In an extraordinary turn of events, The Hitchhiker's trilogy has added a sixth book to its ranks. ...And Another Thing takes its title from a quote in the fourth book of the trilogy (all the original titles are taken from the first). Eoin Colfer, author of the Artemis Fowl series takes on the dangerous task of writing a post-mortem addendum to a beloved series. Hailed as a stellar success and declaimed as falling completely flat.... Does this children's author bite off more than he can chew. Answer: Yes, but the world needed another Hitchhiker book and he was willing to step up to the plate with semi-decent results.
SPOILER WARNING!!!!!
If you haven't read the first five books but plan to one day, skip the next paragraph.
There aren't many salient plot points, which enables me to be brief. The earth is blown up by Vogons (ugly bureaucrats), but not before two Earthlings and two aliens escape (not all together, they meet up just before 2 of them nearly die again). Ford and Zaphod (Galactic President) are from Betelgeuse, Arthur and Tricia McMillian (Trillian) from England. They find a replica earth, go back (and forward) in time, talk to a very smart computer, and find the answer to life, the universe, and everything. In book 4, Arthur falls in love with Fenchurch, and Marvin the android dies. By the end of Mostly Harmless (book 5): Arthur discovers he has a daughter by Trillian, named Random, and everyone is drawn back to earth just before it is destroyed on all planes of existence, this time by Grebulons (hired by Vogons).
YOU MAY RESUME.
Which I always thought was a very definite ending. I knew Adams had thought of doing another one, but he never got around to it before he died. And even he would have had to reach pretty far to save his characters from obliteration. So, you can't blame Colfer if it takes him a bit to long to get the ball rolling.
...And Another Thing starts with a three page recap of the past five books. The new story is presented as a guide entry. We are dropped immediately into a where-are-they-now? scenario, which turns out to be a holographic dream, where each of the main characters believes he/she has lived a long, happy life. Arthur has been sitting alone on a beach, Ford lounging at a spa, Trillian reporting throughout the universe, and Random became President of the Galaxy. One by one they come out of the dream. Unfortunately, the reader gets the joke the first time, but is stuck reading each false scenario (a total of 16 pages), knowing it won't impact the rest of the story.
When we finally catch up to our old friends in real time, the Grebulons are bearing down on earth, warming up the death rays. Not only has no time passed, but we have jumped back a good five minutes before the end of the world. And given Zaphod enough time to show up to the rescue in the Heart of Gold.
The rest of the story moves forward in a fairly predictable(!) manner. The characters say they will do something and they do it, in a straightforward way. There are only three main terrestrial locations and three space craft. There are only two new major characters. And the old ones don't always have much to add to the story. They are over-familiar with the territory; planetary destruction not the shock it once was. So, Colfer grants them some maturity. Um. Yeah. Arthur becomes paternal and a bit adventurous toward the end. Trillian makes a commitment to her family. Zaphod acts responsibly. Ford, thank goodness, drinks and spends fortunes with his limitless credit account. Some other acquaintances that show up in an attempt to liven things up are Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz, Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged, and Thor. Thor gets a major role, along with appearances of other Norse deities, which Douglas Adams had tried in The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul, and I didn't feel it worked there or here. There is no android at all (sigh). Despite references to every creature ever mentioned in the previous books, the story feels a mite understaffed.
Before I move on from characters, a word about Zaphod. He is the most ill-treated character in the book. Part of me cheers his hidden talent as a modest, almost noble hero who only plays the part of an ego-maniacal celebrity with the memory of a goldfish. But he's not Zaphod. When given a task that takes him to Asgard, he goes straight there. No side trips or dawdling. He even admits at the end of the book to being at the ready to save his cousin and friends whenever the next catastrophe occurs. I don't mind wishing these traits on Zaphod, but him admitting it destroys his un-credibility.
