Don't Panic

I only give it less than four stars because it's so short and a bit disjointed. A throughly funny read, however, and well worth picking up, it should be rated four and three quarters or so.

I read it again so I could go see the movie with the novel freshly on my mind. The last time I read the story was many years ago, and I have heard it as a book on tape (which was really good too).

The humor is definately more clear as an older adult, if you read this book back in the eighties, like I did, and haven't read it since, it's time to pick it up again. It's not long and can be read in a few hours, it's worth a few laughs and at the very least will prepare you to see the movie that just came out.

Cheers, and thanks for all the fish.

This Book Wasn't The Best Book I've Read

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy written by Douglas Adams wasn't the best book I've read. This book was very confusing in many ways. Things happen a little to fast and then it gets confusing. Like when all of the sudden the earth blows up. It doesn't really explain why. Also, it has a lot of bizarre names and characters. If you're a person who likes nice simple books that puts everything out for you this isn't the book for you. A lot of things didn't make any sense. There were some real names of things such as McDonald's and London etc. Mostly made up like the Infinite Improbability Drive and the species in the galaxy.
The Basic summary of the book is a person from Earth named Arthur Dent is rescued by a weird alien named Ford Prefect. He is rescued because Earth is disinagrating or overheating. They escape on a Vogon ship which they get shot out of an airlock into space. Then the President of the galaxy named Zaphod Beeblebrox, ship rescues them, and the they meet a very depressed robot named Martin. The title comes from a book in the story called The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. It basically gives them tips along the way. There is some humor in this book. Mostly in the guide. Like Ford has a towel in his satchel all the time for various things. It says it in the guide too.
This book wasn't the greatest thing I've read, I give it two stars. I am being a little generous. I am mostly giving this rating because it was confusing, not very exciting, didn't grab my attention, and it wasn't very clear on things. I liked it for the two stars because it kinda reminded me of Star Wars. I don't know why but it did. It was a sci-fi book that's probably why. I do not recommend this book.

The Guide Revisited

I was inspired to read the book when I saw the movie. I have not read the book since I was in high school, so I was very interested in seeing what would seem different. I was very, very surprised at the difference. What had been an amusing, but hardly nerve-shatteringly funny, was transformed into a very funny book indeed.

The success in Adam's skills in seeing completely normal human life from a totally alien perspective is amazing. It is something that has been exceptionally noticeable the second time around. For example, the way in which mice were conducting experiments on humans and Slartibartfast marvelling at their genius in doing so.

The book also takes a keen stab at human nature and our foibles in more than one way. From God "vanishing in a puff of logic" to "pan-dimensional beings" trying to find the answer to life, the universe and everything, and then finding that they needed to work out the question to the answer. Confused? So were the "pan-dimensional beings".

All in all, "The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy" is a genius in comic, Monty-Pythonesque humour mixed with healthy doses of sci-fi. Even if you have read it before, it will entertain you for another run through it. I loved every part of it, and don't wonder that it is a classic.