I read this series YEARS ago sometime in the early to mid 2000s, BUT this time I want to read the Ultimate version, which has the short story in it. :)

এরকম কিছু আগে কখনো পড়িনি, ভবিষ্যতেও কখনো আর পড়া হবে কিনা জানি না। সায়েন্সফিকশন আর হিউমারের এক অনন্যসাধারণ মিশ্রণ। ভাষাটা এককথায় দুদার্ন্ত, এমনসব ইউনিক আর ইন্টারেস্টিং সব কনসেপ্ট যে পড়তে পড়তে অবাক হই তো বটেই এমনকি পড়া শেষ করার পরেও মনে পড়লে হাসি এসে যায়। হিউমারের পিছনেও বইয়ের ম্যাসেজ বেশকিছু জায়গায় অনেক গভীর।

4.5 stars

Brilliant sci-fi nuttiness, 5 books and a short story collected in one volume. I remember having an omnibus volume of the first three books, then a volume of the first four plus the short story, now all five in a leatherbound volume from Easton Press. The first three books make for a fun series. The fourth is just a wonderful coda to the original set. The fifth is forgettable, but important for completionists only.

Read on for reviews of each work.

There are 5 illustrations in the book

THE HITCHHIKIER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY

5 stars



Classic bit of sci-fi insanity as Earthman Arthur Dent stumbles his way through the aftermath of the Earth's destruction by a Vogon Constuctor Fleet to make room for a hyperspace bypass.

A story that began as a BBC radio program that became a book that became a recording and another radio program, A TV show, and a motion picture--each with contradictory events and details. But for all the silliness, there is a solid rationality to this work that makes one realize it's useless to argue with idiots.

But it sure is fun!

So grab your favorite volume of Vogon poetry, mix yourself a stiff Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster and join Dent, HHG field reporter Ford Prefect, sexy space traveller Trillian, Head Honcho of all Creation Zaphod Beeblebrox and Marvin the Paranoid Android for a gut-busting trip across the universe. And don't forget your towel.

Just remember: Don't panic, the answer is 42.

THE RESTAURANT AT THE END OF THE UNIVERSE

5 stars



In the beginning the Universe was created.

This has made a lot of people very angry and been regarded as a bad move.

The second book of Adams' 5-book trilogy is not as sprawling and scattershot as his first, but its loopy humor is just as funny-bone tickling. The Hitchhiker's Guide felt like an improvised skit; Restaurant is a darker, more focused philosophical jab at the idiocy of modern life.

Among the unforgettable moments of this book are:

--witnessing the final cataclysm of life as a dinner sideshow
--the self-advertsing menu of that dinner (my favorite scene)
--meeting the true ruler of the universe
--watching the ancestors of the human race crawling out of the primordial swamp
--discovering the ultimate question to the ultimate answer of life, the universe, and everything

This was the first HHG book I read and still my favorite. I found a copy of it on the paperback rack of the local drugstore in 1982 and immediately when on a mad search for the first one.

LIFE, THE UNIVERSE, AND EVERYTHING

4 stars



Funny, weird, and chock-full of Adams' bizarre shenanigans, this third Hitchiker's entry has a great opening and a terrific conclusion but drags in the middle as our band of heroes flit across the universe attempting to thwart the War Lords of Krikkit from destroying the universe.

The Infinite Improbability and the Bistromathic Drives, while deviously inventive, are used to propel Arthur, et al, into such diverse entanglements so quickly that the reader begins to feel as put-upon as poor Arthur Dent--which was probably the point, but it becomes taxing after a while.

Adams' observations on the lunacy of human behavior remain on-point.

I expect to encounter Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged one day (though this may already have happened as I've been insulted by strange-looking tall persons who just walked away before.)

SO LONG AND THANKS FOR ALL THE FISH

4.5 stars



Not so much a continuation of HHG, but an an epilogue to Arthur Dent as he returns to his house in the hamlet of Cottington after eight years of zipping around the Universe's several billion year existence.

An eloquent coda periodically interrupted by the bizaare antics of Ford Prefect becomes a comfy, if off-kilter, ending to the whole affair. But the character of Fenchurch, Arthur's mastery of the art of flying, and a cameo by Marvin the Paranoid make this a satisfying ending to Adams' saga. The argument can be made that this book is his masterpiece.

