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28th out of 3,797 books
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The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker's Guide #1-5)
At last in paperback in one complete volume, here are the five classic novels from Douglas Adams’s beloved Hitchiker series.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Seconds before the Earth is demolished for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is saved by Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised Guide. Together they stick out their thumbs to the stars and begin a wild journey thr...more
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Seconds before the Earth is demolished for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is saved by Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised Guide. Together they stick out their thumbs to the stars and begin a wild journey thr...more
Paperback, 815 pages
Published
April 30th 2002
by Del Rey
(first published 1979)
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The universe is a joke.
Even before I was shown the meaning of life in a dream at 17, I knew this to be true. And yet, I have always felt a need to search for the truth, that nebulous, ill-treated creature. Adams has always felt, to me, to be a welcome companion in that journey.
Between the search for truth and the recognition that it's all a joke in poor taste lies Douglas Adams, and, luckily for us, he doesn't seem to mind if you lie there with him. He's a tall guy, but...more
Even before I was shown the meaning of life in a dream at 17, I knew this to be true. And yet, I have always felt a need to search for the truth, that nebulous, ill-treated creature. Adams has always felt, to me, to be a welcome companion in that journey.
Between the search for truth and the recognition that it's all a joke in poor taste lies Douglas Adams, and, luckily for us, he doesn't seem to mind if you lie there with him. He's a tall guy, but...more
Just as funny as advertised, but I made the mistake of reading the collection of all five novels, and - what's more - trying to read them all in one go. Once I got about halfway through Life, the Universe, and Everything, it had stopped being funny and had gotten a little confusing. Adams is excellent at humor, not so much at plot.
So, for clarification: 5 stars for the original Hitchhiker's, 4 for The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, and 3 stars for the others.
So, for clarification: 5 stars for the original Hitchhiker's, 4 for The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, and 3 stars for the others.
- whew!! kept me singing that old song that goes ♫♪"i just can't get enough!" ♫♪
OK. Where do I start with this one. It's a doozy.
Let's first of all say that I think this is one of the best uses of the English language. It's right up there with, well, anything else. I mean, just read the sentences. He is a lot like Tolkien, in that he makes the words themselves the art. But where Tolkien will take English and make it into a lush, broad canvas, Mr. Adams turns English into a plaything. Let's put my last sentence another way: The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Gala...more
Let's first of all say that I think this is one of the best uses of the English language. It's right up there with, well, anything else. I mean, just read the sentences. He is a lot like Tolkien, in that he makes the words themselves the art. But where Tolkien will take English and make it into a lush, broad canvas, Mr. Adams turns English into a plaything. Let's put my last sentence another way: The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Gala...more
Joe S
rated it
Recommends it for:
really boring Brits who can't get over being really boring, or British
Shelves:
novels,
speculative-fiction
Why does British humor rely so much on the use of indifference? Just something I've noticed.
So the Earth is destroyed. In an indifferent manner, which makes it hi-larious. A bloke is saved and, unmoored in the Universe, is dragged through a series of droll hijinx. One formulaic hijinx after another, which are really just vehicles for terribly self-satisfied one-liners. And then the novel stops at a seemingly arbitrary point -- though I suspect it's actually the point of diminishing r...more
So the Earth is destroyed. In an indifferent manner, which makes it hi-larious. A bloke is saved and, unmoored in the Universe, is dragged through a series of droll hijinx. One formulaic hijinx after another, which are really just vehicles for terribly self-satisfied one-liners. And then the novel stops at a seemingly arbitrary point -- though I suspect it's actually the point of diminishing r...more
I first read what was then the Hitchhiker's Guide trilogy in high school. I remember sitting on the bleachers in the gym reading while other people played volleyball or some other indoor sport and being swept away on a rollicking ride across the universe, and even to its end. Much more fun than volleyball. You brought much joy and laughter to my life, Douglas Adams. So long and thanks for all the fish.
It's that book you pick up and feel obligated to love, if only to escape grievous fan persecution. Well. Here goes.
