The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

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It's a hit!

OK, veamos ... originalmente lo comencé a leer hace como un año y después de como 2 capítulos lo dejé. Me había gustado muchísimo el inicio, pero l... (show more)

OK, veamos ... originalmente lo comencé a leer hace como un año y después de como 2 capítulos lo dejé. Me había gustado muchísimo el inicio, pero luego hubo un cambio en la forma y contenido del tema que me despistó, me atoré por decirlo así. Lo aparqué y ahora que lo retomé verdaderamente pude disfrutarlo ... inmensamente. Me gustó mucho el estilo, yo llamaría "inteligentemente absurdo". Nuevamente, sigue un poco el estilo de Las Ovejas de Glenkill, Maldito Karma. Hubo partes que siento mi papá (físico matemático con doctorado en sistemas) hubiera entendido mejor y se hubiera reído de las referencias científicas que usaba, pero en general pude seguirle el ritmo. Lo único que NO me gustó y desafortunadamente sólo por eso no le puse 5 estrellas: el final. Que sin contarlo, solo puedo decir que ... no termina. Sé que este libro forma parte de una serie, pero hubiera agradecido que al menos terminara de cerrar mejor este ciclo. De cualquier forma ... altamente recomendable! (show less)

 

 

by Gibran Armijo

No, it's a flop!

I read this book in two sittings over a 24hour period. Was it because it was so riveting I couldn't put it down? Not really. I mostly just wante... (show more)

I read this book in two sittings over a 24hour period. Was it because it was so riveting I couldn't put it down? Not really. I mostly just wanted to get it over with. From what I had heard about this book I was expecting it to be very very funny. There were a few amusing moments. But not in a 'laugh out loud with my head back' sort of way. Just in a 'nasally exhaled smirk' sort of way.

The basis of the story is that Earth has unfortunately been destroyed. Arthur Dent and his friend Ford Prefect (who up until that time Arthur had not known was not an Earthling), hitch a ride on a passing spaceship and are thereby spared the destruction.

It took me quite a while to 'get into' and feel like there was a coherent direction to the story. It was not until Chapter 11 when they board The Heart of Gold that I began to feel that actually this WAS a book I would be able to finish! The ending was very disappointing and left me thinking "What was the point of reading that book?!" However, I understand that it leads on to the next- 'The Restaurant at the End of the Universe'.

Despite everything I am saying probably sounding negative, I WOULD be keen to read 'Restaurant...' at some time in the future, mainly to hear more from Marvin the Paranoid Android who was undoubtedly my favourite character! My problems with this book, I will conclude, were simply down to taste. Sci-fi is very much NOT my thing. But the book is well written and I found it mildly amusing, and it did somehow manage to leave me wanting more.

It is reassuring to know where all my biros sneak off to. And it's good to know the meaning of life, the universe, and everything. (42, just in case you were wondering!)

-----"It gives me a headache just trying to think down to your level."-----
-----"Life, loathe it or ignore it, you can't like it."-----
-----Marvin the Paranoid Android, you are a legend.----- (show less)

 

 

by Facebook User

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  Best. Book. Ever.

  The first of the books is by far the best, but the others in the 'trilogy' are great as well. This is one of those books that, while reading it, you must only concentrate on the book. There is a joke in almost every sentence. Douglas Adams' narrative is wonderfully woven together. The story is far out there, yes, but aren't some of the best ones crazy?

  Within the outer space world Adams creates, he explores his own existentialism and curiosity for our universe. This book... (show more)

  Best. Book. Ever.

  The first of the books is by far the best, but the others in the 'trilogy' are great as well. This is one of those books that, while reading it, you must only concentrate on the book. There is a joke in almost every sentence. Douglas Adams' narrative is wonderfully woven together. The story is far out there, yes, but aren't some of the best ones crazy?

  Within the outer space world Adams creates, he explores his own existentialism and curiosity for our universe. This book will inspire the reader to look at life in a completely different way.

  Douglas Adams writes with a certain type of literary humour that is rarely found today. He is hysterical, intelligent, and insanely witty.

  I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys subtle humour, intelligent writing, and deep thought (haha - you'll get that later).

  Read the farking book! ...you'll get that later, too. (show less)

   

  by Facebook User on May 24, 2009 at 04:31AM

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  Douglas Adams’s 1979 adaptation of his popular BBC radio drama spawned a cult following that persisted through four sequels, a TV series, and a movie and continues to thrive eight years after his death. The sometimes witty, often satirical, and always humorous quasi-science-fiction/fantasy story about a young man traveling the galaxy on an involuntary quest for the meaning of existence has managed to survive and remain startlingly current through an entire generation of changes in technology ... (show more)

  Douglas Adams’s 1979 adaptation of his popular BBC radio drama spawned a cult following that persisted through four sequels, a TV series, and a movie and continues to thrive eight years after his death. The sometimes witty, often satirical, and always humorous quasi-science-fiction/fantasy story about a young man traveling the galaxy on an involuntary quest for the meaning of existence has managed to survive and remain startlingly current through an entire generation of changes in technology and literary trends.

  Arthur Dent doesn’t have a lot on his mind other than surviving his hangover when he wakes up one morning to find that his house is about to be bulldozed to make way for a bypass. His objections are met with sympathetic indifference by the crew chief until he lies down in the mud in front of the offending bulldozer. What he doesn’t realize is that the earth itself has been slated for destruction by the evil Vogons as part of the development of a hyperspatial express route. Moments before the earth disintegrates, Arthur and his secretly alien friend Ford Prefect escape by hitching a ride on one of the Vogon ships, and their journey begins.

  As Arthur and Ford and the improbable gang of galactic characters they join up with travel from system to system in search of the mythical planet Magrathea and the Question to the Ultimate Answer, they are guided by The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, an e-book that offers such insightful wisdom as “Don’t panic” and contains articles on subjects such as the importance of towels as well as helpful information about various planets and species. Along the way, Adams hilariously lambasts everything from religion to art to politics to human nature.

  The story, while mildly entertaining, is not what makes the book work. Rather, Adam’s sardonic narration and ultra-dry humor are what make it worth reading. Virtually every page contains at least one description or parodic exposition that makes you want to either laugh out loud or groan.

  Since the book doesn’t have a message or even much of a plot, it might be hard for some to find a reason to read it. But those who enjoy British humor (think Monty Python) or want to see how the destruction of the earth can be so funny may well enjoy it. The good news is, if you really like it, there are four sequels, so you could potentially be laughing for a long time. (show less)

   

   

  by Facebook User on Jul 10, 2009 at 06:43PM

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