SO LONG, AND THANKS FOR ALL THE FISH

[Editor’s Note: The following is a combined review with MOSTLY HARMLESS.]--Cosmic ridicule abounds in these last two novels that sprang from the author's BBC Radio serial, “The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.” The magnum opus followed hero Arthur Dent on absurdist and just plain silly adventures through time and space, beginning with the destruction of Earth. The plots of the wildly popular print, dramatic, film, comic book, and audiobook versions are hard to describe, indeed often incomprehensible, and ultimately beside the point. One listens to enjoy the inexhaustible fecundity of the author's prankish genius. Narrator Martin Freeman played the hapless, clueless Dent in the film version. A light touch of special effects and musical bridges nicely augment his spirited and suitably dotty reading. The narrative unfolds in his native London accent. The numerous characters gain humor from his chameleonic voice and ear for dialect. A tour de force for both writer and reader. Y.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 07]