So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish (Hitchhiker's Guide, #4)

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So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy #4)

4.04 of 5 stars 4.04 · rating details · 54,266 ratings · 823 reviews

Back on Earth with nothing more to show for his long, strange trip through time and space than a ratty towel and a plastic shopping bag, Arthur Dent is ready to believe that the past eight years were all just a figment of his stressed-out imagination. But a gift-wrapped fishbowl with a cryptic inscription, the mysterious disappearance of Earth's dolphins, and the discovery...more

Paperback, 214 pages

Published March 29th 1999 by Del Rey (first published 1984)

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Jun 14, 2012 Evan Leach rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1980-1989, science-fiction, humor-and-satire, brit-lit

The fourth installment in the Hitchhiker series is something of an anomaly. Virtually the entire story takes place on Earth, and major characters like Zaphod and Trillian are nowhere to be found. The focus is on Arthur Dent: after years of being kicked around by the universe, poor Arthur finally finds himself in a good old fashioned love story.

Well, maybe “old fashioned” is a poor choice of words. This is a Douglas Adams book after all, and it features robots, spaceships, and a man named Wonko t...more

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Aug 20, 2008 Vincent rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 28, 2009 Keely rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: humor, science-fiction, novel, reviewed, uk-and-ireland, space-opera

The universe is a joke.

Even before I was shown the meaning of life in a dream at 17 (then promptly forgot it because I thought I smelled pancakes), 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 been, to me, to be a welcome companion in that journey.

Between the search for meaning 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...more The universe is a joke.

Even before I was shown the meaning of life in a dream at 17 (then promptly forgot it because I thought I smelled pancakes), 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 been, to me, to be a welcome companion in that journey.

Between the search for meaning 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 he'll make room.

For all his crazed unpredictability, Adams is a powerful rationalist. His humor comes from his attempts to really think through all the things we take for granted. It turns out it takes little more than a moment's questioning to burst our preconceptions at the seams, yet rarely does this stop us from treating the most ludicrous things as if they were perfectly reasonable.

It is no surprise that famed atheist Richard Dawkins found a friend and ally in Adams. What is surprising is that people often fail to see the rather consistent and reasonable philosophy laid out by Adams' quips and absurdities. His approach is much more personable (and less embittered) than Dawkins', which is why I think of Adams as a better face for rational materialism (which is a polite was of saying 'atheism').

Reading his books, it's not hard to see that Dawkins is tired of arguing with uninformed idiots who can't even recognize when a point has actually been made. Adams' humanism, however, stretched much further than the contention between those who believe, and those who don't.

We see it from his protagonists, who are not elitist intellectuals--they're not even especially bright--but damn it, they're trying. By showing a universe that makes no sense and having his characters constantly question it, Adams is subtly hinting that this is the natural human state, and the fact that we laugh and sympathize shows that it must be true.

It's all a joke, it's all ridiculous. The absurdists might find this depressing, but they're just a bunch of narcissists, anyhow. Demnading the world make sense and give you purpose is rather self centered when it already contains toasted paninis, attractive people in bathing suits, and Euler's Identity. I say let's sit down at the bar with the rabbi, the priest, and the frog and try to get a song going. Or at least recognize that it's okay to laugh at ourselves now and again. It's not the end of the world.

It's just is a joke, but some of us are in on it.(less)

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Jun 09, 2008 Sean T rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of sci-fi, comedy, romance or magical realism

If any of the inappropriately named Hitchhiker's Guide Trilogy could be called "best", I think this is it. I see two elements setting it apart from the other books in the HHGG series: its tight plot, and the fact that it is at heart a romantic comedy more than a farcical satire of the Science Fiction genre.

As one would expect, the focus of the storyline is the continued pursuit of the Ultimate Question, to which we already know that the Ultimate Answer is "Forty-two".

