Testing how to post pictures.

Maximum Ride. The greatest female protagonist of anything ever. Her adventures end in August. I'll try and review it once I get it for my birthday (which is the following month). Mostly, I'm just doing this so I know how to post pictures on this thing.

Going on an indefinite break.

For anyone who has been reading this, you've probably noticed I haven't been doing much lately. Well, my explanation is that I have been very busy with real life stuff lately. I'm looking for work, I'm writing novels and FanFiction, and this blog is more something I do when I'm not doing those things. I might continue this in the future, but it would probably be on an irregular basis rather than weekly. I wanna continue this, but first I want to have some non-Centrelink income.

Until next time (if there is one), seeya.

Holes review

Holes by Louis Sachar

Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998, 241 pages

Have you ever dug a hole? If so, have you dug a hole five feet deep? If so, have you dug a hole five feet deep in the scorching heat? Stanley Yelnats has. This week’s review is that of Louis Sachar’s hit children’s book (later a moderately successful Disney movie) Holes.

The general idea for Holes came from Sachar returning home from a fairly cool Maine vacation to a very hot Texas summer. Normally, Sachar thinks of the characters for his book first. However, this time he thought of the place first: Camp Greenlake, where there was no lake (anymore) and almost nothing was green. The reason for this was that the lake, once the biggest in the state, had evaporated after a hundred or so years of no rain, turning it into a barren desert. The main character’s last name, Yelnats, is his first name backwards (because they don’t mention it enough in the book).

Anyway, Holes is the story of a boy named Stanley Yelnats IV, who was walking home from school when he was attacked by a pair of sneakers. Okay, not so much attacked, more that they landed on him from above. Anyway, he was arrested for theft of the sneakers because it was impossible for him to convince the judge that hey came from the sky. Stanley’s choices were either prison or 18 months at Camp Greenlake. Having never been to camp, Stanley opted for that. What he expected: a stereotypical American summer camp. What he got: a child correctional facility in the middle of the desert.

For the course of their sentence, the boys at the camp were to dig one hole per day, the length of his shovel down and across (approximately 5 feet). Once that was done, they could do whatever they wanted. However, if they found anything interesting, they could take the rest of the day off. Eventually, Stanley finds an empty lipstick tube with the initials KK on it (don’t worry; there’s no extra K there). Suddenly, the mysterious Warden who never left her cabin has come out, and demands the area around the hole dug up. But for what? As well as this, the book has a few flashbacks to Elya Yelnats, who accidentally stole a pig from a gypsy, making him Stanley’s “no good, dirty rotten, pig stealing great-great-grandfather”; and to Catherine Barlow, a teacher when Greenlake was actually a lake.

A fun fact about my history with this book: I’ve actually had to read it twice during the course of my education (once in Year 9, once during my second year of TAFE). It is one of the only books I read in high school I actually tolerated (The others being Macbeth and Don’t Start Me Talking: The Lyrics of Paul Kelly). As long as the kids ignore the large number of coincidences in the book, I’m sure they’ll enjoy it.

My rating: 7/10

Any suggestions, post them below

The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe review

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis

Geoffrey Bles, 1950, 208 pages

YAY! I made it to ten reviews. This is the longest running New Year’s Resolution of all time. Well, might as well get into it. Review number ten is of the first book in The Chronicles of Narnia series . . . at least, the first one written (this is what happens when you don’t plan ahead).

The origins of this book are almost a century old. Back when Lewis was sixteen (1914 or 15) he saw a picture of a faun carrying an umbrella and a parcel. Then, when he was about forty (circa 1939) he decided to make a story out of it. It was around 1939 that he was given three children. Not his own, but children that were evacuated from London to avoid bomb raids (remember, this was WWII people). The edition of the book I read contained a letter from Lewis to his god-daughter Lucy, saying that he was writing the book for her, though when he finished it she’d be too old for fairy tales, and when it was published she’d be older still, so he wouldn’t know what she thought of it until he was too deaf to hear. Well, he was right, though with a different sort of ‘deaf’ (too soon?)

The plot actually does relate to the kids being brought to Lewis’s house quite strongly. The characters (Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy), were evacuated from London during WWII to escape the bomb raids. They ended up living with an old professor, who owned a large house with many mysteries in it. One rainy day, they four of them were exploring the house, and found a room with nothing more than an old wardrobe in it. The other three left the room, but Lucy wanted to look inside the wardrobe. She opened it, and saw only coats. She went into the wardrobe, reaching for what she assumed would be the back of the wardrobe. However, what she found was another world, covered entirely in snow.

