The Castle of Otranto vs The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Fiction
The Castle of Otranto
More
This book is the earliest and most influential of the Gothic novels. First published pseudonymously in 1764, The Castle of Otranto purported to be a translation of an Italian story of the time of the crusades. In it…
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
“Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the Western Spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun.”
More
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is the first of six books in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy comedy science fiction "hexalogy" by Douglas Adams. The novel is an adaptation of the first four parts of Adams's…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy highest: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy 4.2 · The Castle of Otranto 3.2.
- The Castle of Otranto is the quickest read — about 1 hours vs 5 for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has the widest readership — 2070422 ratings behind its score.
Affiliate links: we may earn a commission on purchases.
How to choose
Scores by source
| The Castle of Otranto | The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.2 (45299) | 4.2 (2070422) |
| Hardcover | 3.0 (96) | 4.1 (108) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (29) | 4.5 (1216) |
| Check price → | Check price → |
Reception
| The Castle of Otranto | The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 45299 | 2070422 |
| Editions | 582 | 130 |
| Citations | 2 | — |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 50759 | 1155684 |
| Reading it now | 2098 | 43208 |
| Written reviews | 5329 | 60089 |
| Wikipedia attention | 9906 | 66663 |
| Pages | 106 | 289 |
| Check price → | Check price → |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: The Castle of Otranto or The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy 4.2/5, The Castle of Otranto 3.2/5).
Which is shorter to read: The Castle of Otranto or The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?
The Castle of Otranto is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Castle of Otranto (106 pages, ≈ 1 h 58 m); The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (289 pages, ≈ 5 h 21 m).
Which is harder to read: The Castle of Otranto or The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The Castle of Otranto: Demanding; The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Moderate.
Have both books been made into films?
The Castle of Otranto: no film adaptation on record; The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: 1 film adaptation.