Galaxy

= = More Humor than Stars in an Alternate Universe Benjamin Zehr //The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy // Douglas Adams 143 Pages, Wings Books, $13.88  “Arthur Dent, Mild-Mannered, out to lunch kind of guy is plucked from earth. Towel in hand and with his rescuer Ford Prefect, a travelling researcher for the guide, he begins his journey.”  Arthur Dent is just another human being, save for the fact that he is abducted by aliens and hitch-hikes across the galaxy, facing peril at every turn and arrives home just in time for breakfast. This first installment of the series by Douglas Adams combines the beloved genres of science fiction, adventure, and comedy in a way that is truly out of this world. This epic of imaginative storytelling is as creative as it is hilarious. However, this element of creative humor in the book makes it all the more interesting to read. Throughout the book, the plot remains clear and relatable. The spectacularly random ideas and situations that appear throughout the book could represent the core ideas of the randomness of life itself.  The //Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy// follows the travels of lovable Arthur Dent, who manages to escape a terrible fate when the earth is destroyed to make space for an intergalactic superhighway. He meets up with his rescuer, Ford Prefect, a native of the sun system of Betelgeuse, and a researcher for a handbook used across the universe, The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Ford, upon spending years of boring existence on the earth, has finally come up with an entry for the Guide, “Earth: Mostly Harmless.” With all he knows gone, Arthur must learn to trust his new friend as they are together thrown into a world of adventure, intrigue and improbability. Arthur Dent is an astonishingly relatable and memorable character. He is constantly oblivious to what goes on around him and where he is. His character has very visible developments as the plot progresses; gradually becoming more understanding of the sheer scope of life and the universe and gradually more accepting of it. He represents humanity in its purest form; one of confusion, discovery and adaptation. This basic human behavior has led to many of the global issues we face today, such as climate change and pollution. In similar ways, the book, although written as a spoof of science fiction books, may have some deeper implications that readers could analyze.  This book is an engrossing one that makes the reader’s senses tingle with the thought of the unimaginable size of the universe. Above all else, the //Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy// is a masterfully sarcastic work of literary art. “The idea of this book first cropped up when I was lying drunk in a field in Innsbruck, Austria. Not particularly drunk, just the kind of drunk you get after having a couple stiff ones after not eating for two days straight. I’m talking of a mild inability to stand up.” This quotation tells us about the author and his style of writing, which is descriptive and very sarcastic.  The writing style of Douglas Adams itself is an excellent reason to read this book. It portrays elements of hope, adventure and pure nonsensical entertainment; all the while keeping a certain seriousness about it. His style may be interpreted in numerous ways, from the deepest to the most obvious. For example, a supercomputer which took millions of years to build finally calculated the ultimate answer to the universe. This is irrelevant however because its creators find out that they don’t know the question itself, thus starting the whole process all over again! This scenario can be interpreted as irony or simple stupidity.  At first glance this book would appear to be one of the many books about space and its wonders, but in fact, it is a carefully planned and meticulously put-together piece of literary magic. Many of the pieces laid out in the surprising beginning are answered by the end, but there is definitely enough absent for the reader to pick up the next book in the series, //The Restaurant at the End of the Universe//, which in continues to fill in the blanks left by its predecessor. //The// //Hitch-Hiker’s Guide// is an excellent book for someone who is looking for a light-hearted yet seriously engaging read.