The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Books 1-3)

The Trilogy of Six. Source: Here

"In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move." 

Having finally finished this trilogy* at the behest of a close friend of mine, I find it tricky to really collate my thoughts on the books as a whole. If anything, it's a miracle I finally got round to these...

*Note: when I say trilogy I mean the original three books, The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, and Life, the Universe and Everything.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (HGTTG) is the first of five books in the HGTTG series written by Douglas Adams (the sixth written by Eoin Colfer) and first published on the 12th October 1979. An adaptation of the first four parts of Adams' radio series of the same name, it is easily one of the books that comes to mind when mentioning science fiction, a master showcase in comedic sci-fi.

Coming into this series fresh (minus the various quotable sayings now peppered in society's collective conscious) I wasn't expecting such a plunge into an anarchic, riotous Universe where nothing seemed to make any real sense and the improbable became possible. I suppose that's the big joke of it - certainly considering how absurd modern life can be if you look into it hard enough, Adams simply spins that into comedic gold, exemplified in the demolition of Earth to make way for a hyperspace bypass as the opening act for the rest of this bizarre, wonderful series.

What a ride it was! The first book had me cracking up constantly (to the detriment of the friends I had gone camping with, who just wanted a good night's sleep...) and it was a barrel of laughs from then on. Everything from these books seems to have been plucked nearly at random, from the Babel fish you put in your ear as a universal translator to pan-dimensional organisms entering our world as mice, and a restaurant at the end of the universe! The books are bursting with imagination and wit and that in itself is commendable. 

To take the plot (well, less of a plot and more a pulling of our characters to various outlandish locales across the universe) seriously is to miss the point of these books. The narrative jumps about like an eel out of water but I can't say I didn't have fun seeing it leap to and fro. Even the characters were a blast to be with - Marvin the Paranoid Android being the sole exception and by far my favorite in the process.

Of all the three, The Restaurant at The End of the Universe remains my favorite. To me that was the one with more standout moments (Marvin convincing the battle robot to plummet to its death in particular) though the original holds a special place in my heart for being the first introduction to this zany, nonsensical universe.

Really if there are any criticisms they remain nitpicky in nature - that the books seem designed for as many one-liners and jokes to be cranked out as quickly as possible - but then again, they are comedic, so I'm not quite certain what I was expecting. Maybe it's not my cup of tea but I appreciated the change of pace they formed from my usual grim fare.

On the whole I thoroughly enjoyed my ride through the first three and will no doubt revisit the second half in due course. Absolutely a top recommendation for anyone looking to liven up their day.