Rating: 
Summary: DON'T PANIC
Review: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a book you should read unless you need a well defined plot and no laughs. The plot is well hidden by the randomness, a description of the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, an alcoholic drink that it seems the author had the first of on Earth before writing it, the introduction of the Hitchhiker's Guide that begins "Space is big. Very big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind boggling big it is.", and the theory of where all the ball point pens go. There is also a part where a character turns into a penguin. There is some plot but more randomness. I would recommend this book to everyone who has a sense of humor. If you are someone who is ready for a laugh grab a towel and get ready for a story that is out of this world.
Rating: 
Summary: Do read this book
Review: The Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy -
Arthur Dent (earthling) is, fortuitously, a friend of Ford Prefect (a Betelgeuseling, masquerading as an earthling, unknown to Dent, and stranded on Planet Earth).
The latter becomes aware of the imminent destruction of Planet Earth, and takes Arthur Dent off the planet, after a few pints, just before the planet disappears.
There begins an arbitrary journey by the pair, teaming up eventually with Zaphod Beeblebrox (president of the Imperial Galactic Government but also thief of the starship Heart of Gold) and Trillian (former earthling). The book eventually takes them to the planet Magrathea, to the ultimate answer to the universe and thence on to the search for the ultimate question that that answer answers.The book is, really, good quality arbitrary nonsense of the Monty Python/Kenny Everett variety, masquerading as good literature. One gets the impression that Douglas Adams simply made up the plot as he went along, tagging on new bits here and there with his whim from week to week, rather than planning the book out beforehand, so the journey of the book is weaving, random and dissatisfying, with, one feels, new ingredients being added at every turn for the sake of shoving something else into the book to pad it out continually. The absence of a satisfying plot aside, however, the book is clever in its humourous and philosophical contents, and contains a lot to make the reader smile. To read or not to read it? The reader should read this book if he doesn't mind being led on something of a wild goose chase from start to finish in order (a) to be amused frequently and (b) to be given some pearls of wisdom occasionally. The book is short (just 159 pages) and is written in a very easy going, readable, interesting style, and so it can be read in about a day. (The book is however only the first part of a five-part series of books). [Fans of the pop group Radiohead will be interested to see that the book contains the instruction "OK, computer, take us in to land." in Chapter 18; and then goes on to describe Marvin the Robot as "the Paranoid Android" in Chapter 19, which is presumably where the album title and track title respectively containing some of those terms originally arose from.]
Rating:
Summary: Funny Details
Review: The random details that are found on every page of this book are really what make it THE BEST BOOK EVER!There is a story behind every little detail- and always a funny one. At first, with all of the jumping from galaxy to galaxy, it is hard to follow, but after a while you learn which details you should remember and which are just funny little things you can laugh at and then forget. This is definately the best sci fi book I have ever read! I found it interesting that some of the events made me kind of protective toward the earth, like how you feel patriotic on July 4, but this was pride for the whole planet. Almost every book anyone has ever reccomended to me I've thought was boring, slow, etc... but this one hit the jackpot. I wish somebody had told me about it sooner!
Rating:
Summary: Creative, Humorous, Zany!!!
Review: I've been meaning to pick up a copy of this book for years, but never got around to it -- until last week! I had heard from many people that this was definitely a book worth reading. I had no idea what it was about, but I decided to give it a try. I must say I am very impressed with this book. Not having a lot of time on my hands to read (although I enjoy reading very much), I am rather selective about what I do read. I have found it very difficult to put this book down. I read it in bits and pieces throughout the day, taking it with me wherever I go. I've read it at home, in the Doctor's office, sitting in my car while waiting to go into a company for a job interview, and just about anywhere else. This book is very funny, it's zany, it's extremely creative and rather visionary at points given its original publication date! I am more than half way through it already, and I just love it. I look forward to reading the remainder of the "trilogy" very soon.
Rating:
Summary: A book that really knows where its towel is.
Review: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams is a book that really knows where its towel is. It has anything you may even dream about finding in a comedy book. It has missiles, sperm whales, potted plants, people with two heads, and these all just happen to be on the same page. When reading this you are nearly guaranteed nonstop laughter. Well I can't say nonstop, because you have to breathe at some point. This may sound an overstatement but I do not believe that it is. My parents banned me from reading this book after dark because I kept them up at night.
Now some of the humor may seem a bit childish but we all have to be a little childish at times lest we go crazy, and act really childish all the time. This book is nearly unbearably clean humor, in a good way. It proves that toilet humor is most definitely outdone by nonsensical humor.
I don't believe that you can just take the word of some random stranger and go read a book so what I would recommend you do is go to your local library, find this book, get some help if you need it, check it out, drive home and read. Don't buy this book because, you know, not every book is for everyone. This is how to read books and find out what you like. And if you like this book, tell someone. They will be happy to hear it.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Science-Fiction Book Ever!
Review: Imagine waking up one sunny morning to discover a big yellow bulldozer heading down your garden path straight for your house. You're having a bad day - and it's going to get worse.
As you lay in front of the bulldozer trying to block its path, your best friend, Ford Prefect, who you always thought was an out-of-work actor, pops up and reveals that he really is an undercover alien from the star Betelgeuse. But wait -- things are going to get even worse.
Ford tells you that a rocketship conducted by evil aliens called Vorgans are going to blow up Planet Earth in five minutes to make way for a galactic freeway.
