Book –The Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy

Book –The Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy
(book 1/6 in a series)

Author: Douglas Adams

Score: 6/10
Year: 1979 (original) ; 2005 (this paperback edition) 

Publisher: Del Rey, Balantine books 

ISBN 9780345391803

Pages 216 

It's a tough day for Arthur Dent : firstly because he faces eviction due to a planned demolition of his house, secondly because the Earth is also scheduled to be demolished, and in fact, seconds before it is indeed destroyed, he is plucked off the planet by a friend, who's actually an alien, whose job had been research for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy. They embark on an adventure in space, set with humor and seems to rely solely on chaotic situations from start to finish, in this unpretentious scifi classic comedy. 


In this parody of space adventure, answers to the mysteries of evolution, galaxies and life on earth are given in an unrealistic, exaggerated way , as if the author decided to use science and stir it in a soup of humorous cartoons, with uneven pleasantness to me as a reader. For instance, I loved the chronically depressed robot and the weirdness of the overall story, but not repetitions in wording nor the few food oriented details, and least of all the crushed whale whose carcass is visited - thus making me doubt ever watching the movie adaption, unless skipping those scenes. 

I said 'unpretentious', because it doesn't use sophisticated dialogues or story telling, and because despite it's fast paced story, it took me quite a while to get through it, as it's totally a put-down-able book, especially in the first half of it, whilst the second was more engaging. 

I finished it in 7 reading sessions, spread over 3 weeks (!) and discovered that there were 5 sequels between 1980 and 2009, but I doubt I'll read any of them, since the titles of the second volume, the restaurant at the end of universe, and fourth volume's so long, and thanks for all the fish make me fear gross food elements. 

 All in all, I can see certain funny moments and set-up that are nice and original, some may have set trends and others followed - for example, Marvin the robot has similar flair to C-3PO, clearly inspired though altered from Star Wars which was released shortly before this novel, but there is also a 'resistance is useless', pre-cursor to Star Trek's Borg motto 'resistance is futile', all the whilst being a nod to a 1964 Doctor Who episode, where the Dalek said... 'resistance is useless'... Scifi nods in a chain.