While there, she met a faun by the name of Mr. Tumnus, who informed her that the queen of Narnia, The White Witch, was on the lookout for children, and that anyone who saw them was to report it to her or be turned to stone. Lucy returned to her own world, expecting that hours had passed, when in fact only seconds had passed. After a little while, Edmund had stumbled across Narnia too, but he found The White Witch. She offered to make him king of Narnia, in exchange for bringing his brother and sisters to her. Can The White Witch get all four of the kids before Aslan the Lion shows up to stop her? (I had to say something about the lion; he’s one of the title characters).

It was odd seeing several very Christian references (i.e. “it’s always winter, but never Christmas”) but there’s a high level of magic use (i.e. the dark arts). I’m gonna let that slide since it’s a children’s book (and not a bad one at that), but still, maybe I’m just looking into it too hard.

My rating: 7/10

Any suggestions, post them below

The Book Of Lies review

The Book of Lies by James Moloney

HarperCollins, 2004, 392 pages

I’ve decided that this week I’ll review something a bit outside what I normally review (i.e. famous books that everyone has already read). I’m reviewing a book from another Australian author, who wrote has written a very family-friendly fantasy adventure (wait, is this review really putting me outside my comfort zone?)

The concept for this one came from O. J. Simpson’s trial (when you know what the book’s about, this will shock you). They were using lie detectors to gain evidence, which wasn’t particularly effective, which gave Moloney the idea of a lie detector that couldn’t fail. That’s how it started, before Moloney realised that there’d have to be something to corrupt it, otherwise there’d be no drama. However, he later came up with something to corrupt it, and it was back to work on this fairly unknown masterpiece. This book was originally going to be a stand alone novel, but as Moloney finished this book he felt compelled to write a sequel, and then another sequel (don’t worry, he stopped after that).

The story is about a boy who finds himself at Mrs. Timmins’ Home for Foundlings and Orphans. He has no memory of who he is, except for a vague memory of the name Robert. During the course of his first day, a girl by the name of Beatrice (another orphan at the house) tells him that last night, she spied on him being brought to the house, then Lord Alwyn (the wizard who lives in the tower above the house) tried to hypnotise him, and would have succeeded too if Beatrice hadn’t of interfered. All she could tell him about himself was his name: Marcel.

Marcel knowing his name has suddenly put Lord Alwyn in a panic. He makes Marcel tell him everything he knows about this name in front of The Book of Lies, a magical book that records every lie it hears within its pages. Once satisfied with the responses, Lord Alwyn forces Marcel to wear a magical ring. The ring tells Lord Alwyn if Marcel escapes, and he will send Termagant (the fierce looking cat-like creature) after him. However, after a stranger tells him that he’s a friend of their father’s, Marcel decides to do whatever it takes to escape the orphanage, with Beatrice there to help him.

A magical adventure for kids who just finished Narnia (actually, that would be a great idea for my tenth review), Marcel’s journey through the land of Elster will keep the young ones wanting more, more, MORE . . . until they finish the series of course. Oh, and adults might like it too.

My rating: 8/10

Any suggestions, post them below

The Lightning Thief review

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Hyperion Books, 2005, 384 pages

How often have you been accused of something you didn’t do? Eating the last cookie, that smell in the elevator, stealing Zeus’s lightning bolt, that sort of thing? Well, twelve year old Percy Jackson has been accused of that last one, and in case you hadn’t already guessed, it’s a VERY bad thing to have a god mad at you.

The concept for this book comes from Riordan’s son Haley. He asked his dad to tell him the stories about the gods and heroes in Greek mythology. Riordan, who actually taught Greek myths, agreed to. After a while, he ran out of stories, much to his son’s disappointment. Then, the idea came to make up a new story with the same characters. Riordan soon came up with a story about a boy named Percy Jackson, who was on a quest across America to recover Zeus’s lightning bolt. It took three nights to tell, and at the end Haley told his dad he should write it up as a book. A year later the first Percy Jackson was written.

