I know I have been reviewing a lot of science fiction books lately and that trend is going to continue with The Hitchhiker’s guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. The trilogy is one of the best space and travel books out there with a lot of humor to keep you entertained. Keep reading for a summary of the books nd why you should read this amazing book!
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Summary
The title of the novel comes from a book that is carried by Ford Prefect, the protagonist. Ford is an alien researcher traveling around the galaxy to update the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy encyclopedia. It is a book that has information on every planet. Ford saves his friend Arthur Dent when Earth is destroyed to make way for a hyperspace expressway.
The duo hitch a ride on a spaceship that is heading to Barnard’s Star but are found out by the Vogons who torture them by making them listen to their poetry and throw them out via airlock. They are saved by Ford’s “cousin” and board his spaceship The Heart of Gold. On the spaceship they meet a depressed robot who tells them the meaning of life.
Ford and Arthur journey across the galaxy with their new friends as they visit new planets. They get caught up in life-threatening adventures and learn new things about the galaxy that they never could have imagined.
Commentary
The book was originally a radio show in 1978 that was released in parts by Douglas Adams. After having great success on the radio, he went on to release the novels and the first one was released in 1979 and went on to move over 250,000 copies within the first three months of its release. Video games, movies and a bunch of stage adaptions were released in the following years.
I enjoyed this book a lot more than I expected to. Who knew science fiction novels and humor could go hand-to-hand so effortlessly? Adams is an amazing writer and his insane plot is perfectly balanced with the unexpected humor throughout the series.
What makes this book and the overall series a great read is the crazy ideas flying around that don’t seem to make any sense. Adams does a great job of having a fun relaxing attitude in the novel even when Earth is destroyed. The comedic timing is great a d the wide cast of characters are used well to make the audience laugh. And the overall plot that doesn’t take itself seriously at all.
Conclusion
When I first picked up this novel, I did not know that I was going to be laughing a lot. The comedy bits and the overall plot are hilarious and well executed. Adams does his own thing and lets everything play out and it pays off as the reader. Nothing seems too wacky and he keeps on delivering jokes after jokes.
Yes, this is a sci-fi novel and tackles a lot of common tropes. But you forget all of that with everything happening in the novel. Adams’ first goal is to make the reader laugh and that keeps the reader invested in his comedy disguised as a sci-fi novel. This is one of the best novels I have ever read and I keep thinking about it from time to time. Happy reading!
Fabulous review. This book was hysterical, and although I knew what to expect I didn’t know how funny it would be. I have the rest of the trilogy but haven’t gotten to it because of my TBR pile but you have inspired me to put them near the top.
I do recommend finishing it. It gets better as the books progress! I had to rewrite this review as it was originally one of the first books I reviewed and the format was pretty bad so thanks, it feels like rewriting it was worth it 😃
In the third paragraph you misspelled too as oot. The books sounds awesome though. 😁
Thanks. I’ll fix it later today
Arthur Dent is the protagonist. The entire point of the 5 book (not a trilogy) series is Arthur Dent being an Everyman caught up in insane circumstances.