If you are going to read the complete “Hitchhiker” series then I recommend buying “The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” as it contains all five of the books in the series. Having them in one volume encourages you to read them soon after each other, and I think that enhances the experience.
The collection also contains the horrid story “Young Zaphod Plays It Safe” and it is a waste of space in the text. But, that is a small quibble, and the story is short.
I enjoyed the series, mostly, and I would recommend it to certain readers. For more specifics see below where you will find my review for all five of the novels in chronological order.

1. “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” is short and never gives much development (character or plot) but it seems appropriate for this tale. The novel reminds me a lot of Vonnegut in its style and presentation. Short chapters and biting satire mixed with fantastical plot devices. And it all works!
The introduction and first chapter of this novel are funny and pull you into the book. There are moments that are so clever and witty that you will find yourself re-reading certain lines for no reason other than to enjoy them once again. Chapter 23 of the text (perhaps the book’s most famous) is brilliant and to the point. It is very short, funny, and kind of wise. Its opening line, “It is an important and popular fact that things are not often what they seem” could be a thematic statement for the book. One of the novel’s key devices is the idea that Earth is an experiment, and without revealing too much, I will say that it gives the novel its focus.
Also enjoyable are the characters of Marvin the paranoid android and Eddie, the shipboard computer on “The Heart of Gold” (a spaceship that serves as the novel’s main setting). Some of the text’s best moments and lines belong to them, and I was more endeared to them than I was to the novel’s two human characters.
“The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” is a delightful and quick read and I will be continuing my trip through the galaxy with its sequel, “The Restaurant at the End of the Universe.”

2. “The Restaurant at the End of the Universe” reads like a typical adventure tale, and it is more in this genre than its predecessor “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”. The restaurant of the title is a place where the characters go and can literally watch the end of the Universe during dinner. Trust me, the way Mr. Adams explains it, it makes sense!
The plot of the novel begins right where its predecessor left off, and the set up is that space psychiatrists plot to kill Arthur Dent and Trillian because they are the last survivors from Earth, which we found out in “Hitchhiker” was an experiment designed to answer the purpose of “Life, the universe, and everything.” The psychiatrists do not want that question answered because they would be out of business. And with this clever premise it is off to the races.
In this delightful and quick romp of a novel we get to meet space psychiatrists, rock stars, and the ruler of the universe. And it goes without saying that none of it is as expected. The satire of the rock stars and bands is wonderful, as is the clever jab at rock stars that use to flee tax jurisdictions to record albums. In the book one mega space rock star even goes into “suspended death” for two years for the tax deductions.
The last 20 pages of the book contain some pretty rough satire of modern professions and social dynamics. And then the text ends abruptly, like Mr. Adams was leading you into the next novel. It worked, because I will be continuing my journey with these hitchhikers. You should too!

3. Of the three novels that I have read so far out of the five that compose the “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” series, “Life, the Universe and Everything” is the weakest, but it is still incredibly good. The whole book feels like a Monty Python sketch, but the first few chapters especially feel that way. It works, but it does get a little tiresome after a while.
The humor in this text is mostly through wordplay. It serves the book well and is a strength of this novel because in terms of plot “Life, the Universe and Everything” is all over the place. The unity of the wordplay and humor serves to coalesce (as much as it can) a very scattered text. Especially enjoyable is a clever discourse on swear words, their usage and how they evolve and change. In the world of this novel the word “Belgium” is their equivalent of the F-word. This part of the novel is a witty piece of satirical writing, and is very enjoyable.
There are two interesting bits in this novel I would like to share in this review. The first is one of my favorite cameo appearances in this entire series thus far, the character of Wowbagger, the Infinitely Prolonged. He is an alien who through an accident has immortality and is bored to tears. So he makes it a mission to insult everyone in the Universe. His occasional appearances in this story are a joy. Another aspect of the text that I enjoyed is that the ultimate question and answer to everything remains unexplained. There is also a thinly veiled satire aimed at religious symbols where it seems Adams is mocking finding value in such things. It is an engaging section of the text.
I will be moving on to the fourth book in this series soon. I have enjoyed this ride so far!

