Arthur Dent takes a whacky, psychedelic space-trip with his alien buddy, Ford Prefect; finds out the answer to the ultimate question of Life, the Universe, and Everything, among other things. And finds out that knowing is sometimes more confusing than not knowing.

All five of the Hitchhiker novels, along with a nice short story make up this omnibus edition; and you almost owe it to yourselves to read this whopper of a funny story.

Just about every season and every reason. And I must say, this one's more than a wee bit funny.

The bits where the author, Douglas Adams, stops the action to rant about and compare us humanoid Earthlings with other species--caught in a rat race (of sorts) for those little green papers called money. Also, the way co-incidences and deus ex machinas are evident throughout the five outrageous novels.

Neil Gaiman's introduction. Kind of looked like a marketing ploy. And this book doesn't need any of those, fellas.

Try my hand at flying like Arthur Dent does.

Seriously, though, it made me wonder about Adams's other books - the Dirk Gently books.

And filled my mind up with a dozen twisted stories I'd like to tell. Isn't that something authors always look for in fiction?

So whacked out I actually had a couple of stomach cramps from all that laughing. Especially the parts where we find out the real mystery behind our Earthly (or cosmic) origins.

Douglas Adams. Most authors fail writing funny stuff, this guy doesn't. He knows just how to squeeze that last giggle out of you.

1) It's funny.

2) It's a sure-shot cure for those horrible mood swings.

3) It's better than watching TV.

4) It's funny, and,

5) It's funny.

It will change most of your outlook on life, if you're an impressionable kid like me.

Okay, this one helped me through a difficult time. Reading this book took me away from my wordly worries for a while and actually made me laugh. I think that's the best thing anyone can say about any book.

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Created Apr 16, 2004 at 3:34am • Submit your own review...