Title: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the GalaxyAuthor: Douglas Adams
Genre: YA Science-fiction
Target Audience: Teens - Adults
Number of Pages: Paperback - 216 pages
Just yesterday, I had concluded my adventure throughout the galaxy with Zaphod Beeblebrox- the president of the galaxy; Trillian- Zaphod’s girlfriend; Arthur Dent- your average earthling; Ford- a hitchhiker who came down to earth from his small home planet somewhere in the vicinity of Betelgeuse; and Marvin- a highly intelligent yet clinically depressed robot. In a universe where bath towels are the most important aid one can own, you can expect many other crazy things in this book. The story begins with Arthur Dent and his little house in England, which is about to be demolished to make way for a new bypass. Abruptly and out of nowhere, Arthur’s friend Ford proclaims the end of the world. He is right. Right then, aliens blow up the Earth in to millions of pieces and disintegrate all its inhabitants. Fortunately since Ford knows about the demolition of the Earth in advance, he and Arthur are able to hitch a ride on the alien ship. Through a series of very improbable events, Arthur and Ford make their way into Zaphod and Trillian’s newly stolen ship, thus beginning their epic quest to the forgotten planet of Magrathea to find the answer to life, the universe, and everything.
First of all, let us not deceive you with misconceptions and false assumptions. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is not a so-called “guy book.” This is a whimsical novel for all to enjoy: boys, girls, and Magratheans alike.
Carrying on, I must say that I cannot give a solid confirmation on whether I like this book or not. We share a bit of a love-hate relationship.
An aspect that I truly marvel about in this novel is the real originality the story possesses. I honestly can’t name another title where you can find aliens who can’t read poetry, a pitiful sperm whale, a friendly and over-enthusiastic computer, and a crew of planet builders all jam-packed into this short, comical novel This leads us into another honorable aspect of the book.
The humor in which Adams presents actually made me chuckle, which is an accomplishment. I’m not saying that I rarely laugh, but merely noting how hard it is to try to crack successful jokes. Adams’ kind of humor is more suitable for more mature readers, for the large words that he tends to use might cause younger readers to get a little confused. The irony and randomness in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is what makes the book entertaining.
However, I feel like the author goes out of his way to try to make things funny and that causes him to get sidetracked. A lot of the times, he adds unnecessary segments that stir up confusion. In my perspective, the lengthy paragraphs he writes to make things funny causes the plot to become unorganized and sloppy and loses the reader’s focus. The book lacked a plot and combined with those excess portions, it became a bit difficult to read. Several times throughout my journey with the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, I found myself slumping more and slipping off into my own reveries.
Though the book is quite funny at some parts, and the ideas displayed are original, a real plot was absent and the book was story-deprived. I give this novel a 3.5/5 for originality and creativity, but I felt it could have been better. From seeing the film first, I expected the book to be quite funny. And yes, it did deliver that aspect yet the book was sloppily assembled. This is a light read for anyone who has an appetite for entertainment.
On the contrary, the cover of the copy that I picked up from my local book sale was completely different. It was published by Ballatine Books and I give it 1.5 /5. The cover art is irrelevant, and frankly, it's just sort of ugly. The only reason I even picked it up was because I knew of the title from the movie. I know that you should never judge a book by its cover, but its just quite unappealing in my opinion. Have a look for yourself, to the right.
Rating:
3.5 Hoots
Source: A small book sale held at my local library.
-Reviewed by Rica Eat World
Your blog is so cute! Great review, but I don't think that this is a book that I would really enjoy. But who knows? Maybe I'll give it a shot!
ReplyDeletethanks! I personally was not the biggest fan of this book, but you could give it a shot to see for yourself :)
ReplyDeletei found this a wacky book. and rated it about the same as you. but i want to re-read it because eoin colfer was really excited about it and even wrote a sixth book for the series.
ReplyDeletebtw: you've just been awarded
http://vvb32reads.blogspot.com/2010/02/most-amazing-follower-award.html
I liked this one--super funny!
ReplyDeleteOh and thanks for your input, Rica!
ReplyDeleteThere are many different covers for HHGTTG, so you shouldn't judge it by its cover. The bottom cover depictes the 42 puzzle, where you know 42 is the answer, but have to work out the question. There are 42 balls. As you can see, there is also the number 42 written in mountains
ReplyDeleteAs a very mature adult reader who felt she had missed something when continuing to see this book listed in top 100 lists now and again, I wanted to share that the writers forward lets us know most of this writing was originally a radio broadcast in serial. Knowing that helped me to see the occasion off-subject remark would sound funny over the radio. BTW, the tome I read was a compilation of five-six books.
ReplyDelete