The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide
by Douglas Adams
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 7559)
Read in August, 2001
recommends it for:
Humor readers of all stripes, sci fi readers
This is only recommended to fans of Adams or the Hitchhiker's series. I don't know why you'd buy a collection of all five books before you knew if you liked one of them. But if I was going to recommend an entire series to buy in one go, it would be this trilogy of five novels.
Unrelentingly funny, Douglas Adams had his own style. TV sitcoms try to go laugh a minute; his writing went laugh-a-page, when it was slow. Like Mark Twain he made it seem so effortless that you can read it for h...more
Unrelentingly funny, Douglas Adams had his own style. TV sitcoms try to go laugh a minute; his writing went laugh-a-page, when it was slow. Like Mark Twain he made it seem so effortless that you can read it for h...more
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Read in January, 2005
I’m reviewing these five books all together because they’re one quintology, and because my thoughts around the first extend to the other four. I read these books four or five times when I was 12 or 13 and going through a science fiction kick. Back then, I found them hysterical. When I heard they were making a movie, I was so psyched, I decided to reread the series prior to seeing the movie. You know the cliché “You can’t go home again”? Well, that’s how I feel after reading these b...more
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Read in October, 2006
recommends it for:
people that have a sense of humor and most that don't
The Hitchhiker's Guide books are endlessly entertaining. They have just the right mix of scifi and humor to keep you reading. The journeys of Arthur Dent are at times hilarious and at others tragic (in a hilarious way). In these books we realize that the universe is a ridiculous place where time has little meaning and people think mammals are a little on the primitive side. Being from a small, unremarkable planet on the unfashionable end of the galaxy who can blame them?
The universe of t...more
The universe of t...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 June, 2008
recommends it for:
People who don't take things too seriously - and get British humor
I'd read the Dirk Gently books many years ago and always wanted to read the Hitchhiker books. Only recently did a five novels and one story (slightly different from the paperback version in that it also includes Young Zaphod Plays it Safe) edition come along at a discounted price I couldn't refuse, then couldn't put down, and here I am.
Reading them together as one was very enjoyable, but also pointed out what I so enjoyed in the early work that was missing in the later stories - the interac...more
Reading them together as one was very enjoyable, but also pointed out what I so enjoyed in the early work that was missing in the later stories - the interac...more
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Read in February, 2007
There are many editions of Hitchhiker's. I couldn't say which is best, but I liked this one a lot. It contains five books within it all in a handy paperback format. The Hitchhiker stories are pretty short by novel standards so although this edition is some 500 pages long, you'll zip through the stories very quickly.
The story caters to geeks and those in tune with satirical comedy. If you love British Comedy, than you will love these books. The plot is hard to describe and I'm not entire...more
The story caters to geeks and those in tune with satirical comedy. If you love British Comedy, than you will love these books. The plot is hard to describe and I'm not entire...more
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Read in January, 1997
I use this as a placeholder for all five Hitchhiker books, even though the first one will probably always be my favorite.
It's hard to explain why this book is so great. I assume at this point it has become such a "cult" classic that doctoral theses are composed about it. The simple fact, though, is that I started reading, laughed very hard reading the first page, and didn't stop until I was finished. I guess I laughed at both the humor and the amazing (for lack of a better word) IDEA...more
It's hard to explain why this book is so great. I assume at this point it has become such a "cult" classic that doctoral theses are composed about it. The simple fact, though, is that I started reading, laughed very hard reading the first page, and didn't stop until I was finished. I guess I laughed at both the humor and the amazing (for lack of a better word) IDEA...more
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Read in September, 2007
recommends it for:
anyone who enjoys british comedy
It's the best five part trilogy you're ever going to read!
I had tried on several different occasions to read this book and every attempt had failed more spectacularly than the last, excluding the one time I was able to make it all the way through. Douglas Adams is truely one of a kind and now I see what a great loss his death is. His style will never be repeated, possibly duplicated but just like the nutrimatic drink system it will be almost entirely nothing like his style at all. I under...more
I had tried on several different occasions to read this book and every attempt had failed more spectacularly than the last, excluding the one time I was able to make it all the way through. Douglas Adams is truely one of a kind and now I see what a great loss his death is. His style will never be repeated, possibly duplicated but just like the nutrimatic drink system it will be almost entirely nothing like his style at all. I under...more
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Read in January, 2004
recommended to M. A. by:
I can't even remember.recommends it for: everyone with a sense of humor
There is only one thing I can say about this book that can convey my utter delight and attachment to it. I take this book with me to the dentist. To me, there is nothing more terrifying and uncomfortable than the fifteen minutes sitting in the waiting room of the dentist's office. The strange smells, the high-pitched screams of the drills nearby, the knowledge that soon I will be in pain, it's enough to overwhelm one's reason. I take The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide with me, because no...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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Ein Abenteuer, dass jeden Kinofilm verblassen lässt..: Ich hatte schon oft von diesem Buch gehört, und auf Internet -Seiten gelesen, und um meine Allgemeinbildung aufzupolieren, hab ichs mir bestellt... Das Buch hat mich vom ersten Moment an gefesselt. Die Abenteuer von Ford Prefekt und Arthur Dent sind voll von Überraschungen und Anspielungen auf Gott und die Welt.. Mich fasziniert am meisten folgende Aussage im Buch: "God says: I refuse to prove my existence! For prove denies faith, an...more
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Read in January, 1999
recommends it for:
sci-fi fans, terry pratchett fans
Other folks can give you better summaries, or ideas of why you might want to read these. My recommendation is to pick up the first one. If you don't like, if you can't read it through, then don't worry about picking up the rest of them. If you enjoy it and find yourself laughing out loud (and I hope you do), go ahead and keep up with the series. It's a quick fun read, really.
