After reading the fifth book in the hitchhicker's guide to the galaxy trilogy (yes I know, there is a logical inconsistency with that statement) I must say that I did NOT enjoy it as much as the previous four.
It started out slow - more of a downer realy, Arthor Dent was heading home with his girlfriend & poof - she's gone & it seems that he's hopped into an alternate probable reality where she may never existed. Then he meets his daugter & things pick up a bit with the new guide. but then that ending - THAT ending that strikes at the core of my most HATED scifi plot device - had to be there. The overused plot device of which I speak with vitrol is the "never happened" episode. Those of you that remember the "Who shot JR?" thing on the TV show Dallas & how it resolved to be "just a dream" are familiar with this concept. For the rest of us that were raised on star trek or watched it with consistancy over the years you would have certainly come across it as well. Don't believe me? have you ever seen a ST:whatever episode that was "undone" because of
(1) time travel to set things right
(2) paralel universe
(3) diety like figure "reset" everything so that only one person remembers
(4) dopelgangers
(5) halucinations / dreams
Well I have - and I dispse it's (ab)use by lazy writers.
Now it is entirly possible that D.A. realized this as well - the hitchhicker's guide series are somewhat of a scifi spoof after all - but damn it - it doesn't mean I like it.
GGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!