Macmillan Digital Audio, London 2006

 This “Complete Trilogy of Five” plus a documentary about Douglas Adams, narrated by his friend Neil Gaiman, is a real treasure und a must for every Adams fan.

The first part is read by Stephen Fry with his familiar intonation and subtle irony, loved since he read “Harry Potter”. His impersonation of Slartibartfast reminds almost too much of Professor Dumbledore. In the beginning I was disappointed, that Fry only reads the first book.

But when Martin Freeman takes over in “The Restaurant at the End of the Universe” it turns out to be just blissful happiness to listen to his effortlessly managed fast cascades of Douglas´s linguistic escapades and meandering sentences. You actually feel transported to this weird world of improbability and incoherence, where only language itself offers you a grip of reality.

And listening opens up Douglas Adams´universe in a magic way. You feel terribly sad when it all ends, 25 discs later.