The characterization of Arth...more

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Mar 13, 2011 Peter added it · review of another edition

Running on empty: Following a highly productive breakthrough period when he was simultaneously knocking out scripts for both Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Doctor Who, Douglas Adams famously struggled with writer's block during the later half of his career as a novelist. Previous Hitchhiker novel Life, the Universe and Everything was itself a re-worked Doctor Who story, and by the time of 4th Hitchhiker novel So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish you can feel the author struggling to find a...more Running on empty: Following a highly productive breakthrough period when he was simultaneously knocking out scripts for both Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Doctor Who, Douglas Adams famously struggled with writer's block during the later half of his career as a novelist. Previous Hitchhiker novel Life, the Universe and Everything was itself a re-worked Doctor Who story, and by the time of 4th Hitchhiker novel So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish you can feel the author struggling to find a story to tell.

If there is a problem with this novel, it's that there simply isn't enough story here. Previous instalments in the Hitchhiker's series may have been short, but they were packed with fantastic mind bending SF concepts, which are almost entirely absent here. The main storyline consists of Arthur Dent returning to a mysteriously no-longer-destroyed Earth, and having a romance with Fenchurch, the girl who in a throwaway line in the original Hitchhiker's novel had a divine revelation on how to achieve world peace just before the Earth was destroyed by the Vogons. Arthur and Fenchurch's romance is touching, especially a chapter where they both fly through the clouds together, but storywise it doesn't really go anywhere - the identity of Earth's saviours is fairly evident from the books title (though incidentally, why is there a picture of a sea lion on the cover - misdirection?), and Fenchurch never remembers her divine plan for world peace.

At the end Adams tags on a coda where Arthur and Fenchurch meet up with Ford Prefect and Marvin (who dies, again) to read God's Last Message To His Creation, following up on the finale of Life, the Universe and Everything, but if anything this feels almost tagged on simply to please the fans of the previous novels. The only ideas that are original to this book, such as the unwilling Rain God, or Wonko's inside-out asylum, are mildly amusing but nothing more.

So Long, and Thanks For All The Fish is by no means a bad novel, and thanks to Adams prose it is engagingly readable, but it is a novel all about character - specifically having a few nice things happen to Arthur Dent for a while- and sorely lacking in plot, so don't expect anything much to actually happen beyond Arthur's romance. A pleasant read for fans of the previous 3 novels in the series, but by this stage Douglas Adams just seems to have run out of ideas, and was grinding a novel out for the sake of it.

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May 12, 2013 Chad Perrin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

This book represents a departure somewhat from the tone of the earlier books in the series (and the later book, Mostly Harmless, as well). It stands out as an anomaly in that its obvious intent is to finally bring the series to a close with a deeply satisfying ending, bringing a more touching sense of what it all means to the often-hapless hero of the preceding trilogy, and rewarding the most put-upon and well-meaning characters for their endurance of life's cruel amusements. Where all three of...more

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Apr 15, 2013 Bill rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Even by the tired standard of the first three Hitchhiker's Guide novels, So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish comes off as a tired, threadbare effort by a writer who simply did not have enough gas in the tank at this point and really should have waited the 10 years or so that it would have taken him to recharge fully and put together something with the creative density of his first or second installment in this series. I have not liked any of the book in this series, but at least there seemed to...more

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Apr 10, 2013 Everett Pantaloons rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

The fourth entry in the Hitchhiker's series is significantly different from the first three. Almost none of it takes place in space, it's missing major characters from the series like Zaphod and Trillian, and characters like Ford and Marvin have very little appearance time. The book is almost solely about Arthur Dent.

Not that a story about Arthur Dent is a bad thing, indeed the story has always revolved around him in a way, but in this book it's less of a science fiction adventure comedy starri...more The fourth entry in the Hitchhiker's series is significantly different from the first three. Almost none of it takes place in space, it's missing major characters from the series like Zaphod and Trillian, and characters like Ford and Marvin have very little appearance time. The book is almost solely about Arthur Dent.

Not that a story about Arthur Dent is a bad thing, indeed the story has always revolved around him in a way, but in this book it's less of a science fiction adventure comedy starring Arthur and his wacky buds and more of a romantic comedy starring Arthur and his new love interest.

So yes, it is true that So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish takes place almost entirely on Earth, is missing most of the usual cast, and is in fact a love story, but, though it may sound as if it is the farthest thing from a Hitchhiker's story, it still maintains much of the charm from the previous entries in the series.

