The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (novel series). The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (novel series) Good luck, and thanks for the fish

Dedicated to Johnny Brock, Clare-orst and all the other Arglingtonians - in gratitude for the tea, sympathy and sofa.

Free Wanderer's Guide

Far, far away, in the folds of the Galaxy’s long-out-of-fashion Western Spiral Arm, unnoticed by cartographers, a tiny, uninteresting yellow star was lost.

Around it, at a distance of about ninety-eight million miles, revolves an insignificant green-blue planet, whose inhabitants are still very similar to their ape ancestors - suffice it to say that electronic watches are still considered a miracle of technology among them.

This planet has - or rather, had - one problem: most of the people living on it did nothing but suffer, because they did not find happiness in life. Many solutions were born, but almost all of them boiled down to the redistribution of small green pieces of paper - which in itself is very strange, since someone, and the little green pieces of paper did not experience any suffering, because they were not looking for happiness.

There was still no solution, and the planet was full of embittered people, for most of whom the feeling of unhappiness was constant, and even electronic watches did not brighten up their lives.

Gradually the conviction spread and strengthened that all misfortunes began when people descended from the trees to the ground. And some even believed that the mistake had been made even earlier - there was also nothing to mess with the trees and there was no need to crawl out of the ocean at all.

And then one Thursday, after the rain, almost two thousand years after one person was nailed to a tree for calling for at least sometimes, just for a change, to treat each other kindly, a certain girl , sitting alone at a table in a small cafe in Rickmansworth, I suddenly realized what the whole problem was and how the world could still be made an abode of happiness and peace. This time it's all in the bag, everything will certainly work out - and no nails or nailing living people to trees and other objects!

However, the story I am about to tell you is not about a girl.

This is a story about a monstrously ridiculous disaster and some of its consequences.

It's also a story about a book. About a book called “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: A Free Wanderer’s Guide”, commonly referred to simply as “Guide” - a book written not on Earth, never published on Earth and before the disaster unknown to any earthling. Nevertheless, this is a wonderful book.

Perhaps this is the most remarkable of all the publications of the grandiose Ursa Minor Publishing Corporation - also unknown to any earthling.

The book is in great demand, leaving far behind the “Interstellar Collection of Housekeeping Tips”; sells out much faster than “53 More Ways to Pass Time in Zero Gravity”, and causes even more controversy and speculation than the philosophical trilogy “Where the Lord Lost His Way”, “The Main Mistakes of the Lord God” and “Who is He in the End? this Lord God?!

In the enlightened and relaxed civilizations of the Outer Eastern Rim of the Galaxy, the Guide has supplanted even the great Great Galactic Encyclopedia as the universally recognized source of wisdom and knowledge. For, despite the abundance of omissions and blatantly distorted, or even simply apocryphal information, the Guide has two major advantages over the Encyclopedia.

Firstly, it's cheaper. Secondly, the sacramental words “DON’T PANIC” are written in large letters on the title page.

This will probably be the most difficult article about a book for me... the fact is that I’m going to write about my favorite book, more precisely, the series of books by D. Adams “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”. If you think about it, what is a “favorite book”? Which means a lot to you as such, or which somehow changed your life, which somehow helped, or the one that you read for the twentieth time, you close and think: “Cool, I need to read it some more.” It seems to me that this is a book that has at least two of the above characteristics. According to these criteria, “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” is on the same level as “The Lord of the Rings” for me... and maybe even a little higher (and this is a very high rating).

Well, what should I write about such a book? Of course, I want those who haven’t read it after this article to go and do it, because the book is worth it. But I think it won’t suit everyone... it will suit those who love smart jokes, sarcasm, a lot of sarcasm, academic humor, British humor, self-irony and science fiction. Since the genre of the book is a fantasy novel. The author's style can be compared to Terry Pratchett or Wodehouse - the text can also be snatched up for quotes. I have now read all the books in the series twice. When I read it for the second time, I decided to mark especially witty moments in the margins... but I soon realized that this was a thankless task - I had to mark almost every phrase.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a book about a book. The main character is the book The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - almost the most widely read in the Galaxy - because in it you can learn how to live an exciting life, traveling to different parts of the galaxy, spending only 30 Altair dollars a day. But the best thing about it is the cover, which says in friendly letters: “Don’t panic.” The editors of the Guide are a very influential organization... although, as the book itself says about it: “The word organization is inappropriate here. Zero organization, too much initiative. Zero self-control, excess alcohol. And that's just the editor. What then are the subordinates like?”

Subordinates are truly wonderful people. One of the central characters is just one of them - Ford Prefect. This is my favorite character in the book, where he appears... well, what to hide - yes, troubles appear. But how he knows how to get out of them, even from the most hopeless ones, delights me. For example, in the fifth book there is a chapter almost entirely devoted to Ford falling from a skyscraper window. A very nice moment - I really want to attach five or six quotes here... but I won’t, it’s better to take it and read it for yourself.

So, Ford Prefect, himself from the vicinity of Betelgeuse, somehow got to Earth, lived here longer than he expected... when the opportunity arose to get out of here (very timely, it should be noted, since a second later the planet was destroyed), he took with him one friend - an Englishman in the extreme - Arthur Dent. It’s with them that various adventures happen.

In fact, all the characters... all, all, all, down to the most insignificant passerby described in the book, are interesting, there is something in all of them. For example, there is Zaphod Beeblebrox, the President of the Galaxy, a very likable character. “The hardest thing for Trillian to do with Zaphod was to recognize when he was playing dumb to confuse the other person; when he pretends to be stupid because he doesn’t want to think and prefers that someone else do it for him; when he pretends to be phenomenally stupid to hide the fact that he does not understand something, and when he is simply stupid.”

And then there is the paranoid android Marvin, a robot with perpetual depression, whose brain can calculate the economy, foreign and domestic policies of an entire planet in a split second, but is forced to carry out small errands. There are also many secondary characters that appear in the novel, which incredibly decorate the book. For example, I was very pleasantly surprised when I saw in the book the King, who was not abducted by aliens, but who flew away on his own. And I also really liked the end of the last fifth book, “Basically Harmless” - the most necessary, the most correct one that you can come up with.

Book reading order:

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy [great start to a great series]

Restaurant at the end of the universe [Douglas himself considered this book his favorite]

Life, the Universe and everything else [in my opinion, not the best part, but a must read]

All the best and thanks for the fish [romantic story]

Mostly harmless [incredibly moving part, with a good ending]

Now a continuation of the series has been released, written by Jon Kofler after Adams' death. I probably won’t even look for it - I don’t want to read some left-field sequels after an ending that couldn’t be better.