4. This fourth novel in the series begins exactly as the first one, word for word, with one small twist. You can decide for yourself what you think of that twist. I did not care for it, as it shifts the focus in this text from the ones that preceded it. “So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish” begins with Arthur Dent back on earth, which is no longer destroyed (it was blown up in the first book of the series) but the explanation for how this is so is best glossed over if one wants to fully enter the world of the text. This novel does not feature the other characters from the previous three, so fans of Zaphod Beeblebrox and Trillian will be disappointed. Other series staples such as Ford Prefect and Marvin the Android make cameos in the novel’s final pages, but they seemed forced and not all that interesting in the context Mr. Adams uses here.
This are some shining moments in this book, among them chapter 25 in which the author’s persona intrudes into the text to answer the question “Does Arthur Dent f-word?” We also get to see “God’s final message to His creation”, and it is actually not a letdown.
At one point in the novel Arthur tells someone “See first, think later, then test” as the best way to approach something one does not fully comprehend. If you don’t take the last two parts of his advice while you are reading “So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish” you can enjoy the text.
I am anxious to see how the series concludes in installment 5, and I will be traveling that way soon.

5. "Mostly Harmless" is a great example of a writer extending a series by one book too many. Of the five books in the "Hitchhiker" series numbers four and five don't add much to it, and take a lot from it. "Mostly Harmless" just feels out of sync with the books that preceded it. Stylistically it is also very different, the chapters are much longer, the humor is much rarer, etc. It is not a good change.
A big flaw of the text is that our hero Arthur Dent does not even show up until chapter seven, and even when he does there is no transition from how we left him in book four, "So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish." From chapter seven to almost the final 40 pages the chapters alternate point of view between Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect. I found Prefect's story boring until his storyline merges with Dent's about 3/4s of the way through the novel.
The book does have some good moments, particularly chapter nine in which it finally feels like the other novels in the series. Arthur Dent goes to the planet Hawalius to seek the advice of the oracles that inhabit it. In this chapter we see sparks of the Douglas Adams from the previous texts and it is a joy to read. There is also a witty cameo appearance by Elvis, which is cleverly woven into the plotline.
As has been stated in previous reviews "Mostly Harmless" is a dark text, almost nihilistic in its themes. The series ends in a uncharacteristic manner. Although as a reader I did not like the ending per se, I do feel it was kind of appropriate. It feels jarring and out of place at the same time. I can't say much more without spoiling it. Regardless it does give the series a sense of definite completion, and I think that is a good thing.

Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy (5-star)
What a blast! This zany, whacky, completely absurd story has a plot, a reason for being, a vision. It's so off the wall! I loved the absurdness and the way events came together so well, for all their craziness.
I have read this "trilogy" of 5 books many years ago. I've remembered so much of it incorrectly. I've forgotten even more than I remember. It's wonderful to have the zaniness brought back to life in this rereading.
Marvin is still my favorite character.

The Restaurant At The End Of The Universe (5 star)
Originally, this was my favorite scene in this entire book. I hope the Restaurant is as great as I remember it to be.
Update: Yes, it is. Milliway's (the restaurant at the end of the Universe) is still an amazing restaurant to visit. The concept is so imaginative and spectacular.
The rest of this book continues in the zany, wonderful unfolding of a very good story.

Life, The Universe and Everything (4-star)
The Room of Informational Illusions...…. brilliant! What a marvelous way to learn history.
The planet of Krikket….great story. A people who so cannot imagine a universe or others besides themselves who, when they learn of these things, feel the need to destroy anyone that is not them. They simply cannot imagine others. Also, I loved the reason why Earth is avoided and ignored by all the other planets and how it related to the planet Krikket.
The never-ending party!
A wonderful continuation of this series. Full of off-the-wall, zany situations and feats of logic.

So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish

Šta da kažem o jednoj od meni najdražih knjiga? Urnebesna… Artur Dent misli da je njegov najveći problem bager, koji planira da mu sruši kuću, radi izgradnje obilaznice. Ne zna da vogonska flota upravo planira da razori celu Zemlju radi izgradnje svemirske zaobilaznice. Artur će se, u društvo neobičnog (što ne čudi, jer je došao Betelgeza pet) Forda Prefekta, naći u beskrajnom svemiru gde će proći kroz brojne neobične situacije.
Univerzum u nevolji, je pisan pod velikim uticajem Vodiča. Preporuka do kraja Vaseljene i nazad…

Bir sabah, kestirme bir yol inşa etmek için evinizi yıkmakla görevli ekipleri görerek uyanmanızdan daha berbat bir durum varsa, o da dünyanın yok edileceğini öğrenmek olacaktır ama "paniğe kapılmayın", çünkü esas olaylar bundan sonra başlayacak. Tabii yanınıza bir havlu almayı unutmayın.

