The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

In this classic story, Arthur Dent, a lovable and easily-confused Earthling gets dragged on the journey of a lifetime as Earth is destroyed by a group of Vogons to make way for a hyperspace by-pass. He is joined by a host of unforgettable characters: the easy-going researcher for the Hitchhikker's Guide to the Galaxy Ford Prefect; the hyper Two-Headed, Three-Armed President of the Galaxy Zaphod Beeblebrox; and his sexy companion former-Earth-reporter Trillian; and Marvin, the hopelessly depressed android. Together, they are off to explore the galaxy, battle with pesky mice-geniuses (no, not Pinky and the Brain), eat dinner at the end of the universe, travel through time, meet the man who designed Norway, redefine "improbability," patronize and annoy countless alien races, search for a decent cup of tea in an unforgivig universe, and continue the eternal quest to find out why 42 is so darn important.

Adams is a visionary. This is unlike any series I have ever read. Although "Mostly Harmless" was a slightly disappointing conclusion(?) to such an entertaining series, I will always consider the Hitchhikkers' "Trilogy" to be among the greats. If you do not own or have never read these books, then this compilation is a necessity for you. I recommend that you purchase it immediately, call in sick from work, school, or whatever, put up a small Somebody Else's Problem (SEP) field around you, and read it and again and again.

However, if you want to own the books, then I suggest that you don't buy this omnibus edition. The extra features aren't all that fantastic and it's printed on low-quality paper. Have a look around for the other editions that are available and buy one of them, or buy each book individually. On the other hand, you might end up like me: lending out all your copies to friends because it's fantastic and eventually losing them all. Oh well, the only thing nicer than a brand new book without a single crease is a dog-eared relic that's been read by tens of people 20 times over.

Enjoy.

But Ford & Arthur escape from Earth, and set out on a journey of a lifetime, spanning 5 novels so far, where time and space are equally trivial barriers that can be crossed at a leap. Along the way, Arthur finds out a lot he didnt know, and lots more than he ever wanted to know, from hitching rides on passing space ships and teaching their computers to make tea, to the real history of his planet and the knowledge that his is the third most intelligent species on earth(and not, as was widely believed, the second) He also grapples with scientific concepts way beyond his grasp like the Infinite Improbability drive, Somebody Else's Problem field, discontinuities along the probability axis, not to mention the End of the Universe(the universe's most spectacular & profitable catering venture) Douglas Adams serves up one wacky idea after another, a universe wildly beyond our imagination, yet very familiar in its core values of crass commercialization and tasteless marketing hype. The reader is hurled through a series of increasingly improbable events, all held together by equally crazy characters and brilliant, witty(and ofcourse crazy) dialogs.

So if I'm raving so much about the book, why do I give it only 4 stars? Because, like all artists, Adams has his highs & his lows, both of which are present in this collection. I would wholeheartedly recommend the first two novels - Hitchikers guide & Restaurant at the end of the universe. But coming after them, Life, the Universe & Everything is somewhat of a letdown, and So Long & Thanks for all the Fish even more so. Mostly Harmless is better, but still doesnt meet the standards set by the first two. All in all, this book is a collectors item for Adams fans - and I dont regret buying it. But for those just starting out on Adams, I'd recommend they try individual copies of the first two novels.

Adams's book has done what few others have--transcended both genres it tries to emulate. HHGTTG is known, like Monty Python, as the epitome of UK humor, a few large steps above Tom Holt and Red Dwarf. But it also reads as a brilliant science fiction novel, and becomes what it tries to parody. Deep Thought was a crack on HAL, but soon Deep Thought *became* HAL, and a scifi classic was born.

The books are all very good--but, like any series, some are better than others. THHGTTG and The Restaraunt at the End of the Universe are serialized from the TV/Radio series, and read as such--episodic spasms of comedy wrapped in a loosely believable overall universe. Life, Universe, & Everything gets a full novel treatment, more lineral than the first two; it presents much of the same humor in a somewhat different, more traditional style. It suffers, but not significantly. So Long--regarded by many to be an abberation to the series--is not as bad as many fans think it is. It indulges perhaps too much in its own self-parody, and is less scifi than straight humor. Yet it makes up for itself in a rather fun (albiet depressing) end story. Mostly Harmless pits us back where we were before, highlighting poor neglected Trillian in what seems to be a wrap-up of the entire mess of a trilogy. MH may disappoint some--especially with the departure of many favorite characters--but levels the series out quite nicely.

