This is the ultimate

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	• The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Douglas Adams Del Rey, 2002 - 832 pages average customer review:based on 114 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A Fun Read

When I finished the Trilogy, I wasn't sure how I'd rate it. On the one hand, I very much enjoyed the first couple of books. On the other, I found the next couple a bit tiresome. On the third hand, though, I must grant that the second half of the Trilogy was as well-crafted as the first. The fact that 624 pages (in my edition) of droll humor and non-sequitur situations was a few hundred pages more than suited my reading needs, I suppose I can't -- and shouldn't -- hold against Adams. So, though I finished the Trilogy with 3-star feeling, the 5-star high that carried me through 100 or so chapters seems a more fitting testament to Adams' humor and to the delightfully quirky narrative he pieced together. HGG is unlike anything I'd read before. It was well worth the read.

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This is the ultimate

If you lost all your paperbacks of these books when you were a kid or maybe your mom threw them away thinking they were evil, then this the ultimate collection for you, my friend! Plus it's unbelievable light weight. Seriously. You would think something this size would weigh more than Anna Nicole Smith, but it's actually pretty easy to carry around to school or to work or to your cousin's birthday party and pick up all those chicks with your Hitchhiker knowledge. Trust me guys, once you start talking about Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters, the women are all over you!

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Read one book...

If you read "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," you'll want to read the whole series, so go ahead and buy this book and save a lot of money.

I can't add anything to what other reviewers have written, but the Hitchhiker series is a genuine classic. It doesn't always make a lot of sense, and there are a few loose ends, but it's always laugh-out-loud funny. I enjoyed the recently released movie, but the movie only covers a tiny part of the series.

Read, enjoy, and laugh!

A Great Collection

I originally purchased the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy but unfortunately it was borrowed and never returned. It wasn't until after the movie announcements that I realized it was still MIA and decided to hunt down a new copy. This volume more than makes up for my missing original.

This volume is quite the find. Whether you are a big Hitchhiker's guide enthusiast or you just want to see what all the fuss is about this is the volume for you. It contains five different books in the series, one short story as well as a foreword/history that will give you a greater understanding of the history of the books and radio shows. If you are having trouble deciding between different editions, this is the one for you.

I have yet to see the movie so I cannot compare. I can't say I'm surprised that it didn't live up to the book. It's hard for movie producers to beat or meet readers own imaginations.

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Classic

It had last been a couple decades ago when I had last read the various Hitchhiker's books (except the most recent one, and even that had been ten or more years back). With my original copies scattered here and there, I picked up the omnibus edition and reread these tales with eagerness and a older (and perhaps wiser) perspective. Overall, although they read differently after such a long time, they do make a pleasant read.

The original novel by Douglas Adams - based on a radio show he also wrote (the twisted history of the first book is related in an introduction) - is the sharpest in the set. For the uninitiated, the tale follows Arthur Dent, last human survivor of Earth after the planet is cleared away for a hyperspatial bypass. Along with his alien friend Ford Prefect, they go off on a series of adventures which will eventually reveal the true purpose of the planet Earth. Completing a quintet of heroes is Zaphod Beeblebrox, the President of the Galaxy, and Trillian (Trisha MacMillan), another human who left Earth a while before it was destroyed, and Marvin, the most depressed robot ever.

In this book, Adams sets the tone for this the whole series with a parody of the conventions of science fiction and a grand sense of the absurd. In a universe where time travel and the improbable happen as a matter of course, contradictions, paradoxes and continuity problems are plentiful and acceptable. The second novel - The Restaurant at the End of the Universe - directly follows up on the first book and is of equally high quality.

An almost imperceptible slide begins with book three, Life, the Universe and Everything, which deals with an ancient race of aliens who are threatening to make a comeback and destroy all other life. Arthur and Ford are recruited by planetary engineer Slartibartfast to try and save all reality. We begin to see other of the characters pushed aside although they still do play some roles. We also learn it is possible for a man to fly.

In So Long and Thanks For All the Fish, Arthur returns to an Earth that apparently believes its destruction was just a mass hallucination. Although Ford is still around in a parallel story, the other recurring characters are almost non-existent. This is the most upbeat of all the stories, with things finally going somewhat right for the usually hapless Arthur. Unfortunately, some of the true wackiness is beginning to fade away. With no Zaphod acting recklessly and with Ford acting semi-responsibly, this novel is not quite as much fun. And sadly, Mostly Harmless, the final novel is even less fun, again absurd but not really very funny. And the bonus short story "Young Zaphod Plays It Safe" is completely forgettable.

The first three books remain five star material, the fourth gets four stars and the fifth gets three (the short story gets two). As a collection, however, this is a five star bunch, with the first two books being excellent enough to offset any weaknesses in the others. For any fan of science fiction, this is a must-read and continues to be the best parody of the genre.

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reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, page 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18

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