That's how one terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad Thursday begins for chronic worrier Arthur Dent, a 30-year-old Brit bored with his job at a local radio station. When we meet him in the book The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Arthur Dent suddenly has no reason for boredom and every reason to worry.
So what does he do? Following the advice of his friend the undercover alien, he sticks his thumb up to hitchhike aboard the spaceship that belongs to the evil, nasty Vorgans. Arthur and Ford are smuggled in by the Vorgans' servants -- but the Vorgans, who hate hitchhikers, find them and throw them off the ship and into probable death in outer space.
The two happen to be carrying a copy of a book called the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which warns them that life can only survive 30 seconds in space without air. On the 29th second, they are picked up by another ship -- and there's something special about this ship. It has the magical ability to change your atmosphere, turning illusions into reality - for example, transforming two missiles into daisies.
This ship is named The Heart of Gold, and it's been stolen by ex-hippie Zaphod Beeblebrox, who was born on the Star Betelgeuse. He has three arms and two heads and is the spacey president of the galaxy. Also on the ship are his girlfriend Trillian and a chronically depressed robot named Marvin.
The ship sails to Planet Magrathea. The planet that created all other planets. There they go through many illusions, being knocked out by walls closing in, jetting at the speed of light down narrow hallways in mini-spaceships, and many other exciting adventures.
At the end we find out that mice have run Earth for an experiment and are about to steal Arthur's brain, but they soon defeat them.
This book is a cliffhanger that leaves its characters stranded on Planet Magrathea. - a sure way to make readers want to continue reading the sequels in the trilogy.
Rating:
Summary: I am surprised there are negative reviews
Review: I would rate this as one of the funniest books I have ever read. It to me was clearly way up there along with Wodehouse. The comedy of Douglas Adams is difficult to categorise as satire or pun. It has satire and puns, however i think his books do more. Douglas Adams makes you laugh using parts of brain whose existance you may not even have been aware of previously. Reading this book was to me like getting hooked on to some strange device which would trigger those areas of brain responsible for laughing which the other books and movies have missed. The ridiculousness of some of the ideas in this book and (most of the) series is unbelievable. The humour can be a bit nerdy and I guess hard to understand. However all in all it is a must read.
Rating:
Summary: Overrated
Review: This book is very very funny, I will give it that much. It had me laughing out loud almost the entire way through. Adams has a very droll, dry sense of humor, and a great feel for the outlandish. But I was expecting so much more from this book than merely bringing the funny. It was on one 100 Greatest Books of the 20th Century list. The story is OK, but nothing groundbreaking, aliens and earthlings adventuring through space. And as for climax...this book ends so suddenly, I wasn't even sure what the whole point was. Nothing was tied up or remedied. Characters didn't change or evolve, more than a few questions went completely unanswered. I guess this book is part of a series. It's best feature...it's short, so I didn't waste much time, and now I can say I've read it, for whatever that's worth. I am sure there is some great sociological theme somewhere in this book, but I can't be bothered. 3 stars for the laugh factor.
Rating:
Summary: What can I say?
Review: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by the late Douglas Adams is perhaps one of the most indescribable books that I've come across in my readings. Douglas Adams in decidedly brilliant. His droll wit and sense of humor will definitely put a smile on your face.
The story is somewhat complex. Without giving much away, human Arthur Dent is rescued from Earth just minutes before it's destruction by his friend Ford Prefect, an alien from somewhere in the area of Betelgeuse VI. Arthur and Ford (after some very funny encounters) come across Zaphod Beeblebrox (the two headed, three armed President of the Galaxy) and Trillian (aka Trisha McMillian, Zaphod's human girlfriend and a girl who Arthur had tried to pick her up at a party on Earth) and Marvin, a manically depressed robot. Adams' humor is more of the ironic sort then the laugh out loud type. Adams will give you a seemingly random excerpt from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (the encyclopedia which, in the novel, is a central component) or a very detailed description of the thoughts of, say, a potted plant, which has seemingly no relevance to the story. But never fear, Adams brings everything together in an exciting and funny climax to the first novel of his increasingly inaccurately named series. From an analytical standpoint, the novel is a satire on the sterotypical british character - dull, complacent, emotionless. Arthur Dent can be classified as any of those. His only true emotional outbreaks come when his life is endanger (which it quite often is). The reader will enjoy watching Arthur's character grow and change. Fortunately, his character does not change too much over the course of the novel (his character is still the well-meaning but accident prone, unemotional hero that you will come to know and love). Again though, it's hard to describe The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. As is said in the book, space is big. Like really big. Like really really mind boggingly big. It's like so big that it's just unimaginable. And so is Douglas Adams novel. I would like to take this moment to thank Douglas Adams for his work and to say "God rest his soul." We will miss you.
Rating:
Summary: Confusion
Review: "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" By Douglas Adams Published by Pocket Books Copyrighted 1979 ?Confusion? "A towel, it says, is the most massively useful thing
an intersteller hitchhicker can have" If you thought
that was confusing, then this book will be just
that..... confusing. I'm not much of a reader in the first place, but I
read this book about half way through and I didn't
understand it that much. It had a lot of confusing
catches to the story. I wouldn't recommend this book to the average fifteen
year old kid like me, but if your a fan of Starwars of
Startreck this is the kind of book for you. So to sum
it up I would only recommend it to those who like
science fiction.
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