Some series--like Asimov's Foundation--get better as the series progesses. Others, such as the Dune books, get increasingly inane and tiresome. Hitchhiker's does much like the former, perhaps bumpier for the ride, but a fruitful and glorious ride nonetheless.

I happen to love life with a passion and laugh near continually. I've never laughed as hard or as often reading than I did while reading this book. Never. Not even close. Imagine the person sitting next to you in a plane, seemingly without provocation, belly-laughs and can't stop. Then imagine it happening on a regular basis. You might wonder one of two things - when will he shut up and/or what is it that's making him laugh?

If you are at all curious why people laugh so hard so often and enjoy life so much...read this book. Please. No, really.

It's not just funny. If you can say 'just' and the type of extreme hilarity I mean in the same sentence without blasting the meaning out of the word 'just.' It's life Essential. I happen to love reading philosophy, eastern, christian, anything I can get my hands on. I'm so glad I got my hands on this collection. You finish the book and realize that you know a whole lot more than you thought you did about your world. Fortunately, a great deal of that knowledge consists of knowing you barely know anything at all. One of my favorite passages, to end...

'"Look," he said in a stern voice. But he wasn't certain how far saying "Look" in a stern voice was necessarily going to get him, and time was not on his side. What the hell, he thought, you're only young once, and threw himself out the window. That would at lesat keep the element of surpise on his side.'

...Please, for yourself and your happiness in life, read this book. If you come away and are anything but overjoyed to be alive...read it again. You must have missed something. =)

-Mike Fliss - mdf@duke.edu

If you read this book, be careful, it has a way of altering the way you look at things (for the better), and if you're a person who even remotely enjoys it, you end up being a better person for having read it.

The entire collection of Douglas Adams books, but especially The Hitchikers Guide Series, are quite possibly the purest forms of comedy that there are, have been, or ever will be. And though mostly science fiction based, no real love of science fiction is needed to thourougly enjoy this book, nor for that matter is a deeply rooted love of comedy, or even the ability to read needed. Though I admit they all contribute to the enjoyment of the books immensly

If it does turn out that you can read, (and if not stop looking at this because you don't understand any of it!) your enjoyment of the book need not end when you finish reading. This book has been published in many formats and thusly it's various sizes and shapes lend it to being a useful device around the house. If you open it to 90degrees, you can set things on top of it. My hardback will hold up an entire tea tray full of tea and drinks, whereas the paperback will only hold up a can of soda.

Actually I own about 150,000 copies as their usefulness is limitless. I use two sideways at each end bookends, and then I have one that stops the rocking chair from rocking because the beaver chewed off the back of the rocker so its more of a flip-over-backwardser if the book isn't under it. My monitor sets too low so I've stacked 5 copies under it to raise it up to eye level and I use two copies side by side for wrist rests. The Large Leather-bound copy I have makes an excellent mouse pad, and I've just used a nice hardback copy to brain my helper monkey who tends to misbehave if I don't read to him from the book on a daily basis. Now that I think of it, this would most likely work on children as well. My drum set tends to sound a bit too "ringy" without 15 copies shoved into the bass drum. At night a heavy larger print copy perched over the doorframe makes a stunning burglar alarm. My CD-ROM version of the book makes a nifty mirror to look around corners with. Large hardbacks open walnuts and turtles alike, and two together make a wine press that you can be proud of. I know I simply could not sleep at night without my pillow made from shredded copies that have been too severely damaged to be saved. Building a home from the books should ONLY be done by a professional who pre-laminates the books into blocks, and of you go get yourself hurt building a home from copies of The Ultimate Hitchhikers Guide without consulting a professional don't come crying to me. Unless of course you can't read in which case, you wont know whom to cry to.

And though and at least one copy is absolutely essential for life, I suggest buying at least half a million copies to get your through to old age. (Mr. Adams will be sorely missed...So long and thanks for all the fish.)

'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' is the name of both the most popular portable comprehensive galactic encyclopedia, and the book that begins Douglas Adams hilarious space saga. It neatly sets up the tale by giving away the answer to the meaning of life! Don't panic, it's not all it's cracked up to be, because they don't have the question! We meet a great cast of eccentric characters, get to fly around on the 'Heart of Gold' (powered by the ludicrously simplistic Improbability Drive), and discover that planet Earth will be destroyed to make way for an interstellar roadway.

