Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Frankfurt/M
Description
Fiction. Science Fiction. Thriller. Humor (Fiction.) HTML:Now celebrating the 42nd anniversary of The Hitchhiker�??s Guide to the Galaxy, soon to be a Hulu original series! �??Douglas Adams is a terrific satirist.�?��??The Washington Post Book World Facing annihilation at the hands of the warlike Vogons? Time for a cup of tea! Join the cosmically displaced Arthur Dent and his uncommon comrades in arms in their desperate search for a place to eat, as they hurtle across space powered by pure improbability. Among Arthur�??s motley shipmates are Ford Prefect, a longtime friend and expert contributor to The Hitchhiker�??s Guide to the Galaxy; Zaphod Beeblebrox, the three-armed, two-headed ex-president of the galaxy; Tricia McMillan, a fellow Earth refugee who�??s gone native (her name is Trillian now); and Marvin, the moody android. Their destination? The ultimate hot spot for an evening of apocalyptic entertainment and fine dining, where the food speaks for itself (literally). Will they make it? The answer: hard to say. But bear in mind that The Hitchhiker�??s Guide deleted the term �??Future Perfect�?� from its pages, since it was discovered not to be! �??What�??s such fun is how amusing the galaxy looks through Adams�??s sardonically silly ey… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member StormRaven
The second book in the Hitchiker Trilogy takes place immediately after the first book concludes. The group of characters featured in the first book split up, with Zaphod finding out that he is the heart of a conspiracy to discover the true ruler of the universe (despite being president of the
The ship turns out to be unalterably programmed to dive into a star, and everyone (except Marvin, who stays behind to operate the machine) uses a teleportation device to escape. Zaphod and Trillian find the ruler of the universe. Ford and Arthur find themselves on an alien ship that crashes on prehistoric Earth - and discover that the aliens displaced the indeginous life on the planet becoming the actual ancestors of humanity. This, of course, disrupted the Earth's functioning, meaning that the question for which "42" is the answer may never be solved - Arthur discovers that when he tries to unravel the question he gets the result "what is six times nine".
Of the five books, this and the first are the best. The humor is funny without being frivolous, the satire is biting without becoming too nasty. As with all of the books, the plot serves as little more than a frame on which to hang jokes, satire, and comments on the absurd nature of the universe, but those elements are brilliantly well-done in this book.
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galaxy, it isn't him - specifically because he is president, and anyone who would want to be president shouldn't have any actual power). After some twists and turns Zaphod winds up at the Restaurant of the title with the others, and they all steal a ship.The ship turns out to be unalterably programmed to dive into a star, and everyone (except Marvin, who stays behind to operate the machine) uses a teleportation device to escape. Zaphod and Trillian find the ruler of the universe. Ford and Arthur find themselves on an alien ship that crashes on prehistoric Earth - and discover that the aliens displaced the indeginous life on the planet becoming the actual ancestors of humanity. This, of course, disrupted the Earth's functioning, meaning that the question for which "42" is the answer may never be solved - Arthur discovers that when he tries to unravel the question he gets the result "what is six times nine".
Of the five books, this and the first are the best. The humor is funny without being frivolous, the satire is biting without becoming too nasty. As with all of the books, the plot serves as little more than a frame on which to hang jokes, satire, and comments on the absurd nature of the universe, but those elements are brilliantly well-done in this book.
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LibraryThing member ariebonn
I took my time to start the second book in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series but I enjoy these books so much that I want to space them out so that I know I have the next one to look forward to! Makes sense?
I found that in this book things start to make a bit more sense and you discover
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe is just as amusing and fun as the first one in the series, some of the comparisons that Adams makes are just hilarious. The description of the Vogons in the beginning is too funny and really had me laughing out loud, I had to go back to it a few times just to read it over again. What I like most about these books however is that I never know what is going to happen next, you just don't know what to expect!
The ending left me curious as to what happened to some of the characters and now I can't wait to get to the next book!
I found that in this book things start to make a bit more sense and you discover
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that there was actually a reason why Zaphod Beeblebrox stole the Heart of Gold, although you don't find that out from him. The Frogstar Fighters are out to get him and this leads to a series of adventures for Zaphod, Ford, Arthur and Trillian. Oh yeah and Marvin too, who is as depressing as ever but is still there to save the day.The Restaurant at the End of the Universe is just as amusing and fun as the first one in the series, some of the comparisons that Adams makes are just hilarious. The description of the Vogons in the beginning is too funny and really had me laughing out loud, I had to go back to it a few times just to read it over again. What I like most about these books however is that I never know what is going to happen next, you just don't know what to expect!
The ending left me curious as to what happened to some of the characters and now I can't wait to get to the next book!
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LibraryThing member Bodagirl
Entertaining, but the ridiculousness doesn't quite match the first book.
Freeman's narration and voice-work is impressive.
Freeman's narration and voice-work is impressive.
