Hard to explain amazing funny sci-fi story. It made me laugh when I was younger!! Wiki can probably explain better. Very brief explanation. Aliens wanted to know the meaning of the Universe. They built a giant computer. Earth. After 10k years or so it said the answer was 42. After 3 books!
Does it involve planning law decisions about bypasses?
In a strange way it does! Earth is destroyed because it was in the way of an interstellar bypass! 😂
What! Was no notice given?
Nope. Aliens were MAGA Republicans!
Did anyone on Earth survive? I would hate to thing that I could be sitting in a cafe in Rickmansworth, having a bright idea about law and policy, and then just get vaporised.
If I remember correctly. One person, Arthur Dent rescued in his friend pyjamas and dressing gown by Ford Prefect, a galactic hitch hiker on space cruisers. Ah. Trillian. She might have been another??? Girlfriend of Zaphod Beeblebrox? Maybe I told you it was crazy!
Did any mice or dolphins survive?
Yep. They left. The Dolphins said Good bye and thanks for all the fish! The White Mice? They were the baddies behind it all. They left.
And is there any poetry? I quite the poetry of Paula Nancy Millstone Jennings.
I had totally forgotten about her. I never was into poetry. I think I got a null pointe when attempting to write at school. GCE failure. At the time, how can you compete with Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, Hendrix etc? I bought a Les Paul Custom and small Marshall amp. Can I play? Nope