This book is a continuation of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. This is the third book in the inaccurately named five-part trilogy. I have read two of these in a row. I hope I am not boring anyone, assuming anyone is reading this, with another Douglas Adams novel. Once again, the entire cast returns in this book. Even the thought-to-be-dead, perpetually depressed, Robot, Marvin. Marvin took some damage riding a stolen starship into a nearby sun, but somehow escaped incineration. Some of his replacement limbs have been cobbled together with odd spare parts, but he lives on.
The book starts where The Restaurant at the End of the Universe left us, with Arthur and Ford stranded on prehistoric earth. We discover, however, that they have split up. Arthur remained near the location of the original landing site, but Ford left to wander the earth. Arthur, still clad in his pajamas, robe, and slippers, has lived alone in a cave for four years. He has grown lonely and despondent. Finally, Ford returns. Initially, Arthur thinks he is a figment of his isolated imagination. Ford has returned because he believes he has tracked down a space-time eddy in the area where Arthur has been living. It presents itself in the form of a chesterfield sofa. Arthur and Ford chase it around as it moves around going in and out of existence. Finally, they leap onto it and are transported, sofa and all, to the Lord’s Cricket Ground just a couple of days before the timeframe of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. They arrive in the middle of the field as a match is in play. The crowd and announcers are bewildered by the appearance, out of thin air, of two long-bearded men on a chesterfield sofa.
Arthur is carried off the field on said sofa and both Arthur and Ford are questioned by police who aren’t quite sure if the duo have done anything wrong. As this is happening, the sofa vanishes out of existence. The police, fearful that they might be losing their grip on reality, let the two go. This seems to be the end of the excitement until a ship appears from the sky and out from it appears Slartibartfast, followed shortly afterwards by another ship that disperses violent white robots everywhere. The scene quickly escalates to pure chaos as the robots begin unleashing mayhem. The robots have come to steal the Ashes urn. This is the trophy given to the victor of the Australia versus England cricket series.
Arthur and Ford join Slartibartfast in his ship and leave earth to head for a party that has been going on for generations in an attempt to get information that will save the universe. Slartibartfast and Ford make it to the party, but Arthur does not. He has apparently upset a being known as an Agrajag. This being has been reincarnated many times, only to have his existence snuffed out, mostly unwittingly, by Arthur. The Agrajag seeks revenge, but ends up getting killed, once again, by Arthur, who accidentally topples a statue of himself on the Agrajag.
In the end, Ford, Slartifartfast, Trillian, and Arthur are all reunited and learn that the Krikkit race is responsible for the killer robots that wish to end all life. They also learn that the Krikkits are being manipulated by an all-knowing super-computer named Hactar. Trillian persuades Hactar to cease existing, but his plan to end the universe is still in motion. On earth once again, Arthur attempts to return the Ashes Urn just after they have been stolen. He is is unsuccessful in this endeavor, but manages to save the universe by disposing of a cosmic-supernova-bomb and beheading a malevolent Krikkit robot with the robot’s own club. He does this still clad in pajamas, bathrobe, and slippers.
There are two more books left in this series, but for the moment, I am moving on to something else. Perhaps I will revisit this series later.