The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #1-5) in Douglas Adams (incorporating The Hitchhiker's Guide)

Apr 11, 2011 Benjamin Torres rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Ok so It took me more time to read again than I thought, but it was worth it.
There are simply great jokes and plots that one just can't get tired of.

I know that this review can't be really objective, since I declare myself a fanboy of this book, but I will do my best.

The first 3 books are incredible!! ok... so much for objectivity.

The first book "The Hitchhicker's Guide To The Galaxy" is a very nice introduction to the galaxy as Douglas Adams imagines it, the human kind being so amazingly primit Ok so It took me more time to read again than I thought, but it was worth it.
There are simply great jokes and plots that one just can't get tired of.

I know that this review can't be really objective, since I declare myself a fanboy of this book, but I will do my best.

The first 3 books are incredible!! ok... so much for objectivity.

The first book "The Hitchhicker's Guide To The Galaxy" is a very nice introduction to the galaxy as Douglas Adams imagines it, the human kind being so amazingly primitive that we still think digital watches are a pretty neat idea (by the way I believe almost no one thinks that nowadays, and every time a see a person with a wristwatch I think "WHY?!"), for that reason it universally speaking it doesn't really matter that Vogons (hedious) want to demolish the planet to create a bypass, it matters even less if the bypass is built or not.

"The Restaurant at the end of the universe" is brilliant, and as earth no longer exists this book is a lot more alien centered. Adams also begins to use phantoms, tele-transportation and time traveling but I think it manages well and its justified most of the times.

"Life the universe and everything" is still great but not as great as the first two, the reason for this in my opinion is that Adams had created a certain synergy in the little group of charachters (Arthur, Ford, Trillian, Zaphod, and Marvin) and in the plot of this book these charachters are all separated from each other until the final chapters. Anyway the ending is superb, probably the best of all the books.

"So long and thanks for all the fish" has funny jokes and plots as all the other books but not my favorite.
It is very entertaining to read the romantic relationship between Arthur Dent and Fenny, BUT I think it was too complicated (introducing the thing about parallel universes and she knowing how to make all human problems go away and forgetting afterwards) and Adams took the easy way out making her disappear in his next book along with earth (at least the earth as Arthur knows it).
Also the saddest thing of this book Marvin "dies". :(

"Mostly Harmless" still nice to read but I did miss Marvin and Zaphod and a little bit Fenny who by this time I was starting to get in love with through Arthur and really felt sad for him when she vanished out of the blue.
Apart from that I didn't like the way Trillian behaves in this book, she was so intelligent, caring and sensitive in "Life the universe and everything" and now she just gets her artificially inseminated daughter named Random, abandoned continuously in order to do her job, that's just mean.
I think the best part of this book is when Arthur finally succeeded and was worshiped on his new career as a sandwich maker. The ending of the story is good but not great. ...more

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Mar 16, 2008 Matt Colvin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

If you ever need a really long book that is interesting the entire way through, then this is your book. You have to like british humor, since these books primarily take place in britain. This has to be my most prized book, I bought back in 2000 and have read it several time since. Every time is gets better. Adams is by far a great writer and comedian.

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