The book, written just in the late 80s - early 90s, caused a great resonance in society and culture. For example, there is Towel Day, which is celebrated on May 25th. There is also a lot of music written based on impressions from the book. For example:

There is also a film adaptation. Adams himself had a hand in it, although the film was released after his death. The film adaptation does not convey the plot of the book, but it conveys the mood to some extent. My advice is that it’s better to read it first; the film will then be just a pleasant addition.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Series of books; 1979-2009

The books tell about the adventures of the unlucky Englishman Arthur Dent, who, with his friend Ford Prefect (a native of a small planet somewhere near Betelgeuse, who works in the editorial office of the Hitchhiker's Guide) avoids death when the Earth is destroyed by a race of Vogon bureaucrats. Zaphod Beeblebrox, Ford's relative and President of the Galaxy, accidentally saves Dent and Ford from death in outer space. Also on board Zaphod's improbability-powered ship, the Heart of Gold, are the depressed robot Marvin and Trillian, aka Trisha McMillan, whom Arthur once met at a party. She, as Arthur soon realizes, is the only surviving Earthling besides himself. The heroes are looking for the legendary planet Magrathea and the Main Question to the Main Answer.

The series includes books

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: "Endless Road" is one of my favorite (I would even say in first place among all) fanfictions in the HP fandom, and since the second part blessed us with unfreezing, I believe that it is now...>>"Endless Road" is one of my favorite (I would even say in first place among all) fanfictions in the HP fandom, and since the second part made us happy with its unfreezing, I believe that it now deserves its share of love even more and attention.

This is one of those works in which you don't expect a love story to develop (in my opinion, at this stage it would be inappropriate), but you worry about the relationship between Harriet, who is now a prickly teenager, and Snape, who, despite his secrecy, constantly turns out his crippled soul. Since the beginning of the fic, they have saved each other to some extent, and in this part they continue to save each other. He is ready to follow her into hell; no matter how pretentious it may sound, she gives him an incentive to live.

The biggest advantage of both the first and second parts, in my opinion, is Snape. Snape-who-hates-everyone and never changes. A doomed, wounded dog, capable only of the same doomed and wounded feelings. He is simply amazing here and continues to be amazing in every new chapter.

Separately, I would like to express my gratitude to the translator - not only for the quality of the text, but also for his faith in this work, his willingness to continue translating it, despite the freezing (in the past). Therefore, I think I will calmly wait for new chapters as long as necessary, even if I have to wait for years.

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"(English) ; more literal translations: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy listen)) is a series of humorous science fiction novels by English writer Douglas Adams.

The series began as a script for a radio drama, which was later adapted and rewritten into its own literary work. In 1982, the first two books in the series were adapted for television, and in 2005, the first of them was made into a feature film of the same name.

Plot

The novel tells the adventures of the unlucky Englishman Arthur Dent, who, with his friend Ford Prefect (a native of a small planet somewhere near Betelgeuse, working in the editorial office of the Hitchhiker's Guide) avoids death when the Earth is destroyed by a race of Vogon bureaucrats. Zaphod Beeblebrox, Ford's relative and President of the Galaxy, accidentally saves Dent and Ford from death in outer space. Also on board Zaphod's improbability-powered ship, the Heart of Gold, are the depressed robot Marvin and Trillian, aka Trisha McMillan, whom Arthur once met at a party. She, as Arthur soon realizes, is the only surviving Earthling besides himself. The heroes are looking for the legendary planet Magrathea and trying to find a question that matches the Final Answer.

Radio show

The first radio series began with Adams being asked to write a series of "Ends of the Earth" episodes: six completed stories that ended with the Earth being destroyed in six different ways. While writing the first episode, Adams realized that he needed an alien hero to provide some context, and that the hero needed a reason to be on Earth. Ultimately, Adams decided that the alien would be a researcher working on an "absolutely remarkable book" called The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. As the first episode was written, the Guide became the center of the story, and Adams decided to devote the entire series to it, and make the destruction of the Earth only the beginning of the story.

Adams said he came up with the book's title after an incident in 1971 when he was hitchhiking around Europe as a young man with the book The Hitchhiker's Guide to Europe. One day he lay drunk on a field in Innsbruck and looked at the stars. He had a book with him, and it occurred to him that it would be a good idea to write a hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy. Adams later said that he had told the story so many times that he no longer remembered how it actually happened, but only how he told the story. Friends of Adams said he mentioned the idea of ​​creating a Guide to Greece in 1973.

Created by Adams, The Guide is an electronic guide to the Milky Way galaxy published by Megadodo Publishers, one of the major publishers of the Beta Ursa Minoris star system. The narration of different versions of history is often interrupted by quotations from the Guide. The voice of the Guide in various productions (Peter Jones in the first two radio episodes and the television series, then William Franklin in the third, fourth and fifth radio series, and Stephen Fry in the film) follows the narration.

Original radio show

The first series of the radio show (first phase) of six episodes (called “fits” after the English names of the sections of Lewis Carroll’s absurd poem The Hunting of the Snark - “screams” according to the Russian translation by G. M. Kruzhkov) aired in 1978 on BBC Radio 4 . Despite the unpopular airing time (the first episode aired at 10:30 pm on Wednesday 8 March 1978), the radio program received good reviews and significant response from radio listeners. Another episode ("Christmas special") was broadcast at the end of the year. At the time, the BBC's practice was to produce special Christmas episodes of popular radio shows. The plot of the episode had a connection with Christmas, but in the end the episode was considered not entirely successful and served as a link between the episodes. This episode was released in the second part of the radio show and then on cassette and CD as part of the second phase of the Guide.

Repeats of the first episodes were broadcast twice on radio only in 1978, and then many more times in subsequent years. The BBC recorded a radio play and the episodes were adapted into a book. The second part of the radio show, which included five more episodes (for a total of 12 episodes), was aired in 1980.

The radio play (as well as the LP and television series) benefited greatly from the participation of comedian Peter Jones as the voice of the Guide. He was chosen for the role after it was decided that the Guide should speak in a "Peter Johnsian" voice. His sonorous voice and kind intonations undoubtedly contributed significantly to the popularity of the series and created the famous image of the Guide.

The radio drama turned out to be the first comedy series to feature stereo sound. Adams said that he wanted the sound quality to match the recording quality of a contemporary rock album. Much of the money allocated for the show was spent on sound effects (created by Paddy Kingsland for the pilot episode and the entire second part, Dick Mills and Harry Parker for episodes 2-6 of the first part). The Guide radio show was one of the industry's leading radio shows, and in 1978-1980, the three new Guide episodes were among the first radio broadcasts to use four-channel Dolby Surround. For DVD, the third part of the series was also re-encoded in Dolby Surround.

