It’s time for one last adventure with Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect as I opened the pages of the fifth book in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Trilogy.

Within moments I was laughing as I plunged into the familiar world that Adams created. He brings the story full circle and plays with other science fiction concepts like parallel universes, all wrapped up in his signature wit, irreverent dialogue, and entertaining characters.

Things are different from the off, when we are introduced to Tricia McMillan, one that didn’t leave that infamous party with a two-headed alien named Zaphod, and has since been wondering if she missed out on something amazing.

Happily, for her, aliens are about to land. Unfortunately, they aren’t going to be much help in improving her life.

Meanwhile, across the galaxy, Arthur Dent is making a bit of a home for himself, after his beloved Fenchurch is taken away from him. While dealing with that, and being marooned on a distant planet, trouble arrives in the form of a daughter he didn’t know he had.

Ford Prefect has problems of his own. It seems someone has carried out an hostile takeover of the Hitchhiker’s offices, and are messing not only with the best-selling book (and selling it across the multi-verse) but with the offices, and his expense account.

And behind it all, is the perfectly obvious enemy for anyone who has read the entire series, and you can’t help but laugh at the realisation.

There is so very much to howl at in this book – aliens fascinated by astrology but wanting to have it adapted for their own planet, sandwich making, handy towels, reverse temporal engineering, reincarnation and fate.

Like the previous instalments, Adams plays wonderfully with expectations, dialogue, and events, as he toys with his characters, putting them in position for their final curtain call.

The entire way through the book, I would chuckle, shake my head at some turn of phrase, or laugh aloud, causing odd glances on the bus or in the lunch room.

Now that they are over, I mourn the fact that for the time being, I am putting them aside, and won’t be able to revisit them again for awhile. That being said, I still have Dirk Gently, to read through, as well as the television series. But I think I’ll take a break from that for a moment, and just enjoy my memories of travelling the length and the breadth of the galaxy with a group of friends, and a handy towel.

Such a great read, and still so incredibly entertaining.

If you’ve never read the series, isn’t it time? And if you have, isn’t it time to read them again?