Guida galattica per gli autostoppisti è un ciclo di romanzi stravaganti e imprevedibili, in cui i fili seguiti dai personaggi sembrano assolutamente lasciati in balia del caso, così come in balia del caso sono gli incontri tra loro e dunque l'avanzamento della trama.
Lo premetto subito: alla lunga, all'ennesimo incontro totalmente fortuito con un personaggio di cui si era parlato a inizio libro, questo escamotage smette di divertire. Tuttavia, bisogna ammetterlo: Douglas Adams è stato bravo nel tener presente molto di ciò che aveva scritto in precedenza, creando una narrazione tutto sommato dotata di senso.

La vicenda incomincia quando la Terra viene demolita per lasciar spazio a un'autostrada spaziale e l'inglese Arthur Dent è così costretto a fuggire insieme all'alieno Ford Prefect, proveniente da Betelgeuse e redattore di una guida della galassia dedicata agli autostoppisti. Da allora, è un susseguirsi di peripezie a spasso per spazio, tempo e universi.

Passiamo ai punti a favore: l'umorismo inglese di Adams è splendido e in alcuni punti si ride di gusto. I personaggi sono memorabili (la mia preferita è Fenchurch, purtroppo non presente in tutti i romanzi, ma anche Ford Prefect, il robot Marvin e Arthur Dent non sono affatto male). Insomma, tutto sommato la lettura viaggia rapida e colpisce positivamente.

Consigliato a chi apprezza un certo umorismo demenziale; per quanto mi riguarda, è un libro da tre stelle su cinque. Romanzo preferito: Addio, e grazie per tutto il pesce.

Buona lettura e ricordate: NIENTE PANICO.

So my journey with The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to Galaxy finally came to an end. What an enjoyable journey it was! The characters, the stories, the writing and the essence of Douglas Adam’s work – it was fantastic!!!

I had heard a lot about this cult series and finally got to read it – thanks to a friend. A very big thank you to you indeed!

This book contains the entire Hitchhiker’s Guide to Galaxy series by Douglas Adams i.e. 5 novels and 1 story:
1.tThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
2.tThe Restaurant at the End of the Universe
3.tLife, the Universe and Everything
4.tSo Long, and Thanks for All the Fish
5.tMostly Harmless
6.tYoung Zaphod Plays It Safe (story)

There is a sixth novel - And Another Thing... by Eoin Colfer also. I shall see if I can get hold of it.

The foreword by Neil Gaiman was pretty informative. I was indeed thrilled to learn that Adams had been influenced by P G Wodehouse himself. I knew that I was in for a big treat.

I don’t have to say it – but what a skilled storyteller Adams was! That too, as Gaiman says in the foreword, when he did not enjoy the task of writing!

So much has been written about this cult series that I wonder if I should write a review! Instead of writing a review for each book, I will write about the series in general and try to convince you why you should give it a try.

I am sure you are aware of it, but still I will say that the series is a sci-fi comedy. Hats off to the author’s imagination – what technologies he had imagined, and of course to his writing – I always loved clever use of language and Adams, in my humble opinion, is a master of the craft.

First of all, let me tell you about the Hitchhiker’s Guide to Galaxy. As the name suggests it is a guide for people or rather aliens who hitchhike their way through the galaxy and comes in the form of an electronic book. The said book resembles a largish electronic calculator and on its
four inches square screen any one of its million pages could be summoned at a moment’s notice. This reminds of you of Kindle right?

This is a science fiction book and it has its share of outrageous technologies, alien races, space travel, time travel and whatnot! If you can see beyond the aliens and spaceships, then you would see the brilliance of the stories. The behavior and thoughts of the aliens actually portray the various human foibles.

The stories would let accompany the wonderful if somewhat eccentric characters like Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect, Zaphod, Trillian, Marvin among others on their adventures through space and time. There is action, suspense, drama and the best of all – the famous wit of Douglas Adams. That man could make fun of almost anything – philosophers, scientists, political leaders, party-lovers, warmongers, bureaucrats, unions, marketing professionals, corporate and even God himself.

There are brilliant dialogues and statements. I thought of including some but later decided that it would be better if you discover them on your own.

