Let's be honest: If you're a huge Douglas Adams fan (like I am), and have a strong interest in science (like I do), then you're going to buy this book (like I did). And if you're not into both Douglas Adams and science, then you probably have no desire to read this book anyway. So, my review isn't likely to sway anyone one way or the other. Nonetheless, for what it's worth, here is my impression of the book:
As a survey of contemporary scientific thinking on a variety of subjects, it's decent, though not especially impressive or original. If you're scientifically literate and keep up with developments in science and technology, then you're not going to find much in this book that you don't already know. Most of the information here is just a watered-down version of what you'd find in any of the other popular science books out there. It's written with a bit more wit and humor than most science books; but even this is not enough to give it an edge over the competition. And, for a book about the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" series, you'd expect more discussion of ideas from the Douglas Adams oeuvre than you actually find in this book. While it does frequently mention characters and events from "Hitchhiker's" in passing, and uses concepts from the series as launching points for a discussion of various scientific issues; you are left with the distinct impression that, if all of the "Hitchhiker's" references were deleted from the book, it wouldn't make that much of a difference.
To be fair, it is interesting in places (I enjoyed the chapters on teleportation and probability). But it just doesn't live up to the high standards set by similar books, such as "The Physics of Star Trek".
