The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
by Douglas Adams
Summary
Moments before Earth is demolished to make way for a hyperspace bypass, ordinary Englishman Arthur Dent is rescued by his secretly alien friend Ford Prefect and swept into a chaotic tour of the galaxy alongside a two headed ex president, a depressed robot, and the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything. Adams blends absurdist British comedy with genuine science fiction ideas, satirizing bureaucracy, technology, and cosmic insignificance with equal glee. The novel grew out of a radio comedy series and became one of the most beloved comic science fiction works ever written.
Historical Context & Significance
The 1980 Hugo Award for Best Novel went to Arthur C. Clarke's The Fountains of Paradise, an entirely different and far more solemn work of hard science fiction. Adams's novel nonetheless became one of the best selling science fiction comedies of all time through sheer readership rather than any major genre prize.