Mostly Brilliant (Douglas Adams)
Step three in my mission to make my way through all incarnations of
'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' in no particular order - which is
probably a way it's expected to be done.
Growing up, I watched the Eighties BBC TV series a number of times on
good ol' VHS; and subsequently I have ventured to the cinema to watch the more
modern film version which, despite having Tim from 'The Office' in it, doesn't
exactly enhance the series. Though now, despite the fact the radio show came
first, I have now attempted to read the five-part-trilogy of novels that were
based on it.
Now, I don't particularly do sci-fi. I like 'Red Dwarf' (up to Series
Six only, of course - I'm not peculiar) and have read a couple of the spin-off
books. I've also watched some films. But largely, it's not my bag (that's my
bag over there, could you pass it to me please?).
So, having enjoyed one incarnation, and not so much enjoyed a second
incarnation, would I enjoy this next attempt? In a word: mostly yes.
Largely, to start, it is quite faithful to the TV series script, which
is (apparently) faithful to the radio series script, though the first two books
came before the TV series anyway, so it's all the same thing either heard, read
or viewed. And this I like, reeling the Peter Jones narration in my head as I
read.
As my dad has told me, the TV series (and subsequently the film) only
go so far in the overall story, with the radio series going much further. So,
about halfway through the trilogy of five, I suddenly have no knowledge of what
is going to happen and can't read in my memory of the TV series script. This
makes it just like reading normal books, having to read the words to know what
happens. I mean, really?!
The books are sharp, witty and cleverly make you look at humanity from
an outsider's point of view, which can leave you feeling a little depressed.
Overall, the story starts off strong, though as the books progress - and maybe
this is the blinkered by television me writing - the story can become more
outlandish (literally) and asks quite a lot of the imagination of the reader,
which the non-sci-fi-loving me probably doesn't have. For me, after a while the
story goes a bit too far, maybe a downside of reading the books consecutively
without a break from the madness. Maybe a reason the TV series only took the
story so far - or was that more due to time and budget constraints?
Despite the wit and charm throughout, perhaps the reason why I don't
really read sci-fi or fantasy (apart from that I've kissed a girl) is that with
so many 'made-up' names and places, my mind quickly fails to take in these
words that have no meaning outside of the book and once they are raised later
in the book, I've already forgotten them. Perhaps this is why I'm so bad at
learning languages, or I just lack imagination, ruined and cynical from having
seen 'Never Mind the Buzzcocks'.
But I'm being negative here, when I should be looking for its Buddha
side. 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' is an excellent lampooning of
humanity and how insignificant we probably all are in the grand scheme of
things (not being negative here). In a word, it's mostly brilliant.
...
Cleverly, I read the books in paper form, avoiding the vision of the
future 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' creates in which everybody uses a
tablet device in which to get all their knowledge of the known universe...
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Days to read: 12
Days per book: 14.9
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
Days to read: 12
Days per book: 14.9
Life, the Universe and Everything
Days to read: 13
Days per book: 14.8
So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish
Days to read: 14
Days per book: 14.8
Mostly Harmless
Days to read: 25
Days
per book: 14.9
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