LibraryThing member debnance
I read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe a long (very, very long!) time ago, but I never got around to reading the sequels. I'm so glad that I did! I remember now why I used to love science fiction so much. This is a fantastic book. I'm not sure if it actually means anything (!) but it is a
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hoot to read and wallow in. A wonderful ride. Show Less
LibraryThing member iayork
As great as everything else Douglas has written. But still..: This is a review of the Restaurant At The End Of The Universe
(AUDIO CD rendition).The Book is fantastic! Totally hilarious. A welcome sequel to
any first-time reader of HGTG. The CD set consists of five (5)
CDs, and the story is read by
For anyone not familiar with the voice of DA, his reading,
inflections, and ease in switching voices during dialog passages
adds greatly to the presentation. The CD does have some
'electronically-modified' voices (Marvin & the ship's computer,
for instance), but they're all Douglas Adams, and he makes
it quite difficult not to laugh out loud while listening.
It's also pretty hard not to consume the whole book at one
sitting.
My two complaints on this media presentation are that it is
simply a straight transfer to CD of Douglas Adams'
CASSETTE-TAPE recordings. They didnt even remove all of the
'End of Side' notations from the original. Imagine that
you're listening to the story, and in the *middle* of a
disc, you hear Douglas say "End of side TWO". Then the story
continues. I also have to mention my biggest
beef with this presentation (as with ALL of the CD renditions)
which is that each disc is comprised of only ONE track!
You cannot jump forward or backward by chapters. If you
cannot listen to an entire disc at one sitting (about an hour),
then you cannot resume midway if you happen to stop the disc.
In this regard, the cassette-tapes excel over the CD renditions.
Considering that Douglas was pretty-much a techno-hound, I think
he'd be pretty disgusted that his works were being stamped-out
in such a shoddy fashion.
All-in-all, the book is as good as, if not better than,
the HITCHHIKERS GUIDE. Adams fanatics will love it. It's a
book that demonstrates that DA was an accomplished wordsmith,
and that he spent considerable time and effort to add hundreds
of subtle cross-references between passages that cannot be
caught at first reading (listening). In this regard, you'll
find something new each time you consume this book.
(AUDIO CD rendition).The Book is fantastic! Totally hilarious. A welcome sequel to
any first-time reader of HGTG. The CD set consists of five (5)
CDs, and the story is read by
Show More
Douglas Adams (the author) himself.For anyone not familiar with the voice of DA, his reading,
inflections, and ease in switching voices during dialog passages
adds greatly to the presentation. The CD does have some
'electronically-modified' voices (Marvin & the ship's computer,
for instance), but they're all Douglas Adams, and he makes
it quite difficult not to laugh out loud while listening.
It's also pretty hard not to consume the whole book at one
sitting.
My two complaints on this media presentation are that it is
simply a straight transfer to CD of Douglas Adams'
CASSETTE-TAPE recordings. They didnt even remove all of the
'End of Side' notations from the original. Imagine that
you're listening to the story, and in the *middle* of a
disc, you hear Douglas say "End of side TWO". Then the story
continues. I also have to mention my biggest
beef with this presentation (as with ALL of the CD renditions)
which is that each disc is comprised of only ONE track!
You cannot jump forward or backward by chapters. If you
cannot listen to an entire disc at one sitting (about an hour),
then you cannot resume midway if you happen to stop the disc.
In this regard, the cassette-tapes excel over the CD renditions.
Considering that Douglas was pretty-much a techno-hound, I think
he'd be pretty disgusted that his works were being stamped-out
in such a shoddy fashion.
All-in-all, the book is as good as, if not better than,
the HITCHHIKERS GUIDE. Adams fanatics will love it. It's a
book that demonstrates that DA was an accomplished wordsmith,
and that he spent considerable time and effort to add hundreds
of subtle cross-references between passages that cannot be
caught at first reading (listening). In this regard, you'll
find something new each time you consume this book.
Show Less
LibraryThing member avanders
Martin Freeman should do the narration for all books that have a majority of male characters. The book itself is fun, but Freeman made it for me.
LibraryThing member lorelorn_2008
Reading the second Hitchhikers book leads me to a conclusion - Douglas Adams is the master of the anti-climax. Climactic events are something he goes out of his way to avoid. If they have to happen, then everyone just ignores it anyway, or orders another round of drinks... Reading the second
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Hitchhikers book leads me to a conclusion - Douglas Adams is the master of the anti-climax. Climactic events are something he goes out of his way to avoid. If they have to happen, then everyone just ignores it anyway, or orders another round of drinks. Show Less
LibraryThing member jontseng
A sequel which, while less iconic, manages to be just as enjoyable as the original.
LibraryThing member ashishg
A worthy sequel to Hitchhiker's Guide, book continues adventure of protagonists who (un)fortunately end up at the beginning through hilarious roller-coaster ride in space, time and talking elevator.
LibraryThing member emhromp2
An hilarious sequel to the Hitchhiker's guide. I had more difficulty with understanding what this book was all about, for it is extremely surreal.
LibraryThing member Frozeninside
The second book in the trilogy of 5. Not as good as the first one but still a good read.
