Douglas Adams

Just when Arthur Dent`s sense of reality is at its most clouded, he suddenly finds the girl of his dreams. He finds her in the last place in the Universe in which he would expect to find anything at all, but which 3,976,000,000 people will find oddly familiar. They go in search of God`s Final Message to His Creation and, in a dramatic break with tradition, actually find it. VOLUME FOUR IN THE TRILOGY OF FIVE

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish

So long, and thanks for all the fish

Patrick Book

I googled “Douglas Adams is bad” looking for some commiseration and found zero relevant links. But I did see a quote from Terry Pratchett that described Adams as a guy who loved ideas but hated writing. Having read this, I believe that. He introduces some potentially entertaining and interesting elements/characters and gives them short shrift in favour of an awkward and incomplete romance story. He pads his page count with forced word salad descriptions of other parts of the universe that seem at best vaguely relevant to the story at hand. What is there lacks explanation and logic. 

Is it humorous? Sure, at times. But that’s not enough. I guess I just don’t get the appeal of Adams’ work.

Shape Mismatch

I picked up the fourth book years after reading the first three and was taken aback by his wit, again. This book is responsible for a lot of weird glances shot at me in buses, cafes, parks as I burst into fits of laughter staring at a kindle. Books usually don't invoke humor of that sort. 

That said, I'm a bit disappointed with the plot. It leaves a lot demanding and falls short of creating anything memorable. Save for, ofcourse, the humor.

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish is the fourth installment in Douglas Adams' bestselling cult classic, the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy 'trilogy'. This edition includes exclusive bonus material from the Douglas Adams archives, and an introduction by Neil Gaiman. There is a knack to flying. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. It's not an easy thing to do, and Arthur Dent thinks he's the only human who's been able to master this nifty little trick – until he meets Fenchurch, the woman of his dreams. Fenchurch once realized how the world could be made a good and happy place. Unfortunately, she's forgotten. Convinced that the secret lies within God's Final Message to His Creation, they go in search of it. And, in a dramatic break with tradition, actually find it . . . Follow Arthur Dent's galactic (mis)adventures in the last of the 'trilogy of five', Mostly Harmless.

Sarah Schumacher

** spoiler alert **
           3.5 stars. Disappointing that this one mostly takes place on earth and ending falls a bit flat.

Back on Earth with nothing more to show for his long, strange trip through time and space than a ratty towel and a plastic shopping bag, Arthur Dent is ready to believe that the past eight years were all just a figment of his stressed-out imagination. But a gift-wrapped fishbowl with a cryptic inscription, the mysterious disappearance of Earth's dolphins, and the discovery of his battered copy of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy all conspire to give Arthur the sneaking suspicion that something otherworldly is indeed going on. . . .God only knows what it all means. And fortunately, He left behind a Final Message of explanation. But since it's light-years away from Earth, on a star surrounded by souvenir booths, finding out what it is will mean hitching a ride to the far reaches of space aboard a UFO with a giant robot. But what else is new?From the Paperback edition.

Gillian Rose

It wasn't bad. Some parts were enjoyable, but overall the series is just downhill since the first.

Ryan LaFerney

Yes, So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish has a loose plot (mostly focusing on Arthur Dent and his girlfriend Fenchurch) and it is quite different from the farcical satire that comprised the first three books. At its heart this a romantic comedy, focused on Arthur discovering a new Earth (you see the dolphins, having escaped the destruction of the Earth by the Vogons, have gratefully provided humanity with a new planet) and a new girlfriend, Fenchurch. This fourth book suffers from a slow start, and a lack of Adams typically overt zaniness (although the dolphins are clearly the highlight).

 There's less science fiction silliness here, which is what I typically come to Adams for. The plot is certainly more straightforward than the previous last three entries. 

The different tone also reflects the rushed nature of the writing; Adams' editor Sonny Mehta moved in with the author to ensure that the book met its (extended) deadline. As a result, Adams later stated that he was not entirely happy with the book, which includes several jarring authorial intrusions, which fellow author and Adams' biographer Neil Gaiman described as "patronising and unfair".

