Customer Reviews

So long and thanks for all the fish

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So Long, and Thanks For All the Fish, the fourth book in the Hitchhiker's "trilogy," is a much different read than the books preceding it. Gone are the skips and jumps from one galaxy and time to another, the almost constant evasions of certain death, the madcap hilarity that ensued whenever Zaphod, Ford, Trillian, Arthur, and Marvin got together (or split up), and the maddening pace of a well-told tale going happily along with little care whether or not the story ever approached an appropriately witty conclusion. This is basically the story of the young lady who figured out the secret of happiness just seconds before Earth was destroyed by a Vogon fleet preparing the way for a hyperspace bypass. It is also Arthur Dent's story. Sure, we got to now Arthur fairly well in the first three books, but he does spend an inordinate amount of time saying things like: What?, I don't understand, Is it possible to get a cup of tea? and That's it then, we're all going to die. Once you get him out of that well-traveled bathrobe, Arthur Dent turns out to be a real person-a little weird, of course, but real, rather complex, and surprisingly interesting nonetheless.

The story opens with Arthur's return to Earth. I know Earth has already been destroyed, but that's just a minor detail. Why and how Arthur returned is something of a mystery, but he is amazed to find that his home planet not only exists, but that no more than six or eight months have passed since he left suddenly eight years earlier. His readjustment to life back home makes for good reading, but what is really important is that hapless Arthur Dent soon falls in love; it happens at first sight, even though the enchanting Fenchurch is quite unconscious at the time. Lucky enough to accidentally meet her in a more lucid state, Arthur's rather feeble attempts to tell her how and why he is powerfully drawn to her surprisingly meet with some success. Then the type of thing that can only happen to Arthur Dent (or me, in all likelihood) separates the two soon-to-be lovebirds for some time. I found the description of Arthur's dysfunctional romance with Fenchurch to be as touching as it was humorous. Their entwined fates take them on a journey of discovery which culminates in their discovery of God's final message to Creation. Those who want the type of nonstop action found in the preceding books may be somewhat disappointed here. The pace is much slower, but the character development is rich and winsome. Zaphod fans will be disappointed by his total noninvolvement in this book. Ford makes only a glorified cameo appearance, while Marvin makes a brief but quite memorable return. I myself have a special affinity for this novel; unlike its more humorous predecessors this one seems important and meaningful. Additionally, you have to be happy for Arthur's unprecedented feeling of happiness in a universe he can verifiably assert to be quite off its rocker.

This book, the fourth in the increasingly inaccurately named Hitchhiker's Trilogy, is, hands down, the best. You probably wouldn't think that were true from reading some of the reviews on this page. However, I was astonished and amazed by what this volume had to offer.

For starters, if you read Douglas Adams just for the zaniness and offbeatness of it all, you may be disappointed by this novel. While those elements are not absent, they are severely toned down for this installment. The amazing thing, though, is that Adams manages to mix in his humor at all with a very touching romance and somewhat serious quest of rather epic (rather than episodic) proportion.

The best part about this novel is that it virtually almost entirely features Arthur, and that's it... at least out of the main characters. Ford shows up a bit, and Marvin is in the last chapter, but Zaphod and Trillian are missing, but don't worry, it hardly matters. Adams more than makes up for it by introducing a marvelous character named Fenchurch, who becomes a love interest for Arthur. A love interest for Arthur? Yes, you heard me correctly.

This book, in my mind, establishes Adams as a serious heavyweight. The levels of humor, romance, irony, wonder, and adventure are consistently high throughout, and one never detracts from the other. Besides, we finally get to take a really good look at Arthur (who had been shortchanged in the last two books), the most human character I believe I have ever encountered anywhere, and we get to see a bit of the earth, which Adams makes us realize is rather a funny place in itself.

Do not miss out on this book. Please. Read it for Arthur. Read it for Fenchurch. Read it for the Rain God. And definitely, definitely, read it for the most wonderful love scene ever written. Besides, if you make it to the end, you'll be rewarded with God's final message to His creation, written in letters of flame thirty feet high (quite the tourist attraction). It's worlds above all the others.

I've read the whole series, and though I never thought anything would beat the first one, I was wrong. So Long rounds out Arthur's character a bit, making him seem like less of a clod and more like a, well, man, though all of his delightful quirks are still in place. The absolute funniest scene of the series is in here (I won't spoil it, but you'll know it when you read it...think biscuits), and there's a love story to boot. In my opinion it was nice to see a little less of Zaphod and absolutely NONE of Trillion, who I couldn't stand, and though Arthur is clearly the focus Ford gets his fair share of limelight, though I do wish Marvin had been featured for more than the page or so he was on. All in all, this a great book, perhaps more slowly-paced than the rest, but it makes up for this in charm. I highly reccomend it (and I suggest anyone who likes this book skip Mostly Harmless).

People always astound me because I so rarely agree with them. At least, I disagree with a majority on so many important issues, such as just how good a novel So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish is. In my humble opinion, this is the best novel of the series. I love the rest of the novels in the trilogy (though I haven't read Mostly Harmless yet-most people hate it, so I'm sure I'll love it), but then there comes this fourth one. It has the humor of the earlier novels (and for me surpasses them), has superior narrative features, and has a surprisingly profound underlying philosophy.

In this one, Arthur Dent ends up back on Earth which had been destroyed in the first novel. Fate throws his life into contact with Fenchurch, a woman who senses that something on earth is wrong. She's something of a mystic and something of an angel. What follows is a surprisingly affecting love story and the two lovers' search for the meaning of life.

