Author: Douglas Adams
Read by: Martin Freeman
Received: Library
Rating: 

It’s hard to believe my read (err listen) through for the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is almost over. I’m still thrilled with the reader for my version of the audiobook – Martin Freeman. He’s been fun and lighthearted and he really just suits the material.

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish is quite different from the first three novels, in many ways. For one thing it focuses most heavily on Arthur, with Ford making some appearances, but leaving Beeblebrox and Trillian to mere mentions. Marvin makes an appearance too, and as per usual he’s as depressing as ever…perhaps even more so.

Most of this story actually takes place on earth, believe it or not. Yep, the earth that was destroyed. It’s back, somehow. Arthur doesn’t really get an answer for that here, and he’s actually pretty content with that. I supposed after you’ve been through everything that he has, at some point you get used to inexplicable events.

The humor is a bit more different too; it’s both lighter and smaller, if that makes sense. There are still plenty of absurd moments, of course, but they revolve around Arthur and the mischief he gets into more or less…which is actually quite a lot, considering he knows how to fly and distinctly remembers the earth being blown up.

I do think that while there were plenty of laugh out loud moments for this novel it was slightly less quotable than the first three. That may be my preference for them showing here, but I don’t think so.

The more somber conclusion to this novel did a pretty painful job of reminding me of what is to come. Now I remember why I usually reread the first few books but not always the last one. That and the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (the book, not the series) is simply fantastic.