Which brings me to my composition points. Colfer is spot on with his style mimicking the rest of the Guide, but his content lacks the subtlety and complexion. Its too coherent. So, style good, content... passable. Structure. Oh dear. It looks like the Guide, but it reads like a young adult novel. I've already touched on the simplified plot and positive character growth. The first half of the book spends far too much time throwing in references to the original Guide. Colfer seems to be trying to impress us with his knowledge of Guide lore, and it comes across forced. Not to forget the pop culture references. Yes, Douglas Adams loved a sly reference, but Colfer's timing is not what it should be. Taking a joke about modern western civilization that is more or less stolen out of Adams's annals, Colfer comes across as insulting rather than presenting humorous social commentary. He does this more than once. A lot of the Guide notes are elaborations of previous Guide notes. Or are direct comments on the plot, since the story is set up as a Guide entry (Adams did a lot more indirect). And while none of the Guide notes compare to the brilliance of the towel entry, few are really all that funny. One Guide note is the plot summary of the Matrix. And the characters seem to have kept up with the times. Cell phones, uBid, streaming video, etc. The obvious time elapse echoes through the book. Sadly, some things never seem to come comfortably to Colfer, like the galactic slang, or the need to threaten his characters lives more than twice. He is at his best when danger is eminent and things are forced to move quickly.
In the end, the Earth stays destroyed, Trillian falls in love, Random gets into politics, Zaphod runs for reelection, Ford sits on a beach researching the new Earth colony, Wowbagger becomes finitely prolonged, and Arthur sets up a potential sequel (but let's hope any sequels show improvement from this volume). Up until the last few pages, this book was in danger of a truly happy ending for everyone concerned. Interestingly, the final ironic twist on the last page is the most Adams-y thing in the book. Why couldn't there be more of those twists?
Overall, I like to view every book from Life, the Universe, and Everything (book 3) on as alternate endings: you stop whenever you feel like that is how you want to remember the characters' stories as having ended. I like So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish (book 4) as an ending. But if you slog through Mostly Harmless (the most depressing book Adams ever wrote), you may need this pick-me-up. So, it's not Adams, but the characters finally got a little more life as unexploded beings. And that makes it all worth it.
Arthur sums it up best: "It was nice to see everybody, but why does there always have to be genocide?" And wait till you see what Zaphod did to his head.
SPOILER WARNING!!!!!
If you haven't read the first five books but plan to one day, skip the next paragraph.
There aren't many salient plot points, which enables me to be brief. The earth is blown up by Vogons (ugly bureaucrats), but not before two Earthlings and two aliens escape (not all together, they meet up just before 2 of them nearly die again). Ford and Zaphod (Galactic President) are from Betelgeuse, Arthur and Tricia McMillian (Trillian) from England. They find a replica earth, go back (and forward) in time, talk to a very smart computer, and find the answer to life, the universe, and everything. In book 4, Arthur falls in love with Fenchurch, and Marvin the android dies. By the end of Mostly Harmless (book 5): Arthur discovers he has a daughter by Trillian, named Random, and everyone is drawn back to earth just before it is destroyed on all planes of existence, this time by Grebulons (hired by Vogons).
YOU MAY RESUME.
Which I always thought was a very definite ending. I knew Adams had thought of doing another one, but he never got around to it before he died. And even he would have had to reach pretty far to save his characters from obliteration. So, you can't blame Colfer if it takes him a bit to long to get the ball rolling.
...And Another Thing starts with a three page recap of the past five books. The new story is presented as a guide entry. We are dropped immediately into a where-are-they-now? scenario, which turns out to be a holographic dream, where each of the main characters believes he/she has lived a long, happy life. Arthur has been sitting alone on a beach, Ford lounging at a spa, Trillian reporting throughout the universe, and Random became President of the Galaxy. One by one they come out of the dream. Unfortunately, the reader gets the joke the first time, but is stuck reading each false scenario (a total of 16 pages), knowing it won't impact the rest of the story.
