Arthur Dent is your normal human being, and so he naturally is more concerned about his house being knocked down than facing the fact that the world is about to end. His friend Ford Prefect, he comes to learn, is actually a researcher from a planet somewhere in the vicinity of Betelgeuse, but before he can even begin to comprehend this fact, he finds himself zipped up into the confines of the Vogon space cruiser that has just destroyed the planet Earth. Things become even trickier for him when he discovers the great usefulness of sticking a Babel fish into his ear and then meets the singular President of the Galaxy Zaphod Beeblebrox and his shipmate Trillian, both of whom Arthur actually met months before at a party. Such impossible coincidences are explained by the fact that Beeblebrox's ship is powered by the new Infinite Improbability Drive. Dent grows more and more confused during his travels on board the Heart of Gold, and the story eventually culminates with an amazing visit to an astronomically improbable world.

Much of the humor here is impossible to describe; this novel must be read to be appreciated. It seems like every single line holds a joke of some kind within it. The characters are also terrific: the unfortunate Arthur Dent, who basically has no idea what is going on; Ford Prefect, Arthur's remarkable friend from Betelgeuse; Zaphod Beeblebrox, with his two heads, three arms, and cavalier attitude; Trillian the lovely Earth girl who basically flies the Heart of Gold; Slartibartfast the planet builder and fjord-make extraordinaire; and my favorite character of all, Marvin the eternally depressed robot. Life-"loathe it or ignore it, you can't like it" is the Paranoid Android's philosophy. One brilliant thing that Adams does is to step away from the action every so often to present interesting facts about the universe as recorded in the Hitchhiker's Guide; here we learn about Vogon poetry, the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal, Trans Galactic Gargle Blasters, and other fascinating tidbits about life in the crazy universe Adams created. He even gives the reader the ultimate answer to the question of Life, the Universe, and Everything in these pages.

This novel is just an amazingly hilarious read that will leave you yearning for more; to our great fortune, Adams indeed left us more in the form of four subsequent books in the Hitchhiker's "trilogy." If you don't like science fiction, it doesn't matter; read this book just for the laughs. The most amazing thing about Adams' humor is the fact that everyone seems to "get" it. Adams broke all the rules in writing a novel quite unlike any that had come before it, and he succeeded in spades. This may well be the funniest novel ever written.


Be ready to meet the mice ;)   December 29, 2004
 37 out of 42 found this review helpful

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" is a thoroughly strange book, that at the same time is oddly charming. It starts in a really weird way, with the demolition of Earth (yes, our planet) in order to build a interestellar highway. Only one man survives the end of our world: an Englishman, Arthur Dent. Arthur is saved from sure death by one of his friends, Ford Prefect, that also happened to be an alien doing some research for "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" (an electronic book that "tells you everything you need to know about anything", and that specially highlights the need for a towel).

Ford got a lift for them with a Vogon spaceship, where they would soon be subjected to a danger worse than death: Vogon poetry. Anyway, as nothing bad last forever, there were soon ejected into space to suffer certain and painful death, only to be rescued again just in time to begin their adventures.

Both Ford and Arthur are interesting characters, but I found Arthur's whining particularly funny. For example, and in his own words to Ford: "you are talking about a positive mental attitude and you haven't even had your planet demolished today. I woke up this morning and thought I'd have a nice relaxed day, do a bit of reading, brush the dog... It is now just after four in the afternoon and I am already being thrown out of an alien spaceship six light-years from the smoking remains of the Earth!".

There are other characters and things you will find interesting, like an eternally depressed robot (life, "loathe it or ignore it, you can't like it"), Zaphod Beeblebrox, and the Babel fish (capable of translating any language in the galaxy if you put them in your ear). There are also some scenes that appear out of the blue, but that are quite enchanting. For instance "Arthur blinked at the screens and felt he was missing something important. Suddenly he realized what it was. - Is there any tea on this spaceship?-he said".

On the whole, I highly recommend this book. Its premise is extremely original, and you will have lots of fun reading it. If you can, buy it know, and be ready to meet the mice * :)

Belen Alcat (* = you will understand that phrase only after reading this book!!!)



So Long Douglas, and thanks for all the laughs.   May 15, 2001
 30 out of 31 found this review helpful

With the passing of Douglas Adams on Friday 5/11/2001, I picked up this book after quite a number of years and gave it a good ol' read....and you know what... this novel will forever be poignant, witty and downright entertaining. I laughed all over again. I mean, I really laughed. I'm going to miss Douglas.

