"AND ANOTHER THING," by Eion Colfer, Hyperion Books, 288 pages, $25.99

DON'T PANIC

Everything's OK.

Really.

The answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything is still 42.

And the galaxy, sans both the Earth and plural-zone Earth, is still humming along.

Author Eoin Colfer has picked up the Hitchhiker's Guide series right where creator Douglas Adams left off. And in doing so, Colfer has managed to create a cohesive and highly satisfying finale to an iconic series loved worldwide.

When we left the hitchhikers at the end of the last book, "Mostly Harmless," the Earth had just exploded and apparently all the humans in the universe were dead.

But in true Hitchhiker fashion, appearances can be deceiving. We find out in "And Another Thing" that a couple of years before the Earth exploded, a group of wealthy humans managed to buy and colonize a small planet called Nano.

Now, the Vogons — the bad guys who hate to leave things unfinished — are on their way to blow up Nano.

Favorite heroes — Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect, Tricia McMillan "Trillian," Random Dent and Zaphod Beeblebrox — from the original books also make an appearance.

And this time, our heroes are on their way Nano, too, ready for a showdown with the Vogons.

The path to Nano is chock-full of all sorts of antics, shenanigans, adventures and escapades that fall right in line with the Hitchhiker universe.

That's not to say that "And Another Thing" is exactly like its predecessors. It's not. The chapters are longer, and so is the book — it's about twice as long as any in the series.

If anything, Colfer's most controversial move might be a change to Zaphod's anatomy. It's a "heady" decision that some fans might have trouble stomaching.

Colfer manages to keep Adams' spirit, though, which is essential to making "And Another Thing" work. And it does.

Colfer's humor is spot on. And his additions — particularly his Guide Notes, which expand on the knowledge of the universe — are imaginative and strengthen the series as a whole.

"And Another Thing" is a paradoxical romp through space that transports readers to new worlds while tickling the funny bone. Fans new and old won't want to put this book down.

e-mail: jharrison@desnews.com