For one thing the absurd and witty humor is still present though it is admittedly less bizarre and satirical (it would have been nice, I think, if this book was more satirical of romance, similar to how the first book was highly satirical of sci-fi stories) compared to the first three books. There's still plenty of surreal and wacky situations that the characters find themselves in, though it is, once again, admittedly much less bizarre and insane compared to the first three books. The novel does have its moments of greatness (see Arthur's biscuit story), and is worth reading for that fact alone, it's just a bit more tame.

To describe this book I could do no better than saying that it is all the greatness of the first three novels, but more toned down. Which I suppose is a bit disappointing, and it undoubtedly fails to reach the level of the first three, but it is still a fine book and well worth reading. In fact I see it as a testament to Douglas Adams' writing abilities that even when he's not writing about insane adventures and absurdities his writing alone can still carry a story and make it highly enjoyable (I again must cite the excellent story Arthur tells about the biscuits as evidence of fine writing).

A three might be a tad harsh (though still a pretty good rating) but I do feel a four would be a bit too generous. It was a highly enjoyable read--I read it in one sitting--it just comes off as much less impressive when rivaled against the standard that the previous books set. Let's call it a 3 and a half out of 5. (less)

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Mar 23, 2013 Maninee rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

Let me start off by saying first of all that I am a huge fan of the Hitchhiker ‘Trilogy’. I loved the first three books of the series. This one was very, very different from the others though and I don’t think I like the change in the pattern.

First of all, two major characters, Trillian and Zaphod weren’t even there in the book, they were simply given a brief mention towards the end. And Marvin, who was my favourite character of the lot didn’t come around till the very, very last bit of the book...more

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Feb 23, 2013 Betlehem Fekade rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Obsession is usually not a good sign, even in my book and reading three books in a row by the same author, in the same series coupled with dreaming about traveling through space with a two headed man rather than a two hearted man, in an old, new, blue, bigger on the inside box is rather worrying. Especially when the chronicler decides to name this adventure ‘’So Long and Thanks for all the Fish’’.
By now I have grown to seriously love Douglas Adams and I was prepared to read whatever crazy adven...more Obsession is usually not a good sign, even in my book and reading three books in a row by the same author, in the same series coupled with dreaming about traveling through space with a two headed man rather than a two hearted man, in an old, new, blue, bigger on the inside box is rather worrying. Especially when the chronicler decides to name this adventure ‘’So Long and Thanks for all the Fish’’.
By now I have grown to seriously love Douglas Adams and I was prepared to read whatever crazy adventure he had next therefore when he started with a recap like fashion in which pretty much all the other installments of this book I was not surprised, at least no immediately. However Mr Adams is or rather was indeed a very good at stirring your expectation so wildly out of action that you were unable to trust your own judgment.

This story is about that girl who realised how to make the world happier without anyone getting nailed to a tree unlike two thousand years ago. In fact this girl, who is called Fenchurch because she was conceived in the ticket queue in Fenchurch street station was supposed to have been destroyed by the Vogon ship just as she was supposed to tell the world how to be happy or rather in this version is supposed to be a mad floating woman who figured out that she had lost whatever idea had hit her when the illusion of the Vogon ship had landed on Earth therefore the whole story starts in a terrible mass of confusion in which the Earth was never destroyed and Arthur had only been missing for about six months.

Confused? Good it gets even better or worse depending on who you are.
Now before I delve into the usual appreciation I must take a breather to explain something that has been bothering me for a whole, although bother might be a bit of a strong word. I am not sure if it is because it was very painful obvious or because I have a very filthy mind is up to your own discretion but I wondered in the eight years Arthur Dent was tossed from one space port to another, not to mention get stuck in prehistoric Earth for five years, whether he had managed to get laid. Perhaps this was not such a very foreign thought as Douglas Adams clearly addressed the audience in saying that it is none of our business.

