So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish - Review

Well, how embarrassing. It appears that titular means ‘in title only’, so my use of it referring to the guide yesterday was quite wrong. What I should have used instead was ‘eponymous’, which is a considerably more badass sounding word in any case. We live and learn.

 ‘So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish’, the fourth book in the rather inaccurately named Hitchhiker’s trilogy, is really a radical departure from the first three books in the series. For me, it was very much like going from an early Pratchett like The Colour of Magic to one of his later books, say Witches Abroad. It feels much more coherent and refined, with the meanderings in the story adding to the general experience rather than coming across as non-sequiturs.

The fact that I enjoyed it so much more is, of course, largely due to personal preference; I prefer character driven plots significantly more than the alternative, especially concerning relationships, and the fact that the tone is rather lighter throughout appealed to me as well. Indeed, it even pokes fun at a few of the issues I raised in my earlier review, particularly with regards to fleshing out Arthur. He has so much more personality here, and his relationships with the other characters are better for it.

Honestly, I feel like ‘So Long’ works exceptionally well as a standalone story. There are of course references to the preceding books, but none of them are necessary to the understanding of the plot; it provides a fresh beginning and a solid end, wrapping up the arc neatly. This of course is a problem, as there are two more books in the series. Five is known to be significantly more miserable due to Adams going through a rough patch, and the sixth was written by someone entirely different following his death.

Having read synopses they sound interesting but perhaps rely too much on bringing back past characters (though of course these highly improbable coincidences are bound to happen when using the Heart of Gold) while Four stands on its own merits. Eoin Colfer, the author of the sixth book, has somewhat fallen out of my favour recently, due to the decidedly awful decisions he made with his Artemis Fowl series.

Regardless of whether or not I eventually choose to continue with the rest of the books (and I almost certainly will; I hate to leave things unfinished), I can safely state that, thanks to the fourth entry to the series, ‘Hitchhikers’ is worth a look.

Next project: re-reading Monstrous Regiment to see if it’s as weak as I remember.