When the recent film version of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" came out, our entire family enjoyed it. But we were left wondering, what's with the towel? Why do you need to carry your towel with you wherever you go in your space travels? So when my husband came across "The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" at the library, I brought it home to see if we could answer that question, and to read on and see what else happens to the interesting cast of characters Douglas Adams created.
This comprehensive volume includes all five books in the "Hitchhiker's Guide" series. These include of course, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", the start of it all. Adams claims he got the idea for the stories while laying drunk in a field in Europe, loosely basing his original concept on the tourist books helping travelers get around for say, $10, $20 or $30 a day. It is here we first meet Arthur Dent, an everyday Englishman and his friend Ford Prefect, who turns out to be an alien from a faraway world, and Tricia McMillian (aka Trillian). Trillian is also dating the eccentric President of the galazy, the two-headed Zaphod Beeblebrox. The earth is about to be destroyed by a group of bureaucratic beings called Vogons! (Don't let them read you poetry!)
In "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe", our friends travel to a unique eatery that puts on quite a show. Adams does a great job describing interesting alien creatures and the wry British wit never misses a beat. This was one of the more enjoyable sequels, in my opinion. Oh yes, and Arthur will do anything to get a proper cup of tea . . . .
"Life, the Universe and Everything" brings us to the planet Krikkit, where demoralized residents philosophize about the night sky until they decide it's time to destroy it and therefore, the entire universe (including themselves) with it. There are also some funny references to the British game of Cricket, and the word play here will leave you chuckling. So, will Arthur, Ford and friends be able to save the galaxy?
In the next chapter of the tale, "So Long and Thanks for all the Fish", Arthur finds himself back on Earth with everything seemingly all in order, despite the Vogons' attack 8 years earlier. He's a bit tired of space traveling and somewhat ready to just accept it and get on with his life, but he can't quite convince himself his planet-hopping was all a dream. He meets Fenchurch, a woman who also claims to have seen something on the fatal night of destruction, even though the rest of the world has been told it was all a hoax. He and Fenny develop a romance, and practice their flying skills! But I'm disappointed that as the story moves along, the relationship is mysteriously disrupted and the topic is never revisited again in the final story.
"Mostly Harmless" -- that is what The Guide has to say about Earth. That is its summation of Ford's 15 years of um, research on our home world. But Ford discovers more troublesome things than that brewing at the Guide's main offices. He discovers a top secret project that could change hitchhiking forever, and seriously affect the fate of all unsuspecting travelers. Arthur discovers he has a daughter, Random, who is angry at everyone and everything as she tries to find a place to fit in somewhere. Arthur meanwhile, has been happily living as The Sandwich Maker on a peaceful humanoid planet, specializing in Perfectly Normal Beast meat! The characters, except for Zaphod, are reunited and the stories meet their culmination.
Besides wondering whatever happened with Arthur and Fenchurch, I am curious where Zaphod ended up. There is a bonus story tucked in between the larger books mentioned above, called "Young Zaphod Plays It Safe". It gives a little background on Zaphod but is little more than a side adventure. He simply fades out of the story as it progresses on, with little explanation.
Then again, this is not a book about logic! It is a book full of twists and turns of the most ludicrous kind -- and it's a lot of fun trying to keep up! Very funny, very creative. There were many lines in the book that were so hilarious I felt compelled to share them with friends and family, despite the odd looks some of these were met with in return! In the end though, the conclusion makes perfect sense (especially if you are a Vogon obsessed with paperwork).
Usually I can breeze through even a fairly large book in a week on my busy schedule. This copy had over 800 pages, and took me about 3 weeks from start to finish. It is not slow-moving, but sometimes you stop to re-read a sentence or section to a) clarify something really silly or illogical or b) enjoy the skillful word-weaving a second time around. I was grateful the print was a decent size as well. For those who don't want to read the whole series, you can of course buy each edition separately for lighter, quicker reading. But honestly I would not have been content left wondering about how it all turned out in the end.
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Comments: 22
Kim, I would stick to the movie for the kids. The book is a bit much for kids to get into but a teen might like it.
No, you shouldn't spoil the ending. I was merely making a reference to it. But never mind me, I seriously don't know where my towel is.
For those who saw the movie and wondered what the heck was going on here? There is hope! I was forced to read 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' by an enthusiastic friend who didn't want to see the film adaptation by herself.
I was expecting total crap, but, boy, was I in for a surprise! Just as Mary M. puts it, it is hilarious! The language and sheer bizarreness of it all was just not adequately portrayed in the movie. Don't get me wrong: I love the movie! But the book is an experience that cannot be missed. So even if you hated the movie, read the book! It will change your outlook on life. :D
After the holiday had ended, he decided that anyone who really had their life in order would "know where his towel is".
I think it might also represent an adult version of a security blanket (for both the traveler/characters and for the author as either a running joke or a failsafe conversation starter) or a souvenir (stealing the hotel towels) or a practical-analog widget in a world governed by incompatible software or a running joke/literary device.
Also, on some of the copies of Mostly Harmless, it said: "the fifth book in the increasingly inaccurately named Hitchhikers Guide Trilogy". I guess it was destined to be a trilogy regardless of how many parts it ended up having.
Further "trivia": a Ford Prefect is a make and model of car in England. It was never Americanized. (Would he have become Lincoln Continental?). Ford was aiming for a normal sounding native name, but slightly misunderstood the radio waves ...
Man, do I miss Douglas Adams!