The story opens on a school field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Percy gets attacked by his maths teacher Mrs. Dodds, who turned out to be one of the three furies. After turning her to dust, he asks about her with other students and Mr. Brunner (the Greek teacher who accompanied Mrs. Dodds on the field trip), but none of them knew who he was talking about. Everyone thought that he was referring to Mrs. Kerr, a teacher who suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Only Percy’s friend Grover seemed to have any indication of remembering her, though he tried to deny it.

After getting home for the year, his mother takes him on a vacation, away from Percy’s abusive step-dad Gabe. However, that night during a huge storm, Grover showed up and told them that something was after them. Percy, his mum and Grover then flee through the night, only to be caught by the Minotaur near their destination. Percy manages to defeat the beast, but not before it takes away his mother. Their destination was Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp for kids who were half-human and half-god. It’s there that Percy learns a lot about himself and the world around him: he is the son of a god (read the book to find out which one), Zeus’s lightning bolt is missing, and Zeus thinks he has it. When a hellhound attacks the camp, Percy is sent on a quest with Grover (who is actually a satyr) and Annabeth (a fellow camper and daughter of a goddess) to retrieve the lightning bolt and return it to Olympus within ten days.

A good, fast-paced, humorous read for young adults, though I do have some criticism. Despite being set entirely in America (and in a couple of places from Greek mythology), frequently there are uses of the metric system (why I picked up on that, I don’t know). Once your kids are done with Harry Potter, get them reading this.

My rating: 7/10

Any suggestions, post them below

The Fellowship Of The Ring review

The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien

George and Allen Unwin, 1954, 531 pages

I could have sworn I posted this last week. Oh well, I'll do two this week.

The oldest book I’ve reviewed so far (beating the old record by 25 years); this week I take you behind a classic piece of literature twelve years in the making. Ladies and gentlemen, this is my review of the one ring to rule them all, the one ring to find them, the one ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.

As all of you should know (though sadly only known by many), “The Hobbit” was written by J. R. R. Tolkien back in 1937. Due to its overwhelming success, the publishers requested a sequel. Tolkien declined at first, since he didn’t have any ideas. When he finally thought of a sequel though, he warned that he writes very slowly (I guess twelve years qualifies as slow). Originally, “The Silmarillion” was going to be published alongside “Lord of the Rings”. However, the publishers had no confidence in the former (idiots) and publication was stopped until summer 1952, when Tolkien gave in and published “The Fellowship of the Ring”.

The story begins with Bilbo Baggins’ eleventy first birthday party. At the party, he makes a speech where, at the end, he announces that he is leaving. As he steps down, he vanishes in a blinding light, confusing all but two people: Gandalf the Grey, a wizard and dear friend of Bilbo; and Frodo Baggins, Bilbo’s heir and nephew. What actually happened was that Bilbo had slipped on a ring, a ring with the power to make people disappear. During the confusion, Bilbo and Gandalf snuck away from the party so they could talk in private about the ring. After a heated discussion, Bilbo agrees to leave the ring to Frodo, as well as everything else he left in Bag End (his home).

It was many years before Frodo learnt from Gandalf that the ring was actually The One Ring; a ring with powers of extreme evil, and needs to be destroyed. Gandalf tells Frodo that he must leave The Shire soon, since if he doesn’t, servants of Sauron will come and take it from him and a new reign of darkness shall rule. Frodo, with friends Sam, Pippin and Merry, must now travel across the wide world of Middle-Earth, hunted by Ringwraithes (the dark riders that seek Frodo and The Ring) and finding their way to Rivendell, where (hopefully) Gandalf is waiting for them.

I already know that giving this a negative review will see me thrown into a volcano in New Zealand (let’s see if anyone gets that reference), but seriously, why would I give a bad review to an epic masterpiece that Tolkien reviewed over and over and over again? There’s a reason people love these books.

My rating: 8.5/10

Any suggestions, post them below

Sabriel review

Sabriel by Garth Nix

HarperCollins, 1995, 491 pages

Last week was an Australian war novel of the 90’s book partially inspired by World War II, this week it’s an Australian fantasy novel of the 90’s book partially inspired by World War I. The story of a girl who is essentially an anti-necromancer, or Abhorsen as they’re called, in the first book of an epic fantasy trilogy.

Nix first thought of the idea of this book when he saw a picture of Hadrian’s Wall. The ground on one side of the wall was covered in snow; the land on the other looked more like it was springtime. At the time, Nix was considering writing a historical novel about World War I, but he also wanted to write a fantasy novel. In the end, fantasy prevailed, though his research of World War I didn’t go to waste. Some of the technology used in the book is reminiscent of the war, as well as some of the environment around The Wall.

