Customer Reviews

The Universe of Douglas Adams: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy/the Restaurant at the End of the Universe/Life, the Universe and Everything/So Long and Thanks for All the Fish

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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy represents some of the most original, funny, spellbinding material that I've ever read. The first book contains the most creativity, but the least linearity because of the original format (radio shows). The second and third take off from there and create a crescendo of momentum that I wasn't able to put down (I quite literally read all 5 books within a few days time). The last couple of books might be the weakest, but that's mainly because they must follow such incredible prequels. I cannot overemphasize the entertainment that this series offers. The Hitchhiker's Guide represents a true genre-bursting collection. While at first glance these books might seem to appeal mainly to science fiction readers, they actually have very little in common with sci-fi and readers wishing for a sci-fi environment and story may not find what they expect. These books should appeal to any reader, but those old enough to recall some of the 1980's will especially be able to understand the author's period and setting.

If you have ever in your life laughed, or told a joke, then you will love this series. The improbable is not only possible here . . we use it as fuel. Follow the antics of Adams' zany characters and the very regular Arthur Dent as they try to find the question to the ultimate answer to Life!

This is by far my favorite book of all time. On the surface, it is an amazingly funny and completely irreverent story... in the style of Monty Python, the plot goes nowhere, but has fun getting there. If you want more than a novel that makes you laugh out loud, if you aren't satisfied with simple goofiness, look deeper... you'll find parodies of everything from beauracracy to organized religion, all sharp enough to get the point across but gentle enough not to offend. Adams is a truly gifted novelist. So grab a towel, hitch a ride with a vogon and, whatever you do, DON'T PANIC!!

I must agree with Todd on Adams writing in "right angles to reality".
If you're not sure whether this book is for you, read the foreword. In those first pages, I was immediately hooked on his crazy humour, senseless wit (?) and page-turning action. This book made my stomach ache with laughter many times! I can't wait to get my hands on the radio play cd's.

An exceptional book, very very funny, and very hard to stop reading once started. I wish I had read it years earlier.

Douglas Adams writes "at right angles to reality" with this series of books. His imagination is extraordinary. He created a wonderful universe filled not only with unusual science fiction, but also the most outrageous humor. AND, you get one spare universe in a suitcase if you buy this one!!! Leave your sanity behind and don't forget your towel, your Babel fish, your sub-ether senso-matic electronic hitching thumb, and save yourself 17-1/2 million years by remembering the number "42"!

Within each book lies a piece of the entire story, which delves into the depths of the human psyche. Douglass Adams used the universe and Earth as microcosms for human life--our problems and obsurdities. Since reading the book, my views on life have changed dramatically and have had me constantly wondering about extra-terrestrial life forms.

Arthur Dent was an insignificant man--until the earth blew up and he becomes the last human being alive in the entire universe. He explores the universe, other forms of earth, meets new life forms, yet starves for his home in England.

This has to be one of the best books ever written!

One of the greatest Sci-Fi series of all time. Adams spins an amazingly twisted story of hitchhiking through the Universe. A wonderful and imaginative series that will have you guessing at every turn with the most improbable outcomes. This is a must read for every Sci-Fi fan!

The increasingly inaccuratly named Hitchhiker's trilogy (5 books) is the absolute best series I've ever read. I love the characters, plots, and surprises that come in along the way. If you can't travel through time and space on your own, it's worth the time to hitchhike along with Douglas Adams on this wild ride. I recommend these books for everyone - I (obviously) think they're great!!!

One of the greatest Sci-fi comedies ever. Douglas Adams tells about the sole survivor of the destruction of Earth and his alien hitchhiker friend as they travel through the universe