The theme song for the radio series, television series, record and film is "Journey of the Sorcerer", an instrumental composition written by Bernie Leadon and included on the album by the Eagles. One of These Nights. The very first version of the composition is heard only in the radio series; Tim Souster (English) Tim Souster) wrote a cover for the record and television series, the film uses a melody arranged by Joby Talbot, another version of the melody, this time written by Philip Pope, was used in the CD release of the last three parts of the radio show. Adams chose this particular tune because of its futuristic sound and also because it featured a banjo sound, which Jeffrey Perkins said Adams described as giving the feeling "like you're on the road, hitchhiking."

Twelve episodes were released on CD and cassette in 1988 (the first BBC Radio Collection release on CD). The episodes were re-released in 1992, at which time Adams suggested calling episodes one through six "The Primary Phase" and episodes seven through twelve "The Secondary Phase" instead. to simply say “the first part” and “the second part”. Around the same time, Adams first discussed with Dirk Muggs the possibility of creating a "Tertiary Phase", an adaptation of Life, the Universe and Everything, but the series was not recorded for another 10 years.

Actors

• Simon Jones - Arthur Philip Dent
• Geoffrey McGivern - Ford Prefect
• Susan Sheridan - Trillian
• Mark Wing-Davey - Zaphod Beeblebrox
• Stefan Moore - Marvin (robot)
• Richard Vernon - Slartibartfast
• Peter Jones - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
• Albin Ljunghusen as President of the Galaxy

TV production

The popularity of the series of radio dramas led to a television adaptation consisting of six episodes. Alan Bell directed and produced. The series first aired on BBC Two in January and February 1981. It features many of the actors from the radio series and is based largely on the first six episodes. A second season was planned, according to Alan Bell and Mark Wing-Davey, to rework the plot of Adams' canceled Doctor Who and the Krikkitmen (rather than making a TV version of the second half of the radio series). However, Adams had conflicts with the BBC (problems with the budget, script and the involvement of Alan Bell and/or Geoffrey Perkins), and a second season was not produced. Some parts of the Doctor Who and the Krikkitmen project were used in the third book, Life, the Universe and Everything.

In 2005, a new film adaptation of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was released.

• Martin Freeman - Arthur Philip Dent
• Mos Def - Ford Prefect
• Zooey Deschanel - Trillian
• Sam Rockwell - Zaphod Beeblebrox
• Warwick Davis - Marvin
• Alan Rickman - voice of Marvin
• Bill Nighy - Slartibartfast
• Stephen John Fry - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (voice)

Novels

• 1979 - “The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy” ( The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)
• 1980 - “Restaurant at the Edge of the Universe” ( The Restaurant at the End of the Universe)
• 1982 - “Life, the Universe and Everything” ( Life, the Universe and Everything)
• 1984 - “All the best, and thanks for the fish! » ( So Long And Thanks for All the Fish)
• 1992 - “Mostly Harmless” ( Mostly Harmless)

The third book was called the third part of the hitchhiker trilogy. Accordingly, the fourth was called the “fourth part of the trilogy,” and all books were called the “trilogy in five parts.” The fifth novel was released in the United States with the title "The fifth book in the increasingly inaccurately named Hitchhiker's Trilogy" on the cover. Subsequent reprints bore the caption “The first (second, third, fourth) part of the Guide Trilogy, increasingly inaccurately named Hitchhiker’s trilogy.” Additionally, the blurb for the fifth book humorously describes the book as “the book that gives a whole new meaning to the word “trilogy””).

The plot of the television and radio series generally follows the plot of the first two novels, although some events occur in a different order and many details are changed. Much of the radio show's parts 5 and 6 were written by John Lloyd. John Lloyd), but this material was not included in other versions and is therefore not described below. The book's version of events is sometimes considered the most important, since the books are the most accessible and widely distributed, but they do not contain Adams's definitive version.

Before his death in 2001, Douglas Adams was writing the sixth novel in the Galaxy Guide series. He was working on a third Dirk Gently novel, tentatively titled “Salmon of Doubt,” but he felt. that the book was not working out and abandoned it. In an interview, he stated that some of the ideas in the book would fit better in the Guide novels, and suggested that he might rework the books for a sixth novel in the series. He called Mostly Harmless a "very dull book." a very black book) and said that he “would like to end the Guide on a happier note.” would love to finish Hitchhiker on a slightly more upbeat note ). Adams also noted that if he were to write a sixth installment, he would at least start from the same place. Owen Colfer (ur. Eoin Colfer) in the sixth book about the guide begins the story from the same place, but does not use the ideas from "Salmon of Doubt".

In all versions of the work, Arthur and Ford end up on Earth at some point, but two million years before the present day and accompanied by one third of the population of the planet Golgafrincham - the most useless third: hairdressers, advertising agents, film directors, bodyguards, etc. Their appearance leads to the extinction of the indigenous population, and thus the human race finds itself replaced by a crew of a ship full of middle managers and barbers exiled from their own planet. Some believe that this event sheds light on the true reasons for the current level of human development on Earth.

Events after the crash of the Golgafrin ship

The main part of the radio series ended with Ford and Arthur stranded on prehistoric Earth, but a second part was later scripted, in which Ford and Arthur were rescued by Zaphod Beeblebrox and went on further adventures, during which Arthur hijacked Zaphod's spaceship (which he , however, he stole it himself) and set off further alone (except for the paranoid robot Marvin, Eddie’s on-board computer and a tattered copy of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy).

In the book version, Ford and Arthur leave prehistoric Earth through a hole in the space-time continuum, which drops them onto modern Earth a few days before its destruction. Having again avoided such a sad fate and having experienced another batch of misadventures, Arthur again finds himself on Earth (or rather, on an alternative Earth inhabited by intelligent dolphins who are saving the human race from extinction). On this Earth, he falls in love with a girl named Fanchurch, with whom he remains to live happily ever after - until the next, this time the last book “Basically Harmless”, in which the Earth finally and irrevocably dies along with all its alternative forms and parallel images .

In the books, Ford Prefect goes through many adventures, and in the end (apparently) dies on an alternate version of Earth along with all the other heroes. Although, judging by the radio adaptation of the books, there is hope that the heroes did not die, but only moved to the “Restaurant at the End of the Universe.”

Movie version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

In the film adaptation of the first book, Arthur's meeting with the mice ended in their death at his hands. He then confesses his love to Trillian, and they, along with Marvin and Ford, head to the Restaurant at the end of the universe (although from Marvin's words one might mistakenly conclude that the restaurant is at the spatial end, not the time end). Before they leave, Slartibartfast activates the rebuilt Earth (in the book, the second Earth was never completed), where the dolphins subsequently return. Zaphod returns to the post of President of the Galaxy with his new girlfriend - Vice President Questular Rontok (the character was invented for the film, but does not appear in the literary version).