YOUNG ZAPHOD PLAYS IT SAFE

3.5 stars

A delightfully weird story about Zaphod working as a salvage ship operator before he blocked off parts of his brains and ran for President of the Galaxy. He is tasked with recovering the cargo of a ship that was supposed to be jettisoned into a black hole but lies at the bottom of a lake on an unknown planet because the ship's captain decided to make detour for some really great lobster.

Mostly, it shows that pre-brain blockage Zaphod had morals and a code of honor while still being a goof off. Until it becomes known to the reader that US editors removed the reference that a "reagan" used the ship's escape pod prior to the crash and landed on Earth. That revelation was worth an extra half star.

MOSTLY HARMLESS

2.5 stars



The title says it all. This book will be mostly harmless to Adams' reputation as an absurdist and satirist. But it destroys the whimsical nature of his seminal work.

Bleak, disjointed, and not as funny as it thinks it is, this fifth book in the Hitchhiker's trilogy is a mixed bag. Adams delivers a darkly satiric conclusion to his saga but destroys everything that made the series great.

Arthur is still the Everyman, and focus, of the series; Ford Prefect has turned into a misanthropic alcoholic (though still a functioning one); Trillian/Tricia McMillian is still a stock character, though now less interesting; and Zaphod Beeblebrox is (thankfully) out of the picture.

I kept hoping that Fenchurch would return, but that didn't happen. Oh well...

It turns out that Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz of the Galactic Hyperspace Planning Council is the real hero of the series.

Parts were and at times remain the height of funny, but there's a lot of trash in there (wtf was going on with the last book?). Certainly an old friend, read and reread literally countless times. Back when I ate a lot of acid, I'd curl up with this big hardback as the sun rose and those horrible hours of introspection, self-loathing and promises to improve oneself tried to kick in. Everyone ought read it, but that also means everyone *can* read it, which kind of reduces the allure.

What to say about the bible of mankind? This is the best, the greatest, the uber, the wonder, the rainbow, the sun, moon, satellite, planets, stars, universe.... This... is... 42!!!!
I have read these five books of the triology seven or eight times, and will read it at least once a year for the rest of my life!
If you haven't read it yet, stop reading this and run for your life to get your own copy, or borrow it from a friend! Because believe me, your life now won't seem like life at all after you've read it.

Although, if your copy is sitting beside you, and you are waiting for someone to fetch your pipe and whiskey before you start reading it, by all means, keep reading, but I warn you, some spoiling may occur. You see, as soon as I say Arthur Dent, och Ford Prefect, I have begun the spoiling!
This is namely how the first book starts. Ford Prefect who isn't at all from earth comes home to his old friend Arthur Dent to get him to drink some beer and eat some peanuts before the world ends. Somehow Ford is completely uninterested in the fact that Arthur's home is about to be demolished to make way for a new highway, due to the fact that the Vogon's are one their way to demolish earth to make way for an intergalactic highway.
You will find laughter, love, wonder, understanding of the universe and severe head pain while reading these books, as reading them is, in my own opinion close to drinking a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster. Please comment this when you know what I'm talking about!
I have lots more to write, I know to much and to little about the universe as interpreted by Douglas Adams, but I do not want to. I'd love to speak at length about The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy with anyone whom please, but as for now, I have only one thing to say;

DON'T PANIC

.... and... don't forget your towel!

One of my all time favorites! It's unique and hilarious, simply unputdownable!

So Long and Thank Heavens I Somehow Read it All! : 2/5

Enjoyed first two books namely "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and "Restaurant at the end of the universe", but other three books are mostly unbearable. May be the Brit Humor did not get me at the hello or I'm too old for this series. Sorry Mr. Adams but I ain't got any feels even for the Marvin the Paranoid Android! *Chuckles*

I think after having made little to no progress in the past about 9 months it's best if I just give up even pretending I'm still reading this book.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was the book I really wanted to read - classic English comedy? Bring it on! I enjoyed that book; if I was rating this alone it would be a good 4-star book - it was funny and inventive with some great characters...it's the other books in this series that made it so difficult for me. The second - The Restaurant at the End of the Universe - wasn't particularly bad, but didn't even nearly live up to Hitchhiker's Guide. I plowed through it hoping it would get better.