Oh! Did I tell you about the Question and Answer to the Life, Universe and Everything! When I read about God’s Final Message to His Creation, I was floored.

Through his ridiculous creations the author has actually said the ultimate thing about life. I better stop before I give away spoilers!

Highly recommended for people who love sci-fi. You guys have probably read it by now.

If you are not into science fiction, then I would suggest that you try the first book in the series - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and then decide if you want to proceed further.

Quando ho preso in mano questo volume, sapevo già di trovarmi dinanzi a uno dei capisaldi della letteratura sci-fi humour. Solo leggendo il ciclo con i cinque romanzi della Guida Galattica per Autostoppisti, mi sono accorto di quanto invece sia molto più di un capolavoro.
Per quanto non mi abbia fatto ridere particolarmente, se non in qualche preciso punto, ho ritenuto geniali certi ragionamenti (interventi dell’autore veri e propri o citazioni della Guida) e sono fonte di spunti di riflessione anche alcuni scambi di battute fra personaggi.
Il ciclo della Guida Galattica per Autostoppisti non ha bisogno di molte parole per essere descritto e commentato, ma quelle poche parole che possono essere spese sono decisamente positive. In effetti, nel corso dei cinque libri, non solo Adams ha dimostrato di essere un eccellente narratore, ma ha dimostrato di avere una fantasia invidiabile visto il modo in cui ha ricollegato certi eventi che si ritrovavano in ogni libro e che sembravano di poco conto, salvo poi rivelarsi cruciali nello sviluppo della trama di tutto il ciclo. Inoltre Adams ha dimostrato un encomiabile cambiamento nello stile: se i primi tre libri sono molto più "umoristici", gli ultimi due romanzi del ciclo assumono spesso e volentieri caratteri più seriosi che, nonostante tutto, non stonano affatto con il complesso narrativo sapientemente creato.
L'unica pecca che qualcuno potrebbe riscontrare nel corso della lettura, molto spesso, è quella per cui certi passaggi potrebbero essere poco comprensibili a causa della materia trattata: i viaggi multidimensionali e nello spazio-tempo.
Si fa forse un po' fatica a seguire le vicende che prendono vita, nel passaggio da un capitolo all'altro, in luoghi e tempi differenti, ma senz'ombra di dubbio, tutto sarà lentamente più comprensibile mano a mano che il lettore si avvicinerà al gran finale a sorpresa.
Questi cinque libri rimangono comunque fenomenali nella loro critica dissacrante e mai prosaica e che abbraccia tematiche delicate (o ritenute tali) come la religione, la politica e anche certi comportamenti di noi esseri umani sperduti in questo GCG di Universo (Gran Casino Generale di Universo). È veramente un testo più che consigliato, che con leggerezza e sarcasmo pungente riesce a tutti gli effetti ad abbracciare “La Vita, l’Universo, tutto quanto” (cit.)

Itt van 816 oldal összefüggéstelen hülyeség, történések sora, amik között szinte semmi kapcsolat sincs, állandóan megszakítva létfontosságúnak vélt adatok közlésével képzeletbeli bolygókról. A szereplők ide-oda vetődnek, néha egyszerűen eltűnnek, és nem bukkannak fel többet, soha nincs megállás, vagy ha van, ha éppen jól éreznéd magad, feltűnik a lányod, akinek az anyjával sosem volt intim kapcsolatod, és ellopja az órád. Katyvasz az egész, és imádod, mert vicces, mert ironikus, mert eredeti, mert olyan, mintha „Utánam a vízözön!” felkiáltással kiállnál egy tetszőleges (űr)autópálya tetszőleges irányba menő sávja mellé, hogy az első űrhajóval autóval, ami felvesz, elindulj akármerre, és így tovább, és így tovább. A kellemetlenségért pedig elnézést kérünk. :)