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

In The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (published in 1979), the main characters visit the legendary planet Magrathea, whose inhabitants were once engaged in the construction of planets. There they meet Slartibartfast, a planet designer who once designed the fjords of Norway. In the archival records there are records of superintelligent beings who built the Thinker computer, which was supposed to calculate the answer to the Ultimate Question of life, the universe and everything. The answer to the question was "42", and the Thinker proposed building another computer, more complex and including organic life, in order to calculate the question that fits the answer (Adams would later create the number 42 riddle, where the answer to various questions would be 42).

The computer, often mistaken for a planet (due to its size and biological components), was called Earth, and was destroyed by the Vogons to build a hyperspace highway five minutes before the end of the 10 million year program. Two of the superintelligent race that controlled the computer look like two Trillian white mice, and want Arthur Dent's brain, since he was part of the destroyed planet and his brain may contain part of the question. Trillian is also an Earthling, but she left Earth six months before its destruction along with the President of the Galaxy, Zaphod Beeblebrox. The main characters manage to escape and head to the restaurant At the End of the Universe. The mice fail to get Arthur, and they come up with a suitable question themselves, because waiting another 10 million years is too difficult. Their question is “how many paths should a person go?”

The book is based on the first four radio episodes. It was first published in paperback in 1979 by Pan Books after BBC Publishing refused to publish the novel based on the radio drama. In its second week, the book reached number one in the ratings, and after three months it had sold 250 thousand copies. An American hardcover edition was released in 1980 (Harmony Books), followed by a paperback edition in 1981. In 2005, Del Rey Books released a new edition of the entire series to coincide with the film's release. To this point, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has sold over 14 million copies.

An illustrated edition of the first novel in the series appeared in 1994.

Restaurant at the edge of the universe

In The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (published in 1980), Zaphod is separated from the rest of the heroes and finds that he must find out who really controls the Universe. Zaphod meets with Zarniwoop, the editor of the Guide, who knows where to find the secret ruler. Zaphod briefly teams up with the other heroes as they travel to a restaurant at the end of the universe. Zaphod and Ford decide to steal a ship from the restaurant, which turns out to be programmed to collide with a star as a special effect in the show. The course cannot be changed, but Marvin launches a teleporter, which only works if someone remains on the ship. Everyone gets off the ship except Marvin. Zaphod and Trillian learn that the universe is controlled by an ordinary man living with his cat on a remote planet in a wooden hut.

Meanwhile, Ford and Arthur find themselves on a starship full of the useless population of the planet Golgafringan. The ship crashes on prehistoric Earth. It becomes clear that the Golgafringans are the ancestors of modern humans, as they displaced the original population of the Earth. This disrupted the Earth's programming, and when Ford and Arthur try to get the Master Question from Arthur's subconscious, they get "What do you get when you multiply six by nine?" . Arthur remarks, “I always said there was something very wrong with the universe.”

The book is based on material from the radio dramas from episodes 5 to 12, although the order of events was greatly changed (in particular, the events of the sixth episode, where Ford and Arthur are stranded on Earth, end the book and their rescue in the seventh episode is excluded), much of the adventure is on the planet Brontital omitted. There were also other changes. Adams considered The Restaurant at the End of the Universe the best book in the entire series. M. J. Simpson, Adams' biographer, shares this view.

Life, the universe and everything else

In Life, the Universe and Everything, published in 1982, Ford and Arthur travel through the space-time continuum from prehistoric Earth to Lord's cricket ground. There they meet Slartibartfast, who asks them to help him prevent a galactic war. A long time ago, the population of the planet Krikkit tried to destroy all life in the galaxy, but they were stopped and imprisoned on their own planet, now they are trying to get out of there. With the help of Marvin, Zaphod and Trillian, the heroes manage to prevent the death of life in the Universe, and their paths diverge.

This novel is the first book in the series to be written originally as a book rather than as an adaptation of a radio drama. The story is based on the theatrical production of Doctor Who, with the role of the Doctor split between Slartibartfast and Trillian and Arthur.

In 2004, the book was adapted for radio (part Tertiary Phase).

All the best, and thanks for the fish!

In the novel, published in 1984, Arthur returns to Earth, which is quite unexpected, since the Earth was destroyed by the Vogons. He meets and falls in love with a girl named Fenchurch, and discovers that this Earth is a replica made by dolphins as part of a "save man" campaign. He eventually meets Ford. Ford, Arthur and Fenchurch are “rolling off” somewhere. At the end, Arthur and Fenchurch meet Marvin, a paranoid android who is 37 times older than the universe at that point (due to numerous time travels). It is he who reads the Final Message of God to the World He Created (which sounds like this: “Forgive us for disturbing you”). Marvin says, "I like that" and dies. And (perhaps) feeling better before death.

This is the first novel in the series that is not an adaptation of any previously written story. In 2005, the novel was adapted for radio as an episode Quandary Phase.

Mostly harmless

In the final installment of the series, published in 1992, the Vogons seize control of the Galaxy Guide (under the guise of InfiniDim Enterprises) to destroy Earth once and for all. Arthur loses Fenchurch and wanders aimlessly across the Galaxy, his ship crashes on the planet Lamuella, where he finally finds his calling and becomes a sandwich maker in a small peaceful village. Meanwhile, Ford Prefect infiltrates the Guide's office, hacks into the computer and obtains an unlimited cash loan, and then encounters The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - 2nd Edition, Mark II, an artificially intelligent, multi-dimensional guide with vast powers and hidden agendas. After he rejects the help of this powerful machine (which he receives anyway), he sends this guide to Arthur Dent for safekeeping.

Trillian uses Arthur's DNA, which he gave to a galactic bank, to get money for travel, and now she has a daughter. She leaves her with Arthur and flies away. Random Frequent-Flyer Dent is a very troubled teenager who steals the Guidebook, 2nd edition and travels to Earth. Arthur, Ford, Trillian and Tricia McMillan (Trillian in this alternate dimension) follow her to a crowded club, where Random shoots Arthur but hits another man (the unlucky Agrajag). Immediately after this, the 2nd Edition Guide destroys all possible Earths in all dimensions. All the main characters, except Zaphod, are on Earth at this moment and are thus also destroyed; The Vogons are very happy with this.

And here's another thing...

On September 17, 2008, it was announced that Eoin Colfer, author of the best-selling young adult series Artemis Fowl, would write a sequel to the Galaxy Guide series of novels entitled And So, with the permission of Adams' widow, Jane Belson. what else…" ( And Another Thing...).