'The Restaurant at the End of the Universe' builds on the logic of the first book, and tweaks it enough to keep things really interesting. Milliways (the aforementioned restaurant) is a great comic creation, walking a grossly absurd existential tightrope to become a fascinating setpiece. There's a great moment about how Zaphod Beeblebrox's great-grandfather is named 'Zaphod the fourth' while he's 'Zaphod the first' ("An accident involving a contraceptive and a time machine"). The whole gang narrowly escapes flying into the sun, and are saved by a piece of specious bureaucracy. The whole mess ends with Ford Prefect and Arthur Dent landing on a familiar planet, and discover that evolution ain't all it's cracked up to be.

The strength of the first two books is that when Adams goes off on these incredible leaps in logic and flights of fancy (two of my favourite modes of transportation) they always seem to follow some kind of narrative thrust. In 'Life, the Universe, and Everything', they seem like non-sequiters, or at most just interesting tangents. I enjoyed the concept of the poem that was never written due to a reckless time travel expedition, and the guy who was injected with too much truth serum and now told The Truth. But they seemed more ornamental than consequential to me. Maybe I just didn't understand the plethora of cricket references (although I did get a kick out of them). Furthermore, the installment was hurt by a serious deficiency in Zaphod Beeblebrox.

A grand comeback is made in 'So Long and Thanks for all the Fish'. This manages to be a really touching love story, interlaced with grand questions about the nature of existence and what happened to all the dolphins. Arthur Dent and Fenchurch (don't call her Fenny) slowly but surely realize that the universe has a higher purpose for them, and they have no choice but to fall in love. And the scene describing their first consummation of that love is actually quite original, and very beautiful. That all being said, the story still manages to be a strong link in the overall chain of events, periodically keeping track of Ford Prefect until it becomes necessary for him to swoop in near the end (deux es machinas-style) and save the cosmic day. Adams also manages to include several more comic illogicalities (probably not a word, but whose rules am I following here?), the standout being the description of Wonko the Sane's inside-out house. A great little interlude, that.

'Young Zaphod Plays it Safe' is a confusing little mess, that I hope gains some meaning in hindsight, once the entire book is complete (**I've just finished reading 'Mostly Harmless', and I'm still in the dark over this one. Oh well.)

'Mostly Harmless' is a little less frenetic than its predecessors are, and a little more assured in its narrative structure. Its story is one of those that begins with three different plots, and as time goes on the plots slowly begin to converge into one final conclusion (kind of like an episode of Seinfeld, now that I think about it). Arthur and Ford get into some seriously mixed up situations, but they are perfectly explained through some more of that demented Douglas Adams logic. Ford actually jumps to his death, miraculously escapes, and then jumps again. And he has a perfectly good reason for doing it both times. My one complaint is that the book doesn't give each plot equal attention, so when you haven't read about one of the characters in a while, you tend to forget what they were doing when last you met them. On a positive note, the whole enterprise actually validates the mess that was 'Life, the Universe, and Everything'.

The series can be read in two ways: as comic fluff (albeit high comic fluff), or as a satire on the nature of existence. A third way, and probably the most effective, would be to read it as both. Or neither. Just read it!

The basic premise of the novels is that Ford Prefect is a hitchhiker and writer for "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." He hitches rides all around space, writes up his experiences and sends them in to his editors. As the novel opens up, it's roughly 1980 in England, and he's been stuck on Earth for 15 years because Earth (as we know) has not really made contact with other planets and so he can't find a ride out of there (here). In that time, he has made friends with Arthur Dent, one of the absolutely most endearing characters I've ever come across in literature (even more than a Hobbit).

When we first meet Dent, he thinks his greatest battle for the day will be to lie in front of the bulldozers which want to knock down his house. Little does he know that Earth is also about to be knocked over (obliterated really) for a hyper-space by-pass. Prefect, however, catches on and rescues Dent at the very last minute...Whether or not this was a good thing is up to the reader to decide.

While Adams shows his literal genius for comedic timing and absurd humor within the bounds of Earth at the beginning, once he is freed of all constraints his writing style blazes with unique talent. Every page is so filled with parody, dry wit, perfect timing, and mind-boggling fictitious science that it leaves you laughing aloud and reeling at the same time. I realize that his humor is not for everyone...but for anyone who enjoys satire and for anyone who is frustrated with the insanity of life, this book brings the proverbial comic relief.