When Fenchurch entered the scene it became even more obvious that Arthur Dent had probably remained celibate for the entirety of the journey which explained the way he… reacted towards the girl. When time came for Arthur to finally get laid it was of course in the extravagant Adams fashion, flying on the wings of a boeing 747. A whole new meaning to mile high club, I would think.
Now I am a fan of this pairing, I know most people would say that he should have gotten off with Trillion but somewhere in the past three books I realised that Arthur and Trillion, while they probably made a fairly decent match would not compare to the match made by Trillion and Zaphod, an idea that surprised even me in its painful reality.

Now that Arthur had gotten his rocks off while flying it seems about time to add in odd details about the Dolphins disappearing and meeting a man who was crazier than… well in this book he was just probably just about sane. After several unconnected events where they all end up on a planet I can’t name to see God’s last message to his creation. A very useful message it maybe but again Adams refused to explain why and how the earth was still in one piece, except for several mentions that this might not be the ‘’same Earth’’.

Helpful Adams. Really Helpful.

So naturally I bloody loved it and feel no guilt in giving it 4 out of 5 stars. (less)

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Feb 17, 2013 Christine Blachford rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In all honesty, I wasn’t that bothered about reading past the third book in this series. I had bought the full trilogy of five, however, and so for completeness sake, I wanted to keep on going. This fourth book is a bit different to the previous outings, with a lot of the story taking place on earth and a lot of it between human beings. I couldn’t quite see where the story was going and felt like I was missing some significant point or other, but that wouldn’t surprise me.

I did like the ongoing...more

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Feb 07, 2013 Al rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

...more

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Nov 25, 2012 Andrew rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, comedy, science-fiction

Marvellous. Entertaining. Brilliant. Three words that may sum up another book, but not this one.
There really is no real story. Arthur arrives home, Arthur falls in love, Arthur has sex in the clouds above London, Arthur leaves the Earth again and discovers God's Last Message to his creations. Which isn't funny.
It's not wholly bad, like all of Adams work it has moments of genius, such as the Rain God, or the man who has build his house inside out and refers to the outside world as the asylum (o...more

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Sep 08, 2012 Don rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The fourth instalment in Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker series is an odd beast. The tone is markedly different from any of the first three books, and by design; after all, while those novels were mad sci-fi romps, this one is deliberately a romance (if a very odd one, at that). To say that some of his readership were blindsided by this change and did not react well to it would be understating things to a magnificent degree. And yet that's not at all why I found this novel somewhat frustrating.

The tru...more The fourth instalment in Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker series is an odd beast. The tone is markedly different from any of the first three books, and by design; after all, while those novels were mad sci-fi romps, this one is deliberately a romance (if a very odd one, at that). To say that some of his readership were blindsided by this change and did not react well to it would be understating things to a magnificent degree. And yet that's not at all why I found this novel somewhat frustrating.

The truth is that I like when a series - whatever the medium - radically changes format; I find it fascinating to see which essential parts have to be kept, and which parts are mutable and open to reinterpretation. Out of the previous novels' ensemble cast, the only one who sticks around as a major character is Arthur Dent; Ford and Marvin pop their heads in, but that's about it. And 95% of the novel takes place on Earth - a rather massive development, given its apparent destruction at the start of Book One. In fact, this seems almost (if not entirely) a Hitchhikers novel in name only - as if Douglas Adams had tired of all the space/time shenanigans and wanted to write something new, yet worried that his readership might not follow him to a brand-new concept and setting. (He would soon test this for real with the first Dirk Gently novel.)

In Neil Gaiman's 2009 retro-review, he pointed out two very salient facts: First, that Douglas was not a novelist by nature, and also that this fourth book was the first one not based on a previous work. In other words, it was his first real go at writing a novel - and with that in mind, the failings of the book make a lot more sense. The characters are far, far richer than in his first three books, and display a greater emotional range than any we've seen before. The tradeoff, regrettably, is that he forgot to include a plot. Don't get me wrong: It's an enjoyable read, and one you'll breeze through in an astonishingly short time, in large part due to how fun the tale is in the telling. But after finishing the book, my immediate thought was, "...is that it?" Because, apart from the "boy meets girl" fulcrum on which the rest of the story turns, not a lot else happens. (And even that seems disjointed, as if Douglas forgot some core developments; Fenchurch jumps from having met this odd man once or twice for a few minutes, to being kissy-kissy in love with him.)