Douglas wasn't just at the forefront of comedy-sci-fi....he basically created the genre. My only regret, along with quite a number of fans, is that we shall never again relish in the adventures of Arthur Dent and the gang. No more Vogon poetry. No more Pan Galactic Gargleblasters. No more Babel fish. No more tongue-twisting names. Therein lies the real shame.

New readers to Douglas Adams, take heart! Each of the novels that make up this series are all fantastic tales! If you own a copy of Hitchhiker's, you hold in your hands a classic! Cherish it always and read it as it was intended.... as a truly light-hearted romp through the cosmos.

Take a look at some of the reviews listed here. Over four hundred people can't be wrong. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is without a doubt one of the greatest books of all time by a quirky and innovative author. (We'll just have to forgive him for wearing a digital watch.)

Thank-you Douglas for the fun and adventures. You were one of a kind. May we one day meet at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe. The first round's one me. I'll bring the towel.

A classic. A gem. You must own this novel.


Guide to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy   October 10, 2000
 23 out of 24 found this review helpful

In The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams uses humor and sarcasm against a backdrop of science fiction to create a comic masterpiece. The main character in the book is Arthur Dent. He is miraculously rescued from Earth just moments before it is destroyed to make way for an interstellar bypass. His rescuer is Ford Prefect, a researcher for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy who has been stranded on Earth for the past fifteen years. Unfortunately, the only ship available to escape on belongs to the Vogons who throw out the two hitchhikers when they discover them on the ship only after reciting horrible poetry to them. This should have been the end of these two adventurers, but by an amazingly improbable event, they are rescued by the starship Heart of Gold. This event was caused by the revolutionary propulsion system on the ship called the Infinite Improbability Drive, which makes the improbable probable. The occupants of the ship are Zaphod Beeblebrox, President of the Imperial Galactic Government who had recently stolen the Heart of Gold, Trillian, a woman originally from Earth and Zaphod's companion, and Marvin, an extremely intelligent and depressed robot. The party travels to the long lost planet of Magrathea where planets were once manufactured for the extremely wealthy. Zaphod believes that inside they will find countless riches, but are surprised to discover that it is still inhabited. Inside, Arthur discoveries many amazing things, such as the answer to life, the universe, and everything is forty-two, and the planet earth was manufactured as a computer to discover what the actual question to the answer is. The characters in the book are well developed. Arthur is the clueless one who is struggling to understand the events which have happened to him. Ford is the accomplished hitchhiker who answers Arthur's questions with responses which are so insane that they more often than not cause more confusion. Zaphod is a two-headed creature in search of adventure and Trillian is an intelligent and capable woman from earth. Through these characters, we learn to take ourselves a little less seriously. Although this book is full of humor, it also contains other aspects. It satirizes such subjects as capitalism, government, large corporations, organized religion, and militarism. The writing is full of irony and biting sarcasm as well. Adams' atheistic worldview is also displayed through his writing. I believe that Douglas Adams managed to write an excellent book which contains many strengths with very few weaknesses. This book is extremely funny and can be enjoyed as long as the reader is not expecting a serious sci-fi epic. The only possible weakness in the book is that the plot can become confusing at times. This, however, helps the reader relate to what Arthur is experiencing and eventually everything becomes clear if the reader pays attention. Overall, this is a fantastic book which is highly entertaining while still making some intelligent comments on life, the universe, and everything.


An amazing series   November 4, 1999
 22 out of 29 found this review helpful

I, personally, am in a constant search for intriguing books, and the Hitchhikers guide series was truly one of the most enjoyable and addictive I have ever read. Douglas Adams does an encredible job of combining off-the-wall science-ficton with an amazing sense of humor. I recommend this book to anybody and everybody I come in contact with. The Hitchhiker's Guide series begins with an amazing twist. The main character, Arthur, comes in contact with an old friend of his, Ford prefect (really an alien form the vicinity of betelgeuse) who hitchhikes him off the planet right before a race of Vogons, (cruel aliens who write bad poetry) blows up the earth to build an intergalactic highway. But it doesn't end there. Arthur and Ford hitch their way, by pure luck, onto the Heart Of Gold- a spaceship with the latest in Alien technology, an amazing device called the "Improbability Drive." The Improbability Drive, as it's name indicates, makes the improbable probable; and that is how Arthur and Ford end up cruising the galaxy, searching for the question to the Ultimate Answer..... Of Life, the Universe, and Everything....... with an ex-girlfriend and a long lost acquaintance with two heads. If you are looking for an amazing series that keeps you entranced, then this is without doubt the series for you. Once you start reading the first book, you've got to read them all!