I had a problem when approaching this fifth and last 'Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy' book: I had fallen very much in love with the previous entry in the series and considered it to be the best possible ending. Why come back and write another? Why? Chronologically this is Adams last completed novel, and comes after the disappointing and dark second Dirk Gently novel, 'The Long Dark Tea Time Of The Soul', and after a long hiatus from the rest of this series and as it turns out I was right to be wary.
Each of the Guide books has, to an extent, wiped out or ditched what came before in order to make scope for its own narrative. This is quite common in cases where the story is being mostly improvised as I'm sure it was. 'Mostly Harmless' does this too but in abundance, with an apparently preordained ending in sight, and thoroughly robs its predecessor of any significance at all. It also rubs out Arthur's soulmate, saddles him with a sudden genetic daughter and returns Trillian into the mix. In addition to all that, it is soaked in doom-laden melancholy and weariness which rub the comedic elements into frictional abandon.
Despite my pervasive negativity there are comedic elements to 'Mostly Harmless'. It has rather a lot in common with 'Tea Time' actually; a mass of interesting ideas that are trapped in a homogenous fudge of melancholy. My favourite aspect of 'Mostly Harmless' is Arthur Dent's role on the primitive planet his passenger ship crashes into: 'The Sandwichmaker'. He thinks he only has one useful skill and makes himself useful with it, even becoming a master and taking on an apprentice in this incredible art. Essentially, as long as Arthur is in view the story becomes bearable, but when he's not there it's far less bearable.
Now, perhaps the foreboding layered into this narrative is a function of the ending, the second and final destruction of the planet Earth and destruction of humanity, Arthur and Trillian included. Isn't that cheerful? No, you're right, it's miserable. After four books of Earth being gone, possibly being rebuilt, the universe being saved from Krikit, and finally a shadow backup Earth being plucked out of storage somewhere, it all ends in destruction. I just don't like that.
'Mostly Harmless' and 'Tea Time' both seem to suffer from similar malaises, lacking the spontaneity of preceding works, and clearly suffering for having preset endings. It's a spectacular comedown from the brilliance of the two novels that preceded these last two. In all fairness however, it is possible I'm projecting misery on to the text, but there does seem to be ample material to project onto here. In honesty I can't recommend this one. As mentioned previously, there are two Douglas Adams novels I recommend highly: 'So Long And Thanks For All The Fish' and 'Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency'. Everything before these two is fine and readable and everything after... not so much.
O.
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