I've been waiting for this book since it was chose as a group read. I finally picked it up from teh library, it seems that someone else walked away with the other copy. I've finally finished reading this, and I'm wondering the other poor soul didnt bring it back. Then the answer came to me, they're trying to save other innocents.

While I admit to finding a few things really entertaining/amusing. Overall I hated it, I couldn't wait to be finished with it. I wish I could say something nice about it, but I just can't. UGH!!!

I was at High school in the 80's when most of the class had either read the books, heard the radio play, or seen the BBC series. When our Ethics teacher mentioned something about The Meaning of Life she was rather taken aback when the whole class answered '42!'

JUST finished it (well actually a month ago, but still [=) it was good, now i cant wait to see the movie... my fav. part: the answer to life is... 42

Not sure about putting it in my ear though. I think I will pass on that part...

I want a babelfish - it would make traveling a lot easier. LOL

I was at a conference this week, and was talking with a coworker and an older gentleman.... I answered a question with "42".... Hahaha... The older guy made me promise to watch the miniseries! For any of you Netflixers out there, it's available to stream online here... It has 6 30-ish minute segments.

I love the books and the BBC TV adaptation but the film was only OK.

The greatest was connecting to the internet for the first time and discovering babelfish!

It is! Whoever made the movie OBVIOUSLY hasn't listened to the audiobook!!

Sara, you are so right! Zaphod drove me nuts in the movie, but I'm really enjoying him in the book. It's funny the way characters translate from book to film.

What I like about the first Hitchhikers book is the irony of it all. It does seem to jump a lot, but to me I see a bunch of improbable coincidences showing Arthur the real purpose of his existence (a 10 million science experiment) that is not only imaginative and incredibly funny, but sets the stage for the rest of the series. I love it.

And I really liked the movie too.

I agree with Mel. Marvin was the annoying part of the books to me. In the movie he was better. The opposite was true for me with Zaphod. He was hilarious in the book (audiobook, anyway), but really drove me crazy with the wacky-western clothes and AMERICAN accent in the movie....

Justin wrote: "Mel wrote: "Justin wrote: "In the series I thought he came off as annoying but by the end of the fifth book I really came to enjoy his character. Marvin devolops more of a personality as his suffer..."

I haven't seen the movie. Alan Rickman is his voice? I love Alan Rickman's voice. Maybe I will watch it.

Mel wrote: "Justin wrote: "In the series I thought he came off as annoying but by the end of the fifth book I really came to enjoy his character. Marvin devolops more of a personality as his suffering grows th..."

Yes giving him Alan Rickman's vioce definitely helps.

Justin wrote: "In the series I thought he came off as annoying but by the end of the fifth book I really came to enjoy his character. Marvin devolops more of a personality as his suffering grows throughout the books."

Good to know. I definitely will be finishing the series. I'll ignore the annoyance I feel toward Marvin. I'll just have to keep giving him Alan Rickman's voice, so maybe I will remember the sarcasm.

Mel wrote: "I liked Marvin in the movie, but in the book, he just comes across as annoying. I don't know whether I like having the movie as a reference in my mind. Part of me thinks that if I'd read the book..."

In the series I thought he came off as annoying but by the end of the fifth book I really came to enjoy his character. Marvin devolops more of a personality as his suffering grows throughout the books.

I loved this book! The humor was fantastic. I was laughing out loud in several places. I liked Marvin. I agree that the book was sort of all over the place. I loved the answer to life, the universe, and everything. I loved how the mice were testing us when we thought we were testing them. I agree that Arthur's character improved immensely throughout the book. I just thought it was hysterical and the most entertaining and fun book I have read in quite a while. I think Douglas Adams is a comical genius.

I liked Marvin in the movie, but in the book, he just comes across as annoying. I don't know whether I like having the movie as a reference in my mind. Part of me thinks that if I'd read the book first, some of the comedy or visuals might have been lost on me.

(the answer to life, the universe, and everything * 2) / 2 = 42

Hahahahahaha! That cracks me up! I just e-mailed that to my husband and a friend of ours... haha!

Also, check this out.

I came across an interesting little Easter egg. If you search for "the answer to life, the universe, and everything" in a google search, it will come back with the number 42. In fact, it's a constant so you can perform math on it. Like "the answer to life, the universe, and everything USD in EUR".