From what I've read from hard-core Douglas Adams fans (and there seem to be quite a few of those), books #1, 2, and 4 in this series are Adam's purest works. #3 and 5 are a bit heavier in tone. #6 (Young Zaphod Plays It Safe) is simply baffling.

For those who don't like science fiction, I would say that that shouldn't really be a problem here. While Adams does invent some very funny alien races (like the race with 50 arms that was the only one to invent deodorant before the wheel), his focus clearly isn't imagining how different life can be. Everything in his novels is a satire of humanity - from the bureaucracy to the androids to the laws of physics.

Of all the wonderful things I could dwell on in Adam's work, the last thing I would like to mention is that of all action/adventure stories I have ever read, I think Adams has created a few of the most realistic heroes. Dent, Prefect, and Zaphod - though somewhat resourceful - aren't particularly strong, bold, courageous, intelligent or smooth. They bungle any number of situations, and only Trillian has a real moment of brilliance. And yet, no matter how much they might want to simply run and save their own hides, a sense of duty to man/life nags at their conscience and keeps bringing them to help save somebody. Ultimately, I think this balances out so much of Adams ironic humor about how stupid life can be. Yes, life is absurd at so many levels, but Adams never abandons our Western Civilization ideals of the value of life and our duty to help each other.

Oh, and the dialogue is priceless!

The English humor in this science fiction comedy book, is laugh-out-loud funny. That is, if you get it, and some do not. The series is inexplicably genious.

THe series is about the unfortunate events of planet earth and the events afterward, centering around two British characters: Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect. It begins on a Thursday... and with a house.

Basically, aliens in big, yellow spaceships come and destroy earth. Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect escape just in time to avoid being decimated with it. Their escapades through Magrathea, Earth, Krikket, and the Resturaunt at the End of the Universe can be very serious at times, but come out being awfully humorous. No one will ever replace Douglas Adams.

Reccomendation: ANYONE. The book is worth the money Amazon.com is asking for. So, all in all, I give it a 5 out of 5. People who do not like science fiction will love this book, along with the people who love science fiction. Douglas Adam's humor is universal. I know all who buy the book will enjoy it to no end.

If you do, chances are that you, according to the logic -- or lack thereof -- of Douglas Adams' zany 5-book "trilogy" -- are thus very well prepared to escape from the Earth one terrible Thursday afternoon and be whisked away shortly before the Vogons demolish the planet to make way for a new hyperspace bypass.

It also helps a great deal if one of your best friends turns out to be an alien from Betelguese and not an out of work actor from Guilford. It also helps a great deal more if your friend is named Ford Prefect and is a roving researcher for that handy and impractical reference work, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Perhaps one of the best-selling references ever -- beating out the Encyclopedia Galactica and the memoirs of "adult entertainer" Eccentrica Gallumbits from Eroticon Six -- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy will be the repository of knowledge and wisdom even as you, like Adams' hapless protagonist Arthur Dent, criss-cross the galaxy in stolen spacecraft, wander through weird and exotic worlds (including primitive Earth), and meet strange and fascinating beings such as:

Zaphod Beeblebrox, rogue, con artist, ladies' man, and infamous party crasher (and President of the Galaxy!)
Trillian, aka Tricia McMillan, a beautiful girl Arthur had met at a party in Islington and went off with a two-headed party crasher who claimed to be from outer space before Arthur could ask her for her phone number.

Slartibartfast, the designer of the Earth, whose proudest achievement was earning an award for designing the Norweigian fjords.
Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz, commander of the Vogon Construction Fleet detailed to demolish the late, mostly harmless Earth; a bureaucrat so rigid that he wouldn't lift a finger to save his grandmother from from the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal without going through a lot of paperwork...and trust me, Vogon paperwork rituals ensure certain devourment for Vogon grandmothers.

The late comic author first conceived this mix of science fiction/parody as a BBC radio series which was so successful it spun off five novels, a TV miniseries (which has aired here on PBS stations), abridged audio albums, and interactive software. This Wings Books omnibus edition contains the five novels of the increasingly inaccurately named "Hitchhiker's Trilogy" -- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, Life, the Universe, and Everything, So Long and Thanks for All the Fish, and Mostly Harmless. It also comes with a bonus -- but less funny -- story, Young Zaphod Plays It Safe.

