The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

This is a photo of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy paperback front cover.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy has always been on my list but always got pushed to the back. I was out drinking on a Friday night when a friend recommended that I read it.

I promptly ordered it from Amazon, forgot I’d ordered it, and got a nice surprise through the letterbox on Monday.

So, like a true bookaholic, I ploughed through my current book (Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks) and started on The Hitchhiker’s Guide.

It’s totally wacky, to say the least. The Hitchhiker’s Guide is a “Lonely Planet” type guide which includes facts, events, and statistics about the Galaxy.  I really liked this concept. This device gave Adams the opportunity to do anything and go anywhere – no questions asked!

I don’t think I ever felt settled reading this book though. A mere 17 pages in, and you’re introduced to a drink called the “Galactic Gargle Blaster” and something called an “Algolian Suntiger.” As you follow the main character Arthur Dent on his adventures, stuff gets crazy, and some of the things that happen really test the imagination which was brilliant.

It took me a while to get used to some of the character names, luckily there aren’t that many. You’ve got a Zaphod Beeblebrox, Slartibartfast, Agrajag, and Marvin the Paranoid Android to name a few.

A quote from Douglas Adams that reads "In the beginning the universe was created. This made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move"

There are some really funny moments in this novel. The notorious Vogon race who inflict unbearable torture through the reading of their poetry; the supercomputer called Deep Though that has been built for one reason only – to determine the answer to life, the universe, and basically everything!

I predict that you’ll be surprised at the answer!

There are 4 other books in the series, but I can’t see myself reading them anytime soon. That said, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is an entertaining read that will test the limits of your imagination. It’s also quite a short novel at 226 pages.

Click here to buy The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

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