Let's start with the humour. Yes, it's everything that humour should be. For a while, you are oh-so-amused and impressed...but then you weary of being so amused. Akin to being kept on the edge of your seat for a good few hours - something's going to get sore. It's just such a strain. I skipped ten or so pages near the middle but I'm sure those ten pages were, like the r...more
Let's start with the humour. Yes, it's everything that humour should be. For a while, you are oh-so-amused and impressed...but then you weary of being so amused. Akin to being kept on the edge of your seat for a good few hours - something's going to get sore. It's just such a strain. I skipped ten or so pages near the middle but I'm sure those ten pages were, like the r...more
Sandybanks
rated it
Shelves:
bbc-big-reads,
contemporary-fiction,
2010,
doorstoppers,
abandoned,
sci-fi,
expanding-my-horizon
This review is for the first two books only.
I have a confession to make: I am allergic to sci-fi. The kind that has as its hero a humanoid who lives in 23345 AD on a dystopian red planet, where he must fight slimy insectoid aliens whose sole purpose in life is to lay and hatch their filthy eggs on human bodies. The guy is barely human anyway, with half his face swathed in shiny robotic gear with glowing red eyes that look like the battery-powered tip of my 10 year old’s toy laser gun...more
I have a confession to make: I am allergic to sci-fi. The kind that has as its hero a humanoid who lives in 23345 AD on a dystopian red planet, where he must fight slimy insectoid aliens whose sole purpose in life is to lay and hatch their filthy eggs on human bodies. The guy is barely human anyway, with half his face swathed in shiny robotic gear with glowing red eyes that look like the battery-powered tip of my 10 year old’s toy laser gun...more
Jimmy
rated it
Recommends it for:
Human, Vogon, Worm, Towel, anything with a consciousness
Recommended to Jimmy by:
Who didn't?
What to say about the bible of mankind? This is the best, the greatest, the uber, the wonder, the rainbow, the sun, moon, satellite, planets, stars, universe.... This... is... 42!!!!
I have read these five books of the triology seven or eight times, and will read it at least once a year for the rest of my life!
If you haven't read it yet, stop reading this and run for your life to get your own copy, or borrow it from a friend! Because believe me, your life now won't seem like life at a...more
I have read these five books of the triology seven or eight times, and will read it at least once a year for the rest of my life!
If you haven't read it yet, stop reading this and run for your life to get your own copy, or borrow it from a friend! Because believe me, your life now won't seem like life at a...more
I read this book to understand a guy I liked. It's funny cuz it's true. And now that I don't like the guy, the book is not as interesting as it once tried to be in my life.
The coolest five-book trilogy ever. Seriously some of the best and original science fiction ever written, and it just happens to be hilarious. Not too many people have the balls to write a trilogy that starts off with the absolute destruction of earth for no other reason than the fact that it was in the path of a hyperspace highway that was soon to become obsolete with the advent of the improbability drive. Speaking of which, the technology in these books is easily more imaginative than anyth...more
Gregory Philips
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone who doesnt take things too seriously.
I first came across this book quite by accident. I happened to over hear a friend of mine talking about how a tiny robot with a brain the size of a planet had such a depressing view of life that he managed to talk a spaceship into commiting suicide!!!
What better introduction do you need into the world of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the largest selling book in the Universe? Needless to say I was hooked and couldnt wait to borrow a copy and begin reading. And once I read it, ...more
What better introduction do you need into the world of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the largest selling book in the Universe? Needless to say I was hooked and couldnt wait to borrow a copy and begin reading. And once I read it, ...more
Douglas Adams is either the craziest, most creative and funniest author I've ever read, or he's just on crack.
Or maybe it's a little of both.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and the books that follow it are all completely insane and impossible to summarize, so I'm not even going to try. They're books that can't be taken too seriously, so just sit back, relax, and enjoy the portrait of insanity Adams so expertly paints.
Or maybe it's a little of both.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and the books that follow it are all completely insane and impossible to summarize, so I'm not even going to try. They're books that can't be taken too seriously, so just sit back, relax, and enjoy the portrait of insanity Adams so expertly paints.
This is the second time that I've read most of these books. (First time for Mostly Harmless.) They weren't quite as funny as I remembered from the first time. Still, I did laugh out loud several times. Especially when I read God's final message to his Creation. I skipped reading Young Zaphod plays it safe, mostly because I never really like Zaphod. All in all, very enjoyable books, and I think everyone should read them at least once.