Arthur Dent is out of his bathrobe, in love, and wondering why the dolphins said...So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish.

Was the earth really demolished? Why did all the dolphins disappear? What is God's final message to His Creatures? Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect, and the new voivoid gang are off (by commercial airline) on a wacked-out quest to answer these truly unimportant questions.
(back cover)

So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish

Kirsten Simkiss

This book is weird because the plot, while very linear, is actually pretty sedentary. While still Hitchhikers standard quality, it's more of a love story between Arthur and a new character named Fenchurch who has a peculiar problem relating to the day where the earth was destroyed. I actually really enjoyed it, despite the fact that the plot was so calm compared to the other books in the series. Still, I do have to say, I felt this book would have made a good ending. Having read the last book, I wish this HAD been the real ending.

Alfredo santos

Me dió unas mega risas, pero fue el mas soso por así decirlo de todos sus libros. Considero a Douglas Adams como un genio de la sátira pero siento que en este libro no estuvo tan buen atinada y exagerada.

No deja de ser una parte de HHGTG con Ford Prefect y Arthur Dent como protagonistas, con el toque de siempre. También es un libro bastante corto que en un par de sentadas lo terminan. Si son fan de la "saga" este libro es un Must.

Wouter ter Keurs

De romantiek in dit ruimteavontuur is een welkome afwisseling.

Noah Warner

** spoiler alert **
           my favorite book in the series so far, but that's not saying much. I enjoy this series, but I don't plan on re-reading this series. I'll listen to the radio series sometime though. "we apologize for the inconvenience" really got me

Back on Earth with nothing more to show for his long, strange trip through time and space than a ratty towel and a plastic shopping bag, Arthur Dent is ready to believe that the past eight years were all just a figment of his stressed-out imagination. But a gift-wrapped fishbowl with a cryptic inscription, the mysterious disappearance of Earth’s dolphins, and the discovery of his battered copy of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy all conspire to give Arthur the sneaking suspicion that something otherworldly is indeed going on.

God only knows what it all means. Fortunately, He left behind a Final Message of explanation. But since it’s light-years away from Earth, on a star surrounded by souvenir booths, finding out what it is will mean hitching a ride to the far reaches of space aboard a UFO with a giant robot. But what else is new?
Source: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/667/so-long-and-thanks-for-all-the-fish-by-douglas-adams/9780345479969/

I don't have much to say about the series so far except how sad I am that I didn't read this sooner.

I mean, I would've loved these books just as much if I'd read them when I was younger!

At the beginning, I was sort of bummed that Zaphod ended up with Trillian and Trillian was completely out of the picture.

But...then, I started liking Fenchurch. Arthur and Fenny's little relationship was really cute.

I'll be reading Mostly Harmless soon! I'm still deciding whether or not to read Eoin Colfer's addition to the series...

Thirty years of celebrating the comic genius of Douglas Adams...

There is a knack to flying. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. It's not an easy thing to do and Arthur Dent thinks he's the only human who's been able to master this nifty little trick – until he meets Fenchurch, the girl of his dreams.

Fenchurch knows how the world could be made a good and happy place. Unfortunately she's forgotten. Convinced that the secret lies within God's Final Message to His Creation they go in search of it.

And – in a dramatic break with tradition – actually find it...

Volume four in the trilogy of five
(back cover)

Eleanor Luhar

This is the fourth book in Douglas Adam's infamous The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. As is always the case, the first couple of books are definitely the best, but I always have to read the whole series after I start!

So in this book, Arthur Dent returns to Earth alone - amazed to find that is hasn't, in fact, been demolished. Here he find Fenchurch, a girl who found a piece of knowledge suddenly when the Earth was supposedly destroyed, only to lose it again soon after. In order to discover the truth of the situation, Fenchurch and Arthur go to the Asylum in California - a peculiar inside-out house belonging to John Watson (or Wonko the Sane) and his wife Arcane Jane.

All three people have an identical silvery glass bowl, engraved with a final message from the dolphins before they disappear.

