From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. American readers may not be aware that Adams's sci-fi parody classic started out as a BBC radio production. This audio, which contains a portion of that radio serial, will have listeners glued to their CD players. Never a dull moment passes in this uproarious dramatization, as Arthur Dent—a refugee from Earth, which was destroyed to make way for a galactic freeway—escapes from prehistory, and self-imposed insanity, on a time-traveling sofa along with his alien friend, Ford Prefect, who is a reporter for the eponymous guide. The pair find themselves reunited with old friends (such as Zaphod Beeblebrox, the two-headed president of the galaxy) and swept up in an attempt to stop the explosively xenophobic denizens of the planet Cricket from wreaking havoc on all of existence by behaving remarkably like players of the British sport of the same name. Each CD contains two episodes full of hilariously appropriate sound effects, dramatic music and witty fake advertising, and every performer brings his or her character to life with aplomb, including Adams, who makes his appearance in one scene as Agrajag, an entity that is killed and reincarnated innumerable times. Fully embodying the zany otherworldliness of the series, this audio production is a treat for anyone familiar with the Hitchhiker's books (the first of which will debut as a major motion picture from Touchstone in May).
(Apr.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From AudioFile
It's been more than a quarter century since Douglas Adams's original radio series was first broadcast. In the able hands of director Dirk Maggs, Adams's third novel about Arthur Dent, LIFE, THE UNIVERSE, AND EVERYTHING, has been adapted as a radio drama and brought to life with most of the original cast from the first two series. Simon Jones reprises his role as the chronically disgruntled Arthur Dent, an earthman cast about in time and space when the earth is destroyed. Geoffrey McGivern is back as the easy-going Ford Prefect, and Mark Wing-Davey is the two-headed hipster, Zaphod Beeblebrox. Fans will be pleased by the return of Susan Sheridan as Trillian, who was conspicuously absent from the second series. Even Douglas Adams, who passed away in 2001, makes an appearance as the continuously reincarnated Agrajag. Through the wonders of digital sound editing, dialogue from an audiobook version of LIFE, THE UNIVERSE, AND EVERTHING read by Adams was seamlessly spliced in, along with Simon Jones reading Arthur Dent's parts. Roger Gregg of Crazy Dog Audio Theatre plays Eddie the Shipboard Computer, giving a cheerful counterpoint to Stephen Moore's hilariously depressing Marvin the Paranoid Android. All in all, a delightfully manic treat. S.E.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine--
Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
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