on the edge of your seat due to its ming-bogglingly suspenseful plot. Adams' book is rather an episodic account of several random adventures in the cosmic space, and for me it was mostly Adams' writing style which it was impossible to resist. He lures his readers into the story and before you even realize it, you are probably already laughing.

And don't forget to bring your towel!

★★ /5

This was fine… I guess?
This was definitely easy to read and absorb, but at the same time, it didn’t feel like a real book. The ridiculousness of the plot sometimes was just too much and brought up me from the story. Some parts of this book were actually really interesting, but a lot of things were just annoying. I didn’t really like the character, at least for me they didn’t have the proper motivation for their actions.
I understand why people like it, but sadly it was just not for me.

I don't know how many times I've read this masterpiece of perfectly logical nonsense but there is a reason I try to read it every year for Towel Day (25th May). This year, I've decided to finally read the entire "trilogy" (which is also why I started a bit early).

Today must be a Thursday (funny that it actually is) because Arthur Dent has never gotten the hang of those. As it were, this particular day was when a demolition crew came to demolish his house to make way for a bypass. Shortly after, planet Earth follows its example for a hyperspace bypass. But not to worry, Arthur survives thanks to his friend Ford Prefect, who's actually an alien. They end up hitchhiking through the galaxy with a copy of the titular book, some babel fish and - of course - at least one towel. After all, there is more to the blue marble than meats the eye and it has to do with the answer to the question of Life, the Universe and Everything.

Along the way, we get overenthusiastic spaceship computers, a depressed robot, a Galactic President that would make the current one in the White House look perfectly ordinary, some mice and an award-winning engineer.

This is one of those books that you either love or hate. Not least because humour is a fickle thing. Douglas Adams managed to perfectly capture the silliness, ridiculousness and nonsense behind human existence, bureaucracy and the many questions we tend to philosophize about and wrapped them all up in a space adventure. He managed to put his finger exactly on the stupid stuff and emphasized the things we probably should pay more attention to. Such as gorgeous fjords.

As light and funny as this book seems on the surface, it is a deeper analysis of all of us; an attempt at making sense of a couple of things while not taking anything too seriously because life's too short for that (the author, sadly, proved that).

Definitely a classic that deserves all the different adaptations (it actually started out as a radio drama and was only turned into a novel later). Looking forward to finally finding out how the journey continues.

I fell asleep while listening to this one... twice.



I fell asleep at the beginning of the book, and then at the end of it. I googled the ending because I didn't want to go to sleep again.

Don't get me wrong. I didn't dislike the book. It's just that I didn't like it either. It's not my kind of humor, not my kind of story. But I'm sure to remember to take a towel next time I hitchhike through the galaxy.

See my video review here: https://youtu.be/hfJJDQOroho

This is a book written in 1979 which follows the story of Arthur Dent who is having a bad day because his house is about to be torn down to make way for a highway. However, he has more things to worry about because the Earth is about to be demolished to make way for the galactic highway. Arthur Dent and his friend Ford Perfect are scooped up from Earth just a second before it is wiped out. The two of them travel through the galaxy and encounter many different people along the way including a depressed robot.

The first half of the book was really funny. I was reading this with a family member, and we both were laughing out loud every couple of minutes. The second half of the book was less funny because it was more plot driven. This book won't be for everyone, because some of the humor is a bit dry. I haven't seen the movie yet, but I am not sure if the jokes will really translate that well to the big screen.

Overall, it was a quick read and pretty enjoyable. However, as mentioned earlier, the pacing felt a bit off but keep in mind this book was written in the 1970's before the 8 second attention spans developed by YouTube.

2025 Reading Schedule
JantA Town Like Alice
FebtBirdsong
MartCaptain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
AprtWar and Peace
MaytThe Woman in White
JuntAtonement
JultThe Shadow of the Wind
AugtJude the Obscure
SeptUlysses
OcttVanity Fair
NovtA Fine Balance
DectGerminal

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It's that time of the year again when I take out the towel I embroidered with "42" as well as "Don't Panic" and sit down to enjoy this classic and silly scifi story.

The story is well-known to most but let me recap real quick:
Arthur Dent is losing his house because of a bypass. Funnily enough, he doesn't have to suffer the injustice for long because the planet Earth is scheduled to be demolished to make way for a hyperspace bypass as well.
His friend, Ford Prefect, turns out to be an alien who tells him all about interstellar hitchhiking. Thus begins an epic quirky adventure through the galaxy, meeting aliens that use poetry as a form of torture and trying to get our home planet back.

Many say this book in a mess. And in many ways it is. But it's a good mess. The kind of mess life itself is. Humour is when you laugh no matter what. Douglas Adams was great at showing the tragedy in life through humour, making the characters here so lovable that I have no problem reading the story every year on the day he died far too soon (aged only 49) of a heart attack.

Here's to you, DNA, thanks for all the fish!


