Mostly Harmless
 |
 The front cover of the first U.S. hardcover edition of Mostly Harmless. | |
| Author | Douglas Adams |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Peter Cross, U.S. hardcover |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy |
| Genre | Science Fiction Humor |
| Publisher | Pan Books, UK; Harmony Books, U.S. |
Publication date | 1992 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom, United States |
| Media type | Paperback, hardcover |
| Pages | 229, UK paperback; 240, U.S. paperback |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-330-32311-3 Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: invalid character |
| Preceded by | So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish |
| Followed by | N/A |
Mostly Harmless is a novel by Douglas Adams and the fifth book of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. It is described on the cover of the first editions as the "Fifth book in the increasingly inaccurately named 'Hitchhiker's Trilogy'".
Title
The title derives from a joke early in the series, when Arthur Dent discovers that the entry for Earth in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy consists, in its entirety, of the word "Harmless." His friend Ford Prefect, a contributor to the Guide, assures him that the next edition will contain the article on Earth that Ford has spent the last 15 years researching—somewhat cut due to space restrictions, but still an improvement. The revised article, he eventually admits, will simply read "Mostly harmless." It later turns out that Ford had written a long essay on how to have fun on Earth, but the editors in the guide's main office building edited everything out. Later in the series, Ford is surprised to discover that all of his contribution has been edited back into the Guide (which makes no sense for a seemingly demolished planet) prompting his reunion with Arthur on the alternate Earth in So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish.
Plot summary
The events in Mostly Harmless occur some time after the events in So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish. Notable changes are the absence of Fenchurch, Arthur's love interest, who appeared in the previous book.
The plot revolves around the concept of parallel universes (though according to the novel, they're not really parallel universes at all but only a model to capture the continuity of space, time and probability). It states a theory that the book calls the Whole Sort of General Mish Mash (actually called the Platonia theory in real life), which says that in a fifth dimension, all the possible things in a universe are all next to each other. This leads to forces called probability forces and such. In an alternative universe, Tricia McMillan went back for a bag when Zaphod Beeblebrox asked her on a date, and therefore never left the Earth with Zaphod before the first book began; therefore, all of the events in the previous books did not happen in that universe. None of the characters know each other, and as a result, Trillian's name is still Tricia McMillan.
The story starts out in space, where a Grebulon ship is hit by a meteor. All of the information on the ship is lost, including the minds of all the Grebulons onboard, which have been stored on the computer. They then crash land on the tenth planet of our solar system, nicknamed Rupert (the planet was actually named Persephone, but it is more often called "Rupert", after the name of the discoverer's pet parrot).
The story then jumps to follow Tricia McMillan, a TV anchorwoman and also an alternative version of Trillian before she left Earth with Zaphod. After failing to get a news job in New York, she returns to England and is visited by Grebulons who take her to Rupert. They explain to her that they are very interested in astrology and ask her to make a working model of the solar system because they have lost their minds (literally) and do not remember how to do it. On her way in, she sees gun turrets. On her way out, they have changed position. She tapes her whole visit for evidence.
Mostly Harmless then picks up the story of Arthur Dent. Fenchurch, Arthur's love interest in the previous book, has apparently disappeared from the face of the universe as a hyperspace travel casualty. After the loss of Fenchurch and wallowing in despair, Arthur spends most of his time searching for meaning, traveling from world to world trying to find somewhere he fits in. Arthur feels safe in his recklessness, knowing that he cannot die until he travels to a place called "Stavromula Beta" as was revealed in Life, the Universe, and Everything, by the insane Agrajag. He comes across a planet called NowWhat, a bleak and swampy planet, which he eventually discovers is an alternative version of Earth. Discontented, he goes on his way again.
Arthur eventually finds a life that he enjoys when his ship crashes on a planet called Lamuella, a remote non-technological planet, and after making a simple sandwich for himself, he is suddenly revered as a holy celebrity: the Sandwich Maker. It is revealed that Trillian has gone on to a career in galactic journalism, and Ford has continued work for the Guide.
Back on Lamuella, Trillian shows up with a girl named Random who is left to Arthur's care after Trillian explains to him that it is his own biological daughter. Trillian, wanting a child, visited a sperm bank and the only match for her species was Arthur, as he deposited semen in exchange for tickets on space flights. However, after getting tired of her unruly daughter's whining, and wanting to pursue her career, Trillian dumps Random on Arthur, telling him "It's time for you to take responsibility". Random is cranky and unruly, continually breaks Arthur's possessions, and has a major identity crisis due to her strange conception.
Meanwhile, Ford has returned to the Guide, and is annoyed to find out the original publishing company has been taken over by Infinidim Enterprises, with Vann Harl as the new editor. He finds a flying security robot and names him Colin and makes him extremely happy. After a lecture with Vann Harl, Ford learns that he has taken one of his possessions. Thus, he goes back to the 23rd floor to return it to him. However, he is confronted by a Vogon with a rocket launcher, who shoots him out of the building and is sent falling to his death. He fires another rocket that explodes and shoots him up to the balcony of the thirteenth floor.
Ford breaks into the building, and finds a new, enhanced version of the guide, which looks like a bird. Ford uses Colin to send the Guide Mark II to Arthur to prevent further trouble.
When Arthur receives it, he puts it away, not wanting anything to do with it, but Random, being frustrated with her irresponsible mother for dumping her with Arthur, steals it and runs away from home. Random finds out that the Guide 2.0 is both omnipotent and omniscient, and uses its strange 5th dimensional abilities, so that she can steal Ford's ship, and travel to the alternative Earth. Arthur and Ford follow Random, escaping Lamuella by riding a buffalo-like-creature into another dimension, where they seemingly meet Elvis Presley who gives Ford his spaceship.
