The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide
by Douglas Adams
published
January 17th 1996
(first published 1987)
by Wings
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binding
Hardcover, 815 pages
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isbn
0517149257
(isbn13: 9780517149256)
description
It's safe to say that The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is one of the funniest science fiction novels ever written. Adams spoofs many core s...more
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avg 4.48
Read in January, 2003
recommends it for:
all o' y'all
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 Galaxy is th...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 Galaxy is th...more
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Read in December, 2007
recommends it for:
really boring Brits who can't get over being really boring, or British
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 returns. ...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 returns. ...more
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Read in January, 1998
* Copied from an entry on my blog, Chased in a Dream.
So I thought I'd talk a bit about my favourite book of all time (so far). Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I wasn't much of a reader until I got a hold of this book. I didn't think reading could be fun at all since all I had ever read before this had been in school and school obviously sucked. But for some reason I decided to give this book a shot. I don't remember why tho...more
So I thought I'd talk a bit about my favourite book of all time (so far). Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I wasn't much of a reader until I got a hold of this book. I didn't think reading could be fun at all since all I had ever read before this had been in school and school obviously sucked. But for some reason I decided to give this book a shot. I don't remember why tho...more
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Read in September, 1995
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, I read i...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, I read i...more
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Read in July, 2008
recommended to Chelsea by:
Haley
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.
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5 comments
Read in November, 2008
That I made it so far in my life of geekery without having read this masterpiece is foolish; it is the source document for half of the in-jokes in my profession and hobbies. There are many memes that I knew came from HHGG, but my appreciation for them has increased significantly now that I actually understand their provenance.
As for the book itself, it is built on the same sort of absurd-but-entirely-logical fabric as Catch-22, but with a persistent undertone of silliness. When Adams is de...more
As for the book itself, it is built on the same sort of absurd-but-entirely-logical fabric as Catch-22, but with a persistent undertone of silliness. When Adams is de...more
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Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Also full of intolerable narrative smugness and an unbelievable overuse of Deus Ex Machina. I won't go into the many other things I didn't like: I'll just say that I didn't enjoy reading it at all.
It only gets the two stars I've given it because: 1. to be nice to Sid (he LOVES the Hitchhiker Series) and 2. I can see how it influenced the vastly superior Thursday Next series. Otherwise I would have given it no stars.
It only gets the two stars I've given it because: 1. to be nice to Sid (he LOVES the Hitchhiker Series) and 2. I can see how it influenced the vastly superior Thursday Next series. Otherwise I would have given it no stars.
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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.
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Read in October, 2000
recommends it for:
anyone who enjoys Monty Python
This comic gem of a book was very different from the movie- Douglas Adams (I believe he wrote the screenplay long before it was set to the screen) doesn't like to write the same story twice, so it is not to be overlooked just because you saw the movie.
It is amazingly written and quite funny.
Not to be missed!
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Read in October, 2008
recommended to Adam by:
Geeksrecommends it for: Geeks, and anyone looking to get inside jokes among geeks
Being a geek, there is a certain canon of literature you are expected to have read. Hitchhiker's Guide is one of the books on that shelf. I saw the movie some time ago and really enjoyed it. It was wacky and fun, and didn't take itself seriously. I bought the collected works of the series so I could fully immerse myself, not just dabble. After finishing the collection reading straight through, I think this was a mistake.
It's not that the books aren't enjoyable, because they are. It's...more
It's not that the books aren't enjoyable, because they are. It's...more
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I have read and re-read the Guide many times since it was first given to me in junior high. There was a time when I could recite the first page from memory. Often I'd just open to a random page and just read through to the end. This trilogy, yes a five book trilogy, is almost solely responsible for my love of dark British humor.
Four stars only however, because the fifth book, Mostly Harmless, and the short story, Young Zaphod Plays it Safe, were mediocre. The first three bo...more
Four stars only however, because the fifth book, Mostly Harmless, and the short story, Young Zaphod Plays it Safe, were mediocre. The first three bo...more
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This is one of the few books that made me laugh out loud. Douglas Adams is brilliant
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This is one of my all-time favourites! It's just so funny, i kept finding myself bursting with laughter! Adams was just such an amazing writer. Let me put it this way, even the greatest books i have trouble reading a 2nd time, but this i can read over and over!
Oh, and as a little extra information... I didn't enjoy his last book of the series at all, Mostly Harmless was added to series later and spoiled the cool ending of So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish (book 4). So, when I recommend th...more
Oh, and as a little extra information... I didn't enjoy his last book of the series at all, Mostly Harmless was added to series later and spoiled the cool ending of So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish (book 4). So, when I recommend th...more
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Read in January, 2005
This book is hilarious but teaches you many important things such as: The answer to everything is '42' and most important of all... 'Don't forget your towel!'
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Read in January, 2002
Knew someone who had a theory that you could open this book to a random page, put your finger down and within that paragraph would be something witty. Interesting
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Read in July, 2004
recommends it for:
Fran Clark
There is such a thing as too much of a good thing... Wine, women and Doug Adam's english humor... much better in small moderate doses
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The Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy is about a man named Arthur and his friend Ford prefect embarking on a adventure. In the beginning of the book, Arthur is saved by his friend, Ford from the destruction of Earth. At that moment, Arthur realizes that Ford is an alien. As the story progresses, Arthur and Ford goes on a journey with two other aliens named Trillian and Zaphod Beeblebrox through the galaxy. Overall, I thought that this book was very interesting and funny. I would recommend this ...more
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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
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recommended to Joni by:
my dad.
recommends it for: everyone!!!
recommends it for: everyone!!!
To say this book is hilarious would be ridiculously understating. To say it is plotless would be about right, but with the type of situations the characters get into, all plot, logic, reason and good sense is thrown out of the window, stamped on, shredded and thrown to the wind. And that's the way we like it, because it works.
Imagine Arthur Dent; Mr Ordinary. You'd pass by him in the street and not think twice. Adams has made him so typical he's practially a cliche. But then he's pulled out ...more
Imagine Arthur Dent; Mr Ordinary. You'd pass by him in the street and not think twice. Adams has made him so typical he's practially a cliche. But then he's pulled out ...more
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Read in September, 2008
God, I'm glad this book is over. It was like a nightmare that wouldn't end. I understand that it was supposed to be whimsical and lighthearted, but I found it ridiculous. It bounced all over the place and never got into a grove. It was peppered with scene changes that were improbable at best, but followed no rhyme or reason. I get it, it is fiction. It still should follow some sequence. About 1/2 way though I knew that I really didn't care what happened to any of the characters or how t...more
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