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

by Douglas Adams

book data

16,177 ratings, 4.09 average rating, 259 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		36%
4		39%
3		21%
2		2%
1		0%

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published

September 21st 2001 by Pan Macmillan (first published 1982)

details

Paperback, 199 pages

characters

Zaphod Beeblebrox, Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect …more

description

Commemorative Edition

find at: Amazon • WorldCat • more options…

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Feb 27, 2008

Mary rated it:

(review of isbn 0345418905)

Read in March, 1987

recommends it for: Fans of the truly absurd!

WARNING: Eddies in the space-time continuum.
And so is his sofa!
The third of the four books in Douglas Adams' "Hitchhiker Trilogy", "Life, the Universe and Everything" takes the reader - and the Chesterfield sofa - on a continuum of nonstop madness, as Earthman Arthur Dent and his Betelguesian neighbor Ford Prefect, stranded two million years in Earth's past, hitch a ride on the Chesterfield and materialize in the middle of a match at Lord's Cricket Ground in mo...more

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Mar 18, 2009

Brandon Collinsworth rated it:

(review of isbn 0671739670)

Read in March, 2009

this is the last book in the series that I really enjoyed and I almost wish Douglas Adams would have called it quit here. The book gives us the chance to laugh at ourselves in going back to prehistoric earth and Adams alternate view of how we ended up the creatures we are, that was extremely clever.

But Krikkit was the best part, this story was amazing and I can't help but wonder if Adams religous views are at work here. A group of people that just can't accept the idea that there mig...more

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Jan 22, 2010

Alyce rated it:

(review of isbn 0345418905)

Life, the Universe and Everything took me longer to read and held my attention less than the first two books in the series. I think that part of this was due to a complicated plot with mysterious white robots showing up everywhere killing people, and characters appearing at various locations, seemingly at random. So, I guess in many ways it is standard fare for the Hitchhiker series: expect the unexpected.

You have to pay close attention to the details of this story if you want to know ...more

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May 10, 2009

Connor rated it:

(review of isbn 0345418905)

bookshelves: book-club

Read in May, 2009

recommends it for: Comedy & Sci-Fi Lovers

Great, a planet of people who, at one time were out to destroy the universe, just deployed many numbers of robots in order to unlock the envelope that retains them and slows town time, and the only people who can save it are Ford Prefect, Arthur Dent, Slartibartfast, Zaphod Beeblebrox, & Trillian (in other words, we should all just have fun for the next few days because after that, there is not much else on earth!). I thought this book was a very good edition to the series because they are fina...more

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Apr 12, 2009

Ben rated it:

(review of isbn 0671467263)

bookshelves: mooched

Read in December, 2008

recommends it for: True fans of the series

A series losing steam, and it's a real shame given the potential of the first two books--both fun, quick reads. This title is less focused on the sci-fi and philosophical underpinnings of the first two books. Instead, Adams here maintains sequences that hinge on bizarre chains of events and silly, ponderous exchanges between characters who have less and less of an idea as to what exactly is happening around them. These felt a long 200+ pages indeed.

The bon mots and clever passages ar...more A series losing steam, and it's a real shame given the potential of the first two books--both fun, quick reads. This title is less focused on the sci-fi and philosophical underpinnings of the first two books. Instead, Adams here maintains sequences that hinge on bizarre chains of events and silly, ponderous exchanges between characters who have less and less of an idea as to what exactly is happening around them. These felt a long 200+ pages indeed.

The bon mots and clever passages are fewer and further between than the previous two installments. In fact, much of this book is rather uninspired and infuriating; the Krikkit robots, the Bistromathematics, the reincarnations of the hapless multiple-murder victim Agrajag... none of the set pieces gave me more than a brief chuckle. Much of what aims to pass for characteristic Adams whimsy feels perfunctory, and the string of coincidences that form the crux of the plot are truly slapdash.

The highlights for me here are Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged's perpetual misanthropy and what amounts to the only real meat of the book--the story of the reason why the ultimate question and answer of the universe are (putatively) mutually exclusive. Thus leading to "So Long and Thanks for All the Fish". But nothing here matches the humor of, for instance, the truly inspired chapter containing the Hitchhiker's Guide's entry on The Universe in "Restaurant at the End of the Universe".

When Adams is working with less inspired ideas, his inability to write characters as anything but vehicles for punchlines and guttural confusions is trying. Vonnegut, while a weak painter of convincing personalities, instills a sense of humanity and pathos in the proceedings that eludes Adams. Some sense of feeling and sympathy, perhaps, plays foil to the general absurdity of exposition and content in Vonnegut. This is why he's a better read if you're comparing the two as I feel prone to do, and one of several reasons I'm not too concerned with making it through last installments in this series.