So if you want to survive the Earth's demise and see the galaxy, make sure you are wearing something more substantial than pajamas and a ratty bathrobe, watch the skies for flying saucers, start worrying when all the dolphins on the planet vanish, and keep your eyes peeled for an electronic gizmo with the words "Don't Panic" printed in large friendly letters on the cover.

And for Pete's sake, always, always know where your towel is!

This is simply the best book ever written. Period. You really can't top this. Douglas Adams is so incredably funny, but there really isn't a way to say how funny he is! Let's just put it this way - I currently own FIVE copies of The Ulitmate Hitchhiker's Guide, and I'm proud of it! This book is like a mini hitchhiker's library. It contains all the books in the so-called "Hitchhikers Trilogy" (Vol. 1-5) For those of you who haven't read Mr. Adams' work, I strongly encourage you to buy this book. I promise you, you will be pleased, unless, of course, you are one of those people who absolutly despise humor and despise having a great time. You, yes you, the person staring at this review, you aren't one of theses people. I can tell because you are actually reading this review :) Also, those who have read Douglas Adams' work should buy this book, it's a must-have for everyone. When are you ever going to see the five hitchhiker books for such a low price again? The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide also includes a sixth story, not found anywhere else. Also, it has the TRUE story of how the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy came to be (the Introduction, it's non-fictional :) ). Plus, it comes with a nice, shiny cover...... Very colorful. So grab your towel and your credit card, and order NOW! No, seriously, order it now, it's worth it.

Only CAUTION: Don't read the intro before finishing the book. There's a SPOILER in there.

The basic premise of the novels is that Ford Prefect is a hitchhiker and writer for "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." He hitches rides all around space, writes up his experiences and sends them in to his editors. As the novel opens up, it's roughly 1980 in England, and he's been stuck on Earth for 15 years because Earth (as we know) has not really made contact with other planets and so he can't find a ride out of there (here). In that time, he has made friends with Arthur Dent, one of the absolutely most endearing characters I've ever come across in literature (even more than a Hobbit).

When we first meet Dent, he thinks his greatest battle for the day will be to lie in front of the bulldozers which want to knock down his house. Little does he know that Earth is also about to be knocked over (obliterated really) for a hyper-space by-pass. Prefect, however, catches on and rescues Dent at the very last minute...Whether or not this was a good thing is up to the reader to decide.

While Adams shows his literal genius for comedic timing and absurd humor within the bounds of Earth at the beginning, once he is freed of all constraints his writing style blazes with unique talent. Every page is so filled with parody, dry wit, perfect timing, and mind-boggling fictitious science that it leaves you laughing aloud and reeling at the same time. I realize that his humor is not for everyone...but for anyone who enjoys satire and for anyone who is frustrated with the insanity of life, this book brings the proverbial comic relief.

From what I've read from hard-core Douglas Adams fans (and there seem to be quite a few of those), books #1, 2, and 4 in this series are Adam's purest works. #3 and 5 are a bit heavier in tone. #6 (Young Zaphod Plays It Safe) is simply baffling.

For those who don't like science fiction, I would say that that shouldn't really be a problem here. While Adams does invent some very funny alien races (like the race with 50 arms that was the only one to invent deodorant before the wheel), his focus clearly isn't imagining how different life can be. Everything in his novels is a satire of humanity - from the bureaucracy to the androids to the laws of physics.

Of all the wonderful things I could dwell on in Adam's work, the last thing I would like to mention is that of all action/adventure stories I have ever read, I think Adams has created a few of the most realistic heroes. Dent, Prefect, and Zaphod - though somewhat resourceful - aren't particularly strong, bold, courageous, intelligent or smooth. They bungle any number of situations, and only Trillian has a real moment of brilliance. And yet, no matter how much they might want to simply run and save their own hides, a sense of duty to man/life nags at their conscience and keeps bringing them to help save somebody. Ultimately, I think this balances out so much of Adams ironic humor about how stupid life can be. Yes, life is absurd at so many levels, but Adams never abandons our Western Civilization ideals of the value of life and our duty to help each other.

Oh, and the dialogue is priceless!

The volume contains all 5 Hitchhiker's books:
-The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
-The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
-Life, the Universe, and Everything
-So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish
-Mostly Harmless

Another important reason to get this book is that it includes the hard-to-find short story, Zaphod Plays It Safe. This story takes place between books 4 and 5, and is located there accordingly (this short story also appears in Adams's more recent book, The Salmon of Doubt).

