(Books #42 & 43) Douglas Adams - 'The Restaurant at the End of the Universe' & 'Life, The Universe and Everything'

For books #42 (oh the irony) and #43, I read the second and third books in the 'Hitchhiker' series. I picked up 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' a few years ago and actually rather enjoyed it, so when looking for things to read and finding a few more of his books, they seemed to be the perfect books to read for my little project.

'The Restaurant at the End of the Universe', the first sequel, picked up right where the first book left off, and continued the wacky quasi-sci-fi adventures of a motley crew of characters and one depressed robot. There was less direction and overall story than I expected in this book, but the sheer randomness was humorous and kept me engaged in the traveling throughout the universe. Despite this story's eccentricities, I still liked it and was intrigued enough to keep going and read the following book.

The next book in the series, 'Life, The Universe and Everything', was far more difficult for me to read. The further I got into the book, the more irritated with the story, the characters and Douglas Adams himself I got. It was almost like the author stopped taking his medication and every crazy thing that came out of his head was slapped into the story. There was still a vague semblance of structure amidst a sea of absurdities, but a person can only handle so much nonsense. I really wanted to just quit this one and move on, but decided to just plow through and read the last third of the book before bed one night.

I really was expecting to like these more than I did. I still enjoyed the first Hitchhiker book, but after reading these, I think it's safe to say I won't be reading Douglas Adams again anytime soon.

(Book #39) Alien Zone II

'Alien Zone II' is a compilation of eleven essays by all different writers about the subject of spaces in science fiction films, pre-2000. I had actually purchased this book up back when I was still in Architecture school and occasionally picked it up from time to time to read something out of it. This reading project was a perfect opportunity to revisit some of these discourses and tackle all the rest that I never got to read prior.

Some of the pieces were really interesting and provided unique perspectives on a gamut of science fiction cinema through the ages, everything from Metropolis to Star Wars, 2001: A Space Odyssey, the Alien movies, the ubiquitous Blade Runner, and just about everything good or bad in between. The subjects in these essays ranged from more spatial and architectural reads of these movies, to the representation of race, women and society. Most of the essays were fairly engaging and could be read by those that were not well versed in film theory or philosophy, but there were a couple that were incredibly difficult to read due to the overly verbose language and air of superiority that the author embodied within the writing.

Overall, the essays were inspiring in a way and I'm looking forward to seeing some of the films I have read about as well as watching some of the more classic ones again with a new perspective. Science Fiction is a perfect medium to embody all sorts of concepts and to do so in a visually intriguing way. Whether a person is watching a sci-fi film to be entertained or is looking for some sort of deeper meaning, there will always be something fantastic and stimulating to grasp onto.