You may not know it but a towel is the most useful device ever invented
by man, as evidenced by Douglas Adams sci-fi humor classic, "The
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy." The saga of Arthur Dent begins
with his house being demolished and then his home planet. Adams then
takes our reluctant traveler to the far corners of our galaxy and
finally to discover the answer to life the universe and everything.
Widely considered Adams’ best work, The Hitchhiker’s Guide is a
well-written humorous jaunt though the odder parts of the galaxy. Adams develops characters that are both strangely believable and totally
outrageous, from a man who’s Earth name is Ford Prefect, to an
intergalactic ne’er-do-well who is also the President of the Galaxy.
Adams does not try to make his science remotely believable which only
adds to the humor, as the reader is introduced to a star ship that can
do anything as long as you know exactly how improbable it is that it
will do that thing.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is irreverently humorous and
accessible, in much the same way that Seinfeld makes us laugh at
relationships and contemporary American culture. The Guide, makes us
laugh at our own humanity, our science, our history, and in the end
ourselves.