It didn't.

Half-way through the third book - Life, the Universe and Everything - I just got stuck. There was no longer any consistent plot, often even within the books, and I didn't really have a clue what was going on any more. There were some interesting bits but not enough to motivate me to read any more.

And I'm disappointed about this, because there were some great characters. Marvin the depressed robot is sheer genius and I love him. Unfortunately, he's not in it all that much. Similarly, the incredibly enthusiastic doors were great, but (for obvious reasons - namely that they are doors) don't appear all too often.

I love British humour - dry wit and sarcasm is very much my thing. But even that wasn't enough to save this series for me. My recommendation: read Hitchhiker's Guide, but don't bother with any of the others.

I'll maybe try reading this again in a few years because I so want to love these books, and hopefully the outcome will be better. But I'm not holding my breath.

Bir dünyalının galaksi yolculuğuna zoraki çıkışı ile başlayan kitap — işte tam burada birisi otostop çekiyor –, tüm evreni aşıp dünyaya pekte benzeyen bir yapay gezegende son buluyor, ya da bulmayada bilir ; okumak isteyenler için daha çok ayrıntı vermek istemiyorum ama uzay ve bilim ile ilgili temel bilgileri olanlar için — güneşin ışınlarının dünyaya geliş süresi, dünyanın yarı çapı, dünyaya en yakın yıldız sistemi prosima centauri, sonsuz maymun teoremi vb bir çok gerçek bilgi kitapta kullanılmış– ve tabiki bir de bilim kurgu seviyorsanız tam aranılan kitap.

Kitabı farklı yapan bir diğer şey de sarkastik benzetmeler ve anlatım;...Gerçekte gezegende yunuslardan daha zeki bir tür daha vardı ve onlar da zamanının büyük bölümünü davranış araştırmaları labaratuvarlarında tekerleklerin içinde koşarak ve insanoğlu üzerinde korkutucu derecede ayrıntılı ve kurnaz deneyler yürüterek geçiriyorlardı. İnsanoğlunun bu ilişkiyi de baştan aşağı yanlış anlaması bile aslında bu yaratıklarının bir parçasıydı.. Bölüm 23 — fareler bizim üzerimizde deney yapıyor demek istenmiş —

n  December 14, 2018:n

H2G2, volume 1: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, read by Stephen Fry, finished.
So long, and thanks for all the fishiness :)

A LITERARY SIBLING :
The Cyberiad - Stanisław Lem


n  September 24, 2020:n

H2G2, volume 2: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe finished!

Much of the British variety of nonsense, loads of ludicrousness and quirky characters by the dozen, this short novel is an Improbability Field all by itself :)

Buddy reading with Tara 10/10 would do again :^)


DOUGLAS ADAMS' OWN SOUNDTRACK:
One-Trick Pony Album - Paul Simon


n  October 4, 2020:n

H2G2, Volume 3: Life, the Universe and Everything - finished!

FEATURING:
Wowbagger, the Infinitely Prolonged,
Slartibartfast and his Bistromathically-driven spaceship,
Agragag, the Karmic Hater,
Hactar, the Purposeful Computer,
The Ashes of English cricket,
The people of Krikkit, a bunch of real sweet guys who just happen to want to kill everybody,
Armies of robots doing quadratic equations instead of fighting,
The hell of an extremely disreputable party in an erratically flying building,
Half-crazed etymologists raving on Sqornshell, swamp planet and natural habitat for loquacious mattresses,
Anonymous, the half-mad journalist.

Buddy read with Tara during the Goodreads black dust storm, disabling email notifications, in-app notifications, and push notifications to phones :p


HINTS AND ALLUSIONS?
The Cyberiad
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
The Trial


SOUNDTRACK:
Paranoid Android - Radiohead

Tubular Bells Album (the Caveman passage) - Mike Oldfield

Elohim's Voyage - Weidorje

- whew!! kept me singing that old song that goes ♫♪"i just can't get enough!" ♫♪

Better late than never. After decades of hearing about this series, I finally broke down and read this collection. I laughed so much I thought I'd pass out.

I will definitely keep my towel handy.

The Hitchhiker'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 (★★★★★)
Mostly Harmless (★★★★★)