620 books
—
544 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: A Trilogy in Four Parts” as Want to Read:
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: A Trilogy in Four Parts
(The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy #1-4)
by
Charting the whole of Arthur Dent's odyssey through space are:
THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY.
One Thursday lunchtime the Earth gets unexpectedly demolished to make way for a new hyperspace bypass. For Arthur Dent, who has only just had his house demolished that morning, this seems already to be more than he can cope with. Sadly, however, the weekend has only just begu ...more
THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY.
One Thursday lunchtime the Earth gets unexpectedly demolished to make way for a new hyperspace bypass. For Arthur Dent, who has only just had his house demolished that morning, this seems already to be more than he can cope with. Sadly, however, the weekend has only just begu ...more
Get A Copy
Paperback, 590 pages
Published
1992
by Pan Books
(first published 1986)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy,
please sign up.
Recent Questions
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
Start your review of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: A Trilogy in Four Parts
H2g2 was one of the formative books of my youth (I say this now, when I'm only 18, but I read it long ago). It was one of the first science fiction novels I read, and definitely my first taste of Douglas Adams and British quirkiness.
The thing you have to get about h2g2 is that it's not enough to suspend your disbelief. You need to have it surgically removed, then seal it in an airtight box, ship the box overseas to Germany (use FedEx), and bury the box in an abandoned mine (alternatively, if you ...more
The thing you have to get about h2g2 is that it's not enough to suspend your disbelief. You need to have it surgically removed, then seal it in an airtight box, ship the box overseas to Germany (use FedEx), and bury the box in an abandoned mine (alternatively, if you ...more
Apr 16, 2016
Thomas Strömquist
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
favorites,
book-collection
I was going to start this review with "After much pondering..." when I realized that there has been no pondering whatsoever. When I asked myself which book in the "hitchhiker"-series should go on my "favorites" shelf, there could be only one.
It had to be a collection - the individual books are brilliant, but who in their right mind would think to themselves "I think I'll re-read 'Life, the Universe and Everything' today", skipping the first two parts? Right, no one! That was rhetorical... never ...more
It had to be a collection - the individual books are brilliant, but who in their right mind would think to themselves "I think I'll re-read 'Life, the Universe and Everything' today", skipping the first two parts? Right, no one! That was rhetorical... never ...more
When I picked up the book I thought to be The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, little did I know that I had picked up the entire four part trilogy (yes, a trilogy of four parts, this is par for the course with Adams). It's quite fortunate I did because I think the best way to experience Adam's mad world is to read it as one book.
The book is full of the cleverest, funniest nonsense I have ever come across, so sharp it cuts itself into funnier, cleverer, more ridiculous nonsense still.
The first t ...more
The book is full of the cleverest, funniest nonsense I have ever come across, so sharp it cuts itself into funnier, cleverer, more ridiculous nonsense still.
The first t ...more
This is one of the best science-fiction novels I've ever read, and one of the funniest too. It is also one that I could read over and over again.
Ok, so this is 4 books in an anthology. The first book is the original hitchhikers guide and is fabulous. A work of real originality, humour, wit and acute satirical observation. No question about this being a 5 star book. 'Restaurant' is also very funny but somewhat episodic - there is a slight impression that the author is making it up as he goes along that detracts from the immersion. In the third book this impression is stronger, and there are less good jokes. 3 stars. The fourth and final b
...more
I've read this series six times. I cannot (ever) remember any of it, except random character names. So I read it again. And I enjoy it every time--and it all flows away. If I were on a desert island with only one book series, I'd take this because I know I'd always be entertained anew.
My oldest just read it for the first time and giggled aloud the entire time. He actually remembers parts of it, though--evidence of evolution, I guess. Assuming, of course, that remembering Douglas Adams enhances s ...more
My oldest just read it for the first time and giggled aloud the entire time. He actually remembers parts of it, though--evidence of evolution, I guess. Assuming, of course, that remembering Douglas Adams enhances s ...more
Sep 08, 2015
Melissa
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
borrowed-books,
young-adult,
science-fiction,
adventure,
fantasy,
adult,
reviewed,
fiction,
humour,
classics
Oh my, what have I just read?!
Random, witty, weird.Nonsensical in places but made perfect sense at the same time.
I loved this book from front cover to back.One of the most entertaining books I have read.
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe has got to be my favourite of the four.What a roller coaster of a ride Arthur Dent was taken on accompanied by very unique (for want of a better word) companions, including Marvin the robot.Oh Marvin, how I loved every word, sentence and miserable moan th ...more
Random, witty, weird.Nonsensical in places but made perfect sense at the same time.
I loved this book from front cover to back.One of the most entertaining books I have read.
