mass market paperback, 215 pages
English language
Published Oct. 19, 1981 by Pocket Books.
IF TOM ROBBINS AND KURT VONNEGUT HAD A SON, THIS IS THE BOOK HE WOULD WRITE!
But he'd get sued down to his skivvies because Douglas Adams has already written it!
AND...
It's the wildest, funniest novel to come along in the last ten years.
Maybe fifteen.
Well...twelve, anyway.
Why, it's about the end of the world and the happy-go-lucky days that follow it...about the very worst Thursday that ever happened, and why the universe is a lot safer if you bring a towel...
If you haven't heard of it before, you're hearing about it now.
And this is just the Beginning. --back cover
Plus you'll understand many more pop culture references!
I had no idea! I’ve read the Hitchhiker’s books before, and I knew it was performed for radio, but I always thought the book came first.
As for the radio version, the Primary Phase is a delight. The voice actors are all top notch, especially Stephen Moore as Marvin the Paranoid Android, and the writing was so ahead of its time for the 70s (and the 80s and 90s, for that matter). I would easily pay 30 Alterian dollars a day to listen to this again and again.
The book doesn't go into entirely too much detail than the movie portrays. Still an awesome story worthy if reading if you haven't, but you'll want to save your time if you've watched it already.
Most of the fun stems from its unpredictability. There are also some hilarious quotes in here. But, besides its gags, it doesn't have a lot to offer. The only theme to it is that (human) life is largely insignificant. But it's only explored superficially. Especially when rereading, the book can become somewhat of a bore.
