This is one of the few that I'd not already read. Based on one line from HHTTG (about the Starship Titanic undergoing a Sudden Massive Existence Failure (SMEF) a mere ten minutes out of space dock), Douglas Adams took the idea and used it for a computer game. The novel of the game was handed over to Monty Python's very own Terry Jones.
So story by Adams, words by Jones, should be a recipe for success...
Sadly, the most remarkable thing about this book is that it was written entirely in the nude. This was the condition Jones made when he was offered the writing task.
It starts extremely well. We are introduced to a cast of aliens involved in the building of the ship, including the genius architect behind the design. Also the corrupt politicians who've been cutting corners and planning an insurance job.
The problem with the book starts once the ship has suffered the SMEF. At this point the action switched to Earth and a cast of tedious humans. The Starship suddenly appears in the atmosphere and crashes into a building they've just bought and they're taken on board as passengers while the genius architect is left on Earth. This is a third of the way through the book and a sudden complete change of cast. A couple of the original characters pop up but not for a long while.
The biggest problem with this book is that it isn't really all that funny. It also doesn't fit in with the HHTTG universe since the Babel Fish isn't a thing and translation from alien to human is done through the ship's computers. The humour is very broad and nowhere near as clever as Adams's writing.
It's very readable. I can't say I was ever bored reading it, but it never rose to the ranks of classic like the original series. It also falls into the same trap as many novelisations of games, where the characters keep getting moved onto side quests before returning to the main plot.
I think this one is for completists only.
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