The story begins when death rays rush towards the Earth, and the main characters “fall out” of virtual reality. Zaphod gets them out before they die, but the death rays follow them. They are saved by the Infinitely Ongoing Bowerick Wowbagger, whom they agree to kill. Zaphod travels to Asgard to seek Thor's help. Meanwhile, the Vogons are sent to the planet Nano to destroy the colony of people there who escaped destruction on Earth. Arthur, Wowbagger, Trillian and Random travel to Nano to try to stop the Vogons; along the way, Wowbagger falls in love with Trillian, and begins to question whether he wants to be killed. Zaphod appears with Thor, who becomes a god on the planet. He cannot kill Wowbagger, but thanks to Random, he still manages to deprive him of immortality, after which Wowbagger and Trillian fly away. Thor stops the first Vogon attack and dies (in fact, this is a staged event, planned together with Zaphod). Meanwhile, Constant Mown, son of Prostetnic Jeltz, convinces his father that the people on the planet are not inhabitants of the Earth, but inhabitants of the planet Nano, and therefore it is illegal to kill them. The Vogons fly away at the very last moment before Thor is about to attack them. The book ends with Arthur going to find a university for Random and, during a hyperspace jump, rushes through alternate Universes, meets Fenchurch and ends up in exactly the place where he would most like to be. The Vogons appear again.

The book was published on October 12, 2009, in the UK by Penguin Books and in the US by Hyperion.

Main characters

• Arthur Philip Dent is the main character, a BBC journalist. After the death of the planet, the Earth experiences many adventures, saving the Universe several times, which no one notices or attaches importance to. His attempts to find love and live a quiet life are doomed to failure. In the end, it perishes along with all possible space-time paradigms of planet Earth.
• Ford Prefect is a native of one of the planets of the star Betelgeuse, an employee of the corporation that publishes the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy guide. Rescued Arthur from Earth before its destruction. I took the name from the first car I saw on Earth. Likes to drink. Like Arthur, he constantly gets into various unpleasant stories.
• Zaphod Beeblebrox is the two-headed president of the galaxy, Ford's "half-cousin". A very self-confident person.
• Tricia McMillan (Trillian) is a girl from Earth, a friend of Zaphod, whom she eventually breaks up with, unable to tolerate his self-sufficiency.
• Fenchurch is Arthur's lover who disappeared without a trace during one of his hyperspace jumps.
• Slartibartfast is a native of the planet Magrathea, a planet designer who took part in the creation of planet Earth (in particular, the Norwegian fjords).
• Random is the "accidental daughter" of Arthur and Trisha.
• Marvin (robot) is a paranoid android suffering from persistent depression. The companion of the main characters, who saved their lives more than once.

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Notes

1. Nick Webb. Wish You Were Here: The Official Biography of Douglas Adams. - First US hardcover edition. - Ballantine Books, 2005. - P. 100. - ISBN 0-345-47650-6.
2. M. J. Simpson. Hitchhiker: A Biography of Douglas Adams. - First US Edition. - Justin Charles & Co., 2003. - P. 340. - ISBN 1-932112-17-0.
3. definition at Merriam-Webster Online
4. M. J. Simpson. The Pocket Essential Hitchhiker's Guide. - Second Edition. - Pocket Essentials, 2005. - P. 33. - ISBN 1-904048-46-3.
5. Douglas Adams. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Original Radio Scripts / Geoffrey Perkins (ed.), additional Material by M. J. Simpson. - 25th Anniversary Edition. - Pan Books, 2003. - P. 147. - ISBN 0-330-41957-9.
6. Right there. [Where?] Page 32.
7. Right there. [Where?] Page 253.
8. Douglas Adams. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Radio Scripts: The Tertiary, Quandary and Quintessential Phases / Dirk Maggs, dramatisations and editor. - Pan Books, 2005. - P. xiv. - ISBN 0-330-43510-8.
9. Douglas Adams. The Salmon of Doubt: Hitchhiking the Galaxy One Last Time / Peter Guzzardi (ed.). - First UK Edition. - Macmillan, 2002. - P. 198. - ISBN 0-333-76657-1.
10. M. J. Simpson. Hitchhiker: A Biography of Douglas Adams. Decree. Op. - P. 131.
12. . Retrieved February 2, 2014.
13. . Entertainment/Arts. BBC News (16 September 2008). Retrieved September 17, 2008. .
14. Peter Griffiths.. Reuters (September 17, 2008). Retrieved September 17, 2008. .
15. Alison Flood.. The Guardian (17 September 2008). Retrieved September 17, 2008. .
16. , with their own justification for using Hitchhiker's Guide.
17. M. J. Simpson. The Pocket Essential Hitchhiker's Guide. - Second Edition. - Pocket Essentials, 2005. - ISBN 1-904048-46-3.
18. Douglas Adams. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Original Radio Scripts / Geoffrey Perkins (ed.), additional material by M. J. Simpson. - 25th Anniversary Edition. - ISBN 0-330-41957-9.

Links

• in the library of Maxim Moshkov
• on the BBC website

Excerpt characterizing The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (novel series)

