Book Summary

Book summary: our story begins with the scheduled demolition of protagonist, Arthur Dent’s house. While lying in front of bulldozers, Arthur’s friend, Ford Prefect, arrives with something critically important to explain to Arthur. After a few drinks at a local bar, Ford explains that Earth is to be demolished by Vogons in the process of creating a hyperspace bypass.

The two escape certain death by hitching a ride on the Vogon demolition ship, where Ford explains that he is from a different planet, and that his job is to explore the galaxy collecting information for an electronic book, the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galax. On the ship they face certain death again, once they are discovered. They are tortured by being subjected to Vogon poetry, the third worst in the known universe, and later jettisoned into space. In space they are, against all probability, picked up by the Heart of Gold, which is fueled by the infinite improbability drive.

 On board they find Zaphod Beeblebrox-who stole the ship-Ford’s semi-cousin and president of the galaxy; Trillian, a girl who Arthur had once known, fondly; and Marvin, a chronically depressed robot. Zaphod is in search of Magrathea, an ancient planet of legend, where luxury planets were once designed and manufactured. Ford Trillian and Zaphod delve into a crack in the planets layer, but are soon kidnapped, while Arthur explores the surface. Arthur finds, or is found by, a man named Startibartfast, who takes him into the planet’s interior, demonstrating the mind-boggling scope of the planet’s operations.

The man explains to Arthur that Earth was commissioned by pan-galactic beings, designed as an organic computer that would compute the question to the answer of life, the universe, and everything. They were unsatisfied with Deep Thought’s answer “42”, and Earth’s purpose was to clarify the question, but was destroyed by Vogons five minutes before its completion. The pan-galactic beings, manifested as Trillian’s mice, realize that Arthur is a last generation byproduct of the organic matrix, and that the answer is imprinted on his brain. They offer no other choice, approaching Arthur with the intent to perform lobotomy, but the group escapes.

Then the group is confronted by two members of the galactic police who mean to arrest Zaphod for grand theft auto. While this is happening Marvin, the chronically depressed robot, explains his view of the universe to the police mother-ship. To evade Marvin’s terrible depressing rant, the robot commits suicide, which destroys the life-support system of the police officers. After this, the group decides to go for lunch to the Restaurant at the End of the Universe.

Let's Have a Chat on Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

I invite you all to comment freely comment on the following topic of discussion:

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has seen a variety of formats, from its original six episode run as a BBC radio 4 comedy series in 1978, the classic, familiar 1979 novel (part of a five book “trilogy”), vinyl LPs, cassettes, stage shows, and the 2005 film.  What format resonates with you, and how does it compare with others you have experienced? Say you read the book and saw the movie, how do you personally compare the two? Discuss your memories of the book and beyond.

Left:Simon Jones as Arthur Dent in: TV series, LP, radio series

Right:Martin Freeman as Arthur Dent in the 2005 film

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: hilarious yet novel

            Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams, is clever, whimsical, and masterful in its humor. It is the funniest book I have ever read, lampooning such topics as human nature, while bending the laws of reality and story-craft in its cosmic lunacy. The humor is dry, but the wit is readily apparent. It is a story in which houses, as well as entire life-bearing planets, are unfairly demolished by fat bureaucratic slobs in order to build highways, where probability and improbability are equally probable, where a narcissist ex-hippie with two heads and three arms is the president of the galaxy. The book parodies both the mundane aspects of Earth life and the fantastic clichés of science fiction, at once. It is comedy with a brain, however. It is the greatest example of speculative fiction I can imagine, juxtaposing familiar attitudes and situations against the fantastic novelty of space. The story is charming and likely to stick with you, fondly. If you enjoy science fiction, but are interested in a book that brazenly sets itself apart from the genre, or maybe merely interested in a good laugh, this is a book I would recommend for you...

A Brief Note on the Wondrous Life of Douglas Adams.

            Douglas Adams is a well-known name in the world of science fiction. He is well known for such contributions as The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, which are now staples of the genre, but there is much that is interesting about the man outside his body of work.  Douglas Adams was a fervent environmentalist and a staunch atheist.  After his death in 2001, biologist Richard Dawkins wrote in his book, The God Delusion, that "Science has lost a friend, literature has lost a luminary, the mountain gorilla and the black rhino have lost a gallant defender." Not only was Douglas Adams a conscientious man, a man of literature and science; he was also a lover of music. Douglas Adams played the guitar left handed and also studied the piano. He was notably influence by The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and Procol Harum. He is known to have listened to music while writing, and it is very interesting to imagine the relationship between the music and the writing. The music of those artists are famous psychedelic odysseys, of a mind expanding nature, analogous to Adams work as a writer. Like the music, Adams books were a vehicle readers used to travel the far reaches of space, fueled by the boundless capability of imagination. Douglas Adams was a friend of David Gilmour, lead guitarist and singer of Pink Floyd. On the occasion of his 42^nd birthday, Adams was invited onstage with Pink Floyd at Earls Court in London, playing guitar on Brain Damage and Eclipse, two cosmic tracks off of their 1973 album, Dark Side of the Moon. Douglas also named Pink Floyds 1994 album The Division Bell, by picking it out of the words from the track, High Hopes. Douglas Adams was also a friend of Procol Harum’s lead singer, Gary Brooker, who once performed the full version of the classic, Whiter Shade of Pale, at a house party Douglas hosted. Douglas Adams was fanatical about technology and innovation. He was the first man in Europe to own a Macintosh computer, and often corresponded to friends using emails long before it was a common practice. His full thoughts on technology are documented in the posthumous release, Salmon of Doubt. There was a love of the organic with Adams, as well. Adams was an environmentalist activist who campaigned for several endangered species, such as the Rhino. Adams participated in a climb of Mount Kilimanjaro wearing a rhino suit to raise awareness of the organization, Save the Rhino International, and its efforts. Douglas Adams died of a heart attack on 11 May, 2001. His remains were cremated and the ashes placed in Highgate Cemetery, in 2002. Douglas Adams remains a culturally significant figure, in England, The United States, and the world, captivating readers and pushing their minds towards the far corners of the universe.