Fantastic and hilarious - what more is there to say? Hitchhiker had me cracking up half the time and had my adrenaline pumping the other half. Adams has a wonderful imagination that pulls us through a maze of thoughts and question. Never leave your towel behind!

Lots of fun."Light" reading at it's best!

The books were good, but it was really meant to be heard on the radio.

One of the funniest books I've read in ages. Clean humor (almost) and it has that "Mystery Science Theater 3000" humor to it.

An absolutely hysterical series of books, but like a lot of cult classics, you either get it or you don't. ClassicTvFan obviously didn't, but the rest of the people on here seem to have. These books make no attempt to take themselves seriously, and that makes them a thoroughly enjoyable read. No one else on here has mentioned it, but there was a book released from stuff found on one of Douglas Adams' hard drives, called the Salmon of Doubt. While not a true Book exactly, it's worth a read if you're a serious Adams fan. I read it, and it made me truly sorry that Adams passed away. I think he still had a lot of good books in him, and it's a shame they never got out.

An excellent series with an intriguing plot (although it's basically a sci-fi road movie). Arthur is a great anti hero with Ford filling the role of Plot device i.e. explaining whats going on. Worth reading for Marvin the paranoid android alone.

Funny, very origional but sometimes confusing. Good, origional characters who are well defined, wonderful classic british humor.

Douglas Adams (deceased) who, as I understand, helped write for Monty Python. He's hillarious. These books are a must for people who love comedy sci-fi... or just comedy in general. I've read them several times, including while in labor (when a woman really needs a good chuckle!)

Can't wait for the movie! I hope it is as good as the books.

Aside from a few comedic moments, Hitchiker is an utter mess of a book that I had to force myself to finish. The plot is bleak, and the humor is forced and mean-natured and sometimes too bizzare for its own good. A terrible work.

Though 'The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy' was written in the 1980s, the Guide of the title foreshadows Rate-It-All in some ways. The Guide resembles a conventional encyclopedia (in proto-notebook-PC form) but like RIA is more irreverent and entertaining. Also more superficial. The guide's major selling point is having the words don't panic written on the cover, implying it succeeds due to clever merchandising rather than superior merit. In short, a mixed bag; but a resource tool that may be more useful than a dry reference book, at times. The novel also includes a Babel Fish (small organisms that, placed in your ear, will translate any language 'in the universe') a ship that travels through space and time by exploiting the unique mathematical patterns that only exist in restaurants ('Bistromath') and many other strange, funny, fascinating ideas. You can't do much better than this series if you're looking for funny/serious (i.e. not escapist) science fiction. These were the very first science fiction books I read, and I haven't read better SF since. The last two books aren't as good; the second one (The Restaurant at the End of the Universe) was the funniest, maybe the best of the series.

some parts are dull, but on the overall its a GREAT series, very unique ideas and theories, very speciel and funy humor, and most of it is pure fun! don't forget your towels! =-)

Hilarious, Douglas Adams was clearly a genius, however it must be admitted that the books did decline in their quality at the end of the 'trilogy' or maybe I just didnt get the jokes. :P

I just want to second what everyone else has said, except that I'd stop reading before the last book ("Mostly Harmless"). That was a downer, but all the rest of them were the most hilarious things I've ever read. And yes, I like Python, but you don't have to. It's the writing style that gets me, maybe a bit like Dave Barry's.

An enjoyable and funny series.

The only sci-fi I have ever read. It was funny at the same time as making me go cross-eyed at times. I mean, could mice really be doing the tests on us?

A work of original genius, and funny enough to have your wife peek her head around the door to see what you're laughing at.

This book/series of novels is just down-right hilarious. It is so off-the-wall funny it will keep the reader jumping from pageto page unable to put it down. Even the caption on one of the novels in that series is hilarious "the fourth novel in the Hitchhiker's trilogy". I would recomend any odd-book-reader to pick this or any other one of Douglas Adams' books up.

Classic...total classic. I've read all of the books at least twice and they get better every time. Douglas Adams is a genius.

May be a bit confusing, but is a lot of fun to read--very innovate, and I love the style of writing! It's odd humor that not everyone can like, but for me this is a classic. I'm not that big on "Young Zaphod Plays it Safe", though.

funny

Oh yeah! You will be so incredibly upset that this book ends. The characters - hilarious. The premise - incredible. There's so much interlaced detail in this story that you'll have a hard time believing someone made it up. This was by far the funniest and best written book I've ever read.

Hilarious book! I found myself laughing out loud several times while reading it. Entertaining and fun to read, as well as all of its sequels.

I don't like Monty Python, I don't like Terry Pratchett -- but I definitely like Douglas Adams and the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy trilogy(!). The best way to enjoy the first book, though, is to listen to the original BBC radio series -- incredible!

Douglas Adams was a comic genius when it comes to writing smart, sci fi fun. I'm so upset that he died at such a young age (at age 49 about 2 months ago) and I won't get to enjoy anymore of his works like the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Marvin the Paranoid Android is so amusing, and you just can't help but feel bad for Arthur. Some of his jokes are subtle and it's nice when you feel like you're in the elite few that get the scientific references. Full of surprises and irony. And remember, the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything is 42!

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and its sequels are among the funniest books I've ever read. If you enjoy Monty Python or Terry Pratchett, you're likely to enjoy this series.

Extremely funny. A great book in a very funny series. Douglas Adams is a master of comedic writing.

There is an art, or rather, a knack to flying. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.

Very funny. Good reading.

"Hitchhiker's Guide" and its sequels are, quite simply, the funniest books I've ever read. Even after multiple readings, they still make me laugh out loud to the point of embarrassment. Instant mood-lifter!