When we finally catch up to our old friends in real time, the Grebulons are bearing down on earth, warming up the death rays. Not only has no time passed, but we have jumped back a good five minutes before the end of the world. And given Zaphod enough time to show up to the rescue in the Heart of Gold.
The rest of the story moves forward in a fairly predictable(!) manner. The characters say they will do something and they do it, in a straightforward way. There are only three main terrestrial locations and three space craft. There are only two new major characters. And the old ones don't always have much to add to the story. They are over-familiar with the territory; planetary destruction not the shock it once was. So, Colfer grants them some maturity. Um. Yeah. Arthur becomes paternal and a bit adventurous toward the end. Trillian makes a commitment to her family. Zaphod acts responsibly. Ford, thank goodness, drinks and spends fortunes with his limitless credit account. Some other acquaintances that show up in an attempt to liven things up are Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz, Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged, and Thor. Thor gets a major role, along with appearances of other Norse deities, which Douglas Adams had tried in The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul, and I didn't feel it worked there or here. There is no android at all (sigh). Despite references to every creature ever mentioned in the previous books, the story feels a mite understaffed.
Before I move on from characters, a word about Zaphod. He is the most ill-treated character in the book. Part of me cheers his hidden talent as a modest, almost noble hero who only plays the part of an ego-maniacal celebrity with the memory of a goldfish. But he's not Zaphod. When given a task that takes him to Asgard, he goes straight there. No side trips or dawdling. He even admits at the end of the book to being at the ready to save his cousin and friends whenever the next catastrophe occurs. I don't mind wishing these traits on Zaphod, but him admitting it destroys his un-credibility.
Which brings me to my composition points. Colfer is spot on with his style mimicking the rest of the Guide, but his content lacks the subtlety and complexion. Its too coherent. So, style good, content... passable. Structure. Oh dear. It looks like the Guide, but it reads like a young adult novel. I've already touched on the simplified plot and positive character growth. The first half of the book spends far too much time throwing in references to the original Guide. Colfer seems to be trying to impress us with his knowledge of Guide lore, and it comes across forced. Not to forget the pop culture references. Yes, Douglas Adams loved a sly reference, but Colfer's timing is not what it should be. Taking a joke about modern western civilization that is more or less stolen out of Adams's annals, Colfer comes across as insulting rather than presenting humorous social commentary. He does this more than once. A lot of the Guide notes are elaborations of previous Guide notes. Or are direct comments on the plot, since the story is set up as a Guide entry (Adams did a lot more indirect). And while none of the Guide notes compare to the brilliance of the towel entry, few are really all that funny. One Guide note is the plot summary of the Matrix. And the characters seem to have kept up with the times. Cell phones, uBid, streaming video, etc. The obvious time elapse echoes through the book. Sadly, some things never seem to come comfortably to Colfer, like the galactic slang, or the need to threaten his characters lives more than twice. He is at his best when danger is eminent and things are forced to move quickly.
In the end, the Earth stays destroyed, Trillian falls in love, Random gets into politics, Zaphod runs for reelection, Ford sits on a beach researching the new Earth colony, Wowbagger becomes finitely prolonged, and Arthur sets up a potential sequel (but let's hope any sequels show improvement from this volume). Up until the last few pages, this book was in danger of a truly happy ending for everyone concerned. Interestingly, the final ironic twist on the last page is the most Adams-y thing in the book. Why couldn't there be more of those twists?
Overall, I like to view every book from Life, the Universe, and Everything (book 3) on as alternate endings: you stop whenever you feel like that is how you want to remember the characters' stories as having ended. I like So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish (book 4) as an ending. But if you slog through Mostly Harmless (the most depressing book Adams ever wrote), you may need this pick-me-up. So, it's not Adams, but the characters finally got a little more life as unexploded beings. And that makes it all worth it.
Arthur sums it up best: "It was nice to see everybody, but why does there always have to be genocide?" And wait till you see what Zaphod did to his head.
