#5 - The Restaurant at the End of the Universe

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
By: Douglas Adams
256 pages
Published: 1980
ISBN: 0345418921
My copy: Mooched via BookMooch

Part of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy trilogy, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe details the further adventures of Zaphod, Trillian, Arthur and Ford as they stumble about the universe. Here's the official product description (which probably won't make any sense if you haven't read the first book):

Facing annihilation at the hands of the warlike Vogons? Time for a cup of tea! Join the cosmically displaced Arthur Dent and his uncommon comrades in arms in their desperate search for a place to eat, as they hurtle across space powered by pure improbability. Among Arthur’s motley shipmates are Ford Prefect, a long-time friend and expert contributor to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy; Zaphod Beeblebrox, the three-armed, two-headed ex-president of the galaxy; Tricia McMillan, a fellow Earth refugee who’s gone native (her name is Trillian now); and Marvin, the moody android. Their destination? The ultimate hot spot for an evening of apocalyptic entertainment and fine dining, where the food speaks for itself (literally). Will they make it? The answer: hard to say. But bear in mind that The Hitchhiker’s Guide deleted the term “Future Perfect” from its pages, since it was discovered not to be!

I really liked the first Hitchhiker's book as the plot was more fast-paced, funny, and interesting. This one is certainly has a lot of twists and turns, and is pretty much hilarious, but it didn't hold my attention like the first book did (sorry, Hitchhiker's devotes). I suppose the trilogy (which consists of five books) has to be taken as whole along with the radio broadcasts and television show and movie. You can't really separate out one of the books and review it individually. But that's what I'm doing anyway.

All in all, I'd recommend the series as it is very funny and Douglas Adam is a masterful satirist. I just had to plod through this one a bit.

My Rating: B-
Overall Series Rating: B+