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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Audiobook
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(4.00) - 514,821 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Extremely funny . . . inspired lunacy . . . [and] over much too soon.”—The Washington Post Book World
SOON TO BE A HULU SERIES • Now celebrating the pivotal 42nd anniversary of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy!
Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read
It’s an ordinary Thursday morning for Arthur Dent . . . until his house gets demolished. The Earth follows shortly after to make way for a new hyperspace express route, and Arthur’s best friend has just announced that he’s an alien.
After that, things get much, much worse.
With just a towel, a small yellow fish, and a book, Arthur has to navigate through a very hostile universe in the company of a gang of unreliable aliens. Luckily the fish is quite good at languages. And the book is The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy . . . which helpfully has the words DON’T PANIC inscribed in large, friendly letters on its cover.
Douglas Adams’s mega-selling pop-culture classic sends logic into orbit, plays havoc with both time and physics, offers up pithy commentary on such things as ballpoint pens, potted plants, and digital watches . . . and, most important, reveals the ultimate answer to life, the universe, and everything.
Now, if you could only figure out the question. . . .
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"I read this book series about three or four times when I was a teenager and loved it then, it was a treat to be able to revisit it a few decades later with a much greater understanding of all of the subtle jokes and cultural references made throughout the story. Stephen Fry is also a fantastic narrator, and does a great job of adding emotional nuance as well as dramatic tonal effects to all of the places that most benefit from them. Looking forward to revisiting the rest of the books in the series!"
— eDudeson (5 out of 5 stars)
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“Stephen Fry’s performance is priceless as the interstellar travelers tumble from one near disaster to another. His voice shifts are inspired bits, half schtick, half nonsense. Without editorial comment, Fry injects just the right touches of irony into Adams’s cheeky, always hilarious social satire…Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile -
“Irresistible!”
— Boston Globe -
“Extremely funny…[and] over much too soon.”
— Washington Post Book World -
“Douglas Adams understood that in moments of stress, what we all want to do is go on an adventure that gives us chances to discover new things about ourselves.”
— Gizmodo -
“A whimsical oddyssey…Characters frolic through the galaxy with infectious joy.”
— Publishers Weekly -
It's science fiction and it's extremely funny...inspired lunacy that leaves hardly a science fiction cliche alive."
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Washington Post
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The feckless protagonist, Arthur Dent, is reminiscent of Vonnegut heroes, and his travels afford a wild satire of present institutions."
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Chicago Tribune
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Very simply, the book is one of the funniest SF spoofs ever written, with hyperbolic ideas folding in on themselves."
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School Library Journal
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As parody, it's marvelous: It contains just about every science fiction cliche you can think of. As humor, it's, well, hysterical."
Awards
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Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award
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A New York Times audio bestseller
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A New York Public Library Staff Pick of Favorite Books of the Last 125 Years
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A Gizmodo Pick of Audiobooks That Will Transport You to Another World
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A PBS Great American Read selection
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A Flavorwire Pick of 50 Greatest Debut Novels Since 1950
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Listener Reviews
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Julia Ebert, 7/7/2024
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John, 6/4/2023
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Colder68, 2/10/2022
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David Lindsay, 12/5/2021
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Michael Patrick, 7/1/2021
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Amdrew Earls, 11/9/2020
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Guido d'Amico, 1/12/2020
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Robert Clontz, 7/27/2019
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Guy Guy, 4/25/2017
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" What an enchanting book! Listened with my 11 year old son as we traveled about and every time we got in the car he'd start saying "Hitchhiker! Hitchhiker!". Engaging, funny and very well read (performed). "
— Tim Wilson, 9/7/2016 -
" The hitchhikers Guide is a must have in any library. The narration is excellent and the story line by Douglas Adams is a classic. This is the first in a series of five books that will amuse everyone. The important things to remember are Don't Panic and bring you towel. "
— Ron, 8/7/2016
About Douglas Adams
Douglas Adams (1952–2001) was the much-loved author of the Hitchhiker’s trilogy, including The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, which was later adapted as a feature film. Best known for his imaginative and comedy-rich science fiction series which sold more than 15 million copies worldwide, Adams also wrote extensively for television, stage, print media, and computer games, as well as working in acting and radio comedy.
About Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry is a celebrated actor, novelist, journalist, presenter, intellectual, wit, and winner of several award for narration. He has produced four novels and two volumes of autobiography and has written for radio shows and television. His television credits include Jeeves and Wooster and Blackadder, and he hosted the BBC TV series QI.