The next day after the review, Boris, dressed in his best uniform and encouraged by wishes of success from his comrade Berg, went to Olmutz to see Bolkonsky, wanting to take advantage of his kindness and arrange for himself the best position, especially the position of adjutant to an important person, which seemed especially tempting to him in the army . “It’s good for Rostov, to whom his father sends 10 thousand, to talk about how he doesn’t want to bow to anyone and won’t become a lackey to anyone; but I, who have nothing but my head, need to make my career and not miss opportunities, but take advantage of them.”
He did not find Prince Andrei in Olmutz that day. But the sight of Olmütz, where the main apartment stood, the diplomatic corps and both emperors lived with their retinues - courtiers, entourage, only further strengthened his desire to belong to this supreme world.
He knew no one, and, despite his smart guards uniform, all these high-ranking people, scurrying through the streets, in smart carriages, plumes, ribbons and orders, courtiers and military men, seemed to stand so immeasurably above him, a guards officer, that he did not They just didn’t want to, but also couldn’t acknowledge its existence. In the premises of Commander-in-Chief Kutuzov, where he asked Bolkonsky, all these adjutants and even orderlies looked at him as if they wanted to convince him that there were a lot of officers like him hanging around here and that they were all very tired of them. Despite this, or rather as a result of this, the next day, the 15th, after lunch he again went to Olmutz and, entering the house occupied by Kutuzov, asked Bolkonsky. Prince Andrei was at home, and Boris was led into a large hall, in which, probably, they had danced before, but now there were five beds, assorted furniture: a table, chairs and a clavichord. One adjutant, closer to the door, in a Persian robe, sat at the table and wrote. The other, red, fat Nesvitsky, lay on the bed, with his hands under his head, laughing with the officer who sat down next to him. The third played the Viennese waltz on the clavichord, the fourth lay on the clavichord and sang along with him. Bolkonsky was not there. None of these gentlemen, having noticed Boris, changed their position. The one who wrote, and to whom Boris addressed, turned around in annoyance and told him that Bolkonsky was on duty, and that he should go left through the door, into the reception room, if he needed to see him. Boris thanked him and went to the reception area. There were about ten officers and generals in the reception room.
While Boris came up, Prince Andrei, narrowing his eyes contemptuously (with that special look of polite weariness that clearly says that if it were not for my duty, I would not talk to you for a minute), listened to the old Russian general in orders, who, almost on tiptoe, at attention, with a soldier's obsequious expression on his purple face, reported something to Prince Andrei.
“Very good, if you please wait,” he said to the general in that French accent in Russian, which he used when he wanted to speak contemptuously, and, noticing Boris, no longer addressing the general (who ran after him pleadingly, asking him to listen to something else) , Prince Andrey with a cheerful smile, nodding to him, turned to Boris.
Boris at that moment already clearly understood what he had foreseen before, namely, that in the army, in addition to the subordination and discipline that was written in the regulations, and which was known in the regiment, and he knew, there was another, more significant subordination, the one that forced this drawn-out, purple-faced general to wait respectfully, while the captain, Prince Andrei, for his own pleasure, found it more convenient to talk with ensign Drubetsky. More than ever, Boris decided to serve henceforth not according to what is written in the regulations, but according to this unwritten subordination. He now felt that only due to the fact that he had been recommended to Prince Andrei, he had already become immediately superior to the general, who in other cases, at the front, could destroy him, the guards ensign. Prince Andrei came up to him and took his hand.
“It’s a pity that you didn’t find me yesterday.” I spent the whole day messing around with the Germans. We went with Weyrother to check the disposition. There is no end to how the Germans will take care of accuracy!
Boris smiled, as if he understood what Prince Andrei was hinting at as well known. But for the first time he heard the name Weyrother and even the word disposition.
- Well, my dear, do you still want to become an adjutant? I thought about you during this time.
“Yes, I thought,” Boris said, involuntarily blushing for some reason, “to ask the commander-in-chief; there was a letter to him about me from Prince Kuragin; “I wanted to ask only because,” he added, as if apologizing, “that I’m afraid the guards won’t be in action.”
- Fine! Fine! “We’ll talk about everything,” said Prince Andrei, “just let me report about this gentleman, and I belong to you.”
While Prince Andrei went to report on the crimson general, this general, apparently not sharing Boris’s concepts of the benefits of unwritten subordination, fixed his eyes so much on the impudent ensign who prevented him from talking with the adjutant that Boris felt embarrassed. He turned away and waited impatiently for Prince Andrei to return from the commander-in-chief's office.
“That’s what, my dear, I was thinking about you,” said Prince Andrey as they walked into the large hall with the clavichord. “There’s no need for you to go to the commander-in-chief,” said Prince Andrei, “he will say a lot of pleasantries to you, tell you to come to him for dinner (“that wouldn’t be so bad for the service in that chain of command,” thought Boris), but from that further nothing will come of it; us, adjutants and orderlies, will soon be a battalion. But here’s what we’ll do: I have a good friend, adjutant general and a wonderful person, Prince Dolgorukov; and although you may not know this, the fact is that now Kutuzov with his headquarters and all of us mean absolutely nothing: everything is now concentrated with the sovereign; so let’s go to Dolgorukov, I need to go to him, I already told him about you; so we'll see; Will he find it possible to place you with him, or somewhere else, closer to the sun.
Prince Andrei always became especially animated when he had to guide a young man and help him in secular success. Under the pretext of this help to another, which he would never accept for himself out of pride, he was close to the environment that gave success and which attracted him to itself. He very willingly took on Boris and went with him to Prince Dolgorukov.
It was already late in the evening when they entered the Olmut Palace, occupied by the emperors and their entourage.
On this very day there was a military council, which was attended by all members of the Gofkriegsrat and both emperors. At the council, contrary to the opinions of the old men - Kutuzov and Prince Schwarzernberg, it was decided to immediately attack and give a general battle to Bonaparte. The military council had just ended when Prince Andrei, accompanied by Boris, came to the palace to look for Prince Dolgorukov. All the people in the main apartment were still under the spell of today’s military council, victorious for the young party. The voices of the procrastinators, who advised to wait for something without advancing, were so unanimously drowned out and their arguments were refuted by undoubted evidence of the benefits of the offensive, that what was discussed in the council, the future battle and, without a doubt, victory, seemed no longer the future, but the past. All the benefits were on our side. Enormous forces, undoubtedly superior to those of Napoleon, were concentrated in one place; the troops were inspired by the presence of the emperors and were eager to get into action; the strategic point at which it was necessary to operate was known to the smallest detail to the Austrian General Weyrother, who led the troops (it was as if it were a happy accident that the Austrian troops last year were on maneuvers precisely on those fields on which they now had to fight the French); the surrounding area was known to the smallest detail and depicted on maps, and Bonaparte, apparently weakened, did nothing.
Dolgorukov, one of the most ardent supporters of the offensive, had just returned from the council, tired, exhausted, but animated and proud of the victory. Prince Andrei introduced the officer he protected, but Prince Dolgorukov, politely and firmly shaking his hand, said nothing to Boris and, obviously unable to restrain himself from expressing those thoughts that most occupied him at that moment, addressed Prince Andrei in French.
- Well, my dear, what a battle we fought! God only grant that what will be its consequence be equally victorious. However, my dear,” he said fragmentarily and animatedly, “I must admit my guilt before the Austrians and especially before Weyrother. What precision, what detail, what knowledge of the area, what foresight of all possibilities, all conditions, all the smallest details! No, my dear, it is impossible to deliberately invent anything more advantageous than the conditions in which we find ourselves. The combination of Austrian distinctness with Russian courage - what more do you want?
– So the offensive is finally decided? - said Bolkonsky.
“And you know, my dear, it seems to me that Buonaparte has definitely lost his Latin.” You know that a letter to the emperor has just been received from him. – Dolgorukov smiled significantly.
- That's how it is! What is he writing? – asked Bolkonsky.
- What can he write? Tradiridira, etc., all just to gain time. I tell you that it is in our hands; It's right! But what’s funniest of all,” he said, suddenly laughing good-naturedly, “is that they couldn’t figure out how to address the answer to him?” If not the consul, and of course not the emperor, then General Buonaparte, as it seemed to me.
“But there is a difference between not recognizing him as emperor and calling him general Buonaparte,” said Bolkonsky.
“That’s just the point,” Dolgorukov said quickly, laughing and interrupting. – You know Bilibin, he is a very smart person, he suggested addressing: “the usurper and enemy of the human race.”
Dolgorukov laughed cheerfully.
- No more? - Bolkonsky noted.
– But still, Bilibin found a serious address title. And a witty and intelligent person.
- How?
“To the head of the French government, au chef du gouverienement francais,” said Prince Dolgorukov seriously and with pleasure. - Isn't that good?
“Okay, but he won’t like it very much,” Bolkonsky noted.
- Oh, very much! My brother knows him: he has dined with him, the current emperor, in Paris more than once and told me that he has never seen a more refined and cunning diplomat: you know, a combination of French dexterity and Italian acting? Do you know his jokes with Count Markov? Only one Count Markov knew how to handle him. Do you know the history of the scarf? This is lovely!
And the talkative Dolgorukov, turning first to Boris and then to Prince Andrei, told how Bonaparte, wanting to test Markov, our envoy, deliberately dropped his handkerchief in front of him and stopped, looking at him, probably expecting a favor from Markov, and how Markov immediately He dropped his handkerchief next to him and picked up his own, without picking up Bonaparte’s handkerchief.
“Charmant,” said Bolkonsky, “but here’s what, prince, I came to you as a petitioner for this young man.” Do you see what?...
But Prince Andrei did not have time to finish when an adjutant entered the room, calling Prince Dolgorukov to the emperor.
- Oh, what a shame! - said Dolgorukov, hastily standing up and shaking the hands of Prince Andrei and Boris. – You know, I am very glad to do everything that depends on me, both for you and for this dear young man. – He once again shook Boris’s hand with an expression of good-natured, sincere and animated frivolity. – But you see... until another time!
Boris was worried about the closeness to the highest power in which he felt at that moment. He recognized himself here in contact with those springs that guided all those enormous movements of the masses of which in his regiment he felt like a small, submissive and insignificant part. They went out into the corridor following Prince Dolgorukov and met coming out (from the door of the sovereign’s room into which Dolgorukov entered) a short man in civilian dress, with an intelligent face and a sharp line of his jaw set forward, which, without spoiling him, gave him a special liveliness and resourcefulness of expression. This short man nodded as if he were his own, Dolgoruky, and began to peer intently with a cold gaze at Prince Andrei, walking straight towards him and apparently waiting for Prince Andrei to bow to him or give way. Prince Andrei did neither one nor the other; anger was expressed in his face, and the young man, turning away, walked along the side of the corridor.
- Who is this? – asked Boris.
- This is one of the most wonderful, but most unpleasant people to me. This is the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Adam Czartoryski.
“These are the people,” Bolkonsky said with a sigh that he could not suppress as they left the palace, “these are the people who decide the destinies of nations.”
The next day the troops set out on a campaign, and Boris did not have time to visit either Bolkonsky or Dolgorukov until the Battle of Austerlitz and remained for a while in the Izmailovsky regiment.

