Well, it's that time again... Time to focus my attention (and therefore yours as well) on a book that should be (and often is) considered a classic.
The increasingly inaccurately named Hitchhikers Trilogy which, when all is said and done, consists of five books and a short story.
But Frank! If there are five books (and a short story I remind you) how can it be considered a trilogy?
In answer I can only say the following; Trust me.
How can I describe to you the majesty of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?
The Hitchhiker's Guide tells the story of Arthur Dent, an Earthman turned hitchhiker when the earth is destroyed in order to make way for an interstellar space byway.
It also tells the story of Ford Prefect, a friend of Arthur's hailing from a small planet somewhere in the vicinity of Beetleguise and not from Guildford as he had previously claimed.
It follows along in the footsteps of Zaphod Beeblebrox, the two-headed three-armed former President of the Galaxy who has abdicated his position in favor of stealing the Heart of Gold, a spaceship equipped with the most powerful propulsion system ever devised; The Improbability Drive.
The book tells the story of Tricia McMillan or Trillian, an astrophysicist who became a Hitchhiker after hooking up with Zaphod at a party and realizing that the Earth had nothing more to offer her.
Oh yeah... There is an android named Marvin too but he is sort of depressing so I'm not going to tell you too much about him. Don't worry, he completely understands and will probably just stand in front of the engines when we fire them up so that he doesn't have to think about himself anymore either.
Most importantly, however, it is the story of that singularly outstanding book, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the most important reference for any interstellar hitchhiker and the masterpiece of the great publishing houses of Ursa Minor. The book that reminds us in large, bold print right on its cover; Don't Panic!
So slip in your babel fish, grab your towel and sit back to enjoy a hilarious and sometimes senseless trip to the stars in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
On the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much - the wheel, New York, wars and so on - whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man - for precisely the same reasons.
-The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams-
I. Love. This. Book. It is probably the only book I've ever read that was physically painful.
ReplyDeleteI giggle every time I hear someone ask if I'd like to hear a poem or if I could please hand them a towel.
I actually just read this book for the first time. I'd seen—and really liked the movie—so I thought I'd give the book a try.
ReplyDeleteGlad I did. This is one fantastic book!
I bought "Restaurant at the End of the Galaxy" a few days ago. Can't wait to get into it!
First and only set of books (besides a few works by Christopher Moore) that ever made me laugh out loud. And when I say "laugh out loud" I mean falling off the bed upon which I'm bodily reclining. The magic of these books is indescribable. Adam's plot-spinning is masterful and his humor uproarious, enough said.
ReplyDeleteOh, and that's the most apt description of Marvin I've ever heard. You know him well.
I was reading the review of "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" on your blog and once I started writing I couldn't stop writing so I decided this would be a great first blog for my site.SO. Here ya go.
ReplyDeleteThanks Frank