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe has got to be my favourite of the four.What a roller coaster of a ride Arthur Dent was taken on accompanied by very unique (for want of a better word) companions, including Marvin the robot.Oh Marvin, how I loved every word, sentence and miserable moan th ...more
I tried to read this after seeing the 2005 movie. People had always talked about how funny it was, and made references to it, so I figured the time had come to familiarize myself with it. I have admit, I didn't even actually read half of it, I hated it so much.
Reading this book reminded me of watching "My dinner with Andre," in that it was soaked in self-consciousness. I couldn't stop being aware of the writing, how full of himself the writer seemed, how smart and funny he thought he was.
The m ...more
Reading this book reminded me of watching "My dinner with Andre," in that it was soaked in self-consciousness. I couldn't stop being aware of the writing, how full of himself the writer seemed, how smart and funny he thought he was.
The m ...more
DID NOT LIKE IT... COULDN'T FINISH IT!!!
(OK, now waiting for the GoodReads lynch mob...)
(OK, now waiting for the GoodReads lynch mob...)
That book was so outstanding.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Trilogy of Four (or a Trilogy in Four Parts by Douglas Adams contains four of the five books in the The Hitchhiker's 'trilogy' - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; The Restaurant at the End of the Universe; Life, the Universe and Everything and So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish. It is based on the radio plays and TV series of the same name/s.
Arthur Dent is having a bad day - just after his house is demolished to make way for a bypass, the Vogon fle ...more
Arthur Dent is having a bad day - just after his house is demolished to make way for a bypass, the Vogon fle ...more
Perhaps it was a lucky chance that my second-hand bookseller (Marry Me!) did not have the five part omnibus. 'So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish' ends, not perhaps at perfection, but in a good place. A place where I am happy to leave the characters. Douglas Adams was not happy with Mostly Harmless and what precursory reading tells me, neither will I. And let us face it, Eoin Colfer, even with my immense liking for the first Artemis book, I would rather re-read the series a third time than read
...more
I last read Hitchhiker's when I was 13, 28 years ago (man that makes me feel old) and thought that buying this would be a nice trip down Memory Lane. Yes and no...the first two books are spectacular but I found that the further I went, the more tedious it got. By book four, I was ready to throw the towel in. Reading during my lunch break, I found myself nodding off a few times which is not the best response to a book. There are just some things that happen which come completely out of the blue,
...more
I know that these are considered classics of the genre, and have been massively influential on two decades of genre writing and TV. Yet try as I might when I read them, I just couldn't see why. Creative, yes, imaginative, yes, and occasionally very sharp. But the characters just seemed flat to me, and I couldn't understand why anyone who wasn't a fourteen year old boy would find this more than sporadically amusing.
It's hard to better this whether as a piece of light sci fi or as a sustainedly funny book. I've returned and found something new each time I have re-read it (three times) and expect to do so again at some future stage. It's a pity that unlike the BBC radio and TV adaptations, the film version was so banal (to me anyway). Not a dull word in it and I'm still trying to work out the anagram of Slartibartfirst.
I picked this up because I was in mood for some comedy in space but sadly I couldn't bring myself to finish the whole series despite my love for Doglas Adam...i love the way he writes. There are four parts to this book and I dropped by the second part. While I found each character unique, I hated how all of them seem lost. Things happen to them as oppose to them making things happen. Maybe I will pick this up again in future but for now it just put me to sleep several times.
A very imaginative and creative setup, the characters of this sci-fi extravaganza are treat to observe. But the fiction is quite average and at places it looses the attention because of vague storytelling and randomness of many events. But the sci-fi fans will find it extremely fun. Others may read few of the chapters before deciding whether they should go for the whole book or not.
A much younger me loved these books. Silly, English fun! Zaphod Beeblebrox!!!
Arthur Dent's story is one that is clever, witty and fun. Although this book was quite dense at some sections, it was an overall enjoyable read!
The edition I read actually has five books:
1. The hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy
2. The restaurant at the end of the Universe
3. Life, the Universe and everything
4. So long, and thanks for all the fish
5. Mostly harmless
My favourite was part 1 and 5, a 4.5 rating. For the rest of the books a 3 star rating. Some parts in here were really bizarre, whereas some parts really entertaining. The names of some of the galactic creatures were just so tiresome for me! I so disliked Zaphod Beeblebrox, name a ...more
1. The hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy
2. The restaurant at the end of the Universe
3. Life, the Universe and everything
4. So long, and thanks for all the fish
5. Mostly harmless
My favourite was part 1 and 5, a 4.5 rating. For the rest of the books a 3 star rating. Some parts in here were really bizarre, whereas some parts really entertaining. The names of some of the galactic creatures were just so tiresome for me! I so disliked Zaphod Beeblebrox, name a ...more
This is a super funny book, really random at times with great characters. One flies through the book as there is always something mad happening. The creativity is immense and even though the universe appears to be a dangerous place (the amount of fights / wars and near-death experiences our heros go through), the coincidences of life and the improbability of a lot of events make one believe that there is as much chaos as there is stability in our Universe. It makes one think that everything is p
...more
The hitchhikers guide is a great book , with a great plot and full of witt. It is funny and incredible. I think that this book is amazing and would encourage others to read it. It is a science fiction book and this book contains all 4 books , I really enjoyed the book because it was funny and exiting. It has a good ending to the series an I would recommend this book to anyone who wanted to read it.
