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And Another Thing...
by Eoin Colfer

There are many reasons to approach this book with great skepticism. It's a "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" book that was not written by Douglas Adams; strike one. It was written by Eoin Colfer, who achieved success with the Artemis Fowl books, of which I read the first installment and was not particularly impressed; strike two. And it was produced after Adams had shuffled off his coil, and apparently without his participation; a Wikipedia entry claims that some of the story elements came from Adams's plans for a sixth installment, though it remains vague about just how much of the work comes from his efforts. That should be strike three and it's out.

Except that it's not. Somehow, Colfer made it safely to first base, or whatever is the equivalent in cricket. This came as a big surprise...but then, surprises are part of the raison d'etre of the Hitchhiker's series.

And Another Thing...
by Eoin Colfer

Colfer does a deft job of writing in Adams's voice, or something very near to it. Indeed, the early going comes across as almost too much mimicry; while Colfer gets the tenor of the original mostly right, the effect in the first chapters is one of the author trying too hard. Eventually, though, Colfer finds his groove--or Adams's groove, depending upon your perspective--and then And Another Thing... starts to read like a legitimate entry in the Hitchhiker's series.

Acceptance of this new work is helped considerably by the slightly late arrival of the series' main characters, Arthur, Trillian, Ford, and Zaphod. Once the reader recognizes the old friends, even in slightly newer settings, it becomes a lot easier to accept that you're reading a legitimate continuation of their story--and from then on, it's mostly an enjoyable ride. The addition of Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged to the proceedings, as a main character rather than a throwaway player, reinforces our ability to agree that, yes, we really are back in our same old galaxy.

Not everything works perfectly. Some of the detours on the planet Nano with its governing shyster Hillman Hunter can be a bit of a slog; interviewing unemployed gods--including an oddly acquiescent Cthulhu--would seem like the setup for a comedic gold mine, but only a couple of laugh out loud lines result. In fact, a lot of the humor in And Another Thing... doesn't quite reach escape velocity; the story features a steady stream of jokes, but most fly a little below full orbit. The text could best be described as 'humorous' rather than truly 'funny.'

Finally, the ending--if it is that--leaves a little to be desired. Not because it's not a happy ending--Adams himself probably never believed in such a thing--but because it doesn't seem to have the fortitude to actually make an ending. Either well and truly wrap things up, or set up a sequel in bold, brazen type; don't go half measures either way. Is Arthur really done with his travels? Who knows? At this point, however, I think he deserves a definitive answer (and us too, for that matter).

Overall, And Another Thing... works. The odds were stacked against a sixth Hitchhiker's book being any good, so given that this one is a decent read, perhaps Colfer can view his effort as a triumph. It may be that Arthur, Ford, Trillian, and Zaphod will never pile into the Heart of Gold again for another voyage into zaniness, but fans can consider themselves lucky that they got a chance to hang with them again, for at least one more unexpected trip.