The Restaurant at the End of the Universe

Zaphod Beeblebrox just wants something to eat. Unfortunately, the Universe just doesn’t seem to agree. Someone always seems to want his undivided attention, whether it’s Vogons intent on destroying the last of the Earthlings (and therefore everyone else on the Heart of Gold), or his great-grandfather/grandson, he just can’t ever seem to get where he wants to go. So when he finally finds himself at Milliways, the Restaurant at the End of the Universe, chaos naturally ensues.

What more is there to say that hasn’t already been said? I’ve already written an essay on Adams’ absurdist humor and its complexities. Once again, the sort of organized chaos that he puts into his work is very difficult to generalize upon (and that particular brand of chaos will be discussed in a later post). So I suppose I should get straight to the point.

I liked this book. Why? Because it’s got everything I love about Adams--the wit, the humor, the organized chaos. But I didn’t like it nearly as much as the first book in the trilogy. Don’t get me wrong--I found some of my favorite quotes while reading it. There was just something that slowed me down so much that it took me forever to finish. And by the time I did finish, I didn’t know what to do next.

So anyway, my suggestion: fans of the first book might like this second book. This particular series should probably be read in order for maximum comprehension--some of the jokes are built solely upon the first book, and won’t make much sense otherwise.

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Notes: The Restaurant at the End of the Galaxy was Douglas Adams’ second novel, and is part two of the Hitchhiker’s Trilogy. It was first published in 1980 by Serious Productions. The version I read was hardcover, published in 1982 by Pocket Books, a division of Simon & Shuster, by arrangement with Crown Publishers.

Adult comedial science fiction, 250 pages, omniscient third person point of view

Topics: The meaning of life, reality (numerous parallels), absurdism

Publisher’s age recommendation: N/A

Warnings: Brief innuendo. Some violence. Talk of alcohol and brief insinuation of alcohol abuse.

Three out of five.