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Beware of the leopard
Jun. 4th, 2022 11:19 amBook Review: The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams
One of my colleagues has never seen Star Wars; but although that seems odd, I should observe that I've never seen or heard any of the versions of The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I was just too young when it first appeared, and never bothered with it since, although I'm vaguely aware of some of the cultural references that continually come up. A copy showed up in a second-hand bookshop at one of the National Trust places we recently visited, so it seemed like a good opportunity.
Of course, given its popularity, expectations were high and the risk of disappointment was great. Fortunately, I wasn't disappointed, although it turns out to be less epic and more random than perhaps expected. I liked the symmetry of the various bypass plots, the surreality of Zaphod Beeblebrox, the humanity of Arthur Dent, and the enigmaticness of Ford Prefect; and the way that there's just enough science in the improbability drive to stitch things together. And, with the passage of time, the fact that the Hitch-Hiker's Guide is in fact another book, which sounds an awful lot like the Web, adds a clever prescience.
One of my colleagues has never seen Star Wars; but although that seems odd, I should observe that I've never seen or heard any of the versions of The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I was just too young when it first appeared, and never bothered with it since, although I'm vaguely aware of some of the cultural references that continually come up. A copy showed up in a second-hand bookshop at one of the National Trust places we recently visited, so it seemed like a good opportunity.
Of course, given its popularity, expectations were high and the risk of disappointment was great. Fortunately, I wasn't disappointed, although it turns out to be less epic and more random than perhaps expected. I liked the symmetry of the various bypass plots, the surreality of Zaphod Beeblebrox, the humanity of Arthur Dent, and the enigmaticness of Ford Prefect; and the way that there's just enough science in the improbability drive to stitch things together. And, with the passage of time, the fact that the Hitch-Hiker's Guide is in fact another book, which sounds an awful lot like the Web, adds a clever prescience.