LibraryThing member powell.442
A very humorous book. Way way way better that the movie, which I think did a terrible job (I read the book before I saw the movie). A very great look at the future, based on a series of advice and articles from a guide book to the galaxy. I especially found funny the meaning of life is 42, as
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choosen by randomly picking out scrabble tiles from a bag. Show Less
LibraryThing member TadAD
Not quite as good as Hitchhiker's, or am I just used to the humor by now? I don't know.
I still enjoyed this but can't say I loved it as much as the first book.
I still enjoyed this but can't say I loved it as much as the first book.
LibraryThing member the_hag
Having read the first one, you know I had to keep going….it’s been several months since I read Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and I have to say, I didn’t enjoy this one as much…but I think that’s because it ended so abruptly (or at least it felt that way to me). I’ll certainly keep
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going…this one was every bit as amusing and fun as the last. I think this is one of the few books I would LOVE to hear as an audio book…I think the Adam’s writing lends itself to that medium very well. I would recommend this without hesitation…but you have to read them in order I think to really understand the story, these are not stand alone volumes. Show Less
LibraryThing member MissTeacher
The wonderful second installment of the Hitchhiker series, "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe" succeeded in burrowing into my subconscious better that any other book in the history of the written universe. Though I swore up and down I had never read this book before, once I began, I had a
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serious and unshakeable prolonged feeling of deja vu. The images are fantastic, and the humor, as always is persistant and odd. Wonderfully odd. Show Less
LibraryThing member Nanoscale2
This was a good book if you like British comedy. After reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the galaxy it basically is a must read. But it is fairly predictable after the previous book. Entertaining but predictable.
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Dascienceguy.wordpress.com
LibraryThing member Magadri
I found it harder to get into this book than THGttG, but once I finally got involved, it was funny. It's typical Adams humor, and at times you find yourself numb to it, but still there are quite a few laugh out loud moments in this book. Adams is witty as hell and I'm looking forward to Book 3.
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Especially since they think 6x9=42. Show Less
LibraryThing member Darla
Second of the series, again a breakfast read-aloud. It's a great start to the day if you've got the kids not only laughing but discussing complex stuff. Camden's using a page from this for his read-aloud assignment in school. He's practiced enough so he doesn't burst into laughter in the middle of
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it, though he can't quite keep from grinning. Show Less
LibraryThing member jonstamp
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe was the last of The Hitchhiker's Guide series that I truly enjoyed and found humorous.
Even in this book, I found that the writing felt a little more strained than the first and that the unrestrained absurdity of the first novel had been reigned in. This
I do not wish to deter people from reading the series as I read all of the books and enjoyed them. However, I just wanted to relate my disappointment from book to book. Typically in a series of novels you find yourself more and more engaged with the characters and their fates as the series continues, but I found myself growing more detached. If the Hitchhiker's Guide books were longer novels I probably wouldn't have continued reading them after this novel.
Even in this book, I found that the writing felt a little more strained than the first and that the unrestrained absurdity of the first novel had been reigned in. This
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said, I still thoroughly enjoyed the book. If you loved The Hitchhiker's Guide you will also like this one and will probably want to read all five books of the series. However, if you only moderately liked the Hitchhiker's Guide, I would recommend reading this one and only continuing the series if you still find yourself curious about the fates of the characters. Unfortunately, I found that the writing became decreasingly funny and increasingly forced throughout the series as though Adams' wild creativity becomes slowly diluted page to page.I do not wish to deter people from reading the series as I read all of the books and enjoyed them. However, I just wanted to relate my disappointment from book to book. Typically in a series of novels you find yourself more and more engaged with the characters and their fates as the series continues, but I found myself growing more detached. If the Hitchhiker's Guide books were longer novels I probably wouldn't have continued reading them after this novel.
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LibraryThing member shmuffin
I didn't find it as good as the first one but it was still amusing and kept me interested throughout. I love Adam's humor and the complex ideas that he conceives.
LibraryThing member EdGoldberg
After loving Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, I was mega-disappointed in this book. It took me a long time to get through and I found it plodding. Although I still like the characaters Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect and the ending gambit about Scrabble and the meaning of life is funny, and it bodes
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well for the third book in the series (which I haven't decided to read yet) overall, it was an OK book at best. Show Less
LibraryThing member rincewind1986
not as good as the first book but its still a really good laugh and full of the humour that Adams is known for.
LibraryThing member heidilove
wonderful -- must be taken as part of he trilogy
LibraryThing member mrsdwilliams
Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect are back, having narrowly escaped the planet Magrathea and a fate worse than death. Of course, in another twist of fate, they find themselves aboard a stolen Improbability Drive ship with Zaphod Beeblebrox, Trillian McMillian, and Marvin the Paranoid Android.
Hilarious
Hilarious
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and thought-provoking. Show Less
LibraryThing member MoonshineMax
It is necessary to read [The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy] before this to understand many of the joke's within, however, this is another marvelous romp through the galaxy, full of convenient plot loopholes and darkly satirical outlooks on life. Indeed, it almost equals the first, but not quite -
Highly recommended.
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however, also not so much as to take half a point away from it.Highly recommended.
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Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1980
ISBN
3548311105 / 9783548311104