This is an excellent collection, and if you have never read the Hitchhiker's series, or you just like the convenience of 5-in-1 books in one volume, this humorous book is one of the classics of the science fiction genre, and a definate must-read!

I have a few complaints about the way it all ends up, but I better get in the bouquets while the going is good: all my quibbling below is not to detract from the fact that the original instalment, The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy, is one of the wittiest books ever written - the combination of a solid science fiction grounding (Adams scriptwrote for Doctor Who) and dead-eye observations about the collision of the British way of life with the Nineteen Seventies, make this little book one of the genuine cultural artefacts of the past century.

Nevertheless, and rather as it has for Floyd and Python, universal admiration for Adams (recently deceased) and the first book has tended to cloud the collective judgment as far as the rest of the series is concerned. While Adams is clearly a master of the dead-ball, the entire package is a pretty tiring affair, as if it were a good idea which ran out of steam about halfway through. Which, according to Adams himself, it was.

If you read even the first three stories back to back a few things begin to emerge. Firstly, the original (and undeniably brilliant) premise has completely evaporated by the end of the second book. Until this point the story drifts from set piece to set piece, but is guided fairly firmly by the central quest. When this runs out of gas, the linear narrative disappears, and the characters drift pointlessly between scenes with no apparent connection. What starts out as a clever concept album ends up as a sketch show. As long as the sketches are funny this is ok, if not necessarily ideal. But they too begin to run out of steam.

Whenever Adams needs to restore a semblance of continuity, he reintroduces Marvin the Paranoid Android, who turns up having been stuck somewhere for millions of years (waiting to save the author's bacon?): no bad thing, as Marvin is the most enjoyable character of the lot. Adams obviously realised the mess he'd created by the end of Life, The Universe and Everything: So Long and Thanks For All The Fish is an attempt to pull everything back together. Alas, it's wholly unsuccessful. So unsuccessful, in fact, that Adams felt obliged to have another go at the same job in Mostly Harmless, and was equally unsuccessful second time round.

After a time you also begin to realise that Adams' famously brilliant writing style consists largely of taking figures of speech and deliberately subverting them - a technique which after a while, to paraphrase it, more or less exactly fails to please the eye. By So Long..., Adams is rather arch about the whole affair - consciously introducing "the chronicler" into proceedings and on one occasion (not a little arrogantly) telling readers to re-read a seemingly incomprehensible sentence, until it is understood.

The series certainly gave him the chance to work on his storytelling, and the results are plain to see from Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, which is a superbly plotted, focussed and realised story. But, rather like his characters, for the most part in this Series Adams flounders around with the Answer, but never really gets to grips with the Question. Mostly Harmless.

There are those who hate "Monty Python" because it's "stupid" or "ridiculous." And there are those who hate the humor "A Midsummer Night's Dream" or "Pride and Prejudice," as its wit is deep and veiled.

Now try and envision an amalgam of these two approaches to comedy. Witty lines, and wordplays, combined with floating penguins and Vogon poetry. You have to be pretty quick to understand some of Adams' jokes regarding quantum mechanics, yet silly enough to laugh at the manic depressive robot, and the apathetic mention of the destruction of Earth. Douglas Adams is simply the best at combining wit with irony and absurdity. And this is simply the best book in which to find his genius.

The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy takes the entire Hitchhicker series and crams it into one huge book (nice and easy to find). DO NOT be deterred by the size of this book. Boring chapters ... well they don't really exist. Its a quick enjoyable read the whole way through.

5 stars: A MUST READ. I'd recommend this to anyone, anywhere anytime. Don't sit mindlessly in front of the TV watching tired ideas reused over and over in boring sitcoms. Let the Hitchhicker's guide take you on an unparalled journey through a universe that is as elaborate, marvelous and well though out as it is hilarious.

Note: I won't summarize any of the story for you in this review. Its simply so elaborate and immersive that I could not possibly begin to explain it without taking thrity minutes of your time. JUST READ IT YOURSELF!

"There is a theory which states that if anyone discovers exactly what the universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable."

"There is another which states that this has already happened."
~ Douglas Adams, "The Restaurant at the end of the Universe"

The six books in the Hitchhiker's trilogy are classics not only in sci-fi, but in comedy as well. This is British humor; so if you don't get that flavor of humor, skip this.

