You're probably better off with the original radio series

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	• The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide Douglas Adams Wings, 1996 - 832 pages average customer review:based on 305 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Follow the Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide

If you have never read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, then you really should. There is nothing quite like the satire, comedy and total zaininess to lighten one's day. The whole set is a "trilogy" of five books. Yes, you read that right. Of the 5 books, the last one Mostly Harmless is a little more morose and dark. Strangly ending with all the major characters of the series except one who doesn't really have a part in Mostly Harmless, ceasing to exist. That's right, not killed, just cease to exist.

There is some wonderful philosophy all over the place about the true nature of the universe. But I particularly like the Man who Runs the Universe version in chapter 29 of The Restaurant at the End of the Universe.

You can find the whole collection bound in together in several versions. I recommend The Ultimate Hitchhicker's Guide It has all 5 novels and a short story. My copy looks more like the deluxe version but strangly they say it is not available until Novemeber 1, 2005. I bought it used at half price a week ago.

Now that I think about it, that strangly fits this series's view of the universe.

Any way when you are finished with that, go pick up The Salmon of Doubt which is the last book. Or more exact a collection of writings and essays including pieces of what might been another chapter in the series if Douglas Adams had not died. Reading about how he wrote books, I believe this may be his ultimate form of procrastination.

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Perfect

Perfect. Simply Perfect.

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the wittiest, funniest sci-fi novels ever written

Douglas Adams is a master of wittiness. The first 4 books are absolutely marvelous, but the last one is a bit dissappointing. If you are a fan of subtle British humor, obvious witticisms, or anything of that sort, you absoltely MUST read this series. It has become a world classic, for obvious reasons, and it is sad that Adams died so young.

If you saw the movie before reading the books, as I did - don't be fooled. The storyline of the books is much different (other than the first few chapters), and I believe the radio series was completely different, as well. Everything about THAT is explained in the introduction.

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You're probably better off with the original radio series

I myself have yet to get them but I probably will. I tried reading this book a few times but each time I do, it comes across as being terribly smug and there are a lot of things that just don't work on print. Some other reviewer claimed that this was Monty Python humour and he's right but the thing with Monty Python is that it is visual humour and some visual humour just doesn't work in print. Monty Python only works if your watching TV. I have seen the Hitchhiker series on TV and the things that don't work well in print work much more effectively on screen. The thing needs a visual dimension which the book doesn't give it. It doesn't matter how cheap it is - it has more of an impact on the viewer but of course there are always those who disagree - the book club especially but what can you do. Also what works well as a narrative for a radio show and TV sitcom comes across as being a bit of a distraction. What I did find interesting with the book is what made him begin the idea for the Hitchhiker's Guide which I actually found really amusing myself having trekked to Germany once and finding it almost incomprehensible trying to understand the German language and what the people were saying. If you read that introduction a little more closely, Adams will admit to being bored/p**sed off at writing these novels on demand. And it does show. I know the TV series was great ( cheap but great ). I'd probably watch the film given the time and I certainly would listen to tapes of the original radio show but the book is a different matter. What sounds hilarious on radio/TV comes off as being a bit contrived in print. Pity though that Adams has passed away as he did have a canny mind.

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reviews: 1, 2, 3, page 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

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