Now, along with giving you the setting of the book, I’m going to explain a few key terms (without spoiling the book). The story takes place in the country of Ancelstierre, where technology is very prominent. The book’s protagonist, Sabriel, goes to boarding school here. Her father is a very important man in the Old Kingdom (the country to the north across The Wall, where magic is prominent and technology fails). He is the Abhorsen (the person responsible for keeping Dead creatures in Death). His equipment consists of a magical sword and seven magical bells, each one of different size and with a different power.

However, one night while Sabriel was expecting her father to visit, the school is attacked by a Dead creature. Sabriel soon slays it, but not before she receives her father’s sword and bells. Immediately, Sabriel realises something has happened to her father, and has to leave the school and head into the Old Kingdom to find him . . . if he’s still alive. She learns from Mogget (a creature bound by an Abhorsen many years ago and now serves as a servant to the Abhorsen, taking the form of a cat) that he had been called to the capital and had not returned. Sabriel, Mogget, and later Touchstone (a strange man revived from the figurehead of a boat who can’t remember much of his life) must travel through the wide, dangerous land of the Old Kingdom, and even travel into Death itself, to save a man who may not even be alive.

Who said fantasy was just for little kids? Garth Nix has created a masterpiece more suited for a teenage and young adult audience (since there are some mature themes in this book). This book will keep you wanting more right until the last word (I even had to look up another copy to make sure no-one had ripped out the last page).

My rating: 8/10

Any suggestions, post them below

Tomorrow, When The War Began review

Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden

Pan Macmillan, 1993, 286 pages

I wonder if positively reviewing this book will help me win the John Marsden award this year. Well, I guess we’ll have to see what happens nine months from now. In the meantime, here’s my review of one of Australia’s most famous books from one of Australia’s most famous authors, book one of the best-selling Tomorrow series.

So, I guess you’re wondering what this book’s about, aren’t you? Well, skip to the next paragraph; this is the part about how the idea came up. When Marsden began writing, he wanted to write a novel about war, though didn’t know how to go about it. He then thought about just focusing on a small group of people in the war, and not the war itself. Then (in a completely original move by him</sarcasm>) he decided to write to about teenagers. Marsden has said a lot of the inspiration comes from World War II, where Australia could have been taken over by Japan.

Now, as promised, here’s the plot. It’s the end of the school year, there’s nothing to do in the country town of Wirrawee, and Ellie and friends want to do something. After some consideration, Ellie comes up with a perfect idea: a camping trip. Gathering numerous friends from school (boys AND girls, wink wink nudge nudge) they set off to Tailor’s Stitch on their way to Hell (not the ACTUAL Hell, that’s just the name the give to a nearly unreachable forest at the bottom of the cliff). After a few days of lounging around at the bottom of the cliff (and ignoring fighter jets that flew over them), they head back to town.

And now, the thrilling part. When they get back to town, they find it not only deserted, but many of the animals at Ellie’s family’s farm were dead. And Homer’s house wasn’t much better. If you hadn’t already seen the title of the novel, you’d be a little confused as to what’s happened, but since you have, you would realise that they’ve been invaded. How do eight ordinary Australian teenagers survive in a country being taken over by an unknown enemy? Simple: by attempting to fight back despite the odds being tipped in favour of the invaders. Damn those crafty . . . actually, it doesn’t say who invaded us.

Let me put my thoughts this way: there’s a reason this book has sold three million copies, won several awards and had a film adaptation (with a sequel on the way). From wild car chases through town to spying on the enemy through day and night looking for weak spots, this book will have you on the edge of your seat from chapter 6.

My rating: 9/10

Any suggestions, post them below

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment review

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson

Little, Brown, 2005, 413 pages

This week’s review is going to take flight . . . or at least the characters are going to. I’m reviewing book one in James Patterson’s best selling Maximum Ride series (even though it would make more sense to wait until August and review it then when the final book comes out, or next year when the movie supposedly comes out).

The inspiration for this hit series actually comes from two of Patterson’s earlier books (When the Wind Blows and The Lake House). These books also have a character called Max who escaped a school, though that’s about all they have in common (in other words, those books aren’t prequels to this series). This is the first of a few popular book series’ Patterson has written in recent years (The Daniel X, Witch and Wizard and Middle School books being the others). That said, Maximum Ride is (and I daresay always will be) the most popular. This is the only book series that has a chance of knocking Harry Potter off its throne of “Most Awesome Book Series of All Time . . . In My Opinion” (we’ll see how book eight goes).