This franchise is wildly popular, first starting out as a BBS radio program, and then turning into books, and finally a BBS miniseries. There is something enduring about this humor, but I think the key to understand "The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy" is that the main character isn't Arthur Dent, or Ford Prefect, but rather the Galaxy itself. Adams satirizes reality itself in these books.

These books are for anyone has had to put up with the absurdities of existence. Consequently, in these books, Adams satirizes just about everything, but focuses his acid pen mainly on the politicians, philosophers and religionist since this unholy trinity is the primary gatekeeper of meaning in society.

Adams has a good eye not only for the absurd, but the wickedly fraudulent. The main driving MacGuffen of the franchise is a quest for meaning, especially finding the answer to "Life, The Universe, and Everything," and when that proves incoherent, the quest for the original question. This humor is quite serious, since, as Joseph Smith observed, "if we start right, it is easy to go right all the time; but if we start wrong, we may go wrong, and it will be a hard matter to get right."

Sadly the franchise slowly lost steam. I think Adam "jumped the shark" with "So long and Thanks for all the Fish," since he recreates the destroyed earth and introduces Fenchurch, and then abandons all of these in "Mostly Harmless." I think he had made his point in the first three books, but had an incredible franchise, so was encouraged to keep writing.

The first three books trace the quest for the answer and the question to "Life, the Universe and Everything," and they come to the conclusion that both the question and the answer are mutually exclusive (Life, the Universe, and Everything, ch.34), which really settles the question and settles the quest. But for whatever reason, Adams kept on writing-probably as the insistence of the editors Adams so acidly satirizes in "Mostly Harmless."

These books originally were a radio series, so the first two books are adaptations of the radio, so they are quick reads, but since you'll laugh your head off, it will take a little bit longer. "Life, the Universe and Everything" is Adams first novel, so it has a different feel. CAUTION: If you don't understand the British sport cricket, just plow ahead-it isn't really that relevant to the story.

"So long and Thanks for all the Fish" is the shark-jump. It was billed as book four of a trilogy, but the slick marketing didn't help the book out. I think the problem was recreating the earth, which had been killed off. Didn't Dallas do that? "It's just a dream!" The center of gravity of the franchise shifted from Arthur and the others being lost in the cosmos, but a relationship between Arthur and Fenchurch, with the Rain God doing precious little. This story is an aberration, and anomaly. Adam's recognized it, and dropped the thread in "Mostly Harmless." Don't let this deter you: even Shakespeare wrote bad plays.

"Yong Zaphod" isn't a story really, but more of a fragment. I wish that there were some explination about what it was, and where it was supposed to go.

"Mostly Harmless" is a very dark and gritty story, and reminds me of Mark Twain's later works such as "Connecticut Yankee." It is always a sad thing to a comedian go sour and bitter. We actually see the logical out workings of an absurd universe. The fun soon fades, and absurdity brings despair. Adventure, excitement, and really wild things will eventually bore.

Three symbols in the story reflect this. First, the electronic "Hitchhiker's Guide" stops working. A Freudian slip, or a projection of Adams subconscious into the story? I think the franchise and the fans got out of control. The second symbol is the name of Arthur's and Trillian's quasi-daughter (Arthur donated to a sperm bank)-Random. She is a symbol of the mainspring of the universe, but she is lost in the cosmos, as we all are. The third symbol is "Random's Watch," which should be the title of the story. Random does a reverse Paley's Watch argument inferring meaning from the watch. (Ch. 15) The watch is useless on planet Lamuella, with a different orbit, but the watch works perfectly on earth, where it was designed. We are designed to function somewhere, and the trick is to find out where we are suited.

I recommend this series, even though it slowly looses steam, it has its very high moments!

The humour is dry and zany, following the adventures of Arthur Dent and friends. The action starts with Arthur's house being destroyed, and the entire earth shortly thereafter. In reading this series you'll learn a lot about why towels are entirely useful, the significance of the number 42, and lots more.

Mr. Adams always leaves me laughing and I'm very happy he managed to write these books before his passing. If you love sci-fi and a good laugh, you will LOVE this series. Conveniently compiled in this terrific edition.

As I was recently told, it would be impossible to incompass, in one small review, the shere magnitude of this book. All I can say is that I haven't looked at humor, sci-fi, or satire the same since I picked it up some 6 years ago. I have read it twice now, and it has lost nothing in humor, cleverness, or strangeness. I highly, highly recommend it to anyone.