The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Quandary Phase [Audiobook, CD, Unabridged] [Audio CD]

BBC Radio Cast (Author), Douglas Adams (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 25, 2005

Many are familiar with Douglas Adams's classic Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, but few know that these books started out as a multi-part series performed on BBC radio. This installment, part four, is a robust radio dramatization of So Long and Thanks for All the Fish. The Earth has miraculously reappeared and Arthur Dent is in love with the otherworldly Fenchurch, but Ford Prefect has an idea that might burst Arthur’s happy little bubble. What is really going on with Arthur’s dream girl, where have all the dolphins gone, and what was their departing message to mankind?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This quick little addition to the series, far more subdued than the previous "phase," is paradoxically a better introduction for newcomers to Adams's often imitated brand of satire. Arthur Dent, the series' protagonist and straight man, returns home to a destroyed and rebuilt Earth (identical to the one he left but for the lack of dolphins) and promptly falls in love. The object of his clumsy affections is Fenchurch, a young woman who had been on the verge of comprehending the secret to eternal contentment when Earth was destroyed. In order to recover her lost revelation, Fenchurch and Arthur (and some of his old hitchhiking friends) seek out God's final message to his creation, written in fire on the top of a mountain in a distant part of the galaxy. The story is straightforward by series standards and depends little on previous (and, as yet, unreleased) episodes of the radio program; the humor is decidedly low-key and the running time surprisingly short. All of this allows easy access for first timers, but won't leave a big impression on fans, especially after the promise of the perfectly zany Tertiary Phase. (Nov.)
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From AudioFile

Based on SO LONG AND THANKS FOR ALL THE FISH, this BBC production follows Arthur Dent, the last survivor of Earth, who has discovered that humanity has merely been relocated to an alternate Earth. After getting the hang of traveling the universe, Dent returns to Earth to resume his life, but, of course, the universe is never that simple. This episodic radio comedy certainly delivers the continuity of the original series from the 1970s. Simon Jones masterfully reprises his role as Dent as if 25 years hadn't passed. With other voices from the original and slightly updated sound effects, this audiobook delivers all the guilty pleasures that made this series popular so long ago. L.E. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America; Dramatization edition (October 25, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572704888
• ISBN-13: 978-1572704886
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #699,504 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Arthur Dent falls in love after re-discovering Earth, April 19, 2006

By 

D. Donovan, Editor/Sr. Reviewer "California B... (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Quandary Phase (Audio CD)

Douglas Adams' THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY: QUANDARY PHASE provides 4 episodes on 2 cds as it returns with a new, full-cast dramatization of SO LONG AND THANKS FOR ALL THE FISH, the fourth book in Adams' 'trilogy in five parts'. The Earth has reappeared, Arthur Dent has found it, and all seems well - until he falls in love. You can't go wrong backed with a full-cast performance from the BBC.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Quandary Phase *indeed*!, December 27, 2005

By 

James Wu (Boston, MA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Quandary Phase (Audio CD)

Hi there! Don't panic, I'm just going to give you enough information to tell you that, if you already own the primary, secondary, and tertiary phases of this, as I do, then you're going to want this, *but* be advised that this is probably the weakest of the sets so far, which is why I'm only giving it four stars instead of five.

Also, you ought to know that, unlike the first three sets, this one is only two discs, or four episodes, long, and that the person credited as "Christian Slater" is not really Christian Slater, but instead . . . Well, if you're a fan of audiobooks as I am, you'll recognize his voice instantly. He's actually very well cast, since he is in fact in California, and his initials are . . . Actually, his initials would give the whole game away. So I won't tell you that either. But he's done a lot of readings of his own work, and recently, he's done a lot of other readings also, for authors as disparate as Ursula K. LeGuin and Orson Scott Card. There. So now you should know.

I'm certainly glad that "they" decided to finally finish this series, even though poor Douglas Adams has been gone for so very long now. And also, I'm rather astonished that not only Jane Horrocks (a personal favorite of mine) but also Bill Patterson and Stephen Fry would join in on the fun. I'm glad to have gotten this, and look forward to the exciting conclusion (even though, of course, I've already read the books)!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great, but not as good as the book., May 7, 2010

By 

Miguel A Spain "The worst reviewer in the 29t... (Arnold Pa USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Quandary Phase (Audio CD)

I'll keep this one short.
This is simply an adaptation of So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish
This adaptation for some reason doesn't sound as good as Tertiary phase, but it did pretty well.
It starts when Arthur is going back to earth, and Ford is gone after the events on Krikket, and he is surprised to see that earth is still there, and better yet not to long after he left(just about a year)
The acting was alright, but the only supporting actor I really like was the actor who played Rob McKenna.
If you are a HUGE fan of the series I recommend listening to this, but if you're just a normal fan, and have already read the book, it isn't necessary.