For those who believe that the Ultimate Answer to Life, Everything, and the Universe is 42, Douglas Adams’ “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy†is the perfect book to read.
The story is about the journey of Arthur Dent, a human, and his other alien companions in outer space after Earth has been destroyed in order to make a hyperspatial express.
As his journey progresses, he discovers that a long time ago, aliens created a computer to tell them the answer to Life, Everything, and the Universe, and the computer answered 42. Not knowing why, the aliens created another computer (which happened to be Earth) to find out why the answer was 42.
Before the aliens could receive the reasoning of why the answer was 42, Earth was blown apart, and Dent, the only survivor, is the only one who has the necessary logical reasoning.
The one great aspect of this book is that it is a true science fiction book. It has the necessary traits of a science fiction story, plus comedy mixed into it – which is why science fiction lovers will enjoy it even more.
The beginning of the story is the typical, with a group of aliens called Vogons getting ready to destroy the Earth. What makes this part stand out among the other science fiction books is that the aliens are destroying Earth simply because they want to create a hyperspatial route. Of all reasons, that is quite unexpected for the reader because it is such a simple reason.
The story also has some of the most outrageous yet ingenious innovations that seem to be based on scientific reasoning. For instance, there is the Babel Fish that allows anyone to understand every language in the entire Galaxy. In the story, Dent puts the fish in his ear and suddenly he can comprehend what aliens from other planets are saying. Just the thought of this process keeps the reader entertained and believing that the Babel Fish is probable.
It also has deeper meanings and some criticism toward us human beings. One of Dent’s alien companions is Ford Prefect, a man from a foreign planet who has encountered the dangers of the galaxy and has more experience than Dent. When Prefect reveals to Dent that he is an alien, Prefect teaches Dent many new things he has never known, and the readers realize how humans are not the center of the universe.
Adams’ book has many ideas worth reading about.