"Bir kürdan kutusuna ayrıntılı bir kullanma kılavuzu koyabilecek ölçüde aklını kaybetmiş herhangi bir uygarlığın içinde daha fazla yaşayıp da akıl sağlığımın yerinde kalması mümkün değilmiş gibi geldi.”

En keyifli bilimkurgu kitabı olarak tanımlayabileceğimiz "Otostopçunun Galaksi Rehberi", hayal gücünüzle çıkabileceğiniz en absürt ve varoluşsal yolculuğa çıkabilmek için bulunmaz bir nimet. "Beş perdelik bir üçleme" şeklinde tasvir edilen bu beş vagonlu hız treni, okuyucuyu anlamsal sorularla cebelleşeceği diplere götürebildiği gibi, macerayla birlikte ivmelendirerek en üst noktalara da ulaşabiliyor.

"Bu gezegenin şöyle bir sorunu vardı. Üzerinde yaşayan halkın büyük bölümü çoğu zaman mutsuzdu. Bu sorun için pek çok çözüm önerilmişti, ama bunların çoğu genellikle yeşil renkli küçük kağıt parçalarının hareketleriyle ilgiliydi. Bu da tuhaftı çünkü aslında mutsuz olanlar yeşil renkli küçük kağıt parçaları değildi."

Edebi değeri gerek tür gerekse dil yönünden tartışmaya açık olsa da, hayat, evren ve gündelik yaşantımızla ilgili zeki göndermeleriyle çok zengin bir anlatı sunan bu beşibiryerde kitabın popüler kültürdeki önemi inkar edilemez.

"Eğer bir gün biri çıkıp da Evrenin hangi nedenle ve niçin burada var olduğunu keşfederse, Evrenin birdenbire yok olacağını ve yerini çok daha garip ve anlaşılmaz bir şeyin alacağını öne süren bir kuram vardır.
Bir başka kuramsa bunun zaten gerçekleştiğini ileri sürer."

Varoluşun kasveti olmadan oluşturulmuş bu varoluşsal galaktik parodi; "Otostopçunun Galaksi Rehberi", "Evrenin Sonundaki Restoran", "Hayat, Evren ve Her Şey", "Elveda ve Bütün O Balıklar İçin Teşekkürler" ve "Çoğunlukla Zararsız" kitaplarından oluşuyor. Beş kitap olması göz korkutursa da, Douglas Adams'ın zekası ve mizahıyla tanışmış olmak adına ilk kitaba bir şans verilmesi gerektiğini düşünüyorum.

"Bir şeyi görmen onun orada olduğu anlamına gelmez. Aynı şekilde bir şeyi görememen de onun orada olmadığı anlamına gelmez. Her şey algılarının senin dikkatini nereye yönelttiğine bağlıdır."

Yer yer alelade bir insan olan başkahramanımız Arthur Dent'le, yer yerse depresif robot Marvin'le benzerliklerimizi bulabileceğimiz bu insanlık komedisini, evren ve hayatlarımızı farklı ve mizahi bir perspektifle irdelemek, bunu yaparken de eğlenmek isteyen tüm yetişkin okurlara öneririm.

Jumping into Adams’ beloved sci-fi saga, I was aware that it was a humorous odyssey involving a guide to space and it really is way more different than anything I’ve read in the sci-fi genre.

The first volume of the same name follows Arthur Dent who is saved by his friend, a researcher for a galaxy guide, after Earth is destroyed to clear space for a galaxy freeway. Thus begins a screwy adventure through space that includes a brainwave fish, a depressed robot and a very rich planet that all connect to Earth. Arthur’s story slowly stretches into five novels (and a short character prequel) that’ll see him on other planets, meet many more otherworldly people and get into plenty of intergalactic madness.

