Who knew science fiction could be so hilarious as to rock your socks off and get you laughing yourself breathless and red in the face?
Before I read this hunk, I really had no substantial interest for science-fiction. Much less for sci-fi of the outer space order. And now that I have read it? I regret all those years that went by untouched by the awesomeness of this book. You're right people, it's THAT big and brilliant. Vivid, richly detailed, wildly imaginative and 500 flavors of awesomeness. Did I say awesome more than once already? That's cos this book deserves that sort of lavish praise.
I personally recommend this book for everyone who hasn't been interested in science fiction like me and every other Earthling, as well as aliens who might be interesting in Earthly fiction.
Since I'm going to have to restrict my squeeing to the above three paragraphs (BIIIG SIGH), might as well get to giving you an intro regarding the book.
INTRO
Arthur Dent is your regular normal human, pretty boring and all- until he gets his world literally blown apart and finds him escaping the catastrophe thanks to his weird friend Ford Prefect, who turns out to actually being from Betelgeuse and not the other side of London as he had always claimed.
WHAT GOES
What then ensues is how they hitchhike across the Galaxy, getting picked up and sometimes kicked off random spacecrafts while they simultaneously manage to get themselves into all sorts of crazy adventures. So crazy that you DEFINITELY have to read them to believe how madcap it gets out there in the space for them.
For instance?
Douglas Adams! Is there anyone else like you at home? Where can I buy one like you? His language, his English, or rather his manner of writing, twisting normal usages of speech around in such a refreshing way, that the reader is left gaping at first, laughing and crying their eyes out the next from the realization about how simple all this prose actually is, and yet so beyond and out of box, unconventional. All I could do after yet another mind boggling paragraph (which happened with EVERY paragraph I think) was go "whoa.." "yowza!" and laugh like a maniac which always elicited sighs and mutters from my roomies who had by the third page of my reading the book itself, had gotten used to the fact that I was prone to sudden attacks of laughter when reading the Ultimate Guide.
The Ultimate Guide is actually five stories plus a bonus story in one hell of a tome for a book. I loved it so entirely that I kept re-reading until I realized I was in danger of not reading another book ever. And had to resist my unwillingness to part with this beauty and return it over to the library. That caused quite a scene of separation y'know. Ah, the pangs.
I ought to have just stolen the book and lied outrageously that I have absolutely no idea where the book might have gone missing. No idea at all. I need that book in my life forever.
I need it to belong to me! But I have the feeling that it's actually the other way round, never you mind.
And for those who wonder about time travel, there's quite a lot the author has to say on the topic which actually makes sense, so you better listen up. Er.. read up!
Before I read this hunk, I really had no substantial interest for science-fiction. Much less for sci-fi of the outer space order. And now that I have read it? I regret all those years that went by untouched by the awesomeness of this book. You're right people, it's THAT big and brilliant. Vivid, richly detailed, wildly imaginative and 500 flavors of awesomeness. Did I say awesome more than once already? That's cos this book deserves that sort of lavish praise.
I personally recommend this book for everyone who hasn't been interested in science fiction like me and every other Earthling, as well as aliens who might be interesting in Earthly fiction.
Since I'm going to have to restrict my squeeing to the above three paragraphs (BIIIG SIGH), might as well get to giving you an intro regarding the book.
INTRO
Arthur Dent is your regular normal human, pretty boring and all- until he gets his world literally blown apart and finds him escaping the catastrophe thanks to his weird friend Ford Prefect, who turns out to actually being from Betelgeuse and not the other side of London as he had always claimed.
WHAT GOES
What then ensues is how they hitchhike across the Galaxy, getting picked up and sometimes kicked off random spacecrafts while they simultaneously manage to get themselves into all sorts of crazy adventures. So crazy that you DEFINITELY have to read them to believe how madcap it gets out there in the space for them.
For instance?
- The journey they make to the restaurant Milliways which is literally built at the End of the Universe aka The Apocalypse.
- The wack trips they make on the Heart of Gold which travels on Improbability Drive. Which means they could be going anywhere. Anywhere!
- I don't want to spill it all in here!
Douglas Adams! Is there anyone else like you at home? Where can I buy one like you? His language, his English, or rather his manner of writing, twisting normal usages of speech around in such a refreshing way, that the reader is left gaping at first, laughing and crying their eyes out the next from the realization about how simple all this prose actually is, and yet so beyond and out of box, unconventional. All I could do after yet another mind boggling paragraph (which happened with EVERY paragraph I think) was go "whoa.." "yowza!" and laugh like a maniac which always elicited sighs and mutters from my roomies who had by the third page of my reading the book itself, had gotten used to the fact that I was prone to sudden attacks of laughter when reading the Ultimate Guide.
The Ultimate Guide is actually five stories plus a bonus story in one hell of a tome for a book. I loved it so entirely that I kept re-reading until I realized I was in danger of not reading another book ever. And had to resist my unwillingness to part with this beauty and return it over to the library. That caused quite a scene of separation y'know. Ah, the pangs.
I ought to have just stolen the book and lied outrageously that I have absolutely no idea where the book might have gone missing. No idea at all. I need that book in my life forever.
I need it to belong to me! But I have the feeling that it's actually the other way round, never you mind.
And for those who wonder about time travel, there's quite a lot the author has to say on the topic which actually makes sense, so you better listen up. Er.. read up!
5 comments:
i just love reading sci-fi books..i guess i must give a try to such books...enjoyed reading this post...and made a note of this book!
btw, you've been tagged:
rahul-aggarwal.blogspot.in/2012/03/tagged-tag-thon.html
regards
rahul
you are a person of varied interests - the Korean music and now this genre of books!
I dont really love reading sci-fi , but since this sounds fun and with humor... will have a go. Adding it to my list.
Glad to have found you via Indblogger. Your newest follower and a regular visitor now.
Cheers,
Kajal
I've been feeling that I should widen my horizons for a long time. So when Ray Bradbury died recently and all the papers were talking about Fahrenheit 451, I thought, "Hey, why not give sci-fi a try?"
So I started scouting, stumbled upon this blog where you had reviewed two of the books on my wishlist - Hitchhiker's Guide... and The Book Thief. Both positive reviews.
End result: I have to pester the people at the local book store to order a special copy of both these books for me, because they're stuck in an Alternate Universe where people read trash like Twilight and Fifty Shades of Grey.
Thanks for helping me make up my mind on sci-fi, though. Great review, great blog, so keep writing! :)
All these comments were from such a long time back! Thank you guys! I feel sorry that I have been away from my blog for so long =(
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