Back in the alternative universe Tricia reviews the tape that she took of her space adventure, but the Grebulons turn up hazy on film, and she says that she could have faked something better than this. She is then called to go to report on an alien spaceship that just landed. Upon arriving at the scene it turns on to be Random on the ship, who recognizes Tricia, and begins yelling at her.
Ford and Arthur arrive on Earth with a confused Tricia being yelled at by Random. Having never seen Random in her life, nor ever given birth to a child, she cannot understand how she is the child's mother. Ford and Arthur meet Tricia at a bar, at the same time that Trillian turns up. While on route, Random took a gun that was on the ship she stole from Ford. After waving it around, she accidentally fires it. Arthur ducks, and the shot hits the man standing behind him. He drops a matchbook, which Ford hands to Arthur. On it are the name of the bar and its proprietor, reading, in order, "Stavro Mueller Beta." This being the final form of Agrajag, Arthur realizes that his death is an open possibility, and accepts his fate. The Grebulons, who believe that destroying the Earth is the positive action they need to improve their situation, then finish the job that the Vogons started. The Vogons, present only to observe the completion of these events, may have a hand in this perception by feeding false data into the Grebulons' computers ("Because all of the Grebulon surveillance equipment was focused on the planet Earth, it failed to spot that there was now another source of data in the solar system"). It is implied that the Vogons created the new version of "The Guide" for the express purpose of destroying the Earth in every parallel universe, a mission which the bird-like guide carried out through "temporal reverse engineering". That Ford, Arthur, Random, Tricia, and Trillian are all present when Earth is destroyed is likely because the bird planned it that way, although the characters would think they made their own choices.
The book ends as the first book began, with the Earth being blown to bits. "For good", this time — in addition, all other possible versions of Earth are destroyed, and the Guide collapses. As Arthur, Ford and most of the principal characters were on Earth, they all die as well. Zaphod's whereabouts during the explosion are a mystery, so he is assumed the only one to survive the end of the series. The book finally fulfills the promise made at the very start of the series that the fates of Arthur and the Guide are intertwined.
Adams on Mostly Harmless
In an interview reprinted in The Salmon of Doubt, Adams expressed dissatisfaction with the "rather bleak" tone of this book, and said that he "would love to end Hitchhiker on a slightly more upbeat note" by writing a sixth installment in the series. He blamed personal problems, saying "for all sorts of personal reasons I don't want to go into, I just had a thoroughly miserable year, and I was trying to write a book against that background. And, guess what, it was a rather bleak book!"
When Adams died (due to a heart attack) on May 11, 2001, it seemed that Mostly Harmless would become the final book of what Adams called a "trilogy". However, The Salmon of Doubt was published posthumously, containing, alongside numerous articles written by Adams, several chapters belonging to a new storyline for a third "Dirk Gently" novel. In interviews that can be found in the Salmon of Doubt, Adams admitted that while he was planning on writing a third Dirk Gently book, the ideas he was having for it would have fitted better into another Hitchhikers book.
Although the complete destruction of every version of the Earth in every possible timeline, along with the death of nearly all the regular characters, would seem to make a continuation extremely unlikely, Adams had remarked that the afterlife-enhanced state of the regulars merely meant he would not have to waste time at the beginning of the next book gathering them together or explaining what they'd been up to in the intervening period.
Infinidim Enterprises
Infinidim Enterprises is a publishing corporation in this story. Infinidim buys out the original publisher of the Hitchhikers' Guide to the Guide, Megadodo Publications, with plans to sell its product to affluent consumers, rather than poor hitchhikers. The company could possibly be a front organization for the Vogons, who are employed by it.
Infinidim's head editor is named Vann Harl (though in the radio series it is in fact Zarniwoop). Ford Prefect tries to overthrow Infinidim by stealing the new guide and sending it to Arthur Dent for "safety".
The fate of Infinidim at the end of the series is unknown, though it is possible they went bankrupt due to Ford spending huge amounts of the Guide's money as part of his plan.
Radio
Dirk Maggs adapted the book as the "Quintessential Phase" of the radio series, and it was broadcast in June 2005. The radio version has an entirely new, upbeat ending, appended to the existing story.
In the alternate ending, after the destruction of Earth, the description of the Babel fish from the earlier series is replayed with an additional section, which states that dolphins and Babel fish are acquainted, and that the dolphins' ability to travel through possibility space (first mentioned in So Long, and Thanks For All the Fish) is shared by the Babel fish as well. During the ending, Ford explains that the dolphins got taught this skill from the babel fish in exchange for knowing a good place to have parties. All the major characters are carrying Babel fish in their ears, which rescue them at the moment of Earth's destruction by transporting them to the Restaurant at the End of the Universe. The characters are reunited with Marvin, and it is revealed that beyond the Restaurant (and beyond the car park in which Marvin works) lies an endless series of blue lagoons - the final destination of the dolphins. The series ends with Arthur asking Fenchurch, "Will you come flying with me?", and her reply, "Always."
The version released on CD contains an even longer set of alternate endings, including one set after the events of the twelfth radio episode (with Arthur Dent and Lintilla), and on an alternate Earth where Arthur Dent and Fenchurch engage in a stand-off against Mr Prosser, together.
Audiobook adaptations
There have been two unabridged audiobook recordings of the novel. In 1992, Adams himself recorded an edition, later re-released by New Millennium Audio in the United States and available from BBC Audiobooks in the United Kingdom. In 2006, actor Martin Freeman, who had played Arthur Dent in the 2005 movie, recorded a new edition of the audiobook. This is the only book in the five novel series not to have also had a prior, abridged edition read by Stephen Moore.