HHGTTG is about Arthur Dent, some Earth dude who is absolutely dull but lovable, who is friends with an alien named Ford Prefect. Ford knows that the Earth is going to be destroyed in approximately an hour, so he announces it to a bar and takes Arthur with him while he hitchhikes onto a passing Vogon ship. The rest of the story is basically about Arthur's excursions with Ford, his friend/relative Zaphod Beeblebrox, another Earth woman named Trillian/Tricia, a very very grumpy robot named Marvin (
), Slartibarfast (sp?), the man who designed the Earth, and eventually a charming Earth woman named Fenchurch. The book is extremely philisophical, my friend and I decided, and all parts of it are highly enjoyable except the ending... It's the only part of the book that makes sense, and it's the least happy. I would recommend reading the book before seeing the movie, or even the old movie. The old movie sucks, and there is no way the new one could match the ruling randomosity of the book.