I'll admit it - this genre is not for me. I knew that I wouldn't be picking up very many books like these in the future, and so I decided to give this one my all. I cruised through all five books with relative ease, and what's more, I think I even genuinely enjoyed it! It's frustratingly hilarious. The books have truckloads of that peculiar thing that is English humor. I kept turning pages, one after the other, in the hope that everything would make sense in the end. And did it? Well.......I'm not saint enough to just tell you. What I have realized is that the Hitchhiker series is all about the journey. You get to zip across the Whole Sort of General Mish Mash, sometimes with Arthur Dent, and at other times with Ford Prefect, the alien journalist from Betelgeuse with a fondness for Earth. You also get to meet and hang out with Zaphod Beeblebrox, Trillian, and Marvin, the depressed as hell android. You come across the most beautiful ideas, the most logical ideas, the most fantastic ideas, and the most preposterous ideas, all within the space of a few pages. I think the book might have driven me a little crazy. Before you know it, you're in this roller coaster going forward and backward in time, riding the infinite improbability drive, cruising past distances several light years long, and holding on for dear life. I didn't think I'd make it through, but then, I couldn't resist. The whole thing was so wonderfully silly, that I had to know where it all went. And I found myself unable to stop reading. The books are a complete and utter laugh riot, but I'll still stick with what I said earlier - that I don't think this is my genre, but I cannot promise that I'll never come back for a re-read. And before you can ask me, yes, t'is true. T'is true that the answer to everything is indeed 42. Go figure!

I read 2 stories- ridiculously silly , I could not see a point

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. :)

I read most of this series when I was younger and had only one book left to complete it. I saw this gorgeous piece of paper and ink in the bookstore and knew it was finally time to finish her off. Since it had been so long in between I decided to give the first four a reread which is not my usual at all. I'm a read it once and move on kind of girl. I found the introduction to be super interesting because I had no idea there were so many different versions of this story out there and I do love a little behind the scenes fact sharing.

Here is my book by book review of this amazing collector's edition with a little canned cream corn talk mixed in for fun:

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (5 Stars)

My grandparents had a closet full of canned goods and books in their back bedroom and it was where I happened upon this book a quarter of a century ago (I’m old enough now that I can say ‘ol timer shit like that). The absurd amount of canned creamed corn was amazing to behold, but this book with its quirky cover was where it was at. I’m pretty sure I devoured it in no time and was ready for the next installment of Arthur Dent does the Universe.

n  This is the story of a man named Arthur Dent and what happens to him after a friend rescues him moments before Earth becomes no more. Hitchhiking across the universe with a towel in one hand and a ridiculously written guide in the other, with barely a moment taken to absorb each new and exciting thing that comes his way.n

I found the writing to be superb with the perfect blend of dry humor, sarcasm, wit and randomness that I love. The characters were stellar, and the story was out of this world (if you aren’t rolling your eyes after reading that sentence you should be).

Five stars to a book that is a gazillion times better than canned cream corn.


The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (4 Stars)

This was another back bedroom closet find. I had it and the next two in the series tucked away in a hidden corner. I did not have any of that damned canned cream corn though. Seriously, who eats that crap? By how untouched they looked in my grandparents’ closet, not even them. I would like to believe it was an end of the world decoy canned goods stash. I’m thinking a person could peel the labels and put them on the good stuff and use the label free cans as weapons or something.

n  Arthur Dent continues his adventures through space forwards, backwards and possibly even sideways with the same fun-loving bunch of characters plus a few not so fun-loving ones.n>
Another excellent read. It didn’t feel like a new book but a continuation of a story I was dying to hear more of. The writing maintained its excellence and the characters were still quite entertaining. I didn’t love this read as much as the first, but it did get the job done.

Four stars to a book that made me excited to have a secret closet even if it contained canned cream corn.


Life, the Universe and Everything (4 Stars)

Pretty sure I liked this book more than I did the previous one but not enough to equal a star. I would say maybe a smidge over a half. I did however like it more than the canned cream corn it shared shelf space with. You are probably asking yourself right now, “Is she going to keep bringing up that damn canned cream corn?” and the answer is hell yes because annoying can be entertaining when you are doing it to someone else.

n  Arthur’s adventures turn a bit more serious when protecting the universe from destruction becomes the name of the game.n

Another great book that kept the story going in a way that didn’t bore or become repetitive. The author’s voice has to be the absolute best part of all this series. For once I can say it wasn’t the characters that kept me coming back for more but the man behind the words. I got the feeling his written word matched the way he was in person and he most definitely was a person I would have loved to have met.

