#4: SCIENCE FICTION - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

[PB]

Feel free to post whenever.

I will be posting some discussion questions shortly. :)

[PB]

Okay... so I don't know how to say this... but it turns out I won't be posting any discussion questions.

I got about halfway through Chapter 2, and I just had to stop. I didn't really like the writing style at all, and I don't see the point of the book. I know a lot of you like it, but I'm sorry to say that it seems kind of pointless... and...

However, please feel free to use this space to discuss among yourselves!

[Jenny Smith]

I recently finished the original Hitchhiker series by Adams (not the “last” one that was authored by someone else), and my sentiments are close to how Peachy feels about the first book. I like the Hitchhiker series more because they are weird than anything else. As books—no, there seems to be no real point besides providing an interesting (though often more weird than interesting) story.

I read the first books when I was in college and just finished up the last few around ten years later. I didn’t remember much from the first book. Honestly, I have no intention of rereading it, though I do remember certain key aspects such as that mice are superior to just about everything (except the dolphins prove rather smart—especially later on), the answer to the meaning of everything, and towels are any hitchhiker’s best friend.

I remember enjoying the books more in college, though I fell off them. I read them in print. The last few I listened to on CD. They were enjoyable in the car but didn’t leave me with much impression besides the fact that I was really starting to hate certain characters. I don’t think the reading medium changes the story. Perhaps when you read them was more crucial for me. I enjoyed the books more when I was in my late teens/early 20s.

I guess I would call the first book—and the series in general—messy for readers to digest and truly understand. I certainly don’t, and I studied literature and writing/editing for my undergrad and graduate degrees. They felt more intended for comedy and fun than anything else. I’ve read my fair share of science fiction and fantasy, and I much prefer the likes of authors like Anne McCaffrey, Terry Brooks, Kevin Anderson, etc. Though one point that I really liked about Hitchhiker was that you didn’t need to actually understand the hard science because Adams doesn’t follow any rules whatsoever—even his own.

But in all honesty, the best part about Hitchhiker getting chosen was that I’d rather read Hitchhiker a million times repeatedly and without breaks than having to read Dune again.

[PB]

Haha. I'm glad someone understands.