Friday, May 6, 2011

The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy - Douglas Adams

The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
By: Douglas Adams
Published: 1979
Audiobook Read by: Stephen Fry
My rating: SPECTACULAR





Entry from the Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy:
     Earth: Harmless

Arthur Dent is quite fond of his home. He's lived there for a long time. The council wants to knock it down to make room for a bypass. Arthur is not going to let them. Besides, what's with the bypass anyway?

What Arthur doesn't know is it doesn't really matter. His house and belongings are about to be destroyed anyway by the Vogon Constructor Fleet to make room for the new hyperspatial express route. Oh yes, they'll destroy the entire earth along with Arthur's house. So, Arthur might just as well go along to the pub with Ford to have a pint or three.

Now Ford Prefect was one of Arthur's best friends and hailed from a small planet in the vicinity of Betelgeuse. He has been stranded on Earth for the past fifteen years. Of course he has used the time wisely to update the entry on Earth in the Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy since that is his job. Arthur doesn't know all this about Ford and just thinks of him as a rather strange person whom, for some strange reason, he rather likes.

However, Arthur was now quite disliking Ford for coaxing him away from lying in front of a bulldozer to go to the pub, since the bulldozer had now quite knocked over his house! Before he knows what he's doing, he discovers himself running down the road towards his demolished house and ending up on a spaceship headed for who knows where! (A spaceship!?!? Where did that come from?) (Oh yes, the Vogon Constructor Fleet.) (What is a Vogon anyway?)

To say Arthur was having a bad day would be putting it mildly. His house has been bulldozed, (along with the whole rest of the Earth), he's muddy and sore, has been nearly killed by bad poetry, (not to mention being thrown out an airlock by a shouting Vogon), lost both legs and one arm, been subjected to a long walk with a manically depressed robot named Marvin, and to top it all off; he doesn't even know where his towel is! Yes Arthur is having a bad day. So imagine how it felt to be told that mice have been running the Earth! (MICE!?!? What on earth have mice got to do with anything?) Let's sum up how Arthur feels right about now: "Look, would it save you a lot of time if I just gave up and went mad now?"

This was an awesome book chock full of so much crazy off the wall fun I am very tempted to just turn around and listen to it again right now! I loved it!! I have never laughed so much at a book before. The complete absurdity of it was great! Maybe it's an unfortunate testament to my mental state but I just don't care! :) Douglas Adams is the top of the list in my book for having the most amazing imagination and the greatest sense of humor! I suppose if you are looking for a deep and meaningful tome filled with wise sayings and philosophical wonders that explains the answer to life, the universe and everything, you'll probably be disappointed. Oh wait, this book does tell you the answer to life, the universe and everything!! You won't like it but it's there! :)

I listened to the audiobook read by Stephen Fry. I loved Stephen's performance just as much as the book itself! He obviously had fun with it and did an absolutely superb job bringing it to life!

Overall, if you want an irreverent, absolutely hilarious look at humanity and the insignificance of our existence, this is the book for you. (But please cut Marvin some slack, he's depressed.) So in the words of Zaphod Beeblebrox, president of the galaxy, "OK baby, hold tight! We'll take in a quick bite at the Restaurant At The End Of The Universe."

Updated Entry from the Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy:
     Earth: Mostly Harmless

13 comments:

  1. Thought I'd stop in and say hello to you tonight Andy, I apologize for not reading your post but I have to read a chapter yet tonight in the Psychology of Women. If I learn anything new about us women I shall keep you posted k? LOL Have a fantastic weekend!

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  2. I loved this book! Your review is awesome...

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  3. Hey Darlene! Hello to you too! :) As I have said before, don't worry at all about not reading my posts! You have so much to read as it is and I tend to write such long posts! One of these days, I'll have to do a couple photo posts without a lot of words to bog it down!! I mean, just look at this comment! It's getting longer than some people's posts are! :)

    By the way, I already know all I need to know about women. They're always right! :) Since I figured that out, I've done quite well! :)

    Paula, thank you very much! I have all of the other five books coming now and can't wait to get them! I hope they won't be a disappointment though! As I was listening to this one I kept posting little quotes from the book as my status on Facebook. Like "Ford, you are turning into a penguin. Stop it!" I think my friends thought I was going off my rocker! :) Nobody seemed to recognize where the quotes were from though. I guess I'm just friends with to many people who don't read good literature! :)

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  4. Man, I would have been laughing so hard if I had seen those updates! I like to do stuff like that, movie quotes, book quotes, etc...

    I loved the comment on my post. I too buy my mom rose bushes instead of cut flowers! One with blue flowers would be a great addition!

    I also love how involved in your moms life your family is. I think thats the way it should be!

    XO

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  5. Thank you Paula!

    One time I did cryptic status updates that had double meanings for a couple of days and a couple of the girls I work with were going nuts trying to figure out if there was something wrong! I thought they were going to kill me when they finally asked me directly and I said I was just messing with everybody! :)

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  6. ahahah... I bet that was fun. I did that while pregnant when everyone was asking about boy/girl... names etc...

    Love your idea of writing stuff on the list I know I am gonna do just to cross them off. SO, replying to Andy's comment - DONE!

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  7. This book sounds very weird. I'm glad you had something to laugh at and got some great quotes.

    I just finished The Italian Secretary, that Holmes book you told about. You were right, Holmes was off just a bit, but maybe that was because the series wanted him to believe in the spiritual and it didn't ring true withg his other stories. I loved the book anyway and enjoyed the little Scottish history within. Thanks.

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  8. Oh yeah, this is definitely a weird book! :) I'm glad you enjoyed The Italian Secretary. I got the Beekeeper's Assistant from the library to try it but one of the discs was messed up so I am waiting for another copy to come in. It sounds interesting. I like the idea of a retired Holmes mentoring a young detective. I'm looking forward to it! :)

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  9. I remember reading the first book in the series years and years ago, but I never did go back and finish. I really should.

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  10. Ok I hate to admit this...Ive never read it.
    I KNOW dont throw anything at me.
    I should download it...wait my kindle died...ok on the library

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  11. I won't hold it against you! If you like Science Fiction then you really should get it though! You'll never know what you're missing if you don't! :)

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  12. I can't believe I haven't read this book. Adding it to my list!

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  13. I'm sure you'll enjoy it, Jennifer! Thanks for visiting and following! :)

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