The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is absolutely hilarious.

So, this was a book I first read (or attempted to read) a few years back, simply because I'd heard excellent reviews of it even then, and I found the book lying somewhere in my house. But back then I certainly didn't understand any of it, and so I let it go. But a few days back, I went and hunted for it and started reading it again, not sure really what to expect or whether I would like it. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is definitely not my regular genre of reading materials - its sci-fi with ironic humor, neither of which I tend to appreciate fully, but I definitely, definitely, dont regret picking up this book again - simply because this book is  interesting, intelligent, and extremely, extremely fun. 

The book is written in a witty and delightful style. The interludes in the book from the book 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy', which incidentally is being written by one of the main characters in the book, and its comparison with the Encyclopedia Galactica are absolutely spot on, and besides this the irony in the book is also worth reading. (I love, for example, the entry 'earth' finally gets in this book.) The book is written in a loose, almost conversation style that works really well with the plot, which ranges from mostly improbable to totally crazy and takes you in all the corners of the universe and introduces you to a whole load of aliens of different temperaments, a very droll human, and an extremely morose robot. I love this last character - in fact, most of the characters in this series are genuinely hilarious and yet so real that they are completely worth reading, you don't feel the disconnect that you'd think you'd feel between yourself and these other-wordly robots and aliens and mice who form the major characters. The author has fleshed out a whole universe - more than this book can accurately portray (and mostly gives just a glance into) - in an interesting and deep way. 

I'd recommend this book emphatically to anyone who is actually interested in science fiction or enjoys dry, ironic humour, but I'd also recommend it to other people who like philosophy, who like to read, and who're into trying something a little bit different, and also most certainly to any fans of Terry Prachett . Its a book for all ages (beyond a certain age), and its the kind of book that can be read again and again and enjoyed again and again. 

Final thoughts: Hilarious, intelligent, thought-provoking - I recommend this book to anyone who is in to try something new and get taken for a ride. 

Other thoughts: Wow. Its been a REALLY long time since I've blogged. Rest assured that this is not going to continue - expect regular reviews from now on, as well as a lot of fun stuff. And if you've read an interesting book this winter, well, come on in and drop me a line because I've been looking for some recommendations in order to buy a few new books.