The Restaurant at the End of the Universe

This post first published June 11, 2013.


Author: Douglas Adams
First Published: June 1997
Publisher: Picador
Series: Hitchhiker’s Guide #2
200 pages (paperback)
 
I’m not sure what it was with this second book, but it didn’t quite catch my interest like the first book did. Maybe it’s because it’s the second book in the series, or maybe it’s because I’m reading this one a year after I read the first, or maaaybe it’s because book two was published almost twenty years after the first. I don’t know. I thought The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy was funny, witty and creative. I thought book two was immature, aimless and nonsensical. And I’m not sure why! Because, if you have read this series, you would know that being silly is kind of the whole point of the books. Yet I found the silliness in book one to be more understandable than book two! Strange …

I am not even too sure how to describe the plot of this book because it was kind of all over the place. Our main characters decide they need to eat some food after what happened in the last book, so they are looking for a place to eat when they end up at the restaurant at the end of the universe, Milliway’s. Of course, during their journey the gang ends up going through a series of wacky adventures, including meeting the man who runs the entire universe.

So from what I understand, a lot of people like book two and think it’s just as good, if not better, than the first. Apparently, I have a dissenting opinion, haha. Maybe I just don’t “get” this one, but I wasn’t very engaged with the story at all. It was all just very bizarre. And I know it’s supposed to be bizarre. I can’t really pinpoint why this book felt different from book one’s silliness. And to top it all off, I can’t even really remember what I just read, because the plot felt like it went all over the place. It was all kind of a blur, especially since the book is so short.

This is going to be one of my shorter reviews since I don’t really know what else to say about this book. It was “okay”. I will continue the series because I own all five in a box set so I’ll get around to it eventually. Book two hasn’t exactly made me excited for book three, though.

My Rating: 2/5

The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy

This post first published March 7, 2012.

Author: Douglas Adams
Published: January 1979
Publisher: Picador
Series: Hitchhiker’s Guide #1
180 pages
 
I had heard of this book before I read it, but I had no idea what it was about. I never saw the movie either, so I walked into this experience truly not knowing what to expect at all.

It’s a regular day for Arthur Dent (well, sort of — he’s trying to stop the city from bulldozing his house to build a new highway). To his surprise, his best friend of fifteen years, Ford, reveals to him that he is actually an alien and has been hitchhiking around the galaxy — that is, until he got stuck here, on Earth, for the past fifteen years. Ford also lets Arthur know that Earth is about to become demolished for a new hyperspace bypass but no worries, he’s got a ride hooked up for the two of them before Earth explodes. The two of them eventually find their way onto the ship, the Heart of Gold, and through the use of its Improbability Drive, encounter all sorts of strange, bizarre coincidences …

First things first, this book is kind of plotless. I’ll totally admit that. It doesn’t really seem to have a point, a greater goal that the characters are striving towards. There’s some vague mysteries that don’t really seem too important, and the ending of the book was really not an ending at all, more like an abrupt stop. I’m not going to point out the bizarre coincidences though, just because those are meant to be in the story via Improbability Drive and in a strange way, made sense to me. Other readers may not feel the same way though.

With that said, I actually liked the book a lot. It was really funny and quirky to me, kind of like watching a cartoon show. There were some subtle digs and social commentary as well, which I always love, though admittedly they were overshadowed by the silliness of the entire story. Sure, things don’t make sense a lot, but it fits with the type of humor this book contains. Super intelligent mice, depressed robots, luxury planet building businesses … this book is like a pot where the author threw every crazy idea together just to see what happens. That, along with Douglas Adams’ witty writing style just hit the spot for me.

I also finally discovered where a lot of pop culture sayings come from now: this book! Like, “Don’t Panic” and how the answer to life, the universe and everything is 42, and some other ones. I heard of those sayings before and never knew where they came from. I just figured they were from some old TV show I never watched because I was too young or whatever. Feels kind of satisfying to discover the origin!

I can understand not every reader is going to like this book. If you are a “serious reader” who requires strict structure and whatnot in your books, this book is probably not for you. You definitely need a certain type of sense of humour to enjoy this book and have to be open to the idea that nothing’s going to make perfect sense. It’ll make some sense, but still, nonsense. This book is definitely one of those hit-or-miss types of books — you’re either gonna like it or dislike it for what it is. However, if it’s of any persuasion, most people seem to enjoy it and it is often considered one of the modern classics of literature.

My Rating: 4/5