Reviews tagging 'War'

Mostly Harmless by Douglas Adams

7 reviews

kylieqrada's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

This one took a turn. 😂
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maddie_can_read's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Still love the writing style and all the twists and turns,
but don't love the ending. Where's Zaphod!
.

Our characters are unfortunately back to suffering for most of the book
and ultimately all die.
 

I read that Adams was planning on writing a sixth hitchhiker book
agreeing with readers that mostly harmless was "a very bleak book"
but he died before he was able to in 2001. 

I'm going to check out "And another thing" by Eoin Colfer who was given permission by Adam's Widow to write a concluding book for the series. 
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arlettep's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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orchidlilly's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

 Woohoo, Multiverses! Very exciting and possibly the most plot heavy of the series, this one goes at breakneck speed. I do miss seeing Zaphod, who hasn't made any significant appearance since the third book. The ending is final, and really very apt. 
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augustar14's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

And so ends the original series by Douglas Adams. Can't say I don't wish there was more.  No one blends absurdity into a rather understandable and even sometimes trackable series and Universe like he did. Once again, things don't go according to plan, for Arthur Dent or Ford Prefect. At first that doesn't look to be so great, then things begin looking up, but new management at The Guide and a new version of said Guide mean there's much concern to be had about the future, again. Ford is going to need another drink. And Arthur will need another drink to deal with Ford and his drink. Probably a pan galactic gargle blaster or a bottle of that old janx spirit.
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chalkletters's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Finally, I’ve reached the end of what I’ve personally dubbed The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe — all five books written by Douglas Adams. I’ve been looking forward to Mostly Harmless; I have an absurd and lasting fondness for the section which describes Arthur Dent as The Sandwich Maker. My vague memories of the rest of the book mostly involved Random and the new avian incarnation of the titular guide to the galaxy. 

Starting Mostly Harmless I was pleasantly surprised. While I’d forgotten Ford’s and Tricia’s plots, I found them and the writing just as engaging as I found So Long and Thanks for All the Fish. Fenchurch’s complete and abrupt disappearance was disappointing, and made me wonder what the point of including her in the series had actually been, but Douglas Adams clearly set out to write a random and inexplicable universe, so it’s not as much of a problem as it might be in another set of books. 

Everything ambles along quite pleasantly, which is what I love about these books. This time around, I empathised particularly with the Grebulons living on Rupert, having forgotten what their mission is and spending all their time watching television. However, I don’t think I’ll turn to astrology to figure out the answer — which we all know is 42. 

As the final book in the series, Mostly Harmless feels a little incomplete. Douglas Adams writes nothing about what Zaphod is doing, or what’s happening with the president of the galaxy. While the ending, if I’m reading it correctly, ties up the stories of Arthur, Tricia, Trillian, Ford and Random, it leaves a vast number of questions unanswered. Maybe that’s the point, though, in which case I can’t be mad about it. And besides, I know that And Another Thing… is somewhere in my future.

With the exception of Life, the Universe and Everything, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed revisiting these books, and I’ll definitely be reading them again.
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annapox's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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