Arthur Dent wakes up to find bulldozers ready to knock down his house for a new bypass. Things get worse when his friend Ford Prefect reveals he is an alien researcher for a travel guide, and that a fleet of bureaucratic Vogon ships is about to demolish the entire Earth to make way for a hyperspace express route. Ford hitches them both a ride off the planet just in time.
Arthur, still in his dressing gown, is flung into a universe of absurdity. He meets Zaphod Beeblebrox, the two-headed, self-obsessed President of the Galaxy, who has stolen a ship powered by an Infinite Improbability Drive; Trillian, the only other human survivor; and Marvin, a chronically depressed robot. Their travels lead to the legendary planet Magrathea and the question of life, the universe and everything.
Adams began the story as a BBC radio series in 1978 before turning it into the first of five novels. His humour skewers bureaucracy, philosophy, technology and human self-importance, with entries from the Guide itself breaking up the plot. Phrases like the number 42 and the advice to carry a towel have passed into popular culture.
Book details
| Author | Douglas Adams |
|---|---|
| First published | 1979 |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Humour |
| Type | Fiction |
| Setting | Earth, a Vogon spaceship, the Heart of Gold and the planet Magrathea |
Themes
- Absurdity
- Meaning of life
- Bureaucracy
- Chance
- Human insignificance
Who should read it
Anyone who wants science fiction that is laugh-out-loud funny rather than solemn.