It's funny, it's romantic, and it's profound. Don't ever think of The Hitchhikers series as simply escapist literature but do enjoy it. This is a great series, and contrary to what a lot of other people say (many of them smarter than me), this is definitely the best novel in the series.

This is the fourth volume in the Hitchhiker's Trilogy and it is just as good as the first three books of this increasingly inaccurately named trilogy. Douglas Adams brings Arthur Dent back to Earth after a long trip hitchhiking across the universe. Yes, Arthur Dent is back on the same Earth that was destroyed by the Vogons to make an intergalactic highway. Exactly how the Earth and all of its original inhabitants are recreated is teased and hinted at and if you pay attention to what you're reading you'll easily figure out why (more why, than how).

Arthur Dent is back on Earth and pretty confused as to exactly how there is an Earth to be back on. Throughout this novel we learn that all the dolphins are gone (which is old news and no longer newsworthy), and we meet a Rain God, find out what God's Final Message to Creation is, revisit Marvin the robot, and find out that Arthur finds love with a woman named Fenchurch. That's a whole lot to fit into one book. On top of that, we have levitation, a small house that walled in the entire ocean, Ford Prefect, and the world's stupidest dog. All of this is handled with the offbeat humor that we expect from The Hitchhiker's Trilogy.

This novel, for a change, focuses on Arthur Dent and takes place almost entirely on Earth. In this way, it is different from the Universe hopping we got in the first three novels. In both quality and content, this is a worthy addition to Douglas Adam's Hitchhiker's Trilogy.

As the fourth book in the Hitchhiker "trilogy", this is a great novel and a step up from Life, The Universe, and Everything in quality. It starts off very funny, and the first couple of chapters are some of the most hilarous in the series, but gradually the humor slips away (for the most part), and though it is present, the central bit of the plot is, believe it or not, a love story. And a very good one, too. This change from the normal pace of the series makes the book a joy to read, and you'll probably zip through it pretty quickly. Definately read the previous books in this series first, for continuity and coherence (even though it more or less stands on it's own.) The first two books in the series were comedic masterpieces, but the third book started to slow somewhat... So Long, and Thanks For All The Fish is however, an excellent book, and a return to greatness for the series.

If you just finished the first three books in the trilogy and are looking for more of the zany humor that is their trademark, you should read Mostly Harmless. So Long and Thanks for All the Fish will only confuse you. It's an excellent book- my favorite in the trilogy- but it lacks the same intense weirdness such as in "Restraunt at the End of the Universe." It has a more terrestrial feel than the others. Which isn't to say that Adams has no sense of humor in this book- it's just a little less obvious. Read the scene in the pub, and you'll get it.

Oh, Douglas Adams! What humor! It's been a really really long time since I read him, and I honestly don't remember which books in the Hitch-Hiker trilogy I've read. However, I recently picked up "So Long, and Thanks..." without much trouble. I knew I was missing some references and character development, but it seemed like I could gather enough threads in this random plot to get a gist of his story.

The basic idea of "So Long, and Thanks..." is that Ford Prefect and Arthur Dent both suddenly realize that earth still appears to exist - even though last they knew it was to be demolished for a hyper-space bypass. Neither understands, but both hitch-hike their way back there (er, here) to check it out.

While Prefect gets hung up along the way nabbing free meals, fighting aliens, and setting up inane pranks, Dent makes it back to England fairly quickly. As he walks towards his home, which he hasn't been to in roughly 8 years and a bizillion miles, he hears the phone ringing and so rushes into his house to get it. Just as he picks up the receiver, it stops ringing. And so begins his adventures back on his own planet.

From there, you roughly stay with Dent as he settles back in on eart, falls in love, and reconciles the past 30 years of his life. He meets Wonko the Sane, who really does seem quite sane, and learns what happened to all the dolphins. He finishes this installment with a journey to see God's final message to his creation. It probably took guts for Adams to come up with something that's supposed to be God's final message, but he pulls it off quite well.

Overall, I would say that Adam's story-telling nature seems to be so erratic, so creative, so outside the normal bounds that you get transported to another dimension in reading his work. Even though most of this story takes place on earth, you begin to see physics, dolphins and junk mail in a whole new light. You feel witty just catching on to his allusions and subtle writing quirks. For instance,
"["The Hitch Hiker's Guide"] is, essentially, as the title implies, a guide book. The problem is, or rather one of the problems, for there are many, a sizeable proportion of which are continually clogging up the civil, commercial and criminal courts in all areas of the Galaxy, and especially, where possibly, the more corrupt ones, this.
The previous sentence makes sense. That is not the problem. The problem is: Change. Read it through again and you will get it. The Galaxy is a rapidly changing place..."

If you are looking for a good laugh and/or a good escape that essentially deals with the questions of your own world, this book would be a good fit.

By far, my favorite book in the Hitchhiker's series. It provided a different, almost dark feeling, and to me, a perfect conclusion to the series. (Ignoreing "Mostly Harmless"'s existence") This is Adams at his best, pouring out rip-roaring lines, social commentary, and a wonderfully fun, innovative, and thought-provoking read. May his work live on.

Although this book contained one of the funniest parts in the series it did not live up to the standards set by earlier books. Adams still comes through with a few humorous points but it is not his best work.

One of the most hilarious parts in the Series was god's last message to his creation.