The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Trilogy by Douglas Adams

I wrote a review on the first book in the series.  I would try to review each of the books individually, but they become so interconnected through plots that it's complicated.  Plus the endings give things away and have a way of reversing plots and changing character dynamics.  I'd say that if you read the first one and like then you'll love the others equally.

Although, perhaps you'd prefer the radio version or the television series or the computer game or the movie.  It's obvious that the world enjoyed the series.  It's hard not to love a trilogy in six parts.  Or to ignore a book which allows you to poke fun at the world and ourselves.  I have taken some of the advice to heart. "Don't Panic!" is excellent advice and while I have no robots or aliens to interact with I believe that they are as equally mundane as the human race.  Why shouldn't they want to build a highway in space?

I can't remember not loving any of the parts.  The sixth part (And Another Thing...) was written by Eoin Colfer with the permission/request of Adams family after his death while it is not written by Adams it does remain true to the core characters.

The series kept growing but even Adams had some issues keeping his plots from attacking each other.  The bits of time travel and parallel universes complicate things and it's hard to  keep the same level of humor from the meta when one piece of information can change the entire story.

MILD SPOILER WARNING

That's just a reason why I love science fiction because things can change so much with one line from one character or the creation of totally foreign cultures and species that you can't help but like.  Why shouldn't an author play around with the distinctive characteristics of alien lifeforms?  I love the cows that want to be eaten.  They're total opposites of an Earth cow.  They're personalities are so distinct and they annoy the humans with their pleas to be enjoyed.  The humor is still there.

There is an entire book where Arthur becomes stranded and becomes the sandwich maker.  That's his main job to make sandwiches and the natives love it because they never had a sandwich before his arrival.  I certainly love the entire series even if Adams didn't get to finish it himself, but like Colfer, I love the characters so much that I don't need him to tell me what other adventures they could have.  I can think up my own adventures.

Mostly though, I know that ideas will continue to sprout in my mind after having read this series.  I found a different perspective from a person that knew not to take everything too seriously.

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency By Douglas Adams

Dirk is not your average detective.  His case to find a missing cat leads to the unraveling of greater mysteries.  His methods are unorthodox to the point that you would find it hard to believe that he is a detective.  He does not ask the usual questions and as a direct consequence he gets different answers. 

I think that it’s almost impossible for me to describe what happens without giving things away.  There is such a roundabout way of detecting that it’s difficult to be succinct and not spoil the plot.   The book is like all of Adams’ work random to the point of humor.  The random bits sync up and allow for a big reveal, but the journey is roundabout and complicated and the answers turn out to be somewhat simple. 

If you enjoy unconventional plotting, a mystery with an unpredictable end, or want to laugh while reading, then this is a book you will enjoy. 

Dirk believes in the interconnectedness of things.  He is tasked by his old school friend Richard to help him figure out how his employer and sister’s boyfriend, Gordon Way was killed.  He seems to be involved and needs help.  

After this I can’t go into detail without revealing the solution to the mystery.  It’s not really dark or gritty like a crime noir, but retains the humor of Adams with his unique perspective on the world.  You wouldn’t expect a missing cat to be the key to understanding a murder, but that is just the kind of writer Adams is. He turns the mundane into the extraordinary which always catches you by surprise.  

This still remains in the genre of science fiction but if I told you why it might ruin the entire plot, so I won’t.  

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy By Douglas Adams

Time to diversify my book reviews I realize that the past few have been entirely focused on female characters and generally dystopian.  So, time for me to dig back through some of my favorite books for some variety.  

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy was something I stumbled upon.  I believe my sister first pointed them out to me.  This is far near the top of my favorite’s list.  The mere fact that it was a trilogy in five parts delighted me even before cracking open the front cover, although technically now has six parts.  I believe that I am actually younger than this series so the covers on my versions were brightly colored.  The important part is that I instantly fell in love with them.   A main character that truly only wants a decent cup of tea.  Unluckily, Arthur Dent is saved from his sheer doom and the last decent cup of tea by his best friend, Ford Prefect.  They escape onto one of the ships set to destroy planet Earth by hitchhiking.  This paves the way for Ford to tell his friend more about the universe by handing him The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. 

Delightful adventures ensue as they hitchhike through the universe.  The odd cast of characters only gets more quirky as they end up on a stolen ship with doors that talk.  Many electronic devices are implanted with personality chips in this reality.  They can be endearing or mildly annoying.  The most important bit is to always keep your towel with you.  If you have your towel, then people are more likely to pick you up.  If you have a towel, then people assume you have your life together and that you have all the other necessities as well and won’t mind lending you all of them.  Arthur gains a crash course on the workings of the universe something he had been oblivious too until they decided to destroy his home planet.  All while trying to find a cup of actual tea and pursuing the only other human left in the galaxy (who happens to be female).  It’s hard to describe much in the way of a distinct plot since they spend their time on a ship using an improbability drive which takes them randomly to places when they press the big button.  Their adventure is mainly to figure out why the Earth was destroyed. 

WARNING MILD SPOILERS AHEAD

Arthur Dent is possibly such a beloved character for his simplicity.  He knows what he wants and why he wants it.  He just has no idea how to get it in the world into which he is forced.  The center of this entire situation is the improbability drive of the Heart of Gold.  The most valuable ship in the universe because of said improbability drive which is stolen by none other than the President of the Universe.  Whom just so happens to be Ford’s cousin which is complicated as fits the entire random happenstances throughout the series. 

The improbable circumstances are woven together so well that you can’t help but wait to read the next page to see what could possibly be next for our characters.  Their improbability drive leads them around since they just usually press the button much to the chagrin of the other characters.  They end up trying to save the Earth.  Changing the past is as hard as you would expect as our characters get sucked into figuring out why the Earth was demolished in the first place. 

My favorite character is Marvin the depressed robot due to the fact that his brain is the size of a planet and he never gets to use it.  It’s hard not to love such an honest character and even though he is depressed he is surprisingly heroic and noble.   

This turned out to be a hard review to write because analyzing the humor is difficult to do.  The fact remains that it relies upon the unexpected and improbable and is tongue-in-cheek the entire time.  The plot ends up being a mirror of Arthur's original misery of his house being bulldozed for a highway overpass which is the same reason for the destruction of the Earth.