Exploring Time, Space, Probability and Good Food (The Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams)

Member Name: Midrange

Product:	The Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams
Date:	05/08/08 (49 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Intelligent, witty, imaginative and wonderfully written

Disadvantages: Science fiction genre may put off some readers - but it's worth a try!

"There is a theory that states that if anyone finds out why the Universe is here and what exactly it is for, it will replaced with something even more bizarre and inexplicable... there is another theory that this has already happens" Douglas Adams

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe is (aside from the most elaborate venture in the history of catering) the second installment of Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker Trilogy (of five parts!) It follows the adventures of Arthur Dent (the most down-to-earth and lovably confused character to ever be found in a sci-fiction novel), Ford Prefect (an intrepid hitchhiker who is just a little loopy), Zaphod Beeblebrox (the President of the Galaxy... who is on the run from just about everyone), Marvin (the manically depressed robot) and Trillion (a girl that Arthur Dent once totally failed to get off with).

Douglas Adams' is more than a little partial to a complex narrative. If we were able to ask him to describe a "linear plot" he would probably reach for the dictionary. But this is, by no means, a failure of the book. Indeed, Adams' seems to delight in giving his reader something unexpected. His sharp wit and cleverly observed humour keep the reader absolutely engrossed and entertained. His characters are strong and the interactions between them are a joy to behold. Arthur Dent serves as a "connection" between the zainy/far-out/wild/fantastic world of hitchhiking across the galaxy and the reader's own, comparatively dull, Earth-bound existence.

The story follows on neatly from "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" (book 1 of the series) left off - after a insane quest to find out the meaning of life and evade capture by a group of hyper-intellegent, pan-dimensional mice, the team are rather hungry. Zaphod suggests they go and eat at the Restaurant at the End of Universe. Unfortunately, as mentioned earlier, Zaphod is being hunted down by just about everyone in the galaxy - he's nothing but a bounder and a cad! What follows is a wonderfully long winded and thrilling series of seemingly unlinked events which, after much being blowing up, shot at and generally have a great time, leads the intrepid travellers to the Restaurant. Here, at the very end of time itself, they can enjoy a full meal whilst watching the whole of Creation explode around them (as, "The End of The Universe" refers to the end of the temporal dimension, rather than the spatial one... cunning, eh?)

The rest is a little too wild to believe. It is a wholly remarkable book and left me eager for the third installment. Despite Adams' bombastically free approach to narrative, he writes extremely well and has penned some truly magnificent material - perfect for quoting, especially by middle-aged physics professors! (I am no such professor, but an avid fan nonetheless!)

Summary: 2nd installment of a thrilling series, an insane narrative that is expertly held together