confused. need help.

** SPOILERS **
What is below is pretty much my interpretation of Book 5.

Book 5 is the most confusing; it should be read again at least once to pick up on everything that happened. I'm still not completely sure of everything but this is what I've got.

Both the Earth and Fenchurch disappeared from existence. This comes from the fact that Earth exists in a Plural Zone of the Universe (Sector ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha), which means unknown things can happen to Earth and Earth's existence, and its goings-on along its probability axis (how it exists in the Universe). For example, during the beginning of Book 5, we are taken to an alternate Earth, where Trillian did *not* go with Zaphod at the party and Earth did not get demolished.

So, on the Earth that Arthur came from, Earth was demolished, but from the Earth that the 2nd Trillian came from, it wasn't. Prostetnic Jeltz made a comment on how it was difficult demolishing planets in Plural Zones because they could keep popping back into existence because of the way things worked. This totally goes against Book 4, which merely says the Dolphins had left a new Earth in the old Earth's place in the "Campaign to Save the Humans".

The new Hitch Hiker's Guide (designed to see in every Universe possible in the Whole General Mish Mash) seems to do whatever it can in order to make things happen as they are supposed (as it sees through its unfiltered perception), such as Ford not dying when assaulting the Hitch Hiker's offices.

Beforehand, at the beginning of Book 5, alternate Earth Trillian met with the Grebulons and taught them astrology, so they could plot out their lives in the stars. Later, Trillian Astra mentions several times in passing that the she has to cover a war, and we can infer that one of these warring tribes is the Grebulons. She says that they become lost in space-time, and the war she had to cover never happened. The biggest clue is that she says that they are about to make a big mistake. Earlier, the Grebulon leader decided to "take decisive action" by aiming his defense cannons at Earth. The book, by having Ford live, the book gets itself sent off to Arthur, where it is stolen by Random. Random then takes the book to Earth, having Trillian Astra, Arthur and Ford all chase after her. The Earth then gets demolished, leaving all the characters of the trilogy (minus Zaphod and Marvin) dead. Arthur, we know for sure, was supposed to die. He dies only after he's been to Stavro Mueller Beta (the club that Random went to to find alternate Earth Trillian).

This is all supposed to happen (I think; not 100% sure) and the book is making sure this happens as it is supposed (as they say, history cannot be altered - all the important changes have already been made and everything fits like a jigsaw) and it all did happen to way it was meant to. It does all fit together, but in a very odd and hard to understand way.

I hope I cleared things up instead of making it more confusing.