At dawn on the 16th, Denisov's squadron, in which Nikolai Rostov served, and which was in the detachment of Prince Bagration, moved from an overnight stop into action, as they said, and, having passed about a mile behind the other columns, was stopped on the high road. Rostov saw the Cossacks, the 1st and 2nd squadrons of hussars, infantry battalions with artillery pass by, and generals Bagration and Dolgorukov with their adjutants passed by. All the fear that he, as before, felt before the case; all the internal struggle through which he overcame this fear; all his dreams of how he would distinguish himself in this matter like a hussar were in vain. Their squadron was left in reserve, and Nikolai Rostov spent that day bored and sad. At 9 o'clock in the morning he heard gunfire ahead of him, shouts of hurray, saw the wounded being brought back (there were few of them) and, finally, saw how a whole detachment of French cavalrymen was led through in the middle of hundreds of Cossacks. Obviously, the matter was over, and the matter was obviously small, but happy. Soldiers and officers passing back talked about the brilliant victory, about the occupation of the city of Wischau and the capture of an entire French squadron. The day was clear, sunny, after a strong night frost, and the cheerful shine of the autumn day coincided with the news of the victory, which was conveyed not only by the stories of those who took part in it, but also by the joyful expression on the faces of soldiers, officers, generals and adjutants traveling to and from Rostov . The heart of Nikolai ached all the more painfully, as he had in vain suffered all the fear that preceded the battle, and spent that joyful day in inaction.
- Rostov, come here, let's drink out of grief! - Denisov shouted, sitting down on the edge of the road in front of a flask and a snack.
The officers gathered in a circle, eating and talking, near Denisov's cellar.
- Here's another one being brought! - said one of the officers, pointing to the French captured dragoon, which was being led on foot by two Cossacks.
One of them was leading a tall and beautiful French horse taken from a prisoner.
- Sell the horse! - Denisov shouted to the Cossack.
- If you please, your honor...
The officers stood up and surrounded the Cossacks and the captured Frenchman. The French dragoon was a young fellow, an Alsatian, who spoke French with a German accent. He was choking with excitement, his face was red, and, hearing the French language, he quickly spoke to the officers, addressing first one and then the other. He said that they would not have taken him; that it was not his fault that he was taken, but that le caporal was to blame, who sent him to seize the blankets, that he told him that the Russians were already there. And to every word he added: mais qu"on ne fasse pas de mal a mon petit cheval [But do not offend my horse] and caressed his horse. It was clear that he did not understand well where he was. He then apologized, that he was taken, then, presuming his superiors before him, he showed his soldierly efficiency and care for the service.He brought with him to our rearguard in all its freshness the atmosphere of the French army, which was so alien to us.
The Cossacks gave the horse for two chervonets, and Rostov, now the richest of the officers, having received the money, bought it.
“Mais qu"on ne fasse pas de mal a mon petit cheval,” the Alsatian said good-naturedly to Rostov when the horse was handed over to the hussar.
Rostov, smiling, reassured the dragoon and gave him money.
- Hello! Hello! - said the Cossack, touching the prisoner’s hand so that he would move on.
- Sovereign! Sovereign! - suddenly it was heard between the hussars.
Everything ran and hurried, and Rostov saw several horsemen with white plumes on their hats approaching from behind along the road. In one minute everyone was in place and waiting. Rostov did not remember and did not feel how he reached his place and got on his horse. Instantly his regret about not participating in the matter passed, his everyday mood in the circle of people looking closely at him, instantly any thought about himself disappeared: he was completely absorbed in the feeling of happiness that comes from the proximity of the sovereign. He felt rewarded by this proximity alone for the loss of that day. He was happy, like a lover who had waited for the expected date. Not daring to look at the front and not looking back, he felt with an enthusiastic instinct its approach. And he felt this not just from the sound of the hooves of the horses of the approaching cavalcade, but he felt it because, as he approached, everything around him became brighter, more joyful and more significant and festive. This sun moved closer and closer for Rostov, spreading rays of gentle and majestic light around itself, and now he already feels captured by these rays, he hears its voice - this gentle, calm, majestic and at the same time so simple voice. As it should have been according to Rostov’s feelings, dead silence fell, and in this silence the sounds of the sovereign’s voice were heard.
– Les huzards de Pavlograd? [Pavlograd hussars?] - he said questioningly.
- La reserve, sire! [Reserve, Your Majesty!] - answered someone else’s voice, so human after that inhuman voice that said: Les huzards de Pavlograd?
The Emperor drew level with Rostov and stopped. Alexander's face was even more beautiful than at the show three days ago. It shone with such gaiety and youth, such innocent youth that it was reminiscent of a childish fourteen-year-old playfulness, and at the same time it was still the face of a majestic emperor. Casually looking around the squadron, the sovereign’s eyes met Rostov’s eyes and stayed on them for no more than two seconds. Did the sovereign understand what was going on in Rostov’s soul (it seemed to Rostov that he understood everything), but he looked for two seconds with his blue eyes into Rostov’s face. (The light poured out of them softly and meekly.) Then suddenly he raised his eyebrows, with a sharp movement he kicked the horse with his left leg and galloped forward.
The young emperor could not resist the desire to be present at the battle and, despite all the representations of the courtiers, at 12 o'clock, separating from the 3rd column, with which he was following, he galloped to the vanguard. Before even reaching the hussars, several adjutants met him with news of the happy outcome of the matter.
The battle, which consisted only of the capture of a French squadron, was presented as a brilliant victory over the French, and therefore the sovereign and the entire army, especially after the gunpowder smoke had not yet dispersed on the battlefield, believed that the French were defeated and were retreating against their will. A few minutes after the sovereign passed, the Pavlograd division was demanded to go ahead. In Wieschau itself, a small German town, Rostov saw the sovereign again. In the city square, where there had been quite a heavy firefight before the sovereign’s arrival, there were several dead and wounded people who had not been picked up in time. The Tsar, surrounded by a retinue of military and non-military personnel, was on a red, anglicized mare, already different from that at the review, and, leaning on his side, with a graceful gesture holding a golden lorgnette to his eye, he looked into it at the soldier lying on his face, without a shako, with a bloody head. The wounded soldier was so unclean, rude and disgusting that Rostov was offended by his closeness to the sovereign. Rostov saw how the sovereign’s stooped shoulders shuddered, as if from a passing frost, how his left leg convulsively began to beat the horse’s side with a spur, and how the accustomed horse looked around indifferently and did not move from its place. The adjutant, who dismounted from his horse, took the soldier by the arms and began to lay him on the stretcher that appeared. The soldier groaned.
- Quiet, quiet, can’t it be quieter? - Apparently suffering more than a dying soldier, the sovereign said and drove away.
Rostov saw the tears filling the sovereign’s eyes, and heard him, as he drove away, say in French to Czartoryski:
– What a terrible thing war, what a terrible thing! Quelle terrible chose que la guerre!
The vanguard troops positioned themselves in front of Wischau, in sight of the enemy line, which gave way to us at the slightest skirmish throughout the entire day. The sovereign's gratitude was expressed to the vanguard, rewards were promised, and a double portion of vodka was distributed to the people. Even more cheerfully than the previous night, the campfires crackled and soldiers' songs were heard.
That night Denisov celebrated his promotion to major, and Rostov, already quite drunk at the end of the feast, proposed a toast to the health of the sovereign, but “not the sovereign emperor, as they say at official dinners,” he said, “but to the health of the good sovereign, a charming and great man; We drink to his health and to a certain victory over the French!”
“If we fought before,” he said, “and did not give way to the French, as at Shengraben, what will happen now that he is ahead?” We will all die, we will die with pleasure for him. So, gentlemen? Maybe I'm not saying that, I drank a lot; Yes, I feel that way, and so do you. For the health of Alexander the First! Hurray!
- Hurray! – the inspired voices of the officers sounded.
And old captain Kirsten shouted with enthusiasm and no less sincerely than twenty-year-old Rostov.
When the officers drank and broke their glasses, Kirsten poured others and, in only a shirt and leggings, with a glass in his hand, approached the soldiers' fires and in a majestic pose, waving his hand upward, with his long gray mustache and white chest visible from behind his open shirt, stopped in the light of the fire.
- Guys, for the health of the Emperor, for victory over the enemies, hurrah! - he shouted in his brave, senile, hussar baritone.
The hussars crowded together and responded with a loud cry.
Late at night, when everyone had left, Denisov patted his favorite Rostov on the shoulder with his short hand.
“There’s no one to fall in love with on a hike, so he fell in love with me,” he said.
“Denisov, don’t joke about this,” Rostov shouted, “this is such a high, such a wonderful feeling, such...
- “We”, “we”, “d”, and “I share and approve” ...
- No, you don’t understand!
And Rostov got up and went to wander between the fires, dreaming about what happiness it would be to die without saving a life (he did not dare to dream about this), but simply to die in the eyes of the sovereign. He really was in love with the Tsar, and with the glory of Russian weapons, and with the hope of future triumph. And he was not the only one who experienced this feeling in those memorable days preceding the Battle of Austerlitz: nine-tenths of the people of the Russian army at that time were in love, although less enthusiastically, with their Tsar and with the glory of Russian weapons.

