Starship Titanic by Douglas Adams and Terry Jones

Title: Starships Titanic

Author: Douglas Adams and Terry Jones

Publisher: Harmony 1997

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 246

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Summer Reading Challenge; 52 Books Club

In this thoroughly satisfying and completely disorienting novel based on a story line by Douglas Adams (author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), Terry Jones recounts an unforgettable tale of intergalactic travel and mishap. The saga of "the ship that cannot possibly go wrong" sparkles with wit, danger, and confusion that will keep readers guessing which reality they are in and how, on earth, to find their way out again.

A random pic from our server library for this week. J has been badgering me to read this for years now and I figured why not? To be clear, this is based on a Douglas Adams story that he didn’t complete before his death. Afterward, Terry Jones (of Monty Python fame) finished the story and recorded the audiobook. The Douglas Adams parts, full of asides and strange coincidences were great. The Terry Jones parts, I assume the weird relationships and sex talk, were not as great. If I could have reworked a few scenes, I would have really loved this story. As it stands, it’s a mostly fun space romp for fans of Adams and his quirky sense of humor.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Ornament Exchange Thank You

I signed up for The Reading Fever's Ornament Exchange this year.  I love all these gift exchanges this time of the year.  I received Diana @ Book Adventures for my partner.  And she sent me a most awesome ornament.

Does anyone recognize this awesome image?   It's from one of my favorite books: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams!  This ornament has earned a respected place on my Christmas tree.  Thanks Diana!

Thanks again Diana!

P.S. She wrote me a nice thank you post on her blog.  Check it out here. 

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Title: TheHitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Author: Douglas Adams

Publisher: Del Ray 2002

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 143

Rating:   5 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Science Fiction; Page to Screen; A to Z Author: A

How I Got It: I own It!

It's safe to say that The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is one of the funniest science fiction novels ever written. Adams spoofs many core science fiction tropes: space travel, aliens, interstellar war--stripping away all sense of wonder and repainting them as commonplace, even silly.  This omnibus edition begins with The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, in which Arthur Dent is introduced to the galaxy at large when he is rescued by an alien friend seconds before Earth's destruction.

Book

A wonderful reread.  I just love the wackiness of Adams' universe.  From the ship Heart of Gold to Marvin the Robot, this book gets me every time.  I read this today during the down times are work.  And I'm sure some of my coworkers think I'm that crazy giggling girl.  I can't help but laugh out loud at the passages.  I decided to just reread the first book in the series.  I just wanted to remember how this crazy train started. My favorite parts are still the excerpts from the Guide.  But this time I really stuck on the introduction of Zaphod from the Guide.  All of Adams' characters are fun and slightly quirky, but Zaphod takes the cake. 

Beeblebrox, the man who invented the Pan Galatic Gargle Blaster, ex-confidence trickster, once described by Eccentrica Gallumbits as the Best Bang since the Big One, and recently voted the Worst Dressed Sentient Being in the Known Universe for the seventh time...  -- Pg. 67

The best introduction note in all of literature. 

Movie

Now what to say about the movie...  I really have mixed feelings abotu this one.  I love some of the actors and scenes.  And then I'm just dissapointed with some of the other aspects.

The Good -- I just adore Martin Freeman, Sam Rockwell, and Zooey Deschanel.  They are perfect (but I'm going with Sam's Zaphod as my favorite).  They embody the characters well.  And I can't forget about Bill Nighy as Slartibartfast.  He plays the best "is he daffy or increibly wise" character.  Love him!  I did like the interludes of the Guide entries.  The one about the Vogons is especially fun.  

The Not-So-Good -- I feel like the movie mostly missed the tone of the book.  They made it this romance between Arthur and Trillian.  They wrapped the story up at the end.  The book doesn't have those things.  I felt like the movie tried to be too much of a "normal" story; something the book just isn't.  

The book is amazing; a must read.  The movie: not so much.