Customer Reviews

The Science of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Let's be honest: If you're a huge Douglas Adams fan (like I am), and have a strong interest in science (like I do), then you're going to buy this book (like I did). And if you're not into both Douglas Adams and science, then you probably have no desire to read this book anyway. So, my review isn't likely to sway anyone one way or the other. Nonetheless, for what it's worth, here is my impression of the book:

As a survey of contemporary scientific thinking on a variety of subjects, it's decent, though not especially impressive or original. If you're scientifically literate and keep up with developments in science and technology, then you're not going to find much in this book that you don't already know. Most of the information here is just a watered-down version of what you'd find in any of the other popular science books out there. It's written with a bit more wit and humor than most science books; but even this is not enough to give it an edge over the competition. And, for a book about the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" series, you'd expect more discussion of ideas from the Douglas Adams oeuvre than you actually find in this book. While it does frequently mention characters and events from "Hitchhiker's" in passing, and uses concepts from the series as launching points for a discussion of various scientific issues; you are left with the distinct impression that, if all of the "Hitchhiker's" references were deleted from the book, it wouldn't make that much of a difference.

To be fair, it is interesting in places (I enjoyed the chapters on teleportation and probability). But it just doesn't live up to the high standards set by similar books, such as "The Physics of Star Trek".

If you realize that the answer to all of life, the universe and everything else is '42' then you are well on your way to understanding everything there is to know. Certainly you will realize that this is the answer that the computer Deep Thought came up with after seeking the answer for seven and a half million years. And 42 is the answer to the ultimate question, but unfortunately we don't know what the ultimate question is. It may have something to do with the fact that 6 x 9 = 42 if you're doing your arithmetic with a base of 13.

If you've followed this, you're a Douglas Adams fan. (Do a Google search on 42 and you come up with about 143,000,000 references to 42.)

This book though isn't about 42 (well not very much), it's about the real science behind what Douglas Adams was writing about. He was a science writer, and at the time he was starting the series new information about the Big Bang, dark holes, multiple universes, quantum weirdness and serious debates on alien life first took on a real understanding. Mr. Adams used these theories and more, adjusted with a great deal of wit, to provide some basis for his stories. Mr. Hanlon is less witty, but gives the real science behind Mr. Adams stories. It's fascinating reading.

Michael Hanlon, one of Britain's most successful and respected science writers, presents The Science of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a fascinating and completely serious overview of the real science nestled between the witty humor Douglas Adams' classic science fiction novel, now a major motion picture. From discussions about alien life to the possibility of time travel, teleportation, theories behind parallel worlds, contemplations concerning the existence of God, The Science of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy reviews some of the most popular knowledge conundrums with a lighthearted wit and snappy satire worthy of its title. Written to be accessible to readers of all backgrounds - even those who have yet to page through The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - The Science of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a most entertaining and thought-provoking companion to Adams' immortal sci-fi comedy.

I love this book, I only wish that it won't be that short!
If you want a funny, but very in-depth discussion on some of the deepest physical topics, this is the one for you

This is a book about science - black holes, string theory, alien life. It could have been given any title - Science in Firefly, Science in Star Wars, Science in Star Trek - and the chapters would have been the same, with only a few paragraphs changed. Not saying it isn't a good book on science but it is only using the Guide to hook people into buying it. Get it used or from a library.

Douglas Adams is still sorely missed, five years after his untimely death, and more than forty years since we first met as young schoolboys in England.

This book was obviously aimed to coincide with the release of the movie, and to appeal to people who can never get enough of one of the funniest and most profound series of books of the last quarter century.

The book veers between the very general (his discussion about the prospects for a real Babel-fish), to the more specific, as when he talks about computing.

If you like the kind of articles that they run in Discover magazine or New Scientist, and if you get the allusions to The Guide, you will find a lot in here to enjoy.