Let’s get into the plot. Maximum Ride is a 14 year old girl who lives in the mountains with a group of friends she calls The Flock. Why’s this? Well, they have this little problem. They’re mutant hybrids being hidden from psychotic scientists who think nothing of performing horrific experiments on children. I can already tell I’ve got you hooked. Max and her Flock (which consists of 14 year old Fang and Iggy, 11 year old Nudge, 8 year old Gazzy and 6 year old Angel) are only 98% human. The other 2% is avian (bird) DNA (I’d have made the lead up better, but then I remembered I ruined it in the first sentence of this review).

One day, while The Flock were out for a fly, they are attacked by Erasers (human-wolf hybrids), sent by The School (the place where The Flock was created, and what a perfect name for a place that traumatises children) to kidnap Angel. While the group devises their rescue plan, Angel is put through numerous horrible psychological tests, the most challenging of which is the sudden reappearance of Jeb (the man who kidnapped them from The School four years ago and disappeared two years ago, leaving The Flock to assume he was dead). This thrilling rescue operation is only the first half of the first book.

Action, adventure, mystery, mutant fight scenes. This book is full of them. No wonder Patterson had to write another seven books after this. Once your kid has finished Harry Potter, get them on these books (while you older readers secretly read them yourself and enjoy them). One criticism: NEVERMORE ISN’T OUT YET!

My rating: 9/10

Any requests, post them below

Twilight review

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

Little, Brown, 2005, 544 pages

I’m gonna get SO much backlash for this. Ladies and gentlemen, a 20-year old male has read Twilight. Get over it now or leave, it’s your call. The first book in what people are either calling “an abomination to the entire literary genre”, or “OMFG liek da b3st theeng eva”, it depends who you ask.

So, how did Twilight come about? Well, according to author Stephanie Meyer, it started after she had a dream on 2^nd June 2003 (why she remembers the exact date or bothered to figure it out I’ll never know) about a human girl and a vampire who loved her, but also wanted her blood. This dream is now Chapter 13 of the first book. She wrote the first book in about three months despite her little writing experience prior to it (I can already hear you saying “it shows”). After the final edit, she signed a three book deal with Little, Brown for $750,000 (HOLY ****, I think I’d be lucky to get half that much).

The plot revolves around 17-year old Bella Swan, who is moving from sunny Phoenix, Arizona, to rain-drenched Forks, Washington, to live with her dad, since her mother and step-dad will be moving around a lot and she wants to stay in one place. At school, Bella notices a group of very strange looking kids (the Cullens). She learns from the other kids that the Cullens don’t really talk to the other kids, which explains why Edward Cullen disappears for a few weeks after being paired with her in Biology (kind of). Once he comes back, however, he seems friendlier than he was before he left.

Sounds like a fairly standard teen romance novel, doesn’t it? Well, time for some plot twists. After Bella nearly dies…twice, and is rescued by Edward…twice, Bella starts to suspect that Edward might not be fully human (the first near death being where someone’s car skidded out of control and Edward pushed it away, when moments ago he was across the other side of the parking lot; the other time she gets attacked by a group of thugs when shopping in Seattle). After she does a bit of research, she finds out what the reader has known since seeing the cover of the book: Edward and his family are vampires.

Now, I know a lot of you have seen ads for the movies and think “Twilight vampires aren’t real vampires, they sparkle”, I’d like to share with you something a friend of mine has theorised about the Twilight vampires: they’re not actual vampires, more vampiric statues. This makes sense, since their skin has a similar effect to marble in the sun. Just keep this in mind while you read it (if I’ve somehow convinced you to read it). It isn’t as bad as people think it is, so STOP JUDGING A BOOK BY ITS COVER…literally.

My rating: 7/10

Any suggestions, feel free to leave them below

Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone review

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J. K. Rowling

Bloomsbury, 1997, 223 pages

Have you ever accidentally trapped your cousin in the snake enclosure at the zoo because you’re a famous wizard and don’t even know it? Harry Potter has. This is how the most successful book and movie franchise of all time starts. Yep, this week I’m reviewing the very reason J. K. Rowling bathes in diamonds every night.

