Now, I may be a bit biased in this particular review. I may or may not own a leather-bound copy of Douglas Adams' original works, with goldleaf on the pages. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy may or may not be what I consider the pinnacle of science-fiction hilarity. I'll admit I am a huge fan of the series and the author, and when I first thought of someone else reviving his series, I was appalled, but I got over it. When Eoin Colfer was announced as the writer, I was appalled again. But then I picked up the book, read it, and once again changed my mind.

Trying to compare anyone's writing style to Douglas Adams' is like trying to compare apples and pomelos. Your first thought is, What the heck is a pomelo, and why haven't I heard of it? And this is the typical reaction to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Adams' writing is disjointed, off-beat, and filled with subtle humor about society and more obvious humor for those who don't like to read too much into a book. And despite the fact that Colfer is most certainly not the British humorist genius that Adams was, he does a fantastic job recreating and emulating that style. This is a fitting tribute to the series.

Colfer starts out strong by reopening what seemed like an iron-clad (if tragic) ending to the last book, Mostly Harmless. There are obvious nods to the radio series, revivals of old favorite characters, and new characters that are handled surprisingly well.

The writing is episodic, shifting between various characters' points of view, interrupted periodically with the witty Guide entries that parallel societal issues. My only complaint is the somewhat expected character degeneration. Random, Trillian, and Ford all seem to have taken a few steps backward in characterization, while Zaphod and Arthur have both improved.

Overall, the book was a pleasant surprise, a lasting memorial to the revolutionary Hitchhiker's Guide series. I highly recommend it, with the stipulation that you must read the previous books to have any idea what is going on.