A trilogy of five

Anyone who knows me is aware of my obsession with the number 42. Here’s why…

I first heard about The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams from an elementary school student. My students got an extra grade for every book they read during the term (any book would do). The summary caught my attention, I borrowed the book from the student and it was love at first sight.

Usually, sci-fi is something apocalyptic and scary or just a tongue-in-cheek comedy, but The Guide manages to be both. It is not possible to describe what does not want to be described or explain what is too complex to explain. 42 would be the best answer for everything according to the book and it is one of the main foundations that appears throughout the entire narrative. One of the main messages is not to take everything so seriously and not to take yourself seriously.

Originally written for a BBC radio series in 1978, it was so successful that the author was persuaded to turn it into a book, more than 250,000 copies were sold in just three months, with the success he decided to write two more, therefore a trilogy of five. The work was adapted in other formats, but the film made in 2005 is perhaps not the best way to get to know the author’s work.

The series targets young readers, they are short and easy to read. The narrator is the main attraction, but we cannot fail to highlight the characters who are literally from another planet. The worlds that the author created gave life to mattresses and turned poetry into torture and with each new discovery of this world more people want to meet from his world.

In the five books, we are guided by Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect (like the car), not always together, not always friends, but always with a towel. In addition to traveling through space, Douglas Adams also takes us on a timeless journey.

An incredible series for those who want to travel in every way.