Sonderbooks Book Reviews by Sondra Eklund

Sonderbooks Stand-out 2005
Buy from Amazon.com

Rate this Book

Sonderbooks 95
    Previous Book
    Next Book


Nonfiction
Fiction
    Science Fiction
        Previous Book
        Next Book

Young Adult Fiction
Children's Nonfiction
Children's Fiction
Picture Books

2005 Stand-outs
    Previous Book
    Next Book

2004 Stand-outs
2003 Stand-outs
2002 Stand-outs
2001 Stand-outs

Five-Star Books
Four-Star Books
    Previous Book
    Next Book

Old Favorites
Back Issues
List of Reviews by Title
List of Reviews by Author

Why Read?
Children and Books
Links For Book Lovers
Book Discussion Forum

About Me
Contact Me
Subscribe
Make a Donation

I don't review books I don't like!

*****= An all-time favorite
****  = Outstanding
***    = Above average
**      = Enjoyable
*        = Good, with reservations

cover

****The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy

by Douglas Adams

Reviewed May 12, 2005.
Pan Books, London, 1979.  159 pages.
Available at Sembach Library (F ADA).
Sonderbooks Stand-out 2005 (#2, Science Fiction)

I had to read this book before the movie came out.  It seems to me that almost every man in my life has loved this series of books.  My brothers, my husband, my son, and even the only male librarian I’ve worked for have all enjoyed them.  I hate to see a movie without reading the “real” story in the book it was based on, so I made sure I finally read this book.

The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is humorous science fiction, doing what science fiction does best—saying things about life in our modern world by doing it in disguise.  Of course, with humorous science fiction, it’s poking fun at that world.

Arthur Dent was having a bad Thursday.  His house is about to be leveled in order to make way for a new bypass.  What he doesn’t realize is that the earth is also about to be destroyed in order to make way for a new intergalactic bypass.

Fortunately, Arthur’s friend Ford Prefect is actually a visiting alien doing research for that invaluable guidebook, The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.  In the nick of time, he brings Arthur with him to hitch hike a ride on the space ship responsible for the destroying earth.  Unfortunately, the Vogons running that space ship don’t take kindly to hitch hikers.

Like a lot of science fiction that men enjoy (forgive me for being stereotypical here), this isn’t a book for engaging your emotions.  It is a book for engaging your intellect and giving you a good laugh.  The mathematical side of my personality thoroughly enjoyed it, even if I wasn’t crazy about the idea behind the ship with the “probability drive.”   (Yet it did delightfully make an illogical plot device almost logical.)  Definitely a lot of fun.

Copyright © 2005 Sondra Eklund.  All rights reserved.

-top of page-