So I have to ask...
6After years of collecting a list of different things to eventually ponder, I have decided to tackle two of them:
I decided to read the 6 books in the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy trilogy (and yes, I'm including And Another Thing even though I've debated it's inclusion with someone) and I have to ask; in the first book, why did Slartibartfast help Arthur and the gang by leaving his hovercar and a note? Is it because he was annoyed at Benjy and Frankie? If so, that seems like a horrible way to reach to bad news, although it gets one thinking about who really was in charge of whom, especially since Benjy and Frankie had people at their disposal to take care of Arthur's brain.
Considering how many books L Frank Baum wrote with regards to Oz, did Dorothy travel to Oz or not? If we say she did, then how did she end up waking up in bed in the original story surrounded by friends and family if she was just in Oz and they were worried about her sickness? Were they just messing with her, or did she really travel there? If she didn't, then why do future books lead us to believe that she really had gone to Oz?
P.S
PURPLE
- 4 comments, 18 replies
- Comment
I have no answers to either question, but rather another question in regards to your first question: why is it called a trilogy when there are more than 3 books in the series?
@msklzannie
I could just say that at the time Douglas Adams was only planning a trilogy, since, as he continued the series he made changes to the story by killing certain people off etc, but that would be the way way.
Instead, please enjoy this piece from Wikipedia which doesn't really answer your question.
HGTTG
From the Tvtropes entry on "Mind Screw"
"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series is another example. Although it is convenient that you can start reading any of the books at any point in the story, put it down and walk away, and come back a year later. Nothing will make sense, but that's okay, because nothing makes sense in that series anyway. And that's the point."
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/MindScrew/Literature
Oz.
These are historically accurate travelogue books, as the mention of Kansas proves. Dont take the film seriously, go straight to the original texts. As later books make clear, Dorothy and Toto did go to Oz.
PS for HGTTG
Audiobooks
@f00l
@FroodyFrog
@Barney
PPS
PURPLE
@f00l
HGTTG- True. I think that's why on my shelve of book series, it has earned the most prominent spot since it's wackiness matches how my mind works (in certain ways)
Oz- Even with the first book, it was unclear. Of course, I don't own an original copy of the book, so I can't read it for myself, but now it seems like there's a conspiracy involved (@mfladd knows a thing or two about those)
@FroodyFrog
All the Oz series - 17 books? by L Frank Baum, more by various other writers, are fun. The illustrations in the 1st 17 are astonishing.
@FroodyFrog @f00l I'm going to plug another Oz book: Polychrome if you get into the tales and histories of Oz. I helped kickstart the book's publication and found it thoroughly enjoyable (and much easier to read than Baum's originals in a lot of ways).
Yes, Dorothy and Toto went to Oz, and they weren't the only ones who did.
@f00l
I know, I've read most of them. Then I got a free electronic version of most of them in one set, but I don't do well with ebooks (despite the fact that they combine two of my favorite things).
I'd buy the box set, but I dunno if I'd ever get to them.
@f00l
Oh and my attention span for audiobooks is probably nonexistent.
I've never tried, but I have a hard enough time listening to someone give a speech.
@FroodyFrog
You have to get used to it; with a little practice, most people who love to read love audiobooks. You also want a good headset, like an LG Tone, to control the book.
Much depends on the narrator. I found these excellent. Hope you give them a try someday.
@f00l @FroodyFrog I love purple.
@f00l
It's not so much that I feel that audiobooks take away from the reading experience (since you seem to be hinting that), but my attention span when listening to people talk is horrendous.
That's one reason why I don't really speak to people over the phone anyone, and just text or use Hangouts.
@f00l Disagree completely. I am a voracious reader from a family of readers. Most of my close friends read all the time. Only one (who does not have vision issues) likes audiobooks.
Yes, the narrator makes a difference. But a story read aloud, no matter how skilled the reader is not exactly the story I would read because the reader is a part of the book.
@FroodyFrog eReaders are interesting things. I love mine. My first one was e-ink and I don't like it as much as I do my ones since then. On the other hand, many people get headaches reading on a computer like screen and do fine with e-ink. Have you tried an e-ink reader?
I can offer no insight... but... oh, how I love these books.
RIP D.A.
@thismyusername
I heard an NPR interview with him once. He said he kinda regretted being so well-known and sucessful, because people kept trying to sell him weird investments, including isolated desert real estate in AZ and NV.
He also wrote a great essay about having too many powers bricks. Indeed!
@f00l His fingerprints are also on many of the classic Tom Baker Dr. Who episodes (we wrote a few and was script editor for the show at that time).
My only comment is that there are really only 4 books in the series. After So long it completely looses cohesion.
@givemeyoursoul It's been about a decade since I read them but I definitely remember them falling apart as it went on. Something about Arthur making sandwiches for cavemen or something? He really lost the plot there.
The first Dirk Gently was good though at least.
@Moose
I enjoyed Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, but to this day, I still have not finished The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul.
The sixth book was like a bad parody of the others. Didn't get very far.
@walarney
Books written by authors using snippets of the original author's notes and ideas from the second author tend to do that.
When it comes to my reading a series, I have no problem reading a book which continues an original series (I however will not read fanfiction), but I don't really like "hybrid" books.