THE HITCHHIKERS GUIDE TO THE GALAXY – DOUGLAS ADAMS

Another review taken from my book tumblr (which I never use so I want to take everything off there and put it on here!)

So this book is a classic. And I had never read it.
Well that’s not quite true. About a year and a half ago I was babysitting, and I finished my book. I had seen HGGTTG on their bookshelves before, so I grabbed it and started reading. And I instantly loved it. I read the first hundred(ish) pages while babysitting, but then school got in the way and I didn’t have time, and they needed me to babysit less, so I couldn’t read it when I was over there. So what I’m saying is that I never got to finish this wonderful book.

This book is fantastic. Plot aside, the writing makes me think of the weird things that my friends and I say all the time. It’s great. The plot is really funny, and I giggled my way through the entire book.

I seriously relate to the protagonist, Arthur Dent, with his confusion and refusal to believe what is happening around him. (If I was in the position of being the last human, hitchhiking through outer space, I would refuse to believe it too.) In case you haven’t seen the film (I still haven’t) or just have never heard of this book, I’ll give you a quick little summary:  Arthur Dent discovers that his best friend is an alien, who then forces a reluctant Arthur to hitchhike his way across…well the galaxy. I guess the title pretty much sums it up. They constantly run into problems and are getting themselves in and out of scrapes!

Essentially, I really, really, really love this book. It is hilarious, and despite being absolutely ridiculous and far fetched and taking place in space I somehow found it relatable. Which is kind of weird.

This was a short book, so it was a quick read. However, there are four other books in the same “Trilogy” (it’s called the Trilogy of Five, which I find hilarious). Even with five books, I would say it’s a fairly quick read. It’s not complicated or confusing (although I wouldn’t call it a simple book).

I have the edition pictured above, and it came with a forward by Russell T. Davies (who was the Doctor Who showrunner during the 9th and 10th doctors), and at the end of the book there were some letters, posters etc. about the book and its fandom, which I found fascinating.

I have not yet read the other four books in the the Trilogy of Five, but I didn’t just order them from chapters, so I’ll read them when they get here. I also haven’t seen the film, but I’ll watch that after I finish the book.

Edit: I’ve read the rest. The first is by far the best but they’re all enjoyable! Still haven’t seen the film though!

I would give this book a 9 out of 10!

My recommendation: 

Read it. Please read it. It is so funny. I’ve already lent my copy to a friend because seriously this book is wonderful. I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone below high school age, although there isn’t much that’s racy in it, so that is a very loose age recommendation. (I probably would have loved it if I had read it any time after grade four)

Anyone who likes Doctor Who or Neil Gaiman would absolutely love this!

So go forth and read it, love it, share it. Let me know what you think about it!

Happy reading!

Megan