For me, The first of the five books will, I think, always be my favorite. The books that followed never seemed qu...more
For me, The first of the five books will, I think, always be my favorite. The books that followed never seemed qu...more
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Read in February, 2005
recommends it for:
honestly you have probably allready read this
I don't know why I feel the need to review this book other than it is something I can actually remember enjoying and I recommend reading it if you haven't already.
For those of you that don't know, this book contains Adams' trilogy in five parts: the Hithhiker's Guide. I would really recommend you stop reading after the third book if you didn't really enjoy them. The book completes its self and then you just kind of have these two postloges that don't really seem to fit and lose all of the en...more
For those of you that don't know, this book contains Adams' trilogy in five parts: the Hithhiker's Guide. I would really recommend you stop reading after the third book if you didn't really enjoy them. The book completes its self and then you just kind of have these two postloges that don't really seem to fit and lose all of the en...more
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"i'm so hip, i have trouble seeing over my pelvis."
the first time i read this book, it was during a summer break at school and i kept bursting into fits of laughter. books don't typically make me laugh out loud, but the hitchhiker's guide did. zaphod beeblebrox quickly became one of my favorite fictional characters ever. several lines of his dialogue have stuck with me since i first read it, including the pelvis line.
this is my kind of humor, and i was (still am) quite happy t...more
the first time i read this book, it was during a summer break at school and i kept bursting into fits of laughter. books don't typically make me laugh out loud, but the hitchhiker's guide did. zaphod beeblebrox quickly became one of my favorite fictional characters ever. several lines of his dialogue have stuck with me since i first read it, including the pelvis line.
this is my kind of humor, and i was (still am) quite happy t...more
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Read in January, 1992
recommends it for:
Everyone
Don't Panic!
The Hitchhiker'sGuide to the Galaxy way be the funniest and most innacurately named trilogy ever made. Actually, the first three books are great, the fourth tapers off and the fifth to this day goes unread. But, the first three of the original triolgy are side-splitting, witty and wonderful.
It covers the misadventures of one Arthur Dent, recently of Earth. Forced to leave his planet after it was slated for demolition by the insipid, bueraucratic Vogon Empire, he begins a ques...more
The Hitchhiker'sGuide to the Galaxy way be the funniest and most innacurately named trilogy ever made. Actually, the first three books are great, the fourth tapers off and the fifth to this day goes unread. But, the first three of the original triolgy are side-splitting, witty and wonderful.
It covers the misadventures of one Arthur Dent, recently of Earth. Forced to leave his planet after it was slated for demolition by the insipid, bueraucratic Vogon Empire, he begins a ques...more
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Read in January, 1993
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is about Arthur Dent, a normal Earth man, who happens to get rescued from the demolition of the Earth by his friend, Ford Prefect, who is from a small planet in the vicinity of Betelgeuse. It is a highly hilarious, silly British comedy adventure sci-fi thing, with lots of paradoxes, stupid humor, and brain-numbing weirdness. Though it is called a trilogy, there are five main books, and they occasionally contradict each other and make no sense as they tell a f...more
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Read in January, 2000
recommends it for:
those who are in need of a bit of good old English humour
The English have the best humour of anyone on the planet. This book is a perfect example. I have fond memories of bursting into laughter on a crowded bus in peak hour on a Monday morning much to the shock of my fellow passengers.
Douglas Adams is a genius. I have given this book as a gift to so many people and it is always well received. My own copy has been lent to more people than I have fingers to count.
I feel obliged to re-read it at least every few years and every time I become impre...more
Douglas Adams is a genius. I have given this book as a gift to so many people and it is always well received. My own copy has been lent to more people than I have fingers to count.
I feel obliged to re-read it at least every few years and every time I become impre...more
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Read in January, 2007
recommends it for:
anyone favors British humor and has a passing interest in science fiction and/or philosophy.
The first novel in the series is a wonderfully written book full of intelligent, comic jabs at the universe and existence. After falling in love with Hitchhikers I tore through the rest of the series. Although none of the other books stand up to Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy the entire series ties together through the event of Earth's destruction for the intergalactic superhighway. By Mostly Harmless, Adams grew more serious and the silliness of the earlier novels peters out a little bit. None...more
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If you are cool, you might chuckle a few times when reading this book and never tell anyone about having read this book. If you're a nerd, you'll like it, say it was good, and go on about your business. If you're a giant dork you'll laugh out loud, reread certain passages, and upon completion immediately tell all of your friends to read this book, only to be ridiculed by them if they do (because chances are they're "cool"). You will also go out and purchase every Douglas Adams book in ...more
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Read in October, 2006
recommends it for:
EVERYONE!
When I first read this book, I immediately got sucked in. It's definitely what I'd call a page-turner. Douglas Adams is a PURE genius. When you read the last page you just want to crack it open to the beginning and start all over. Every time I re-read it, I find more and more about it that makes me love it even more. I've even highlighted my favorite quotes just so I can go back and get a good laugh.
This is, without a doubt, my favorite book. Technically it's 6 books so I'm cheating but it's...more
This is, without a doubt, my favorite book. Technically it's 6 books so I'm cheating but it's...more
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