It doesn't get any better than this. Best books ever.
Douglas Adams has captivated my funny bone yet again in his book: “The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy.
In the realm of science fiction you have a wide variety of theories concerning the seriousness of the future (or a long time ago) of space. And “The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy takes a refreshing break from all of the impending doom set by modern sci-fi movies and books. “The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy” Takes place in the present (1980 when it was published) and focuses...more
In the realm of science fiction you have a wide variety of theories concerning the seriousness of the future (or a long time ago) of space. And “The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy takes a refreshing break from all of the impending doom set by modern sci-fi movies and books. “The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy” Takes place in the present (1980 when it was published) and focuses...more
This mammoth of a book was a hell of an undertaking. After being harassed into reading it for 2.5 years, I have to say I am glad I did it, but gladder it's over and I can now read something I truly want to...and something not set somewhere along the space/time continuum.
I found there to be constant peaks and troughs, some chapters or parts were brilliant and others were laborious to get through (I did have some significant and glorious naps while I read this!), and every ...more
Okay, I have this rule with Goodreads: I'll only review books I've read, not re-read. I'm making an exception here for two reasons. First, I've never read the entire series straight through since the publication of Mostly Harmless, so this is something more than a re-read. Second, I really want to.
So after reading this all two decades since my the last time I picked up the series, some thoughts come to mind, and since I have limited patience, you'll read these as bullet points.
...more
So after reading this all two decades since my the last time I picked up the series, some thoughts come to mind, and since I have limited patience, you'll read these as bullet points.
...more
I feel indescribably guilty for not liking this.
Granted, hard-core science fiction isn't really my thing, and if I'm reading a book that is 300+ pages my attention span seems to wither away to nothing unless the book is in all ways, excellent. This is a rightly beloved series. I can certainly understand why it's so fawned over. It just... became tedious. For me.
The first book was brilliant. I wish I'd have stopped there and hadn't plowed my way through the rest. But I wonder...more
Granted, hard-core science fiction isn't really my thing, and if I'm reading a book that is 300+ pages my attention span seems to wither away to nothing unless the book is in all ways, excellent. This is a rightly beloved series. I can certainly understand why it's so fawned over. It just... became tedious. For me.
The first book was brilliant. I wish I'd have stopped there and hadn't plowed my way through the rest. But I wonder...more
Well, well, well... I read it in Russian then in English, then as Audio book both Russian and English. It is funny, stupid and awesome philosophy for advanced idiots book. People who is suffering anxiety disorders of many kinds, words Don't Panic says it all it can really help the cope and forget these stupid feelings.
In general, the book is about a very simple bachelor who one day wakes up, and his home is destroyed because of a highway that should be built, and then by some complete accid...more
In general, the book is about a very simple bachelor who one day wakes up, and his home is destroyed because of a highway that should be built, and then by some complete accid...more
Sigh. This makes me so sad to give this series only three stars, especially with the untimely demise of its brilliant author. You see, I loved, loved, loved this series as a highschooler in the 80's, back when digital watches and Walkmans (fans will get the reference) were kind of hip. I must have re-read the books 9 or 10 times, laughing till it hurt (especially with the first three). Time passed. I rejoiced when the movie came out. Then I watched the movie. It sucked. I assumed, of cou...more
I want to start by saying that I found this book rather funny (I should also mention that I find British humour in general, funny). I thought Douglas' thoughts on what whales might be thinking, or even a bowl of petunias for that matter were rather entertaining. I would almost class it as a 'comedy novel', were it not for the sci-fi subject matter, which although normally, has a tendency to become too overwhelming and almost technical, was very easy to follow even with some space jargon thrown i...more
The classic comic Sci-Fi by the late Douglas Adam's supposedly inspired by his young adult wanderings across Europe and his use of European guidebooks, its really a quite zany collection of short stories the sort of begin when his main character finds out that his house is to be demolished by city for a new public building of some kind of which he was never personally notified. His complaints fall on deaf ears as it had been slated and planned for several years and the intent to demolish was '...more
This is an important collection of books, if only because I don't think there is anything in the world like them.
