kiracanread
Written on Jun 29, 2020
Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read
Seconds before Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor.
Together, this dynamic pair began a journey through space aided by a galaxyful of fellow travelers: Zaphod Beeblebrox—the two-headed, three-armed ex-hippie and totally out-to-lunch president of the galaxy; Trillian (formerly Tricia McMillan), Zaphod’s girlfriend, whom Arthur tried to pick up at a cocktail party once upon a time zone; Marvin, a paranoid, brilliant, and chronically depressed robot; and Veet Voojagig, a former graduate student obsessed with the disappearance of all the ballpoint pens he’s bought over the years.
Where are these pens? Why are we born? Why do we die? For all the answers, stick your thumb to the stars!
- ISBN10 0739322214
- ISBN13 9780739322215
- Publish Date 5 April 2005 (first published 3 March 1983)
- Publish Status Unknown
- Imprint Random House Audio
- Format Audiobook
- Duration 6 hours
- Language English
Reviews
MurderByDeath
Written on Feb 28, 2019
Quirky Cat
Written on May 3, 2018
As I said above, I’ve read The Hitchhiker’s Guide countless times, but I’ve never actually listened to the audiobooks. So I figured this would be a fun new way of experiencing a universe I love so much. The fact that Stephen Fry did the reading for this novel certainly helped. I loved his impressions and different voices he used for each of the unique characters. Some more than others, of course. All in all it was a very fun and oddly new experience for me, so I’m really happy I gave this a try.
If you want a lesson in absurdity, or would like to join in on an adventure with the goal of finding out what forty-two means, then you’re in for a ride. The Hitchhiker’s Guide has a way of making even the most horrifying events absurd, comical, or really not that relevant. Perhaps that’s because of the calming words ‘Don’t Panic’ that are so oft repeated. More likely it’s Douglas Adam’s wit and writing style that does the trick.
The cast for this novel are incredibly unique. Arthur is probably what one would consider to be the main character; he’s a human who tends to say ‘what’ with a frequency that’s directly proportional to the danger he’s in. Ford is a hitchhiker and writer, and he has a lot to say about a lot of things. Trillion is another earther, and she’s actually pretty easy going, all things considered. Beeblebrox proves that two heads aren’t always better than one, and that the people in positions of power are typically the ones that deserve them the least.
This series is so quotable, it’s easy to forge that it’s the origin of a lot of common jokes and phrases seen all over the place (but practically in other science fiction series, of course). I swear every time I read them through again, I realize yet another series has been referencing them for years, and I totally just spaced on it.
On a side note, now I really find myself wanting to watch the movie again. Hrm, I wonder why that is. Also, if you haven’t heard, there’s a petition trying to get The Hitchhiker’s Guide made into a TV series, so if you’re a fan of that you might want to go see what you can do to help out, or at least to get your voice heard.
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
Terri M. LeBlanc
Written on Jun 15, 2017
First off, Stephen Fry does an excellent job narrating the story. Most of the time I was engaged and chuckling along with the story. Some of the oft known pop culture references snapped into place and I felt like I finally understood WHY one must simply carry a towel everywhere.
I disliked the number of side stories that popped up throughout the narrative. Many times I found them annoying, I just wanted Adams to move forward with Arthur’s story. And while some of the side stories provided some history about the universe at large, I felt that they were a distraction. (It also led to bit of an argument between my husband and I as we were listening to this one our road trip to Northern MN. We were trying to properly remember if, based on a side story early in the book involving the babblefish, if God really did exist.)
Anyway, I did enjoy The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. It was worth the listen even if some of the humor may have been lost on me and the side stories were a bit distracting. Now excuse me while I go towel shopping. I’ll be back soon.
This review was originally posted on Second Run Reviews
nannah
Written on Nov 23, 2015
The prose is incredibly charming, and I know of so many more recently published books whose authors have tried to copy this particular style of voice, prose, and narration. It's very entertaining and difficult to put down (and for a sci-fi, really readable).
I know pausing the action to talk about some planet's history, some spaceship, some random army, or something or another, is supposed to be part of the book's eccentric humor, but about halfway through it began to bother me. Like I really don't care about this whale or bowl of petunias that suddenly appear into existence. I started to skim over these departures to get to the main characters, which saddened me.
