Is that it? Is that all there is?

gufnork

I'm talking about Terry Pratchett(fantasy) here of course and equally, Douglas Adams(sci-fi).

Is this it when it comes to really funny, laugh-out-loud fantasy and sci-fi? Am i doomed to re-read Discworld and Hitchhikers over and over again, or is there light at the end of this tunnel?

Anyone?

OwaynOTT

Tom Holt is funny at times. Ben Aaronovitch is good, only two books though. Christopher Moore is another, however, I've only read one of his but it was good. Lamb, The Gospel according to Biff.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

kurt vonnegutt has some laugh out loud moments in his books, although it's generally not the focus I guess

gufnork

OwaynOTT wrote: »

Tom Holt is funny at times. Ben Aaronovitch is good, only two books though. Christopher Moore is another, however, I've only read one of his but it was good. Lamb, The Gospel according to Biff.

I've tried a few of Tom Holt's. Not too bad. One i particularly wanted to try of his but can't remember the name of, but i know it has an old people's home for the gods in it.

Opinicus

Give Robert Rankin's Brentford Trilogy a look.

gufnork

Anyone read Robert Asprin's 'Another fine myth' series? Is it any good?

gufnork

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

kurt vonnegutt has some laugh out loud moments in his books, although it's generally not the focus I guess

I heard about this guy. Wasn't he the one that wrote massive amounts of stuff but didn't even attempt to get any of it published while he was alive? May have to investigate his stuff.

Opinicus wrote: »

Give Robert Rankin's Brentford Trilogy a look.

I think i will. Thanks.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

gufnork wrote: »

I heard about this guy. Wasn't he the one that wrote massive amounts of stuff but didn't even attempt to get any of it published while he was alive? May have to investigate his stuff.



I think i will. Thanks.

umm.. it's possible I guess, but he had a load of books published so you're probably thinking of somebody else


if you're gona check out some of his books, look at "breakfast of champions" and "cats cradle". quite a while since I read them but iirc, they're both excellent and funny.

Opinicus

gufnork wrote: »

I think i will. Thanks.

Just a note, there are more than three books in the Brentford Trilogy, just in case you're down at the bookshop trying to make sense of which one to buy first. They're not exactly in chronological order either.

Johnny Storm

gufnork wrote: »

I heard about this guy. Wasn't he the one that wrote massive amounts of stuff but didn't even attempt to get any of it published while he was alive?

Short answer: "No"

Also while he can be very funny he can also be deep and very dark. As an American soldier of German descent he survived the Allied fire-bombing of Dresden while a prisoner of the Nazis (see his book Slaughterhouse Five). Obviously that kind of **** has a traumatic effect.
He is a truly great author IMHO but maybe a bit dated these days?

Longer Answer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Vonnegut

OwaynOTT

Oh I've always liked the 'Pirates! In adventure with' books by Gideon Defoe. Short and silly but deals with serious issues like evolution, obsession, communism and ham.

Hatgirl

Opinicus wrote: »

Give Robert Rankin's Brentford Trilogy a look.

Robert Rankin is going to be in Dublin next weekend! He's going to be a GOH at P-CON at the Irish Writer's Centre. He's also going to be doing a signing in Chapters on Friday, the 2nd of March at 5.30 PM.


As for funny books, I enjoyed "Redemption In Indigo" by Karen Lord. It's written in the style of an old African folktale as being told by a very grumpy narrator. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events is good. And Rick Cook's Wiz books... if you know anything about computer programming :-D

Conall Cernach

Jack Vance's Dying Earth novels and stories are full of black humour and some genuine laugh out loud moments. Cugel abducting 2 women and their mother on board a ship makes them cook for him and share his bed at night while their mother steers the ship. Hilarity ensues. His use of language is second to none in my opinion. "So now, be off! Or I inflict upon you the Spell of the Macroid Toe, whereupon the signalized member swells to the proportions of a house."

MOH

It's not really laugh out loud, more satirical and sometimes very dark humour, but some of John Sladek's stuff was quite amusing. Although it's years since I'e read it, might be quite dated now.

Blackhorse Slim

gufnork wrote: »

Anyone read Robert Asprin's 'Another fine myth' series? Is it any good?

I read a lot of them. They are funny, but very cheesy - with lots of groan out loud moments. Great if you like that sort of thing. They are pretty short, give the first one a try and if you like, there are plenty more, all of very similar style and quality from what I remember.

The Brentford Trilogy, and further books by Rankin, are excellent, but I think they got a bit strange as the series went on... I read about 6 of them many years ago (the first 5 Brentford books and a couple of others like They Came and Ate Us).

Tenger

Try 'Triumff' by Dan Abnett. A Pratchett type alternative history novel.

meenaghans

Ari marmell is very good especially the goblin corps (warning contains lots or swearing) A lee martinez is quite funny as well

Antar Bolaeisk

Neill Gaiman, not as laugh out loud funny as Pratchett but he has his moments. In particular see "Good Omens" which he co-wrote with Pratchett and "American Gods".

