-
Welcome
to BookAndReader! We LOVE books and hope you'll join us in sharing your favorites and experiences along with your love of reading with our community. Registering for our site is free and easy, just CLICK HERE!
Already a member and forgot your password? Click here.
Douglas Adams: The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
- Thread starter Wabbit
- Start date
Litany
Active Member
I've never heard the radio show, but I did watch the tv series when I was a kiddie. It was cheap, cheesy and badly acted. Oh, how I loved it. It fitted perfectly with the spirit of the books. But it only went as far as providing the answer to life, the universe and everything and then stopped.
Ich kämpfe
New Member
They are great books, I find myself reading them over and over and over again!
beer good
Well-Known Member
I thought it was about time for another re-read of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy - it's been a few years, but I always love revisiting these books. So when I managed to track down Douglas Adams own recording of them (apparently, only released on cassette? Thank Bob for the internet) I figured I'd make it my first extensive shot at listening to an audiobook.
And I'm far from convinced about the format. DNA does a great job as a narrator, adding just enough dramatisation and sound effects without turning it all into radio theatre, but... I dunno, I'm glad I know these books by heart; I'm not used to focussing that way, and I frequently found myself having to "rewind" the mp3 since I realised I hadn't been paying attention for the last half chapter. I think I'll stick with paper for now.
As for the five books in the trilogy themselves...
The story so far:
In the beginning the Universe was created.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is the book that got it all started, and is still just as much fun as the first time I read it about 20 years ago. It positively explodes with ideas, a low-budget take on sci-fi where the author seems just as gleefully caught up as his characters in the plot of the destruction of the earth and a few of its inhabitants heading out among the stars with its wacky aliens, armed only with a towel, a babelfish and the intergalactic encyclopedia of the book's title. It's funny, it's silly, it's off the wall, but it's never stupid; Adams thought this through, and not only does he have no problem making fun of rather serious subjects, but he takes care to understand them as well. Plus, great set of characters, and it's nice to finally get the answer to the eternal question of life, the universe, and everything (if you're one of the five people left on Earth who don't already know, the answer is "42.")
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe; Adams once pointed out that he wrote the first book while broke, so it's about hitch-hiking; it made him rich, so the next book is about a luxury restaurant. Well, that and a galaxy-wide conspiracy to hide who is really the ruler of the universe, and the secret story of how human life evolved on Earth (it involves a dirty telephone, a swamp, and a game of scrabble). Even if it tends to be more of the same, it's a good kind of same and Adams continues to make a great job of sweetening any serious points he brings up with so much humour that you barely even notice them... barely.
Life, the Universe and Everything is more plot-driven than its predecessors, dealing with our heroes trying to stop the re-emergence of an ancient war that almost destroyed the galaxy (and also explains why everyone outside the British empire - including the rest of the universe - considers cricket not only ridiculous but also deeply offensive). But of course, the plot and the somewhat overdone xenophobia theme doesn't stop Adams from unleashing the same torrent of sideplots, backstories, expositions and general wackiness as in the previous books. I mean, the book introduces the Silastic Armourfiends of Striterax, a race of warriors so fierce and eternally pissed off they make the Daleks look like labrador puppies.
And then Arthur Dent comes back home. So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish is a pretty radical departure from the first three books, not just because it mostly takes place on Earth (yes, the Earth that was destroyed in the first book, and this is several years later) but also in that it's really more of a philosophical love story than a philosophical sci-fi romp. Tying back to the introduction of the first book, SLaTfAtF relies more on Adams' ability to create likable characters than his ability to come up with crazy alien species. Fortunately, he's good at that and even if it doesn't quite live up to what it could have been, it's a good sort of different. Plus, it has one of the most adorable sex scenes I've ever come across, and the perfect ending for Marvin the Paranoid Android.
Finally, Mostly Harmless remains a disappointment. There are hints that it's probably the most explicitly idea-driven of the books, tackling themes like rationality vs superstition without being afraid of taking it all to a rather dark conclusion. And normally, I have no problem with pessimism. Unfortunately, the actual book is not only mostly unfunny, it's also mostly incoherent, badly paced (loooooong stretches where nothing happens up until everything happens at once on the last 30 pages) with little of the imagination of the previous books. Adams handwaves some of the best characters out of the story with nary a mention and brings in a new one who only serves as a pure (and unconvincing) plot device, and the end, while gutsy, just comes across as Adams being bored with his creation and wanting rid of it.
And I'm far from convinced about the format. DNA does a great job as a narrator, adding just enough dramatisation and sound effects without turning it all into radio theatre, but... I dunno, I'm glad I know these books by heart; I'm not used to focussing that way, and I frequently found myself having to "rewind" the mp3 since I realised I hadn't been paying attention for the last half chapter. I think I'll stick with paper for now.
As for the five books in the trilogy themselves...
The story so far:
In the beginning the Universe was created.
