Jose-Andres Alegria If some books can be cult classics like movies, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy would be one. Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is amongst the top ten in iconic science fiction books. And the only reason it’s not higher is that there are so many classic science fiction books that we have to read in high school that it drowns out the fun stuff. I’m looking at you Frankenstein, Fahrenheit 451, Nineteen Eighty-Four, Brave New World, and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. (Maybe we’ll make a top ten or fifteen best science fiction ranking list after this article.) But enough about other books, let’s get to the fun stuff, as I so eloquently put it earlier.
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Review
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is easily one of the funniest books you will ever read. It’s intelligent, witty, clever, and all the other adjectives that I can’t think of at the moment. So if you enjoy Monty Python or have a similar sense of humor, you will most definitely enjoy Hitchhiker’s Guide. And if you don’t know what Monty Python is, do yourself a favor and watch it.
If you have ever been curious what the secret to the universe is or the most versatile survival tool. I’d list forty-two different reasons why this book is a must, but that is too much of a mental workout, and I would need a towel to dry the sweat from my brow. (If you know, you know.)
I’m trying my best not to spoil anything in this book, but it’s tough when it’s only 200 pages. I would just be writing the book at that point. But the premise and opening of this book are so outlandishly funny and absurd that you just immediately get swept away into the story. The earth is removed to make room for intergalactic bypass by a race of bureaucratic aliens. Like I said, a funny and insane plotline.
Rating
Ten out of Ten Hugo Awards (I’m not sure if Hitchhiker’s guide won a Hugo Award, but c’est la vie)
My random thought
I first read Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy in middle school, where most jokes went over my head. I reread it in college after finding my copy buried in a box after moving into my apartment. But what I remember the most about this book isn’t from my own experience reading it. I forced my college roommate to read it when I found my copy because he used to read as a kid but fell out of it like most of us do with reading. Watching him binge-read the accessible 200 pages in one sitting and immediately asking for more book recommendations is a core memory for me.
(Love you, Ty!) And now, rereading it a few years later has reminded me just how much fun this book is. It feels like most of the books I read nowadays are so severe with the world’s weight resting on the protagonist’s shoulders, so reading something light and funny was a nice change of pace.
Also, the movie is great if you prefer to watch rather than read.
Closing thoughts
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is the shortest and easiest read I’ve recommended for Eddy’s book club. Still, despite its size, it is a great read, followed by two other books worth as much of a read. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
Our next book will be The Girl from Berlin by Ronald Balson. Nothing makes a better story setting than Pre-World War 2.