But then, by all accounts this novel was written in a rush. Douglas Adams was notoriously bad with deadlines ("I love the whoosing sound they make when they go by"), and he allegedly didn't even start writing it until after the novel was already late - leading to him cranking out chapters one by one, immediately grabbed by his editor who had taken a room at the nearby hotel until the damned thing was finished. It's a shame, really; I found the change of setting refreshing - even if the reason for the Earth's return was just one more thing largely glossed over - and the character-centric focus an appealing one. Unfortunately, events being what they were, the novel ended up as one that still entertains ... and yet never quite manages to satisfy.

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Aug 10, 2012 Maryjane rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Stamattina ho deciso di iniziare finalmente il quarto libro della serie di Guida Galattica, volevo solo iniziarlo, ho finito con il leggerlo tutto.
Direi uno dei migliori, mi è piaciuto moltissimo, soprattutto per il fatto che si concentra molto su Arthur un personaggio che adoro e che seppure sempre presente risulta spesso una figura di secondo piano rispetto alle forti personalità presenti nel romanzo (basta besare a Ford e a Zaphod). Molto felice anche per la scomparsa di Trillian che ultimame...more

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Nov 30, 2011 Emma Thompson rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So, I don't like this one. For me, Hitchhikers charm lies in the fact that it's just some guy randomly stumbling through the galaxy gaping at things. This book isn't like that. It's a kind of flat love story. For some reason the Earth is bath. Arthur returns and meets a girl who he immediatley falls in love with for no apparent reason. He had a dream that they are deeply connected on a spiritual level. He meets her again and they have sex in the clouds. About the only thing I did like about this...more

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Aug 07, 2011 Becky Ginther rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Out of the "trilogy of five," this one was actually my favorite. I understand that for many people it's the least popular, because almost the whole thing takes place on earth and it focuses mainly just on Arthur Dent and not the other characters. However, that's why I liked it. After the somewhat overwhelming third book, it was a relief to have a novel that didn't keep jumping around between characters and plot, and just focus on one thing at a time.

Plus, this story had a much more human element...more

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Jul 22, 2011 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

For the most part, I thoroughly enjoyed this installment of the Hitchhiker series. In fact, out of the first four books (as I haven't read the last one yet), I'd say it is second only to the original book. It is a short but satisfying read, in part because this is the first book with some actual character development. Arthur, for once, is not portrayed solely as some clueless, bumbling oaf that only cares about tea. He takes some initiative and follows through with the plans he makes. I also lik...more

