The Hitch hiker's guide to the Galaxy - Best Guide Ever!

"There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.
There is another theory which states that this has already happened"

- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Have you ever read a book that has made you laugh simply on its virtue its own cleverness? Not too many books can strike that balance between complete and total sense and utter nonsense and engage its reader while doing so. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is one such book. It is clever, funny, nonsensical and in the strangest way philosophical about life and everything after. Similar to Catch 22, it mocks the bureaucracy and questions the very essence of existence itself. But Catch 22 is a heavy book (despite it being funny) and leaves you confused and in many ways disjointed, the Guide on the other hand leaves you laughing till you stitches burst. Which is not to say that one is better than the other (they are two completely different novels) but simply to say that they should be read with different mindsets.

The story revolves around a bunch of odd ball characters as they travel the galaxy and get into a series of misadventures that are both hilarious and sad at the same time. But all things lead back to the main character - Arthur Dent who is the average everyday man who just happens to be best friends with an alien... not that he knows that cause that would actually make him interesting.

So here is the low down, the book begins with the destruction of the earth (not that you are even allowed to mourn as you are laughing so hard) and Arthur Dent is saved by his best friend and secret alien Ford Prefect. Thus begins the adventure of the odd couple who could not be more different even if they tried. Arthur is a curmudgeon old young English man who likes to live an insignificant but ordered life. He doesn't like the fact there is more to life than his apartment. And then there is Ford Prefect who is actually a travel writer for the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and he has been stuck on earth for the better part of ten years and can't wait to get out. And yeah he is an alien. He saves Arthur by hitching a ride into the Vogon ship that is currently in the earth's hemisphere to destroy it. And wait, the Vogons (who by the way write truly horrible poetry) do not like hitchhikers. This doesn't bode well with our travelers of course.

And what is the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy you ask? Well it is the most wonderful, inaccurate guide that helps a poor stranded traveler in space in the most inaccurate manner. It is wondrous because in its cover it displays a big sign that says "Do Not Panic". Now who would not be soothed by that. Basically the Guide is used by Arthur to discover the various truths of the universe.... much to his own displeasure.

Arthur gets into further trouble in space when he joins Trillian and Zaphod Beeblebrox who just happens to be the ex president of the galaxy who has stolen the most amazing ship of all time in order to find the ultimate answer to the universe and everything else. And then there is Marvin. He is a robot who has been programmed to exhibit human emotions - big mistake. Imagine having a brain the size of a planet and having to mundane chores like walking. Marvin is depressed and suicidal... only he can't die given he is a robot.

The story often gets interspersed with accounts from the Guide and it is a wonderful read. The author Douglas Adams had originally created the series as a BBC radio show and it quickly became a sensation. He then penned the plot into one the most successful sci-fi series of all time. Full of dry English wit, the series questions the very essence of life itself. Brilliant. Here is my favorite passage from the series. It is on the universe -

The story so far:
In the beginning the Universe was created.
This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move.