Ford Prefect soon joins Arthur and Fenchurch, and together they all hitch a ride on a flying saucer belonging to a large robot, leaving planet Earth after discovering all their lizards are retired. They head to the mountains of Quentulus Quazgar, where God's Final Message to His Creation stands, hoping this will help Fenchurch's missing memory situation. While trekking across the Great Red Plain of Rars Ford and Arthur are reunited with a familiar old robot, who seems to have nothing better to do than complain about life...

This is really quite a short book, with only 167 pages including the epilogue. It also doesn't have such a clear, exciting plot as the first three books. There is also a bit of romance in this novel (that takes place in the clouds above London), and I can't say I'm particularly fond of this. I mean, I don't mind it, but is it really relevant?

The details are still Douglas's strong point in my opinion. Take Wonko the Sane, for example. His house is designed to be outside on the inside, as he believes the rest of the world has gone insane and that the whole planet is practically an asylum. Hence, the only escape is his home - Outside the Asylum.

Arthur and Ford, the main original characters, are still fantastic. Their pointless comments and conversations, their quirky personalities, their odd lives are all very prominent still. Ford returns to Earth with a terrible case of space-lag, making it hard for him to keep his train of thought. And Arthur... Well, life doesn't tend to go to plan for him very often. He repeatedly meets the grumpy Rain God, and even loses Fenchurch's phone number she's written on the back of his raffle ticket. Poor Arthur.

I really do like this series, and I'm about to start reading the next book (Mostly Harmless) in a matter of minutes. The previous book, Life, the Universe and Everything, is where the series began to deteriorate. This book certainly isn't as good as the first one, so I'm going to have to give it just 3.5 stars. Still a good book, but not up to the standards the series started with!

BookMarked

Simon Elliott Stegall

This is a tale about philanthropic, time-bending dolphins. 

But it's less of a galactic farce and more of a romantic comedy, which sets it apart from the previous three books in the "trilogy". And it all takes place on planet earth! Despite the change in tone, might actually be the best of the series. It makes good use of Arthur Dent, a character the other books neglected, which made me happy. And most importantly, it's hilarious.

Isa s

It was a nice, worthwhile read, but in my opinion nothing to get too excited about. Somehew I found it was missing some of the first two books' witiness and humour.

So all in all it wasn't too bad but also not a must-read.

Neva Davies

A sad and entertaining continuation

"Life is like a grapefruit."

 So Long and Thanks For All The Fish is a reference to the dolphins who all disappeared before the earth was destroyed, and this was their last correspondence. This is both sad and an entertaining continuation of the Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy series and I definitely loved it,especially the part early on with Ford Prefect and his struggles with the American Express card.

“This bowl was brought to you by the Campaign to Save the Humans. We bid you farewell.”

Ben Nathan

This is (as with them all) a perfect book. It is also, without a doubt, the greatest fourth book in any trilogy ever published.

Imposible cuarto libro de la trilogía iniciada con la explosiva Guía del autoestopista galáctico, trata acerca de los habitantes de un planeta que siempre eran desdichados y mezquinos, y de una muchacha que de pronto supo cómo convertir el mundo en un lugar agradable y feliz. Por desgracia, antes de poder contárselo a nadie, la Tierra fue súbitamente demolida para dar paso a una nueva vía de circunvalación hiperespacial... Desde el inicio están garantizadas nuevas y desternillantes aventuras del extraterrestre Ford Prefect y su amigo el terrícola Arthur Dent, que esta vez desembocarán en una apoteo­sis surreal: la inmensa y plateada nave espacial que desciende en pleno Londres capitaneada por Marvin, el Androide Paranoide... «La más loca y extravagante serie de libros de ciencia ficción jamás escrita» (El Farmacéutico).

Source: https://www.anagrama-ed.es/libro/compactos/hasta-luego-y-gracias-por-el-pescado/9788433938671/CM_578

Hasta luego, y gracias por el pescado

Dani

Siempre me pareció el más flojito de la saga, veamos cómo sigo con este reencuentro.

Palash Karia

This was a really fun read, and in many parts I was laughing out loudly to myself!

In case it doesn't work for you, (view spoiler)[we apologise for the inconvenience :P (hide spoiler)].

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish

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