It is on a seemingly normal Thursday morning, that Arthur Dent’s home is demolished to clear the way for a soon-to-be-constructed bypass. Rough Day so far, but things get much more interesting for Mr. Dent when he narrowly escapes the destruction of the planet Earth (to clear the way for an intergalactic bypass) with the assistance of his friend, Ford Prefect (unbeknownst to Arthur, Ford is an alien from somewhere in the vicinity of Betelgeuse) and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

This is the beginning of the first of five installments of Douglas Adams’s “Hitchhiker’s Guide” series. Adams paints a brilliant portrait of a fantastical universe replete with zany characters like con-artist turned Intergalactic President, Zaphod Beeblebrox, and Marvin, the paranoid android.  This piece of literature is a beautifully orchestrated work of science fiction, philosophy and, most importantly, humor.  If you have even the slightest taste for a bit of off the wall comedy (or still think digital watches are a pretty neat idea), I furiously recommend this read. I mean, it’s more popular than “Celestial Home Care Omnibus” and better selling than “Fifty-three More Things to Do in Zero Gravity” and that’s got to mean something.

I will admit, I have cheated a little on my assignment this week since I have read this book prior to this week.  However, it has been over five years since I originally read it and relished at the opportunity to re-familiarize myself with Arthur Dent and the rest of the Hitchhiker crew.  In closing, I hope you have found this post at least slightly more bearable than the poetic musings of Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz.  Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think i’ll take a quick bite at The Restaurant at the End of the Universe.