All of that being said, I have to say that the ending is pretty simpatico with me. Maybe Adams should have left it all at that.(less)

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Jan 28, 2010

Kirstin rated it:

(review of isbn 0671467263)

Read in January, 2010

I find reading Douglas Adams to be an exercise in contradictions. Really, nothing happens, but Arthur Dent and company save the world. The characters can seem one-dimensional, yet endlessly deep. There is nothing difficult to grasp in the novel, but it tackles all the major issues — y’know … life, the universe, and, well, everything.

In this third book of Douglas’ original trilogy, Arthur Dent is reunited with his old pal Ford Prefect, an alien who saved him, if not his world,...more

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Dec 28, 2009

Travis Roberson rated it:

(review of isbn 0671467263)

Read in January, 2010

Another installment in the Hitchhiker's "trilogy" down. I'm going to try and keep this one shorter than usual, but I'm not making any promises.

There is one thing that I have noticed with the Hitchhiker's saga. There are two types of people, those who love every single word of it and those who hate it with an undying passion. So far, I am one who loves every single word.

I've read a couple of the reviews for this one and I noticed that quite a number of people hav...more Another installment in the Hitchhiker's "trilogy" down. I'm going to try and keep this one shorter than usual, but I'm not making any promises.

There is one thing that I have noticed with the Hitchhiker's saga. There are two types of people, those who love every single word of it and those who hate it with an undying passion. So far, I am one who loves every single word.

I've read a couple of the reviews for this one and I noticed that quite a number of people have said that this book marks the point where the series begins to lose steam. I can't say I agree with that. I do not believe that this one was as good as The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, but think about it, those are two hard acts to follow. Those two books were superb in my mind, I gave them both a five star rating. It's hard to top two flawless works.

The story is more outrageous than any of the previous installments and the plot is zanier than ever. For example, sentient mattresses, flying by jumping from a high distance and missing the ground, Bistromath, it is nearly endless. The story seems to shy away a little bit from the theme that the first two books follow with Zaphod and Arthur's destinies, and focuses on Krikkit, a planet whose inhabitants are hellbent on putting an end to the Universe.

When I reached the end of the novel, though, it felt like I was reading something from the first two books all over again, in a good way. When the characters encounter Prak, the story reverted to classic Hitchhiker's. The portion that explored the story of "The Reason" was something I felt that was beautifully written and had a bit of deeper context within it. It felt like a part of Douglas Adams was getting a bit serious for a moment, and that was perfectly fine with me. Then, it kicks right back into the notorious humor that the series is renowned for and makes you laugh out loud again as Arthur struggles to understand a location Prak is trying to describe to him.

The very end of the book made me smile, and while the first two may have been a smidgen better, this one can still hold its own.

Time for So Long, and Thanks For All The Fish.(less)

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Feb 05, 2010

Craig Williams rated it:

Read in February, 2010

What can I say? These books are always a joy! The night I started this book, I was in the crappiest of moods. I was in one of those crappy moods where I couldn't quite figure out why I was in a crappy mood, which made the mood even crappier! So, sitting down to this book in my inconsolably crappy mood, I found the crappiness suddenly lifted within the first few pages as I laughed uproariously. When I say "uproariously", I mean I laughed so hard, I was relieved I wasn't in public. ...more

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Jun 29, 2009

Dana rated it:

(review of isbn 0345391829)

Read in June, 2009

recommended to Dana by: Personal interest.
recommends it for: Those who've read the first 2 books of the series.

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

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Jan 14, 2009

Ron rated it:

(review of isbn 0345418905)

Read in January, 2009

Life, the Universe and Everything continues the adventures of Ford Prefect, Zaphod Beeblebrox, Arthur Dent, and Trillian (the latter two the only survivors of Earth (destroyed in Hitchhiker's Guide). With the urging and assistance of Slartifartiblast, one of the original designers of Earth (another one of those "don't ask" moments - read the books in this series), they careen around - often unwillingly and precipitously -the galaxy in an attempt to stop the inhabitants of Krikkit from ...more

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Apr 02, 2009

Tommy rated it:

(review of isbn 0345418905)

bookshelves: fiction

Read in April, 2009

After the first two books in the Hitchhiker's Series being extremely hilarious and well done I was disappointed with this book. Most of the main characters being split up for most of the book made the entire story seem detached and wondering what the parts had to do with each other. Unlike a similar situation in the second book where the "Heart of Gold" was shrunk and in Zaphod's pocket I found the reconciliation unsatisfying.