Back in 1990, J. K. Rowling was on a four hour delayed train trip when the idea for a boy attending a wizarding school formed in her mind, though she isn’t sure from where. As soon as she got home, she started writing. It was around this time, she had already written the epilogue for the final book, but it wasn’t until 1995 that she finished the first book. She wrote the first one from a few local coffee shops because the air-conditioner at her house was busted (I wonder if she has the money to fix it yet). What amazes me is that when it was finished, there were about ten publishers who rejected it (coincidently, there were also about ten people working at those same publisher who soon got fired).

Now, for the seven of you worldwide who are yet to read it, what the hell is wrong with you? Anyway, the story is of a young boy (for argument’s sake, let’s call him Harry) who finds out he’s a wizard after accidentally getting his cousin stuck in the snake enclosure at the zoo (fun fact: many fans believe that the snake that got released was Nagini, Voldemort’s snake). Anyway, he is soon admitted to Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry, where he makes his first friends ever, Ron Weasley (the sixth of seven children in an entirely red-haired family) and Hermione Granger (a girl smarter than the collective minds of NASA, MENSA and MIT combined…when it comes to magic at least).

The trio get into many adventures, from battling trolls and three-headed dogs to learning the mysteries surrounding the Philosopher’s Stone, and finding it before the Dark Lord Volde…err, He Who Must Not Be Named does. I first read this book over a decade ago, and it has since become one of the cornerstones of my childhood. For young readers, it’s a journey of wonder and excitement, and pretty damn captivating too. For older readers, it can take you back to your childhood, when you believed in all the wonder and magic that Harry Potter offers. All us Muggles are very lucky to get a glimpse inside the world we didn’t know existed under our very noses.

Really, I only have one criticism of the whole series (not just this book, the whole series). The problem is that the best character (Loony Luna Lovegood) doesn’t appear until book five. Other than that, enjoy you sad, sad people who for some reason haven’t read this book, or all you awesome people who have read the whole series five times.

My rating: 10/10

Any suggestions, post them below.

The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy review

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Pan Books, 1979, 180 pages

Ever wake up and suddenly remember that today’s the day your house is getting demolished to make way for a bypass? How about finding out a few hours later your planet is also being demolished for the same reason? Well, this is what happens to Arthur Dent in Douglas Adams bestselling book The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Back in 1971, Adams came up with the concept of writing a “hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy” while lying drunk in a field in Austria. With this in mind, he went to sleep and forgot about it for six years. It was at this time The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy arose in its original form: a series on BBC Radio, the first episode of which was first broadcast on March 8 1978, with absolutely no publicity at all. After a few weeks, a couple of letters arrived, as well as an offer from Pan Books for Adams to write up the series in novel form. They later informed him that he’d passed ten deadlines and that they didn’t care it was only two thirds finished.

The plot follows Arthur Dent’s bad day getting worse, then catastrophic, then slightly better. One day, Arthur wakes up only to remember that today’s the day his house is set to be demolished to make way for a new bypass. A few hours later, his friend Ford Prefect informs him that his planet is doomed to the same fate. Luckily Ford just so happens to be a field editor for The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the highest selling book in the galaxy, and gets them both off the planet just seconds before it gets vaporised. Unfortunately, they end up on a Vogon spaceship, the very aliens responsible for destroying the planet in the first place. After being forcefully fired out of the airlock, the two are miraculously saved by Ford’s semi-cousin Zaphod Beeblebrox, who has stolen the most legendary ship in the universe, the Heart of Gold. And the day goes back to getting worse…

With some interesting cutaways to excerpts from The Guide (such as how to make the best Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters, the usefulness of towels, and of course Earth’s entire entry), as well as a strange yet fascinating cast of characters (Zaphod, the two-headed president of the universe who acts before he thinks…on the few occasions he actually does think; Eddie, the Heart of Gold’s onboard computer who’s annoyingly cheerful; and Marvin the Paranoid Android), The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy is a nice, enjoyable read for people of all ages (and not too long due to it only being two thirds finished).

All in all, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is a nice, light-hearted book for anyone who doesn’t take things too seriously (unlike some people who thought Adams actually had deeper meaning to his book despite the fact even he denied it himself). I highly recommend that you at least read the first two books in this series (oh, did I forget to mention this was in a series?)

My rating: 9/10

Any suggestions for next week, post then below.