Douglas Adams is a far cooler person than I think his books let on. I mean, reading this he would seem weird and funny, but he also wouldn't seem as awesome as he is. It's also true that the later books reflected real life tragedies that Adams experience. He admitted, I think regretfully, that these events colored the events of the book.
That said, this was a r...more
Douglas Adams is a far cooler person than I think his books let on. I mean, reading this he would seem weird and funny, but he also wouldn't seem as awesome as he is. It's also true that the later books reflected real life tragedies that Adams experience. He admitted, I think regretfully, that these events colored the events of the book.
That said, this was a r...more
This was a good book, it wasn't the best book I have ever read but it was a good one. It was a funny book, which had a story line that was very random. I got a little at some points in the book, but it was an excellent book. I would suggest this book to preteen boys, girls, and any adult. This is just my opinon, to find yours read the book. The best scene in the book is when the gang og Zaphod, Arthur, Ford, Trillian, and Marvin reached the planet Magrathea. This is the planet that builds privat...more
Swartout 1
Zac Swartout
Ms. Wheeler
August 31, 2009
Book review
Book Review on The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is a book that takes us all around the universe through the life of two hitchhikers. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is written by Douglas Adams. The general purpose of the book is that humans are not the smartest beings in the universe or even the planet. The intended audience would be teenagers to adults. Pe...more
Zac Swartout
Ms. Wheeler
August 31, 2009
Book review
Book Review on The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is a book that takes us all around the universe through the life of two hitchhikers. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is written by Douglas Adams. The general purpose of the book is that humans are not the smartest beings in the universe or even the planet. The intended audience would be teenagers to adults. Pe...more
OHMIGOD!!! Hilarious! I loved this book (er, books, as the trilogy actually encompasses five...). I laughed out loud so many times; who knew what would come out of Adams's brain next into that story. It is the best of everything, adventure, story-telling, and that wonderful British humour of irony and blase-indifference, that, according to some people's reviews (I am supposing Americans, to be completely sterotypical...) is just boring and NOT funny. Well, totally got it. I totally loved every s...more
When I first saw the 2005 film, I couldn't help but be completely intrigued by the aspect of the story regarding an Earth man completely out of place in the universe. Took only a year to buy the book filled with all ensuing stories, but it wasn't until recently I had the chance to get through them. Must say; a very enthralling idea all the way through. Delightfully dry as only British humor can correctly pull off, as well brilliant scientific ideas. I could tell Adams did his research on whateve...more
Arthur Dent just wants a quiet day, but it ain't gonna happen. The bad new begins when a wrecking crew comes to demolish his house to make room for a beltway. When Arthur complains that he never heard about this, they tell him the notice was clearly posted at city hall and he had his chance to complain.
Enter the fates!
A gigantic alien ship appears above Arthur's house and announces it is going to destroy the earth to make way for a cosmic beltway. When the head of the ...more
Enter the fates!
A gigantic alien ship appears above Arthur's house and announces it is going to destroy the earth to make way for a cosmic beltway. When the head of the ...more
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| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | 1 | 22 | Dec 19, 2011 04:56pm | |
| Book and Radio | 2 | 14 | Nov 07, 2011 12:45pm | |
| On my Own | 4 | 56 | Jun 07, 2011 06:22pm | |
| The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy | 4 | 43 | Apr 30, 2011 09:33am |
Douglas Noël Adams was an English author, comic radio dramatist, and musician. He is best known as the author of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. Hitchhiker's began on radio, and developed into a "trilogy" of five books (which sold more than fifteen million copies during his lifetime) as well as a television series, a comic book series, a computer game, and a feature film tha...more
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“You know," said Arthur, "it's at times like this, when I'm trapped in a Vogon airlock with a man from Betelgeuse, and about to die of asphyxiation in deep space that I really wish I'd listened to what my mother told me when I was young."
"Why, what did she tell you?"
"I don't know, I didn't listen.”
—
514 people liked it
"Why, what did she tell you?"
"I don't know, I didn't listen.”
“It can be very dangerous to see things from somebody else's point of view without the proper training.”
—
137 people liked it
More quotes…
Apr 10, 2009 07:24am
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