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Nov 15, 2010 Olivia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. So Long and Thanks for All the Fish
If You Were a Fan of Marvin: Keep Moving!
Welcome back to Earth, Arthur! So Long and Thanks for All the Fish, by Douglas, Adams is yet another thrilling addition to the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, science fiction based series. Set on Earth, once again, Arthur and Ford continue their journey where they are soon joined by a young woman named Fenchurch. I would rate this book four stars. Although I did really like it, it once again lacked a plot. This book wa...more So Long and Thanks for All the Fish
If You Were a Fan of Marvin: Keep Moving!
Welcome back to Earth, Arthur! So Long and Thanks for All the Fish, by Douglas, Adams is yet another thrilling addition to the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, science fiction based series. Set on Earth, once again, Arthur and Ford continue their journey where they are soon joined by a young woman named Fenchurch. I would rate this book four stars. Although I did really like it, it once again lacked a plot. This book was very surprising because of where it was set, there was romance in it, and that Marvin died.
One of the reasons this book was so surprising was that it was set back on Earth! Ford, Marvin, Zaphod, Trillian, and Arthur have been traveling through the universe for years, and now suddenly Arthur lands back on the Earth that was said to have been blown up! It was so surprising when even his house was still there, the one that had been knocked down in the first book. In the text it says, “His house was still there. How or why, he had no idea…” (?) Even Arthur didn’t expect his house to be there. He wasn’t even sure if was actually on Earth! While he was walking he had been thinking, “Was this really Earth? Was there even the slightest possibility that he made some extraordinary mistake?” You have to admit it is pretty impressive when you can’t even be sure what planet you are on! Therefore this story was set on Earth once again, and contributed to it being exciting.
Another reason this book was so surprising was that it had romance in it. The previous three books in the series haven’t even come close! In this book Arthur meets Fenchurch. She happens to vaguely remember the Earth getting blown up and believes that Arthur was a space traveler. It was shocking when she showed him what she could do! “Yes’ he said ‘I see what’s wrong with your feet. They don’t touch the ground.” The funny thing, though, is in the third book Arthur learned how to fly and so they end up flying together a lot. So they fall in love and go into outer space to find God’s final message to his creation.
Lastly, this book was so surprising because Marvin died! It was very upsetting! Every story needs a severly depressed robot. Arthur, Fenchurch, and Ford reunite with Marvin while they are hiking up the mountain to see God’s final message to his creation. Marvin is not very happy to see them, “Leave me’ he said ‘go on ahead, leave me to struggle painfully on my way.” Nope, not so happy to see them, but luckily before he dies he does see the message. Arthur and Ford carry him the rest of the way up the mountain.The message is this, “We apologize for the inconvenience.” His last words are, “I think I feel good about it.” His first and last positive thing to say. R.I.P Marvin.
So in conclusion, So Long and Thanks for All the Fish was surprising because it was set back on Earth, it had romance, and Marvin died. This book reminded me a lot of Life as We Knew it because of this whole science fiction/ end of the world type theme. They both are set into the future, one more so than the other, and have an apocalypse. Although the end is a lot faster in this book! From this book I learned that even in an every day, ordinary life something exciting can pop out of nowhere!
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Apr 04, 2013 G rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure, own, science-fiction

Way better than the former two, but I'm still unhappy with some aspects. While I did like Fenchurch and thought she was an interesting addition, I don't see how different she is from Trillian. Like, at all. It seemed like the author had a hard time writing different female characters, which bothered me. (view spoiler)...more

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Feb 26, 2012 Robert rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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Nov 09, 2012 Vismay rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It is not every day that we come across a Pan-Galactic Gargle blaster of literature…
But I indeed came across the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Over the course of my life, which has been some odd 21 years, I have come across a motley bunch of science fiction novels. I have slavered on all the technological advancements mentioned in these books, I have lived along the great fictional characters as they outwit the enemies in the game of life more treacherous and vexing than a game of chess, wh...more
It is not every day that we come across a Pan-Galactic Gargle blaster of literature…
But I indeed came across the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Over the course of my life, which has been some odd 21 years, I have come across a motley bunch of science fiction novels. I have slavered on all the technological advancements mentioned in these books, I have lived along the great fictional characters as they outwit the enemies in the game of life more treacherous and vexing than a game of chess, when the whole of the universe is at stake, where the three laws of Robotics are followed or broken, where Earth is lost and yet rediscovered again.
But never had I come across a book like Hitchhiker, that it turns all other sci-fi books over their heads. Neither had been a science fiction as obtuse (as compared to conventional books of this genre) nor as fantastical and lackadaisical in its attitude as Hitchhiker definitely has been.
What makes me awe-struck is Mr. Adams’ attitude towards the man kind! For long humans have taken themselves too seriously, considering themselves superior to all other life forms. So when Mr. Adams destroys the Earth in a ‘poof’ to clear the way for a hyperspace bypass, it, as would be the case of millions of readers, left me gasping in wonder.
So when we take about ‘So long, and thanks for all the fish’, you will be left to wonder that after rats, is there any species wilier and more intelligent than man. Yup, there is…
Granted that this book lacks the spunk that ‘Hitchhiker’s guide to the Galaxy’ and ‘Restaurant at the End of the Universe’ had (it lacks Zaphod Beeblebrox, for god’s sake!!). It indeed has Marvin, but in the very end. It also has Ford, but most of the time he is portrayed as hitchhiking across the galaxy. This story is basically, fundamentally and practically about Arthur Dent.
If earlier novels had pictured him as being goofy and hardly in control of his own fate, here he has been characterized as being more of the man. Here he chases his love, and finds her, oddly enough at the co-ordinates where his abode had been, few million years ago.
In this novel, we also meet the ever whining Rain God, with his Rain Type dictionary and Wonko the sane with his outside-inside house…!!!
For the first time indeed in Hitchhiker’s history, we find here a dash of mystery. There are few solid funny parts in the book (that’s what we are expecting, aren’t we?) that will keep you hooked till the end….!
P.S.:- The God’s final message to his creation is Ultimate!! Also check out the unique style in which author says, “They lived happily ever after”.
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May 04, 2013 Ben rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 08, 2013 Jess Cattanach rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2013