And then there's Marvin, the manically depressed robot. As someone with bipolar disorder, reading this awful, awful representation of someone (something) with bipolar disorder - which is what manic depression is, for those who don't know - almost made me cry. I get this book was written in the 80s, and bipolar disorder isn't even understood or portrayed well today, but to create a character whose portrayal of a mental illness is for comedic effect? It's just so unbearably bad.
I'll still read the others in this series because it's so fun, but I really hope Marvin doesn't appear much later on.
adamfortuna
Written on Nov 15, 2014
Nessa Luna
Written on Oct 6, 2013
I haven’t made many notes about this book, because I was so busy with getting myself ‘into’ the book, that I didn’t really bother writing down the things I liked or didn’t like.
Like I said, I found it hard to get into the book, not just because it was written about thirty years ago, and because of the fact that a lot was explained in this short book. I started it September, and I barely got past ten pages, and then I put it down for a while, to read other books that were a bit easier to read. A couple of days ago I picked it up again and read up until the forty pages. Last night I reached the ninety pages and decided to watch the movie, which I had downloaded a while ago.
The movie was nice, though the beginning (with the dolphins) was a bit odd; but I liked it. It had Martin Freeman as Arthur Dent (which is funny because I remember Arthur being described as a tall man, which Martin isn’t really); Zooey Deschanel as Trillion and Alan Rickman (voice) & Warwick Davis as the robot Marvin.
After the movie, I found it a bit easier to read the rest of the book, because I understood a bit more about the story because I had already seen it. Of course, like with any other movie-based-on-a-book, there were some differences but they didn’t really bother me much.
In the end, I enjoyed the story, and I am certainly planning on finishing the rest of the series (which I already have on my shelf). And I recommend this book to everyone who likes a nice and funny Sci-Fi story!
bettyehollands
Written on Jul 27, 2013
thepunktheory
Written on Jul 16, 2013
This book really is a must read. (Especially for everybody who wants to find out why nerds and geeks like me always joke about the number 42 ;))
nitzan_schwarz
Written on Jul 12, 2012
I've got the edition of the entire series of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but because I wanted to have a record of when I finished each book, especially because I probably won't be reading the entire thing at once (my jaw can't take it. Too much laughing ain't as healthy as people would like you to believe. Feeling like my jaw is going to drop from too much laughing can't possibly be a good thing.) I figured I'll rate them separately as well. And I might not like all of them the same, too.
So... this has been a wonderful read. I've had the books for quite some time now. Actually, my best friend let me read the couple first pages of this book while at school, and I went and bought it myself the next week, because I just knew this was a series I had to have. Plus, she won't let me borrow it.
*coughcough* anyway…
By an unfortunate turn of events, I got to page 100 and had to stop. Why? Because some horribly stupid and insensitive people decided studying for my final exams was tiny bit more important than reading. I disagree, but my parents don't. So I put it aside, and it took a while to get back to it, partly because I got engaged with other readings I had to do and partly because I had to read the entire thing from the beginning again (At least that's what I always do when I stop reading a book for a long while), and despite loving this book it took a while to convince myself to complete this task.
So, this week (8-12 of July, 2012) I went to London. I had to choose a book to take, and decided on Adam's. I had barely any time to read because we had a busy trip filled with sightseeing and touring London by foot (my poor feet!). And yet, somehow, I managed to finish the first book - just like that.
It was one of the more amusing and entertaining books I've ever read, and one I kept laughing while reading - not to mention making my mother nuts with all sorts of quotes (My favorite being Zaphod's:“If there's anything more important than my ego around, I want it caught and shot now.”) and random moments of talking about things I've read in it.
It was also very educating.
For example: Did you know a towel is the most useful object to have?
Or that the answer to Life, the Universe and Everything is simply forty-two (haven't worked out the question, though)
Or that Mice have been experimenting on humans for millions of years now?
Oh, and Earth isn't a planet, not a real one anyway. Someone ordered us. Mice, if you want to be precise.
And Time is an illusion.
Always knew that one.
Yeah. Very enlightening!
I also loved the fact I could find the names of all the future books in the first one. It made me smile and feel all smart and everything. Wonder if that makes me stupid... nah.
Anyhows, loved it to the extreme and will read the next one soon.
Also, am I the only one who kind of wants Tricia and Arthur to be together??