...
Yeah, I'm reading it again ... Especially for Towel Day ... xD
...
Every year I'm reading the book for Towel Day now (the third time by now) and every year it's as good as the very first time. xD Simply brilliant! 42!

All time classic I've read the whole series of 5 books at least twice. The adventures of Arthur Dent leaving earth and travelling the universe are brilliantly conceived and so human. Adams was a great science fiction writer and died too young.

I was right to not want to read this one.

It's so stupid. This is not even close to my kind of humour. I like clever funny, not stupid funny. This is just beyond ridiculous and I mostly cringed my way through it. I don't think I cracked a smile once.

I get that this is hilarious and delightful for some people but I am not one of them.

Thank god it was mercifully short.

He really wrote an entire series of this crap?

British humour, man. I just n  don't get it.n

This was book 13 of my #Dymocks52challenge refined. You can read more here.

***

n  Originally shelved as 'never gonna happen':n

Absurdist humour is not really my thing, and I've heard enough about this one to not even be a little tempted to read it. It sounds too ridiculous for my liking. I'd rather read something with clever humour.

Full review now posted!

I finally know the answer to life, the universe, and everything.

This was my third attempt at reading this book, because it’s just so gosh-darned silly that I could never get past the first three or so chapters. Well, what was the difference this time, you might be asking. The difference was a British gentleman by the name of Stephen Fry. I would have never made it all the way through this admittedly short book without the voice talents of Stephen Fry. The man is a genius! Every character had a completely unique voice, and they were all engaging. I’m not positive which came first, the movie or the audiobook, but Fry’s version of Arthur Dent sounded incredibly similar to Martin Freeman, who played Dent in the movie.

I’m not usually an audiobook girl. I tend to get frustrated with the slow pace and pick up the print version of whatever book I was listening to, because I can just read faster. But I never had that desire listening to Fry. He was absolutely fabulous, and now I want to track down other audiobooks he’s read. Just another reason to wish I was British, so I could have Audible access to his readings of Harry Potter. *disgruntled sigh*

Onto the book itself. I’m pretty sure Douglas Adams is a national treasure of the U.K., as he well should be. These books are meant to be silly, and they most definitely are. The tone of his writing was great, and I love the idea of the story, but something about the humor didn’t translate well for me. It was just too much, somehow, as stated earlier. Honestly, the book itself would have been somewhere between a 2 and 3 star read for me (please don’t lynch me!) had it not been for Fry’s marvelous audio. His reading saved the day and bumped the book up to 4 stars for me. I did end up really enjoying listening to this story, though I’m not sure I’ll continue the series. However, I’m glad to have read this book, and to now understand the cultural references and impact Adams provided here.

So long, and thanks for all the fish.

For more of reviews, as well as my own fiction and thoughts on life, check out my blog, Celestial Musings

A great book with a note: the story in the book has not finished.

This book reminded me why I like UK humors more than US ones. The jokes are clever

This is my second review of hilarious SF novel (the first is The Martian) and I decide not to discuss the content much. I believe the best way to enjoy a humor is if the reader has as little expectation/knowledge as possible, to optimize the surprises.

This is another instance where it's daunting to write a review because the novel is well-known and loved by millions of people. As a Sci-Fi/Fantasy reader, it's embarrassing that I've only read this once, and I've waited 'till 2016 to read this. I'm glad that I can finally say that I've read this. I've finally read and enjoyed one of the most influential books of the sci-fi genre.

I understand all the buzz regarding this novel. This is the first time in my whole life that I laughed out loud while reading a novel. I've never believed that a novel could be humorous enough to make me elicit more than a giggle or a smile. This novel changed my perception of humor novels in general. I finally have faith in that genre, and an even stronger desire to read more important Sci-Fi novels.

I don't see the need to make a short summary of the novel. You can find other reviews that did that. I'm writing this review to express my feelings toward the novel, and the journey that I had with it. Speaking of journey, it was a damn short one. I honestly hate gigantic novels, but it's always fulfilling to finish one if the book is great. This book I can consider amazing, but too short.

Aside from the humor, I enjoyed the wittiness of the novel and the author himself. The ideas he incorporated in the novel are vital for the readers to understand. It may be a humor novel, but it's more than that as a whole.

The characters are funny and well-developed. The main ones managed to make me laugh. Ford reminds me of Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory, and Arthur as Leonard Hofstadter. This is like a classic Big Bang theory episode, or maybe The Big Bang theory is a modern Hitchhiker.

The plot is not that complex, but it is interesting. I'm always interested to read about other planets in the galaxy, even if it's just fiction. I like to imagine that there are hundreds or thousands of worlds out there in the galaxy. Funny thing that the Earth blew up in this novel. Funnier that they considered Earth as a funny name in the beginning.

All the ideologies Adams incorporated here are interesting to me. How some animals are superior and manipulated us, or how the Earth was all a project of some aliens. It's funny and vastly interesting. I can't wait to read the other books in the series.

4.5/5 stars. I decided to round it down because while the novel truly entertained me, it still lacked something and made me think twice about the 5-star rating.