Customer Reviews
The weirdest book ever! - By: horse 2, 30 Dec 2007 
I have never read any of Douglas Adams books before; I found this book strange & a bit unusual. But I still enjoyed the story based on an Earthling callled Arthur Dent, who wakes up one morning to find the council preparing to demolish his home. This is also the day when the alien Vogons demolish the planet Earth to make way for a hyperspace express bypass.
I decided to watch the film which I thought was good, but the book is in much more detail than the film. So I would recommend you read the book before you watch the film.
If you are somebody that enjoys funny & unusual things then this is the book for you. I think this book would mainly be aimed towards young teenagers & older as it has some things in it, which might be a bit hard for a child to understand. When I read & watched the Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy I felt like I was there, watching the Earth being demolished by the alien Vogons.
Best Books that I Have Ever Read - By: Jv Woods, 08 Mar 2007 
These are, without a doubt, the best books that I have ever read. Not because of the story , but because of the storytelling.
Douglas Adams has the uncanny ability to take any subject & make it tense, funny, or anything else that you happen to mention.
For example, he takes a perfectly ordinary metting between two people at a train station, & makes into a tense situation that has you on the edge of your seat.
Now, onto the story. The basic premise is that there is a single person, & a lot of very extraordinary things happen to him. In some books, similar things happen, & you start thinking about how improbable it is, & the chances that any of the things would actuallly happen. That is not the case in these stories for the plain & simple reason that it rapidly becomes apparent that Arthur Dent reallly is God's plaything (despite the fact that God no longer exists), & that, to quote the book "when [he] is least expecting it, the Universe will suddenly leap out from behind a corner & yell BOO at [him]".
There is one other thing that bears mentioning before I let you get on with ordering the book, & that is Mr. Adams' tendancy to shoot off on real tangents (i.e. a smalll leap at first but quickly become uttery unconnected). These are, in my opinion, the best parts of the book, but you will have to read it yourself & decide.
Fantastic Book - By: DB Dom, 23 Oct 2006 After I saw the film, I got the book, & found it much more enjoyable, & I now find the film quite dull compared with the book. Be warned, there is no sanity whatsoever in the book, just a lot of funny stuff!
Reading it again & again I still find it to be most enjoyable, a wonderful work of fiction, thoroughly recommended
Amazingly Brilliant.... - By: Hollie Gutteridge, 27 Jul 2006 I thoroughly enjoyed these books. It had always been something that had "been there" throughout life & I ahd always thought about reading them, but frankly, couldnt be bothered (much like LotR, which I also read for the same reasons) but once the film's release was announced, I decided to read at least the first book before seeing it. That way, Id get the "right" (although, the Radio & TV series' were different in parts to the books anyway...) story.
I love how they are written & alll the little bits that are just thrown in at not-so-random places (they have some relevance). I think its because that is how I tend to talk. I say something, then have to explain something else so you know what the first thing was, then I go back again. Adams does that in these books, so it was very easy for me to come to grips with.
I reccommend these to anyone who enjoys random, but well thought out silliness. They'll make you laugh & can be read over & over again.
And who knows, you might even understand more about Life, the Universe & Everything *shifts eyes & hides at the end of book 5*
Enjoy!!
Avoid Number 4 - By: Mr. I. P. Moore, 19 May 2005 The fact that I tore through alll five books would suggest it was a good read. I would definitely recommend the orginal trilogy.
I first read alll five books when I was a young teenager (at least 10 years ago), & have fond, but hazy memories of them. After seeing the film, I decided to reread them. Although I still loved retreading the journey of Arthur, Ford Prefect, Marvin, Trillian & Zaphod, I became annoyed with Adams' style. He flits about for no apparent reason, throwing up repetitive stories about alien civilisitations (usuallly based round a familiar Earth household object). He also leaves stories in the air, with no explanation. What happended to Arthur with that girl he met on ancient Earth? What was the whole point of 'So Long...Thanks for All the Fish'? And so many other points, that you are left feeling frustrated.
Despite alll this, Douglas Adams' ideas, & views of what the universe may be like, draws you in. The simple idea of the book itself has proved it has enormous mileage. True they could have been written a bit better, but I think most people forgive that. The first sequel (fourth) adds absolutely nothing to the story (rather like a Matrix sequel), but 'Most Harmless' is quite an entertaining diversion. You still come out a bit confused, but it's an ending, at least.