“TUHGTTG” has so such wittiness and adventure that it’s definitely out of this world. My favorite thing about it is obviously it’s strange blend of sci-fi and humor that’s practically on every page. Arthur’s story is truly all over the place that you might have to slow down a bit and it does get a bit dark and shabby around the fifth book. My trip through the “Galaxy” was still a great one and I can’t wait to explore it again. A- (91%/Excellent)

Ever been on a drunk trip with friends where you converse about space and aliens and meaning of life and your existence etc! That's how this book reads. All throughout. It is weird in more than one ways and it is still brilliantly attention-grabbing. Adams has celebrated wit and intelligence of the language. He masters it. Nails it. He repeats words and sentences and twists and turns them and brings out more than one meaning out of them. I enjoyed this so much that I think I have fallen in love all over again.

Douglas Adams is either the craziest, most creative and funniest author I've ever read, or he's just on crack.
Or maybe it's a little of both.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and the books that follow it are all completely insane and impossible to summarize, so I'm not even going to try. They're books that can't be taken too seriously, so just sit back, relax, and enjoy the portrait of insanity Adams so expertly paints.

Masterful comedy sci-fi, originally BBC Radio 4 productions in the 70s, later adapted to novel format. Incredibly imaginative and funny. My favourite character is Zaphod Beeblebrox.

Finally I've read this popular witty classic sci-fi. The series is definitely worth praise although the last story - Mostly Harmless - seems too dark and depressive. The best parts were authors hilarious narration: the plot couldn't stand a chance without it.

Şimdi nereden başlasam nasıl anlatsam ne desem bilemiyorum bu kitap için. Standart bir bilim kurgu kitabı değil onu söylemem lazım. Çok satan, bilmem ne ödülü almış, kitaptan sonra hemen filmi yapılmış teknik terimlerle dolu kitaplardan hiç değil. Zaten terimleri sadece bu kitapta göreceğiniz türden.
Bir yol hikayesi denebilir mi? Evet, belki bu olabilir. Galaksinin herhangi bir yerinde geçen, arabalar yerine uzay gemilerinin olduğu, yolların zemininin olmadığı bir yol hikayesi denebilir.
Alıştığımız şekilde bir olay akışı hiç beklemeyin. Standart bir gidişat asla yok. Olasılıklar sonsuz ve her an her şey mümkün olabilir. Neden olmasın? Değil mi ama olabilir herşey. Hayal gücümüzü evrene bağlayabiliriz.
Yazılacak çok şey var ama ben şimdilik bu kadar yazabiliyorum. Baştan sona olayları kafamda tekrar oynatıyorum ve Douglas Adams'ın nasıl bir kafa yapısı ile bunları yazdığını düşünüyorum. Sadece esprili bir bilim kurgu yol kitabı yazmamış, aynı zamanda gönderme yapmak istediği konulara tek tek giydirmeyi de bilmiş. Hem farklı, hem komik hem de sürükleyici bir kitap bırakmış bizlere. Okuyunuz okutunuz diyorum.
Baskı ile ilgili olarak Alfa Yayınları bir kez daha takdirimi kazandı diyebilirim. Kitap kapağından cildine, puntosundan dokusuna kadar herşeyiyle çok iyi bir kitap hazırlamışlar. Mutlaka her kitaplıkta olması gereken çok güzel bir eseri, çok güzel bir sunumla sunmuşlar.

It was a horrible, uninteresting, and confusing book where it would lead you into a world of nonsense and chaos. First of all, there was no point to it. The characters lacked any sophistication and were outright stupid. Some people may consider it funny, but I was not one of them. From page one, I wanted it to simply end. Not because I would go on a trip of glory and fun, but because it was just lacking any interest. It wasn't something that pulled the reader in and kept them excited throughout the book, eager to know more. The jokes didn't make any sense. The characters didn't make any sense. Even the whole plot had no point to it! I really regret picking up this book (since page one). I thought maybe I needed to read a bit more to get into it, but big mistake. It just went further downhill. Personally, I didn't like it and wouldn't recommend it to anyone. But hey, if you want to go for it, try it out, and maybe you'll like this style of book, but I certainly didn't. If this was your summer reading book like it was mine, I would suggest to SparkNote it and rather use your time to read a better book.

Never liked this one. Had some interesting and funny parts, but it is a No from me.