This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is the book that got it all started, and is still just as much fun as the first time I read it about 20 years ago. It positively explodes with ideas, a low-budget take on sci-fi where the author seems just as gleefully caught up as his characters in the plot of the destruction of the earth and a few of its inhabitants heading out among the stars with its wacky aliens, armed only with a towel, a babelfish and the intergalactic encyclopedia of the book's title. It's funny, it's silly, it's off the wall, but it's never stupid; Adams thought this through, and not only does he have no problem making fun of rather serious subjects, but he takes care to understand them as well. Plus, great set of characters, and it's nice to finally get the answer to the eternal question of life, the universe, and everything (if you're one of the five people left on Earth who don't already know, the answer is "42.")
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe; Adams once pointed out that he wrote the first book while broke, so it's about hitch-hiking; it made him rich, so the next book is about a luxury restaurant. Well, that and a galaxy-wide conspiracy to hide who is really the ruler of the universe, and the secret story of how human life evolved on Earth (it involves a dirty telephone, a swamp, and a game of scrabble). Even if it tends to be more of the same, it's a good kind of same and Adams continues to make a great job of sweetening any serious points he brings up with so much humour that you barely even notice them... barely.
Life, the Universe and Everything is more plot-driven than its predecessors, dealing with our heroes trying to stop the re-emergence of an ancient war that almost destroyed the galaxy (and also explains why everyone outside the British empire - including the rest of the universe - considers cricket not only ridiculous but also deeply offensive). But of course, the plot and the somewhat overdone xenophobia theme doesn't stop Adams from unleashing the same torrent of sideplots, backstories, expositions and general wackiness as in the previous books. I mean, the book introduces the Silastic Armourfiends of Striterax, a race of warriors so fierce and eternally pissed off they make the Daleks look like labrador puppies.
And then Arthur Dent comes back home. So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish is a pretty radical departure from the first three books, not just because it mostly takes place on Earth (yes, the Earth that was destroyed in the first book, and this is several years later) but also in that it's really more of a philosophical love story than a philosophical sci-fi romp. Tying back to the introduction of the first book, SLaTfAtF relies more on Adams' ability to create likable characters than his ability to come up with crazy alien species. Fortunately, he's good at that and even if it doesn't quite live up to what it could have been, it's a good sort of different. Plus, it has one of the most adorable sex scenes I've ever come across, and the perfect ending for Marvin the Paranoid Android.
Finally, Mostly Harmless remains a disappointment. There are hints that it's probably the most explicitly idea-driven of the books, tackling themes like rationality vs superstition without being afraid of taking it all to a rather dark conclusion. And normally, I have no problem with pessimism. Unfortunately, the actual book is not only mostly unfunny, it's also mostly incoherent, badly paced (loooooong stretches where nothing happens up until everything happens at once on the last 30 pages) with little of the imagination of the previous books. Adams handwaves some of the best characters out of the story with nary a mention and brings in a new one who only serves as a pure (and unconvincing) plot device, and the end, while gutsy, just comes across as Adams being bored with his creation and wanting rid of it.
God's last message to creation said:
Libra6Poe
New Member
?Hitchhiker?s Guide? series to hitch new ride - TODAY: Books - Today.msnbc.com
What do y'all think? I've never read anything by Colfer and as far as the series goes, I started on Restaurant four (three?) years ago but never finished. I liked Hitchhiker's Guide a lot and from what I read of Restaurant - it was looking good, but I got distracted and ultimately lost interest.
MagnaMater
kickbox
I liked the hitchhiker's very much, but Dirk Gently even more. He seemed to own a fridge similar to mine... I was impressed, when a god came out... I'm still waiting for mine to give birth to a lifeform aside mould...
I have read like all five/six book in that trilogy lol, one of the few series that made me laugh like every time I picked up a book. But it's also a series that you can't really read in public, cause I feel weird just sitting there reading and laughing hysterically. You get weird looks that way.
My favorite is when he learns to fly by throwing himself at the ground and missing. And then he has sex in the sky.
My favorite is when he learns to fly by throwing himself at the ground and missing. And then he has sex in the sky.
OMG I love those books too! If I ever get lost I'll just follow people who look like they know where they're going because of Dirk Gently. It's worked every time.
dele
New Member
My favorite is when he learns to fly by throwing himself at the ground and missing. And then he has sex in the sky.
I love these books too! Douglas Adams is so imaginative and just so funny! I bought the Dirk Gently books a few months ago, but I still haven't gotten around to reading them yet.
LinRobinson
New Member
So is there anything else out there for Hitchhiker fans to read? Anything similar that might fill the void?
The only thing I can think of is the Illuminatus trilogy, but its humor is much harder-edged and less charming.
Hope somebody knows some others.
The only thing I can think of is the Illuminatus trilogy, but its humor is much harder-edged and less charming.
Hope somebody knows some others.
MagnaMater
kickbox
A plaster to patch up the gap that has been torn?
There's noone like Douglas Adams, but if you liked his weird humor, you might find Jasper Fford entertaining, or Terry Pratchett, who's always worth his money... - ah, and I forgot Neil Gaiman...
There's noone like Douglas Adams, but if you liked his weird humor, you might find Jasper Fford entertaining, or Terry Pratchett, who's always worth his money... - ah, and I forgot Neil Gaiman...