Douglas Adams

By Logan Wright

Science fiction and comedy are rarely found in the same piece of work. The sheer entertainment value of Douglas Adams’ science fiction comedy is a testament to what one can accomplish when combining the two seemingly unlikely genres.

He is most famous for The Hitch-hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, an adventure steeped in towels, depressed robots, and perilous miscommunication. The “trilogy in five parts” follows the anti-hero Arthur Dent through a series of unpredictable and imaginative events. The cast of characters is absurdly colorful and the story’s fun comes in big, messy spoonfuls of aromatic Monty Python-esque science fiction stew.

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, Adams’ other major novel series, has all the wild comedy of Hitch-hiker’s Guide in a setting that parodies typical mystery and detective novels. Dirk Gently is a protagonist just strange enough to seem real and the ludicrous episodes of his detective career are inventive and addictive.

Adams is also known for his environmental activism and love of Macintosh computers. Regardless of their eco-status or OS affiliation, anyone even slightly sick of the lack of humor in science fiction should seek out his work.

A top title from Adams:
Douglas Adams, (1979), The Hitch-Hikers Guide To The Galaxy,
Pan Macmillan, ISBN-10: 0330258648

This book is available from the Null Bookshop. Just click here to buy (or here to pay in dollars).

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