The blurb from douglasadams.com: Seconds before the Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of the The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out of work actor. Together this dynamic pair begin their journey through space aided by quotes from The Hitch Hiker's Guide "A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have" and a galaxy-full of fellow travelers: Zaphod Beeblebrox - the two-headed, three-armed ex-hippie and totally out to lunch president of the galaxy; Trillian, Zaphod's girlfriend (formally Tricia McMillan), whom Arthur tried to pick up at a cocktail party once upon a time zone; Marvin, a paranoid, brilliant and chronically depressed robot; Veet Voojagig, a former graduate student who is obsessed with the disappearance of all the ball-point pens he has bought over the years.
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is the archetype example for quirky literature. The first book in a science fiction comedy series, Adams’ cleverness and wit will leave you clenching your side form laughter. Not to mention, by reading this book you will be on top of many popular cultural references such as why people (falsely) claim 42 is the meaning of life (it’s actually the answer to life, the universe, and everything. Which is what inspired this blogger’s username!) or why people (such as myself) carry towels annually on the 25th of May.
It’s hard to find a good comedy out there. Now-a-days humor seems to be strictly cultural or crude. Adams’ sense of humor is based around wit and clever word-play, which is a lost art form. While this book may not, at surface level, seem to cover any important issues or hot topics, it is much easier to examine the essence of humanity from the perspective of snarky alien life-forms.
I would recommend this book to anyone in search for a good laugh, and especially to any aspiring creative writers out there. Actually, I’d recommend the entire series. The books began as a radio broadcast program and provide a great example of how literature can transcribe between mediums (radio to novel to BBC television series to movie) and still maintain the endearing qualities though expressing them differently. In fact, I recommend checking out all those versions of Hitchhiker and exploring how they differ and how they express Adams’ ideas. Good luck in this venture in comparing and contrasting!
No matter what, though, remember: always carry your towel, and whatever you do, DON’T PANIC.
Works Cited:
Adams, Douglas. Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy. Harmony Books: New York, NY. 1979.
Adams, Douglas. Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy. Harmony Books: New York, NY. 1979.
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