Four stars to a book that almost made me forget about the closet canned cream corn for a moment.


So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish (3 Stars)

This is the book that had a cover that stuck out in my mind just as much as the first book in the series did. This is also the book that began the downward spiral into lower star ratings. Even though I didn’t love it as much as I did the first three, (wait for it) I did love it more than my grandparents love canned cream corn (I am not sorry at all).

n  Arthur falls in love.n

Honestly, this one felt out of place. I didn’t want it or ask for it, and I sure as hell didn’t expect a mushy love story to fall into my lap when it did. The story that took place around it wasn’t bad but this dip into cootie pool was more than enough to contaminate it.

Three stars to a book that made me think about romance mixed with canned cream corn and man that is so freaking gross.


Mostly Harmless (3 Stars)

This was my welcome back to the series book after twenty-five years of doing the school, work, marriage, children and lots more work life. It had been on my list for a while and when I happened upon the collector’s edition I knew it was time. I must admit that it was a little odd seeing this book on a shelf without canned cream corn keeping it company.

n  Doing your own thing is the name of the game for Arthur until the universe happens again.n

This was my least favorite of all the books. The story wasn’t as entertaining, and I found myself putting it down to do other things. I can’t blame my rereading of the other’s first because devouring a book series in one gulp is kind of my thing. The characters were just as zany as before and I had zero complaints about the writing style. I think the fault was all in the plot and there just isn’t much you can do when that isn’t top notch.

Three stars to a book that is coming dangerously close to blending in with the canned cream corn at grandma’s house.


Young Zaphod Plays it Safe (3 Stars)

I was left wanting more after reading this. If this had been a full book and stayed on track with the path it was on I would have liked it more than the last two books in the series. It reminded me of how entertaining Zaphod could be and why he entertained me so in the first book. I'm torn on the rating because it was good but there wasn't enough there to satisfy me.

Three stars to a short story that make me want to throw canned cream corn at someone.

So, the bloke and I reread this together, one chapter a night, over many, many months. I read the first three in a mad rush as a teenager, consumed as most readers of Adams are by the sense that this writer understood me, my values, my sense of humour so perfectly that nothing would ever touch it. I waited with eager anticipation for each subsequent volume - rereading the first three so often my copies are falling apart and I can recite whole passages. I surprised myself with how much I liked the sly humour of Dirk Gently, but like many fans, felt that he should be dedicating his energies to the genius of HHGTTG. When he died, I was actually devastated - the first time a 'celebrity' death had hit me like that.
So it was a surprise upon rereading to discover that actually, I don't think the last two books are very good. The genius is strong with the first three, the zany and the clever and the 70s and the future all mixing perfectly into can't-read-cause-laughing-too-hard, but the tone shifts in the long gap between Life, the Universe and Everything and So Long and Thanks for All The Fish. The 80s introspection and celebration of mundanity creeps in, the books focus much more on Dent's inner life, and are not the better for it. Trillian inexplicably turns into a talk-show-host type figure, and the sense of each scene being a delight in itself falls away in relation to a more conventional moving through a plot, and the plot itself seems tired. They are still worth reading - moments of genius like Fenchurch and Arthur flying on Earth, pretty much anything with Ford and no Arthur, and Old Thrashbarg is a wonderful creation, but I found myself secretly relieved to get to the end. I wanted to go back to bloody marvellous Marvin, and two troopers arguing themselves to death, froody mattresses.
There is nothing in the world as good as the first three books in this series, I suspect, so I'm sticking to my five star rating. But I guess I suspect Dirk Gently was the real recipient of Adams more brilliant ideas of the 80s/90s.

Book 1: 5*
Book 2: 5*
Book 3: 5*
Book 4: 4*
Young Zaphod: 3*
Book 5: There’s a book 5?

It’s been 6 months since I started this with the intention of re-reading books 1-4 and reading YZ and Book 5 for the first time.

This was the first time I’ve ever done a proper re-read, and to be honest I didn’t find it to be a super compelling all the way through and with how little I like what I’ve read of Mostly Harmless I’m just going to throw in the towel. Maybe I’ll give MH another try at some point, but for the time being I’m done with Hitchhikers.

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!

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।