The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is a rambling riot of random coincidences that demands that you not only suspend your disbelief but tie it to a flock of drunken chickens and fire it into space. If it was written by any other author then the story would be a complete mess. Luckily this is not the case though.

Douglas Adams is able to infuse every line with an unparalleled humour that raises The Hitchhiker’s Guide above most other books. The only negative reviews for this book that I have read are from people who claim that it is not funny. I can only assume that these poor folk have lost their souls somewhere and now wander through life without smiling. Or maybe they just don’t understand British humour. Same thing I guess. It is witty, satirical, cynical and can somehow carry off being both very clever and very stupid simultaneously.

The book follows a regular Englishman and an alien that had been stranded on Earth for years as they travel across the galaxy after Earth’s untimely destruction. Every step leads them on a misadventure filled with fun characters and crazy situations .

Douglas is a true great among British writers, up on the same platform where Terry Pratchett stood. Hitchhikers is entertainment, pure and simple. Read it if you need cheering up, want to laugh or just want a fun read. Oh, and do not be put off by the movie. The book is galaxies better.

9/10 manically depressed robots on a Scottish beach drinking strawberry daiquiri.