I’m Afraid that I’ve Been Left Here to Stop You

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…wait, that’s not right…

The story so far:

There. That’s more like it. That’s how book two of an epic sci-fi adventure should start. Simple, direct and straight to the point.

I am always ecstatic with The Restaurant at the End of the Universe because we get a break from Arthur Dent. I would like to make it clear that I hate Arthur Dent. I don’t know if that opinion was voiced enough during The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy reading.

I was always more intrigued by Zaphod and Marvin and Eddie, and I am glad we get to adventure with two of those three. While Eddie gets a mania-voiced opportunity to bring the story abruptly to an end as the Vogons re-enter the fray.

The standoff between Marvin and the Frogstar Scout Robot Class D on Ursa Minor Beta is one of my favorite parts of the book. I can just see Marvin standing there amid the rubble in that shiny-body-morbidly-depressed way of his; his electrons pumping with a battle ready brew of melancholy and despair. His opponent a gigantic monstrosity armed with a vicious electron ram (the weapon that has a real dislike for walls, ceilings and floors, not an alien type of sheep that glows in the dark).

It’s the greatest robot battle ever penned.

I’m always a little sad when Marvin dies during the conflict; ripped apart in a torrent of metal, plastic and circuitry. It’s a horrible, depressing scene, like throwing a poor, defenseless pocket calculator in a blender and setting it to “puree.” Marvin’s last words that tear jerking cry, “I need cookie dough to save the Harmony Princess!”

…though, that might have been a dream I had and not part of the book…

I always like to ponder how revolutionary the design of paper clips can possibly get.