BlaasForRafa

Toby Frosts "Space Captain Smith" books are very funny, 3 books published so far, Space Captain Smith, God-Emperor of Didcot and Attack of the Lemming men.

OwaynOTT

Antar Bolaeisk wrote: »

Neill Gaiman, not as laugh out loud funny as Pratchett but he has his moments. In particular see "Good Omens" which he co-wrote with Pratchett and "American Gods".

Forgot about him. Anasii's Boys is quite good as well.

gufnork

Antar Bolaeisk wrote: »

Neill Gaiman, not as laugh out loud funny as Pratchett but he has his moments. In particular see "Good Omens" which he co-wrote with Pratchett and "American Gods".

Have just finished Good Omens actually. Started it several times in the past only to get sidetracked, but it was great. Read American Gods a fair while ago but didn't think too much of it.

OwaynOTT wrote: »

...Anasii's Boys is quite good as well.

Anansi Boys on the other hand was one of my favourites. Very good i thought.

Johnny Storm

gufnork wrote: »

...
Is this it when it comes to really funny, laugh-out-loud fantasy and sci-fi? ....

Now that I think of it how about Harry Harrisons "Stainless Steel Rat" series?

gufnork

Johnny Storm wrote: »

gufnork wrote: »

...
Is this it when it comes to really funny, laugh-out-loud fantasy and sci-fi? ....

Now that I think of it how about Harry Harrisons "Stainless Steel Rat" series?

Read a few of those too now I come to think of it. Not bad. First one was the best out of the few I read as I recall.

Trojan

Harrison's "Bill, The Galactic Hero" is great too.

Some of Stross' stuff can be humourous, but isn't straight comedy.

gufnork

Trojan wrote: »

Harrison's "Bill, The Galactic Hero" is great too.

Some of Stross' stuff can be humourous, but isn't straight comedy.

I tried Bill, the galactic hero a while back but didn't get too far into it before I set it aside. I think I just wasn't in the mood for it at the time since I don't remember it being a bad read. I'll give it another go I think.

L

Tenger wrote: »

Try 'Triumff' by Dan Abnett. A Pratchett type alternative history novel.

Couldn't get into it at all. Found it very weak.

gufnork wrote: »

I tried Bill, the galactic hero a while back but didn't get too far into it before I set it aside. I think I just wasn't in the mood for it at the time since I don't remember it being a bad read. I'll give it another go I think.

The first "Bill the Galactic Hero" book is quite sharp and funny (worth a read). The sequels are garbage though and best avoided.

Trojan

Oh yes, I meant the original. I don't think Harrison was too impressed with his "shared universe" sequels by his peers.

Morag

Simon R Green.
Be it hawk and fisher or nightside or the blue moon books, dark humour but at least I found it laugh out loud.

Blackhorse Slim

Ok, not fantasy, and not sci-fi (maybe science-comedy?) but Cosmic Banditos is probably the most laugh-out-loud book I've ever read (and I'm a big Pratchett and Adams fan). For anyone with even a basic familiarity with quantum mechanics this will blow your socks off! And if you're not familiar with quantum theory... well, maybe this isn't the best place to start!

Trojan

I forgot about Douglas Hill. Try:

The Fraxilly Fracas
The Colloghi Conspiracy

I haven't read any of his other ones so don't know if they're comedy.

Hatgirl

George MacDonald Fraser technically writes humorous historical fiction rather than SF&F, but their connection to reality is pretty slim. You could easily call them alternate history fantasy ;-) His main series is the Flashman books, but I really liked the standalone book "Pyrates!"

MOH

Trojan wrote: »

I forgot about Douglas Hill. Try:

The Fraxilly Fracas
The Colloghi Conspiracy

I haven't read any of his other ones so don't know if they're comedy.

God, I haven't read those in years. *goes rummaging*

Odaise Gaelach

There is also the Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster-Bujold. It's more dramatic and not as funny as Douglas Adams, but it's got some great moments in it.

Derfelcadarn

Try Simon R Green. He's got a trilogy, think it's the forest kingdom trilogy, with a knight riding round on an intelligent unicorn, and of course only virgins can ride unicorns....

growler

as already suggested Robert Rankin and George McDonald Fraser fit the bill -ish and Good Omens is a great read also. Rankin is mental though with running gags that go on through all x-million books he's written to date. Think all that prevents him writing more is the lack of suitable movie titles to satirise.

Dan_Solo

Dramocles by Robert Sheckley would be a suggestion, or indeed any of the legion of Xanth books by Piers Anthony.

spongehaed

I think the Thraxas novels by Martin Scott are comic fantasy but i haven't read them, just saw them on shelves.

ferretone

Good suggestions in the thread so far, but on reflection, the next best humourous fantasy out there is without doubt Alan Dean Foster's Spellsinger series.

Michael Marshall Smith's Only Forward, while not as overtly comic, has quite a few hilarious moments as well.