The next day the sovereign stopped in Wischau. Life physician Villiers was called to him several times. News spread in the main apartment and among the nearby troops that the sovereign was unwell. He did not eat anything and slept poorly that night, as those close to him said. The reason for this ill health was the strong impression made on the sensitive soul of the sovereign by the sight of the wounded and killed.
At dawn on the 17th, a French officer was escorted from the outposts to Wischau, who had arrived under a parliamentary flag, demanding a meeting with the Russian emperor. This officer was Savary. The Emperor had just fallen asleep, and therefore Savary had to wait. At noon he was admitted to the sovereign and an hour later he went with Prince Dolgorukov to the outposts of the French army.
As was heard, the purpose of sending Savary was to offer a meeting between Emperor Alexander and Napoleon. A personal meeting, to the joy and pride of the entire army, was denied, and instead of the sovereign, Prince Dolgorukov, the winner at Wischau, was sent along with Savary to negotiate with Napoleon, if these negotiations, contrary to expectations, were aimed at a real desire for peace.
In the evening Dolgorukov returned, went straight to the sovereign and spent a long time alone with him.
On November 18 and 19, the troops made two more marches forward, and the enemy outposts retreated after short skirmishes. In the highest spheres of the army, from midday on the 19th, a strong, fussily excited movement began, which continued until the morning of the next day, November 20, on which the so memorable Battle of Austerlitz was fought.