And Another Thing...

This book by Eoin Colfer is the sixth instalment of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series by Douglas Adams - who was rumoured to be working on a sixth instalment when he died, so it never got finished, so a couple of decades after the fact they roped in Mr Colfer - and honestly, he's done a far better job at it than I expected. Adams's imagination and comedic style are utterly inimitable, but Colfer makes a damn good effort and the result is a book that is very clearly not written by Douglas but still feels like a worthwhile addition to the trilogy-in-five-parts's story*.

   All** our favourite characters are back - Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect, Trillian, Zaphod Beeblebrox - plus Random***, who was more of a plot device in her previous appearances, takes on a much heftier role; and Thor and Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged, both of whom had been bit-part jokey characters in the main series, become significant players in their own right. If you remember how the fifth one ended it should be no surprise that this one opens with a convoluted deus ex machina that conveniently (or should I say "improbably") saves everyone from another meaninglessly impersonal death, and romps aplenty ensue. I won't give away any more of the plot than that because I've already covered the first five books in such granular detail and I want the contents of this one to be a surprise if you're curious enough about how well Eoin wears Douglas's shoes**** to read it even as a hardcore fan of the original series.

   I wanted to be able to say I hated this book and that it was a betrayal of the series and its author's memory, but that simply isn't the case. This is emulation at if not its zenith then fairly high up its mountainside; and even if it's been so long since you've read the original trilogy-in-five-parts that you'd struggle to relate part six to it in any coherent way, this is a rollickingly fun read.

* Six parts now, I guess. Follow that link if you want to read a 5000ish word essay about my reflections on the core thematic ruminations implicit in the original five. I'm very proud of that post.

** Except Marvin of course, he died in an earlier book. Quit whining.

*** Arthur and Trillian's daughter in case you need a reminder.

**** A solid 8.3 out of ten. He does go a bit overboard with the Guide Notes interjections, which often feel like more of an "I had an idea that's slightly Douglas Adamsish so I have to include it" than a fully-legitimate "this is something the Guide would talk about that illuminates the current plot points unfolding, or is at the very least extremely funny". I think in terms of nailing the core essence of the main characters I'd give Colfer a much more solid 9.7 but in terms of capturing the whimsy and wit of Adams in his prime it's a somewhat shabbier 6.2 - though that said the plot of this book is actually completely comprehensible, both in terms of what it builds on from the first five and the new elements introduced by Eoin, which is, it pains me to say, more than can always be said of Douglas's own contributions to the series, which were superb obviously but did admittedly occasionally sacrifice story congruence for "mere" absurdist humour.