Mostly Harmless

Mostly Harmless
By: Douglas Adams
Copyright: 1992
Portland House

4 Bookmarks out of 5


Well, first I have to say that I am terribly sorry that it has taken me a week to get the last book in the Hitchhiker's series up here. I was extremely busy this weekend and didn't get a chance to read at all. But, since I last updated I also signed up for my local public library's adult reading program for the winter. If I read five books, then I get to have a mug! So Mostly Harmless is book one in this challenge to myself. I hope there are still mug supplies by the time I finish all five of the books!

Anyway, Mostly Harmless is the last book in the Hitchhiker's trilogy of five books. By far, this is the most intricate plot out of all the other books. It is also probably the most serious book out of the entire series. It begins with Trillian - or rather the Trillian that would have been if she had never left with Zaphod after that one party. Tricia is a news reporter looking for the next big thing and is in constant regret for not following Zaphod. Meanwhile, in a parallel universe, Ford is still a field reporter for the Guide (and actually is downgraded to the restaurant reviewer). Arthur is wandering around because Fenchurch disappeared in a hyperspace accident and the Earth disappeared as well. I have to admit, I am quite glad Fenchurch didn't make an appearance in this particular book (and Arthur doesn't seem that depressed to have her gone either). The reader has a difficult time keeping all these parallel universes in order, but it's well worth it for how the plot turns out.

It's no secret that Douglas Adams was not a huge fan of religion, but he makes it blatantly apparent in this novel through the character of Old Thrashbarg. Old Thrashbarg is in charge of all knowledge in his particular  village and when he makes up various reasons as to why he needed to buy the first sandwich (because Bob said so). That's right Bob - not God. And I have to admit, when Arthur goes, "For Bob's sake!" I laughed out loud. It was such an ingenious way to approach the controversial topic of religion that I couldn't help but applaud Adams. (As for the sandwich part, you're just going to have to read the book yourself to understand the meaning.)

Furthermore, although this book is extremely serious, it holds the funniest interaction between characters out of the entire Hitchhiker's series. This happens with Ford Prefect meets back up with Arthur Dent. Let's have a sample of the dialogue, eh? This is a scene where Ford is explaining to Arthur about how he survived jumping out of a window on two different occasions:

"The first time I managed to save myself by the most astonishing and - I say this in all modesty - fabulous piece of ingenious quick thinking, agility, fancy footwork, and self-sacrifice." 

"What was the self-sacrifice?"

"I jettisoned half of a much-loved and I think irreplaceable pair of shoes." 

"Why was that self-sacrifice?" 

"Because they were mine!" said Ford, crossly. 

"I think we have different value systems." 

"Well, mine's better."

It's like Douglas Adams finally got the characters of Arthur and Ford down to perfection and the banter they have is quite literally, priceless. It is witty, quick, and will make anyone who is in the room with you quite annoyed with how much you are laughing at the book. Meanwhile, the character of Trillian is barely touched on and Tricia is having a serious identity crisis. We don't once see Zaphod in this book, which I think is a real shame. I would have loved to know what Zaphod was up to.

One of my biggest peeves with the book was the character of Random. She was annoying. All she cared about was the fact that Trillian (her mother) always left her places and that she never belonged anywhere. Now, this pretty much sounds like the annoying ramblings of any teenager going through extreme hormonal changes. But Random understands time travel and how the universe works. How Random didn't understand that when she visited Earth (which didn't exist in her universe) that Tricia was not her real mother (because Tricia never left Earth) is beyond me. Adams portrays her as a teenager who understands the technology of the universe, but she is unable to understand this important concept. Adams makes up for this annoying character by bringing Agrajag's ramblings of Arthur's future back into the plot. I take back my before mentioned hatred of this scene in Life, the Universe, and Everything and will go on to say that I really appreciated the intricacy that this brought to the plot.

Although this book is serious, and ends on a dark note, I will say that I appreciated the way the series ended. It brings on so many questions: do parallel universes still exist? What happens to the Grebulons on Rupert? Do the Vogons end up ruling the galaxy? This book is everything lovers of the series will appreciate and even those who only like a good science fiction story will appreciate. I am sad that the series is over, but I am excited to move on to the next book on my list.