In 2024, the year that I’m writing this and, incidentally, the year that I read this book, I turn 42 years old. Anyone who knows me probably wouldn’t be surprised to learn that I would love to explore the galaxy. Since I’m not an astronaut and because humans haven’t really found a way to get around the galaxy in person within said person’s lifetime, I’m relegated to learning about our galaxy through the wondrous world of photographs. This book, I found, has little in the way of photographs. None, to be precise. So I must rely on this Guide, a towel, and the prose of its author to be my… well… guide.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Author: Douglas Adams
Pages: 195
Format: Paperback
Published: October 12, 1979
Publisher: Del Rey
View on Goodreads
Date Completed: January 19, 2024
My rating: 
Synopsis
Arthur Dent is a regular human being who just doesn’t want his house torn down so that a bypass can be built. But when aliens come through to destroy Earth in order to build a galactic freeway, Arthur is saved by his good friend, Ford Prefect.
Ford takes Arthur on a journey across the cosmos by way of hitching rides on alien spaceships. They meet other characters on their escapades such as Trillian, another human who Arther once met and tried to date; Marvin, the most depressed robot you’ll ever know; and Zaphod Beeblebrox, the two-headed, three-armed president of the galaxy who, by the way, stole Trillian out from under Arthur’s nose.
But there’s also the burning question of Life, the Universe, and Everything. The answer to which is: 42!
And that question is…
Thoughts
This is one of the first books I recall reading that is a comedy. I knew it was sci-fi. Heck, I knew it was comedy. And I could tell from page 1 how the style of writing would influence the comedy. However, after reading, I do wish the author relied more on irony of various sorts in order to further the comedy. Instead, we get more of a wacky space adventure, where even the characters’ names are supposed to add to the comedy.
The Foreword by Eoin Colfer didn’t help my thoughts of the book. I could tell, without having read a page of the main book, that this writer was trying to emulate Adams’ writing. I didn’t care for it. In fact, it may have worked better as an Afterword or something.
The characters were the best part of the book for me. They are all pretty well rounded and identifiable by their mannerisms, speech, etc. Arthur Dent really does feel like an out-of-place human who has been taken on an insane adventure. Ford Prefect, whose name makes me chuckle whenever I think about it, is a great companion for Arthur. I really did get the feeling that they’ve known each other for a long enough time that Ford would want to save Arthur, and only Arthur, from the doomed planet Earth.
Zaphod Beeblebrox was as eccentric of a character as you could want in a book like this. He’s conniving, rude, and near evil, but he’s also someone that you’d kind of want to hang out with just to see what happens next.
Marvin… poor, poor Marvin.
And, although the sighing doors are not a character per se, they did give me a chuckle. I wouldn’t mind having doors that sighed every time I opened or closed them.
Will towels will be a bigger part of the story in future books? I hope so. I forgot about the towels after a while…
Conclusion
I wonder if I would have liked this book when I was younger. Like, in my high school or college days. I’m not saying that I’m so uppity that this type of comedy was beneath me. But… well, maybe a little uppity. I don’t know. There were definitely funny parts, lots of irony, etc. But it just didn’t capture me like I was hoping it would. I enjoyed the overall story, the adventures of Arthur and Ford, and probably wouldn’t mind continuing to read the series. But the comedy aspect of it really didn’t capture me like I was hoping.
All that said though, it was a fun little romp. The three stars are pretty solid. Not quite enough for three and a half, but not so dismal as to give it two and half. Three. Just like the number of Zaphod Beeblebrox’s arms.
