Arthur Dent, still stuck 2 million years in Earth's past, has been living in an Islington cave for the last five years. He has just decided to try going insane when Ford Prefect reenters his life. Soon both have rejoined the flotsam of the space-time continuum only to be drafted by Slartibartfast to help save the Universe. The fast paced, action driven plot takes off in a direction totally independent of the The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy radio show. (The storyline was actually adapted from an unproduced Doctor Who television script written by Adams. See Don't Panic by Neil Gaiman for further details.) As Arthur, Ford, and Slarty race to prevent the Krikkit robots from freeing their masters (a "bunch of really sweet guys ... [who] believe in peace, justice, morality, culture, sports, family life, and the obliteration of all other life forms)," they are reunited with Zaphod, Trillian, and Marvin. In his typical zany, digression-filled style, Adams introduces other favorite elements of the HHGttG cult classic mythology. Arthur survives insults, is kidnapped by the current incarnation of a particularly vindictive bowl of petunias, learns to fly, and discovers the location of God's final message to his creation. Ultimately, the use of black humor to address the issues of war gives this novel a more serious tone than the tone of the previous two novels in the series. -- (Description by: Karen D. Toonen).