The Krikkit storyline was ok but not up to the i...more

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Oct 17, 2009

Wendy rated it:

(review of isbn 0345418905)

Read in October, 2009

I really had a hard time putting together the events and non-events of this book into a story that flowed easily. I disliked going back to previous pages trying to sort out ridiculous names with ridiculous events and tying them all together to make some sort of sense. What I got was just a bunch of nonsense and silliness and brow furrowing. I'll go back to serious sci-fi after I trudge through the last "Hitchhiker" book, "Good-bye and Thanks for the Fish" which, unfortunate...more

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May 28, 2009

Keely rated it:

(review of isbn 0671467263)

bookshelves: humor, novel, reviewed, sci-fi

The universe is a joke, but only some of us are in on it.

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 common partner 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 th...more The universe is a joke, but only some of us are in on it.

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 common partner 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 ther...more The universe is a joke, but only some of us are in on it.

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 common partner 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 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. All it takes is a moment's questioning to burst the seam of our preconceptions, yet we all, every day, treat the most ludicrous things as if they are perfectly natural.

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' jokes. He is much more personable than Dawkins was, and hence a better face for rational materialism, or atheism.

We can all see pretty quickly that Dawkins is tired of arguing with uninformed idiots who can't recognize when he's made a point. Adams' humanism, however, stretched much further.

We see it from his protagonists, who are not elitist intellectuals, they're not even that 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 how the real universe works.

It's all a joke, it's all ridiculous. The absurdists might find this depressing, but to hell with them. 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.(less)

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Sep 04, 2009

Rauf rated it:

(review of isbn 0671739670)

bookshelves: 2009-list, adams_family, fantasy, fiction, trilogy

Read in October, 2009

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

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away . . . .
There was a planet called Krikkit. And these people didn’t know absolutely anything about life on other planets and or anything about the Universe. They thought they were the only sentient beings around.

Does this remind you of a certain species?

One night an unmanned spaceship crashed into Krikkit. This taught them a bit about interplanetary travel. Within a year they already had a top notch space program. Genius, ri...more

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Dec 27, 2008

Matt rated it:

(review of isbn 0517548747)

bookshelves: science-fiction

Read in January, 1986

The first three books of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series are terrific. I discovered them in my early teen years, just about when I started to question what life was all about. These books don't have any answers they just make fun of the questions. They were really the right books at the right time for me.

They were also the first books marketed to adults that I read without anyone having to ask me or tell me to read them.

Life, the Universe and Everything is...more

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Nov 15, 2008

Marshal R. rated it:

(review of isbn 0345391829)

Read in October, 2008

The hilarity continues in this 3rd Hitchhiker's novel by Douglas Adams. The inhabitants of the planet Krikkit have escaped from their planetary prison and once again are trying to distroy the universe simply because its there. Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect and company must stop the Krikkit robots from finding all the pieces to a device that would indeed spell an end the entire universe. During their quest many minor adventures and things occur that, most of the time, seem to have nothing to do ...more

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Sep 22, 2007

Ian Wood rated it:

(review of isbn 0345418905)

bookshelves: douglas-adams

The third and my favourite Hitch Hikers novel reunites Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect, Marvin the Paranoid Android, Trillian and Zaphod Beeblebrox with Slartibartfast and finally explains why the galaxy allowed the Earth to be destroyed. It turned out that although allot of people had a vested interest in the destruction of the Earth it was our glorification of the Krikket wars by creating a game as insensitive as Cricket that no-one could stomach.

This would be fine except eddies in the s...more

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Feb 11, 2009

Danelley rated it:

(review of isbn 0345391829)

Read in January, 2001

So good! One of my summer intern friends (2001) at Lehigh University in PA loaned me the whole Hitchhiker's Guide series when he found out I had never read it. It was hilarious. I really liked the movies too. Definitely a must read if you're getting into Sci Fi, are a nerd, or just plain hate bureauocracy. (There's an alien race that is a satire on British queues and some people's obsession with filling out forms in triplicate, etc.) Anyway, GOOD TIMES! Read this book!

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Feb 18, 2009

Kelly rated it:

(review of isbn 0671467263)

Read in February, 2009

recommends it for: people who liked the second book

This, naturally, is the continuation of the Hitchhiker's Guide "trilogy", being the third book. Still funny and still entertaining. In my opinion, this one's not as good as the first two (though still good enough to get 4 stars). I think part of the reason it wasn't as good is that it's more of the same (even if that's hilarious stuff), and less fresh and surprising. But if you read the first two, of course you still have to read the third one.

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Apr 26, 2009

Andrew Christ rated it:

(review of isbn 0345418905)

Read in January, 1982

I think this is the book that has the spaceship with the Infinite Improbability Drive. The library where I lived had this on a vinyl record too which was great. "The Whale Song" is when one of the missiles about to blow up the spaceship is, when the Infinite Improbability Drive is turned on - by accident - , turned into a sperm whale. The song consists of the whale's thoughts as it falls to the surface of the planet below.

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