The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Tonight I went to my favorite place on earth Barnes N Nobles. Looking through all the books I came across an old favorite, The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

It is said that a 19 year old English hitchhiker Douglas Adams found himself in Austria with a book titled The Hitchhiker's Guide to Europe and though someone should write about the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

First it was a radio series in 1978, then it became a book in 1979. In 1981 it became a TV series and in 1984 it became a computer game. Finally after Douglas Adams passing it became a movie in 2005.

The story follows an Englishman Arthur Dent who wakes up one morning to discover that his house is about to be bulldozed in order to build a bypass. Ironically he is about to discover that Earth is about to be blown up in order to make way for a galactic bypass. He escapes earth before it is destroyed with the help of a hitchhiking alien, Ford Prefect. The rest of the novels follow their adventures through space.

What I love about the Ultimate Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy is it has all 5 novels. I could literally read them over and over again it is that good. One disclaimer though, the fifth book was actually written by Eoin Colfer after the passing of Douglas Adams. It is readable but definitely not as good as the rest of the novels.

Douglas Adam's writing style is saracastic, witty, and inventive. He takes every day events and makes them extraordinary. For example, he explains that Dolphins have been trying to warn us that the Earth was going to be blown up but we silly humans interpreted this as plain Dolphin tricks. And of course, as they left before the earth blew up they thanked us for all the fish.  

I hope you enjoy this one as much as I do. And of course, it gets the seal of approval from Marta's Better than Oprah's Book Club Book Club.