The Restaurant at the End of the Universe 2

    This is my second blog post on The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, I am nearing the end of the story, and a lot has happened since the last post I had written.
    Zaphod is on a small mission to find this mysterious person named Zarniwoop, Zaphod has no idea who this person is, apparently, the reason to why he needs to find this man (or woman) has some connection to the man who rules the universe, and the reason he does not know himself is because it is locked somewhere away in the corner of his brain. Why his brain won't let him know about these strange intention's we don't know. It just so happens to be another one of the aspects of this novel that makes it so randomly stupid and funny, yet there are hints that it will be revealed later on in the plot. So Zaphod is lead by his brain to the publication office of the famous book The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy (an encyclopedia which contains all the knowledge needed on the universe, the series centers on it hence the name of the first book.) Here he meets a strange man named Roosta who claims he is to help Zaphod on his quest to find Zarniwoop. At this turning point moment in the book however, the building in which both men are in is ripped out of the ground by a giant spaceship which starts to fly away with them in it to a planet, according to Roosta, called Frogstar. Here, Zaphod will be eliminated for someone, or something does not want Zaphod to discover Zarniwoop and the ruler of the universe. Yet as they land on this ominous empty planet, Zaphod outwits Frogstar fighters (minions of this unknown creature whom does not want Zaphod to find Zarniwoop) and runs away with Roosta. Roosta then leaves Zaphod and tells him to hide before anyone can find him.
     As I read all of this, I noticed that the whole lay out of the book completely switched around. In the first book, the whole story was laid out in a very comedic nonsensical way, yet now it seems much more serious and deep, as if something serious is going to happen. Yet there is still a sense of humor penetrating through this, but the sense of danger is still somewhere within it all. It shows how quick a story or even real life can change, even in the so seeming happy moments, there can be an evil presence, which lurks wherever least expected.

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe

          This novel is the sequel to Douglas Adams The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. The story continues as it was left off. Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect, and Zaphod Beeblebrox have just narrowly escaped the planet Magrathea and those on it who want to catch Zaphod for fleeing the position of President of the Galaxy. Once a fair distance away from this hostile planet, Arthur Dent, main character, and his gang decide to go and get  something to eat at the restaurant at the end of the universe. But before they are to go any further, they are suddenly under attack from a Vogan ship. Vogans are some of the most vile, dangerous aliens there are in the universe. As the reader, we understand from the Vogans view that they are being paid to conduct the elimination of these three beings, yet we are not to sure why. Onboard the ship, Zaphod summons his great grandfather to help him escape the evil grasp of the Vogans during a seance. His witty great granddad, agrees to help him by using his super dead powers. The next thing we as the reader know know in the story, Zaphod mysteriously finds himself  far away from his spaceship, in a completely different world, only with the slightest notion that he is to find a person named Zarniwoop.
         Like most of Douglas Adams novels, they are mostly utterly confusing on purpose in order to create a comical setting. But underneath it's funny outside exterior, there is a slight sense of the unknown, a feeling of not knowing where the characters are going to do next, or what they are going to do. One reason for this is in the character Zaphod Beeblebrox. Often in the story, the narration will focus on Zaphod, and his thoughts, one example of this is when Zaphod repeatedly claims that there are thoughts locked away in his brain. What are these thoughts? The reader does not know, but they are the driving force of the story, for there is a strong possibility that the quest of these three people revolve around them, for often the narrator stops to talk about them. Due to this, we never know what next will appear within Zaphods mind and how that effects the story line.

Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy Revise Project with Ishrak Jahan

          The comedic novel, The Restaurant at the end of the Universe is the sequel book to Douglas Adams Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. The series starts with your everyday normal male Arthur Dent. Who just so happens on this one particular day, to be told by his good friend Ford Prefect, that the world is to come to an end. Arthur, obviously not believing Ford soon believes him when a large space shape-like vehicle appears above his small town and declares that they will explode the earth. Luckily for Arthur, Ford happens to get his way on the ship by hitching a ride. The next thing Arthur knows he is onboard the foreign ship. While stashed in the Cargo hold, Arthur learns that Ford Prefect is actually an alien from the planet of Betelgeuse, who is spending the time on earth writing the HitchHikers Guide to the Galaxy, an encyclopedia about the universe. Astounded to hear this, Ford and Arthur are thrown off the ship by one of the Alien species called Vogans, but not before being tortured awhile by some awful poetry. They are miraculously picked up after being thrown into hyper-space by Fords crazy friend Zaphod Beeblebrox. Who just so happened to be president of the Universe. At this moment, he had stolen the fastest ship in the galaxy, and was running away from the space cops. Apparently he had taken the ship to reach a mystical planet by the name of Magrathea, which is were Zaphod believes there will be a lot of gold and riches. So the dynamic duo decide to go along with Zaphod to learn of Magrathea. When the group finally reaches the planet of Margrathea, they find an open tunnel on the surface of the now deserted planet, and they climb down to find a crazy old man named Slartibartfast, who tells the characters that Magrethea used to make planets all over the universe. Earth, was purely made as a giant intelligent computer to discover the answer to the Life Universe and Everything. But just as the "computer" earth was about to make it's critical most anticipated outlook, it was destroyed as mentioned early in the story by the Vogans to make for a giant bypass. Shortly after hearing this from Slartibartfast, Arthur, Ford, and Zaphod are attacked by a group of mice who greatly want to find the answer to the life the universe and everything. Since Arthur is a human from earth, they figure that possibly the answer is stored somewhere in his brain. So they attempt to cut his brain out and find the answer. Yet Ford and Zaphod manage to get Arthur out of the situation, and unfortunately right into another dilemma. Waiting for them on the surface of the planet Magrethea, is the entire galaxy police force waiting to take Zaphod in for stealing the Heart of Gold spaceship. Thankfully,  Arthur, Ford, and Zaphod are able to out smart the police troops and get back on to the Heart of Gold spaceship where they blast off of Magrethea, and the dangers that awaited them there.
          The book creates a very witty funny setting. Many of the things that are written are very random, so while reading this book you have to learn to expect the unexpected. Most of the jokes can be very non-sensical and do not make complete sense. But through the funny, witty, clueless exterior of this novel is a story that is very weird and bizarre and has really made me think about what the author Douglas Adams meant for the reader to interpret.
         The first thing in the Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy  that really made me wonder was how the character Zaphod decides all of a sudden to steal the Heart of Gold spaceship. He mentions to Arthur and Ford that deep down in his brain, something told him to steal it. I really felt like this was very strange, possibly what ever is hidden away deep down in his brains is going to be very crucial for the rest of the series. Maybe it is not even Zaphod who is putting the thoughts into his mind, maybe it is some one else who wants Zaphod to get the Heart of Gold spaceship for a very special reason.
         The second thing in the Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy that also made me wonder was the chapter where the evil mice wanted Arthurs brain to find the answer to life the universe and everything. Could the answer actually be hidden in Arthurs brain? Whichever way, I have a feeling that it will appear somewhere along the story line for the "computer" earth data must not all be destroyed. Or is it?

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe