Engagement:
Genre:
Science Fiction
Published:
1979
Page Count:
224
Where to Buy:
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
#
1
Content Ratings
Light Themes
The novel's themes—the meaninglessness of existence, bureaucratic indifference to life, and the universe's fundamental absurdity—are delivered entirely for comedy; the tone is relentlessly light despite the nihilistic content.
No Violence
The destruction of Earth and other comic catastrophes are depicted with relentless absurdist detachment; no violence is intended or received seriously.
Synopsis
Seconds before Earth is demolished to make way for a hyperspace bypass, hapless Arthur Dent is whisked into space by his friend Ford Prefect, revealed to be an alien researcher for the eponymous hitchhiker's guide. What follows is a madcap journey through an absurd universe involving the meaning of life, planet-building, depressed robots, and the number 42. One of the funniest books ever written and an enduring classic of British comedy.