I had trouble getting into this book. I’ve put it down to struggling with the transition from reading a lot of serious 19th century fiction and then jumping into this which is so different. But once I kind of made myself sit down and read it (I’d rather not mention how long that took...) I enjoyed it.

Douglas Adams just has a really easy style to read. It’s funny, but not really in the laugh out loud way that people expect. I think it’s a bit more subtle than that, but nevertheless the humour is...more

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Oct 28, 2011 Penelope rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fall-11, science-fiction-fantasy-and-horror

I actually was pleasantly surprised by this book. After finishing the third book, I was losing my faith in the series and its ability to be really funny. I loved the first book. The second book was definitely not as good, but I still liked it. The third book was just "bleh" and I've already mostly erased it from my mind. I really wasn't sure where this one was going to go. I don't think it feels "tacked on" at all. After reading the first three books, it still seemed like the series needed closu...more

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Sep 20, 2010 David Waterman rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 23, 2013 Līva rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Man ļoti pietrūka Zafoda, bet citādi bija diezgan jautri.

Rakstu gan latviski tāpēc, ka šajā grāmatā es ieraudzīju, iespējams, perfektāko Latvijas politiķu un to attiecību ar iedzīvotājiem aprakstu.

"I come in peace," it [robot] said, adding after a long moment of further grinding, "take me to your Lizard." [...]

"It comes from a very ancient democracy, you see..." [Ford]

"You mean, it comes from a world of lizards?" [Arthur]

"No," said Ford [...], "nothing so simple. Nothing anything like so straig...more

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Nov 26, 2011 PenNPaper52 rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was one of the most weirdest of all the books I have read so far by Douglas Adams. I did cheer a bit when I learned Arthur was going to get a girl friend... about time... although Trillian was around, she wasn't a proper girl friend. She was more like one of those blown up dolls... no romance in the strictest sense. So Arthur gets a girl friend just as weird as him named Fenchurch... like the railway station on monopoly boards. The thing about Fenchurch is she remembers when the Earth actua...more

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Dec 20, 2012 Asavari rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1-year-100-books-challenge-2012

This was quite a disappointment, I have come to know the Hitchhiker's series for its crazy randomness and somehow coherent nonsensicalness, but this one lacked the spontaniety that made this series awesome. It also lacked Zaphod and Trillian, which sucks and they were only mentioned once (view spoiler) at least there was a small bit of Marvin (!!!! :3 even though it was only for the...more

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Jul 23, 2011 Kurt rated it 2 of 5 stars

I know, it's cool among nerds to love the first book of the "trilogy," like the next two, and dislike the final two, so I tried to like this book out of spite, but it's just not very good. The real strengths of the first three books come from a unique madcap zaniness, with snide comments about the state of the universe and exotic characters making brief and memorable appearances. This book carries a few characters over from the earlier works, but almost everything else is a change for the worse....more

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About Douglas Adams

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 that was comp...more

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Books by Douglas Adams

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #1)

The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #1-5)

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (Hitchhiker's Guide, #2)

Life, the Universe and Everything (Hitchhiker's Guide, #3)

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (Dirk Gently, #1)

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“God's Final Message to His Creation:
'We apologize for the inconvenience.” — 335 people liked it

“Life... is like a grapefruit. Well, it's sort of orangey-yellow and dimpled on the outside, wet and squidgy in the middle. It's got pips inside, too. Oh, and some people have half a one for breakfast.” — 189 people liked it

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So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy #4)

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