Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - Spoiler Free Review
Howdy folks,
Please keep in mind that this review is just my opinion, and if you disagree with me that is absolutely fine, great even. However, please do not be offended if I do not like a book that you love or vice versa. Regardless if you would like to leave a reply then please do, but try to keep it as spoiler-free as you can.
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Arthur Dent was just trying to save his house from being demolished to make way for a new road. Little did he know that the whole planet was about to be destroyed. He is saved, and taken on a bizarre journey through space where he meets some strange characters.
This was the first book I read this year and honestly I was a little disappointed with it. Now, I know that it is a very huge cult classic at this point and a lot of people absolutely love it. I’m not sure if I just expected it to be something else or whether I had just built it up in my head too much (I do tend to do this with a lot of things) possibly it was a bit of both.
So, I am willing to admit that this may have just been my issue and not the books.
The humour. It did take me a little while to get used to his style of writing humour through the dialogue sections. However, Adams ability to make me laugh while he has insulted me or humanity in general is, as a fellow Brit, something I can only applaud him for.
Marvin. AKA my son! I loved him so much. Once he was introduced I was much more invested in the story. Again, it ties into Adams sarcastic humour that he put into this book, but for those of you who have read this book, we can probably all agree that we all have Marvin days.
Low page count. Now, for someone who has suffered/suffers with dyslexia and has challenged herself to read more books this year, being able to finish a book within a couple of days is a great feeling. So, the fact that this book is so short was great for me.
Pacing. It was too short. Yes, yes. I know I just contradicted myself. Though, the fast-paced momentum of this book felt very disorientating. It got much better as the book went on, but I struggled to keep up with who was who and where we were. I understand, that is the point of the book, it is very abstract and crazy and that is definitely part of the appeal to a lot of people; it was just very overwhelming at the beginning. I would have loved some more time with the characters, but maybe I will get that in the later books.
Worldbuilding. Or, lack of it. I never really felt like I was immersed in their environment. I think, because I am not hugely versed into the sci-fi genre (I tend to stick to fantasy) their surroundings didn’t feel like I could picture myself there. World building is one of my favourite things about reading. I like to get a description of the world, feel as though I could be there with the characters. Maybe this is a bit of a personal preference issue rather than a book issue, but it didn’t get me as invested in the story as I would have liked to be.
I really enjoyed this book. Yes, I was initially disappointed, but mostly because I thought I would love this book and I didn't. However, it was a positive way to kick off my year of reading more books. I gave it 3/5 stars because I thought it was a good, light-hearted read; it made me laugh, which is always a plus. But, I am not desperate to continue the series right away. I will definitely be continuing it, just not right now.I would recommend this book to anyone who likes sarcasm or wants to try and get into sci-fi because it was pretty short and sweet, despite the cons I mentioned, it was a pretty easy and quick read. Sometimes that’s all you need.