Made me lol so I thought I'd share.

I think I might have to reread these. I read this so long ago that I've forgotten a lot of it!

Really enjoyed the book immensely, I just recently read through the whole series and I enjoyed Douglas Adams sense of humor. He definitely has a different approach to story-telling and I have always found something new when re-reading this series.

that they do!! I just remember the first time I read that sequence and I was completely laughing my head off, and DH (my dear husband) wanted to know why and I could not explain it to him for the life of me!! How do you summarize something like that...

"well the ship accidentally turned two missiles into a sperm whale and a petunia and they are plummeting towards the earth and the whale is.." by that time you have already lost your audience!!

I love the whale and its discovery of language.... And of course, in future books those Petunias become very important...

Kristen wrote: "I love the mice... gotta just say that. I was laughing hardest at the end when they wanted to extract Arthur's brain and told him "Well you don't really need it...". I've read this one once before ..."

I know... that really is funny! I had forgotten about that!

I love the mice... gotta just say that. I was laughing hardest at the end when they wanted to extract Arthur's brain and told him "Well you don't really need it...". I've read this one once before years ago.. now I think I need to read the rest of the series.

I think my favourite bit is Marvin and the Frogstar battle robot.

(Though Colin the happy robot, in Mostly Harmless (I think) always makes me laugh. And the bit when Marvin rings up in the Restaurant at the End of the Universe. And ... I could go on...!)

I thought the first Hitchhiker book was hilarious. My favorite part was the beginning, with the demolition. Confusing but such funny one-liners.

The ones after sort of dragged on to me - I almost didn't finish the third and haven't decided to finish the series.

I am almost to my favorite little sequence- the whale and the petunias. I can't wait!!

I love H2G2 - no matter how many times I read it, I still laugh out loud. I'm honestly not fit to be in public when I'm reading it!

saranicole wrote: "The mice!! :) So funny. I love the guy who won the award for the fjords... what was his name? I can't remember... Slarty Bartfarst or something like that?"

It doesn't matter. ;)

/Slartibartfast

I loved the idea of him creating these huge fjords and winning an award for it. So so interesting to think about...

Oh, it is coming back to me now! I remember that! That was great!!!

Yeah. He made the Fjords and was taking Dent on a tour of the replacement Earth. The guy that played him in the movie was great. Big, lumbering, humble...

saranicole wrote: "The mice!! :) So funny. I love the guy who won the award for the fjords... what was his name? I can't remember... Slarty Bartfarst or something like that?"

Wait, is that in the first book???

The mice!! :) So funny. I love the guy who won the award for the fjords... what was his name? I can't remember... Slarty Bartfarst or something like that?

I know, right... brilliant! And we thought we were doing the experiment on them!

Marvin is so annoying! But the book was really funny. I loved how Earth was a 10 million year old experiment run by mice!

Laugh out loud funny, as usual. I always want to explain how funny this book is to people, but you can't, because the humor and the jokes are so contextual.

I love them all.

I love this book... Marvin is definitely a character!!! I read the second book, but I want to continue the rest of the series. Is it good/worth reading?

It really is more a satire on humanity and its absurdities more than anything else.

At least Marvin knew about his part, roul in the book, while the other characters weren't sure what they were doing in that book, which doesn't even have plot.
the book wasn't very interesting or genius, but it was well written, the author was certanly talanted.

Yes Marvin was by far my favorite part of the book! I ended up really enjoying it, although I think a lot of the humor just went over my head. Like I know this is probably funny but I'm not sure why....

I loved Marvin the depressed robot. He was the best character. ^_^

Dorie wrote: "I'll admit to having a first edition of the leather bound Ultimate Guide. It contains all but "The Salmon of Doubt". Has anyone read Salmon? Is it worth the read?"

I've read it. It's definitely worth the read. There are some great insights into what Adams was like as a person (a great guy, of course). :)

I'll admit to having a first edition of the leather bound Ultimate Guide. It contains all but "The Salmon of Doubt". Has anyone read Salmon? Is it worth the read?

He was the ... script editor? is what I want to say ... for that entire Key to Time season.

Susanna -

SHADA!

And he wrote The Pirate Planet too, didn't he??

Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul was actually the sequel to Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, also interesting.

Adams was one of my favorite writers on Doctor Who, back in the day.

I should re-read it!