Book log: So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish (1984)
The fourth book in the "Hitchhiker Trilogy" is more straight forward
and linear than its predecessors, we even get a charming love story
in this one! Most of the narrative tells of how Arthur Dent returns
to his home planet, to find that his several year long absence
amounts to just a few months of time on Earth. He runs into a few
cool new characters, mainly Fenchurch -- who seems to be the only
person on Earth to have some recollection of the planet's recent
demolition. Eventually they are joined by one of the other heroes of
the series, find an opportunity to travel into space again, and run
into yet another of our previous acquaintances -- who is about to
meet their end. The humor is a bit toned down this time, and it
gives more room for the story. It all feels more balanced than
the past couple of entries in the series.
Bonus short story: Young Zaphod Plays It Safe (1986)
In this prequel to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, we follow
Zaphod Beeblebrox on an submarine rescue mission. From a crashed
spaceship filled with extremely dangerous byproducts, something
unspeakably grim - Ronald Reagan is implied - seems to have
escaped to Earth. Which seems to be one more reason our planet
needed to be demolished.
I will now be taking a pause from this series until I can track
down hard copies of the final two entries.
