So I've made it about halfway through the sixth Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy book by Eoin Colfer, and I have to say, everyone who worried about Doug Adams's legacy being tarnished has absolutely nothing to worry about. Colfer did a pretty great job at mimicking Adams's distinctive style, albeit he's considerably more structured (he marks the beginning and end of the Guide's digressions, for instance), and the chapters are much longer and frequently switch between different locations: Zaphod in Asgard trying to get in touch with Thor, and the rest of the gang on Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged's ship. Wowbagger has a pretty big role this time around, considering he'd only been a bit player before. The only characters who aren't back, at least so far, are Marvin and Eddie the Shipboard Computer.

Five stars all around. I really hope Colfer is granted permission to keep writing Hitchhiker books; I'd really like to see what else he can contribute to their universe.

I've been daydreaming about writing one of them myself, personally... but in the exceedingly improbable (even by H2G2 standards) case of that actually happening, it'll be pretty freaking long into the future.

Discuss and debate the sixth book here.

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Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you walk into an open sewer and die. -Mel Brooks



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/28/2009 09:50PM by Planet Cool.

I quite liked it!

<awaits further debate>

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I'll have to go and check them out... I'll be sure to comment at that point!

It's on my Chrissie Pressie list, so here's hoping!

I heard the radio version and so will give the book a miss. I found it too reverential.

It was almost like a checklist of characters and expressions. A bit like bad fan-fiction.

To quote Arthur (on the Vogon ship in HHGG):
"I quite liked it."
Have to wait for my daughter to finish re-reading it before I can do the same; perhaps I'll see things differently then - perhaps not.

I waslistening to the radio version while reading the book and I didn't like that too much either.

The thing that annoyed me most was the way some of the Guide bits interrupted the story - the longer ones could easily have been footnoted.

I honestly don't understand what the big deal is about the "Guide Notes". They're like the Guide's digressions in Adams's books, the only difference being that this time they tell you when they start and when they end as opposed to being worked into the narrative (or given individual chapters). They haven't bothered me at all so far, and if you don't like them, you can always skip them and go back to them later.

Have they been released in OZ? I haven't seen anything on them in any local book shops.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/30/2009 07:39AM by BibwitHart.

I was looking at it at Angus&Robertson at Southland on the weekend, and they had a truckload of copies.

I stand corrected then, I guess I haven't been spending a satisfactory amount of time in bookshops lately.

Tick tock, 'Shades of Grey' is coming soon too, and the end of David Tennant too...

<Doctor Who reference added to incite the Whovians>