BOOK REVIEW: Starship Titanic

The novel STARSHIP TITANIC was fascinating on several levels, at least for me.

In the first place it is based on a computer game developed by Douglas Adams. The fact that Adams was involved at all, was enough to tickle my interest. There was a time in my life that his The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe was the most talked about book in our house. Badges saying “Don’t Panic” were worn daily and questions were answered with “ Don’t worry Mom, I know where my towel is”. The book had, and still has, a large cult following.

The introduction to STARSHIP TITANIC is written by Adams. Here he explains that when his editor asked him to write a novel based on his adventure computer game version of The Hitchhiker’s Guide, he realized that such a book would help sales for both the game and the book. Although he was best known as a novelist, time was a factor. That lead him to his good friend Terry Jones.

For those of you not familiar with the name Terry Jones, allow me to explain that he also has been a big part of the “artistic” life of the Park household. If you have watched any Monty Python’s Flying Circus programs, Terry is the “ Naked Man Playing the Organ” in the opening credits, as well as the “Naked Hermit in Pit” in the movie Life of Brian. Adams points out that Terry’s face may not be as recognizable as other parts of him.

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All of the above information is given only to prepare you for the fact that Starship Titanic is a silly, naughty, wonderful novel, that never comes close to making any sense. Of course, the title alone should have given you a hint of that.

Simply put, the plot involves Professor Leovinus of the plant Blerontin who has become an international hero by designing the ultimate spaceship, one with all of the luxuries ever dreamed of. The “brain” of the ship is beyond human conception...if indeed the people of Blerontin were human. The trouble is that Leovinus has been so busy doing the media interviews and the publicity luncheons, he had no time to do a final check of the ship before the initial launch.

As a result, to make a short story shorter, the starship ends up on Earth where it picks up three stowaways. Earthlings, Dan, Lucy, Nettie, and the Blerontin, known as The Journalist, find themselves on an intergalactic trip that involves all types of dangerous situations.

It was fairly easy to see why this would make a fun computer game. The fights are very cartoonish and with lots of action. If you are looking for a deep read with life changing insights, this may not be the book for you. But, if your sense of humor allows for pure nonsense, it might be your cup of tea.

Last note: RIP Douglas Adams and thanks for all of the fun you created for your ever-growing group of fans.