Engagement:
Genre:
Science Fiction
Published:
1992
Page Count:
227
Where to Buy:
Mostly Harmless
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
#
5
Content Ratings
Moderate Themes
The novel's pervasive nihilism and its genuinely dark ending—with no comfort offered—represent a significant tonal shift from the rest of the series; the destruction of all remaining meaning is treated with unusual seriousness.
Mild Violence
The novel ends with the destruction of all versions of Earth and the deaths of all main characters; the conclusion is genuinely bleak and not played for comedy.
Synopsis
The final book in the trilogy of five follows Arthur across multiple alternate Earths as he struggles to find meaning, Ford discovers something catastrophically wrong at the Hitchhiker's Guide editorial offices, and a young girl named Random enters Arthur's life. The darkest and most bitter of the five books, written during a difficult period in Adams' life, and ending on a note of genuine nihilistic finality. Uneven but at times bracingly honest.