The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
It's safe to say thatThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxyis 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 withThe 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. Then inThe Restaurant at the End of the Universe, Arthur and his new friends travel to the end of time and discover the true reason for Earth's existence.  InLife, the Universe, and Everything, the gang goes on a mission to save the entire universe.So Long, and Thanks for All the Fishrecounts how Arthur finds true love and "God's Final Message to His Creation." Finally,Mostly Harmlessis the story of Arthur's continuing search for home, in which he instead encounters his estranged daughter, who is on her own quest.  There's also a bonus short story, "Young Zaphod Plays It Safe," more of a vignette than a full story, which wraps up this completist's package of the Don't Panic chronicles.  As the series progresses, its wackier elements diminish, but the satire of human life and foibles is ever present.--Brooks Peck--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.