The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, 25th Anniversary Edition by Douglas Adams Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, 25th Anniversary Edition
Book Review: Very Funny
Summary: 4 Stars
This is definitely one of the funniest books I've ever read. The jokes in this book are well executed, and some are the punchline to the whole book. It's pretty short, so if you're a regular reader, you'll finish it in probably less than a week at most, but it's definitely worth its hardcover. Great book.Book Review: Great book, terrible formatting
Summary: 3 Stars
I absolutely love the book, the writing, the humor and the story. If you are buying this in Kindle format, beware: the formatting was done from a previous electronic copy of the book and wasn't proofread before they sold it on Amazon, so there are words without spaces between them and hyphenated words that at@one time split lines but no longer do. Still readable, but pretty irritating, especially for a book that you are paying the equivilant of a new paperback for...Book Review: funny and thought-provoking
Summary: 5 Stars
This one I read in one afternoon. Very unconcerned about its own ridiculousness which is what I enjoy about British humor. Very refreshing to be able to laugh and be provoked to thought at the same time. As though the literary equivalent to a Monty Python sketch. Great stuff.Book Review: The Answer to Everything is.....
Summary: 4 Stars
Arthur Dent is a more or less normal English chap who is currently occupied with protesting the imminent destruction of his house for the purpose of constructing a bypass. Arthur's friend, Ford Prefect, has still bigger concerns. Unbeknownst to Arthur or anyone else, Ford is actually an alien (albeit a humanoid one) who has been basically stranded on Earth for the last 15 years. Ford's original aim was to spend a couple of weeks gathering information about Earth in order to update the book for which he is a roving researcher. The book in question is, of course, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." However, the time for leaving is well-nigh and Ford takes Arthur along thereby saving him from a fate worse than domicile demolition.
As they travel throughout space, the duo meets several interesting life forms and learns a variety of shocking facts. For example, Arthur learns that humans were only the third most intelligent form of life on Earth. Eventually, they even learn the answer to the "Great question of Life, the Universe and Everything."
I had some initial trepidation about reading this novel since its reputation has most certainly preceded it. I find that it's often easy to be disappointed by "cult classics." However, this story has reached such a wide audience, that it can no longer really be considered "cult." There is indeed a Vonnegut-like quality to much of this novel. Anyone who has read "Slaughterhouse Five" will certainly recognize a stylistic similarity. Early in the book we are introduced to an alien race called the Vogons. We are told that on their planet "elegant gazellelike" creatures existed that the Vogons would catch and sit upon. It is then explained that "They were no use as transport because their backs would snap instantly, but the Vogons would sit on them anyway." Aside from some dated cracks about digital watches, this book is leavened with humor that generally stands the test of time. The brevity as well as the fact that it takes neither itself nor science fiction too seriously makes this a book worth reading and accessible to those who wouldn't think of picking up anything written by Arthur C. Clarke or watching a Star Trek re-run.
Book Review: Two editions for Kindle
Summary: 5 Stars
One is cheaper than the other but contains many many typos. There are two just in the downloadable sample so beware. The bad edition is published by Del Rey for $6.39.