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Katsunami · 07-28-2014, 02:27 PM

... as I don't seem to be finding large parts of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy to be as funny as they should have been.

As I've fallen behind in my challenge, I've decided to 'cheat' a bit and read this omnibus, as each book is only 120 to 175 pages (using Count Pages @ 2400 char/page). Reading this set will complete 5 out of 6 books of the "read something non-fantasy" sub-challenge.

This cult classic is a great disappointment, however. Everybody I've ever met who read it told me I should read it because it's so hilariously funny... but I just don't see it. Yes, I get the word plays, the jokes, the references, the allegories and the descriptions of the absurd situations, but... it's... just.... not.... IT. It's not funny enough.

Oh of course, there are some points which brought a smile to my face, such as

Spoiler:

and

Spoiler:

and

Spoiler:

There are some other parts that are funny, obviously, but to be honest, I think a large part of the trilogy of five books is just a lot of incoherent nonsense, throwing around weird names, meant to be funny and not succeeding at it very well. For me, the story finally got going a bit at chapter 25 of the first book, which I think is quite late, and it hasn't gotten any better since then.

(Douglas Adams seems to have a distinctly unhealthy preoccupation with fish, also, which is intriguing.)

I've just finished the third book, and I'm seriously contemplating if I should finish the last two, which are, together, only 300 pages or so. Then I at least can tell other people I've read the series, before I change my name to Marvin.

Oh, yeah... where was I? Ah, yes. The topic of this thread. Or was it the thread going to grow out of this topic? I don't know. Anyway, what books have you read recently that you felt should have been better (or, worse), after all you've heard about it?

07-28-2014, 02:27 PM	#1
Katsunami Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,111 Karma: 34000001 Join Date: Mar 2008 Device: KPW1, KA1	I'm a heretic without humor... ... as I don't seem to be finding large parts of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy to be as funny as they should have been. As I've fallen behind in my challenge, I've decided to 'cheat' a bit and read this omnibus, as each book is only 120 to 175 pages (using Count Pages @ 2400 char/page). Reading this set will complete 5 out of 6 books of the "read something non-fantasy" sub-challenge. This cult classic is a great disappointment, however. Everybody I've ever met who read it told me I should read it because it's so hilariously funny... but I just don't see it. Yes, I get the word plays, the jokes, the references, the allegories and the descriptions of the absurd situations, but... it's... just.... not.... IT. It's not funny enough. Oh of course, there are some points which brought a smile to my face, such as Spoiler: ... a world ridding itself of all the middle-men and people with 'useless professions', such as marketeers, 'phone sanitizer', managers, consultants and so on, and them not realizing it, making their ship crash on prehistoric earth ... and Spoiler: ... the horror scene where Arthur Dent discovers that every creature he has ever killed, on any world or in any time frame is actually the same creature over and over again ... and Spoiler: ... the scene where Arthur meets Wowbagger The Infinitely Prolonged, who is bored with his immortality to such a degree that he has made it his life's work to go and personally insult every living being in the universe, in alphabetical order ... There are some other parts that are funny, obviously, but to be honest, I think a large part of the trilogy of five books is just a lot of incoherent nonsense, throwing around weird names, meant to be funny and not succeeding at it very well. For me, the story finally got going a bit at chapter 25 of the first book, which I think is quite late, and it hasn't gotten any better since then. (Douglas Adams seems to have a distinctly unhealthy preoccupation with fish, also, which is intriguing.) I've just finished the third book, and I'm seriously contemplating if I should finish the last two, which are, together, only 300 pages or so. Then I at least can tell other people I've read the series, before I change my name to Marvin. Oh, yeah... where was I? Ah, yes. The topic of this thread. Or was it the thread going to grow out of this topic? I don't know. Anyway, what books have you read recently that you felt should have been better (or, worse), after all you've heard about it? Last edited by Katsunami; 07-28-2014 at 02:37 PM.