Rating: Summary: The best book I've ever read, along with the other 4... Review: The book was an excellent clinch to the series.
The ironic "It's only Astrology. It's not the end of the world." (chapter 2: 5th last paragraph) really does put humanity into the proper perspective of the universe, at the end of the book.
Rating: Summary: Adams sells out and cops out. Review: The problem with Mostly Harmless is not how Douglas Adams chooses to end the greatest book series ever, but rather why. Adams is obviously tired of these characters. The rapid wit of the first four novels is muted and characterization is kept to a minimum. It seems as though Adams simply caved to the demand of his fans in producing this disappointing venture. The ending is a cheap way of closing the door to any more sequels (though don't count on it, anything is possible in Adams's universe, and there's always the probability of Zaphod solo stories). The alternate version of Trillian who never left Earth with Zaphod is a concept driven into the ground in sci-fi, and tastes stale here. The aliens who awaken after millenia bring to mind the Krikkiters of LTUAE, though these fail to ellicit any emotion from the reader. Random, Arthur and Trillian's daughter, is completely wasted, both as a character and as an impetus to conflict between Arthur, Trillian and the dearly missed Zaphod. I did like the clever bit about Bob and the sandwich maker, but Adams should never have taken us to Stavro Mueller's Beta. I prefer to think Arthur and Fenchurch (she who was cruelly dispatched, by the by, in an unnecessary space-time accident without even appearing for a scene) are still roaming the cosmos, and that this last episode was but a bad dream
Rating: Summary: Mostly Harmless is totally hoopy Review: A great book! Need I say more?
Well actually yes. Most people seemed not to like this book as much as the first three, so I suppose I should explain my opinion!
Granted, Mostly Harmless does have darker humor, and less light-heartedness than some of Adams' other books, but it is also wonderful for its seriousness. We learn that Ford is a fierce animal rights activist (except for when it comes to geese), that all Tricia wants is another chance, that Random just wants to belong somewhere. And the book does have its lighter moments- Colin, Ford's musings on his life as a hitchhiker, the depiction of Random as the Dr. Jeckle and Miss Hyde of teenagers. And there are the touching bits- Random letting her guard down towards her father (well, for a few minutes), Tricia pouring her heart out to Gail, and, of course, the heart-pounding, breath-taking romance of Random conking Ford on the noggin with a rock.
Granted, Mostly Harmless does have a few disappointments. I missed Zaphod and Marvin in this story, and the ending was completely unnecessary. Still, overall, it's a worthwhile read.
What about a sequel? Impossible, because of the circumstances of the ending? Well, not really. Adams has certainly played around with Time enough in the past. A time machine- or a sudden eddy in the space-time continuum- could either prevent the ending, or save those involved. After all, we need to know how Tricia would react to finally seeing Zaphod again, what Fenny would think of Arthur's daughter, how Ford and Random would see each other, if introduced on a friendlier basis. Hopefully, Adams will realize the potential left in the series, and continue his wonderful work!
Rating: Summary: Way too Hilarious Review: This book is so great it makes you want to finish it in one sitting. It is perpetually entertaining to an extent of being to much so. I couldn't handle it, it is just too good. Douglas Adams has to be my favorite author. His ending is just too rampant to be the ending. It makes you wish and beg that Douglas Adams writes another in this wonderful series of books
Rating: Summary: Mostly harmless is "mostly harmless" - don't bother. Review: I was a fan of the "original" trilogy, but it appears that Mr. Adams has went to the well once too many times. There's no spark and hardly any new insight in this book. It was almost a chore wading through the book to find out what happened to our heroes (and heroine) that we loved in the first three books. It was a very disappointing way to end the series
Rating: Summary: Not the best in the series, but okay Review: Mostly Harmless is not Douglas Adams' best Hitchhiker's Guide novel. Having said that, we can read the book not expecting the highest quality humor from it. It still contains Adams' comic genius, but I think that he should have included Zaphod Beeblebrox, the funniest character in the series. Arthur's new love Fenchurch is sadly killed off after an accident in space, and it seems that this was done as an afterthought by the author. We meet Arthur's daughter, who, strangely enough, is also Trillian's daughter. Sorry, but no romance there. She merely selected human sperm from an intergalactic sperm bank. The best scenes take place when Arthur crash lands on a planet and becomes "Bob's sandwich maker" to the natives. Ford is still up to his hoopy antics, towel and all. Oh, and they also finally find out where Stavromula Beta is. I don't think that he should have ended the series like this, but fans can still hope for solo Zaphod stories, right, right? It's a good read though, really
Rating: Summary: Disappointment Review: I read Mostly Harmless after reading the first four books of the HitchHiker's trilogy and I was disappointed. If you thought the others were confusing, this is beyond that. Here's an example. Trillian came to her. Tricia came to her. They are both the same person. This book is very complicated too. My biggest disappointment is the immediate introduction of Random, and the missing Zaphod Bebblebrox, the missing Marvin and the missing Fenchurch. I did like Colin, the security robot. But I didn't get the ending
Rating: Summary: Adams shifts the focus to characters Review: People who read the book "Mostly Harmless" with a focus on the events of the book will probably end up disappointed. Adams continues his shift toward writing character centered novels (as begun in "So Long, and Thanks For All The Fish", and continued in the Dirk Gently novels).
The story focuses on three characters: Arthur Dent, the perenially confused Briton; Ford Prefect, the manic Betelgeusian; and Tricia McMillan, a BBC television reporter who, had she decided not to go back to get her purse when she met "Phil" at a party, would have become Trillian.
Adams presents Dent as a wonderfully tragic picture, and mirrors the beginning of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" quite well. Dent is presented as a lost soul, desperately in search of a home and a place to belong. Of course, when he actually finds a place where he belongs and becomes comfortable, outside events tear his world apart. This is a theme that was present in three of the four previous HHGTTG books, but the presentation is probably the best in "Mostly Harmless" (and particularly intriguing is that Arthur's world is torn asunder by a person searching for the exact same thing as Arthur had: a place to belong).
The story of Tricia McMillan offers an interesting counterpoint to Arthur's troubles. Although she is a successful television personality, she is obsessed with the consequences of one of her past choices. Unlike Arthur, who is preoccupied with the process of finding a place to belong, Tricia is preoccupied with thoughts of what might have been.
Unlike his previous books, Adams allows the tragedy to come to a fitting end. The tone is certainly darker than the previous HHGTTG books, and the humor is perhaps less prevalent. Even so, it is a fitting end to a fine series.
Rating: Summary: The End of The Hitchhiker Trilogy : Awesome in every aspect Review: Douglas Adams sends the Trilogy packing in a great and wonderful book. The witty character of Arthur Dent once again tremendously reminds me of me. From cover to cover, the fifth book in the trilogy ends the trilogy in the best way possible. The greatest way to end the inaccurately named Hitchhiker Trilogy
Rating: Summary: Perfect! Review: The best and only way for the series to end
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