How does one even begin to describe such a book? I can now fully admit that I do regret not having had this book in my life earlier. I've been reading it since February, and I just...wow. It's been with me through some weird times where lots has happened. Right now it feels like I just lost a dear old friend.
I actually rarely say this for a book, but the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a book that I'll actually miss reading.
So long, and thanks for all the humor, the feels, and the casual yet ...more
I actually rarely say this for a book, but the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a book that I'll actually miss reading.
So long, and thanks for all the humor, the feels, and the casual yet ...more
I have read the first book twice now. I have found it quirky and amusing. But you kind of have to be in the mood for this kind of quirky. Before you decided if it worth reading, I would say read the first chapter and read the very last sentence in the final book. It does contain spoilers but it should be a good indicator whether or not it is worth the "trip".
HHGTTG: awesome, whacky, creative, couldn't put it down.
TRATEOTU: messing with time and space is always entertaining.
LTUAE: Agrajag is a great name. This one is a little wayward but a satisfying conclusion for the heart of gold crew.
SLATFATF: Fun story. more robots, this time a giant one. Great ending for Arthur.
TRATEOTU: messing with time and space is always entertaining.
LTUAE: Agrajag is a great name. This one is a little wayward but a satisfying conclusion for the heart of gold crew.
SLATFATF: Fun story. more robots, this time a giant one. Great ending for Arthur.
I love it so much. Very sad that it's over, but very excited to read the fifth one.
More thorough review coming soon.
More thorough review coming soon.
Not a fan. I wanted to be, but am most definately not.
At least once a year, for every single year of my adult life, this book has been suggested to me.
"It's my favourite, you definitely need to read it. I can't believe you haven't already!"
I'd agree, and I promised that it would go onto my list. The next day, I would have forgotten the idea entirely, in favour of some other novel, or video game. Finally, after one too many recommendations, (funnily enough, four of them are called David), I remembered to look for it while I was in a bookstore. So, ...more
"It's my favourite, you definitely need to read it. I can't believe you haven't already!"
I'd agree, and I promised that it would go onto my list. The next day, I would have forgotten the idea entirely, in favour of some other novel, or video game. Finally, after one too many recommendations, (funnily enough, four of them are called David), I remembered to look for it while I was in a bookstore. So, ...more
This made no sense. The story takes off and you'd think you know where this is going. TWIST. You realize this is not about the first part of the book but about what you are now reading. TWIST. This is going somewhere you'd never think it would go. It continues that way and you find yourself wondering how you got here from the beginning of this book. The ending is surprising and since there is a second book (and more) there's more to this story than just the first book. Which made no sense.
Overal ...more
Overal ...more
Super fun to read. Adams has a dry humor that really makes you chuckle. I also enjoyed the funny commentary on bureaucracy and mediocrity that was peppered throughout all of the books.
My favorite book was book 4 ("So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish") because of the refreshing love story and the meeting with a truly eccentric character that seemed like he came out of a Tom Robbins novel.
I do have some complaints about how it all ended. I felt like there were a couple things that were left han ...more
My favorite book was book 4 ("So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish") because of the refreshing love story and the meeting with a truly eccentric character that seemed like he came out of a Tom Robbins novel.
I do have some complaints about how it all ended. I felt like there were a couple things that were left han ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Towel Hitchhi...: New to Sci-Fi | 10 | 22 | Apr 27, 2020 05:54PM | |
| DFW Planetary Soc...: Hitchhiker's Guide To the Galaxy discussion. Please tag spoilers!! | 12 | 8 | Feb 04, 2017 10:30PM |
Readers also enjoyed
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
...more
Other books in the series
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
(5 books)
Related Articles
Santa Claus has his work cut out for him this year. We asked on Facebook and Twitter: What fictional book thing do you want for Christmas? Here...
61 likes · 15 comments
3 trivia questions
More quizzes & trivia...
“He stood up straight and looked the world squarely in the fields and hills. To add weight to his words he stuck the rabbit bone in his hair. He spread his arm out wide. "I will go mad!" he annouced.”
—
112 likes
“I come in peace...Take me to your lizard.”
—
16 likes
More quotes…
