Fantasy/Humour

[BAYLOR]

Anything by Terry Pratchett

The Xanth series by Piers anthony

Jurgen by James Branch Cabell. Master of ironic Humor , very witty and wise.

Silverlock by John Myers Myers

Lest Darkness Fall L Sprague De Camp

The Complete Enchanter L Sprague De Camp and Fletcher Pratt

The Dragon and The George by Gordon R Dickson

The P I Garret Series by Glen Cook.

The Myth Series by Robert and Lynn Asprin

Mention My Name in Atlantis by John Jakes

Flying Dutch by Tom Holt

Who's Afraid of Beowulf by Tom Holt

 

[biodroid]

Thx Wert, I have seen Robert Rankin's books around but wasn't sure if they were good. I will download some samples.

 

[aThenian]

I loved Bartimaeus.

Me too. I think Jonathan Stroud has a new book out too - imagine that will be humorous too.

Another YA fantasy author who is very funny (but not recent, she died, sadly) - Diana Wynne Jones - e.g. Howl's Moving Castle. Her Tough Guide to Fantasyland is poking fun at the whole genre.

Douglas Adams...just amazing.

Recently read Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five which is described as dark comedy and I guess technically sci-fi (or at least speculative) but have to say I found it one of the least-funny books I've read...

Here's something I was wondering recently - though maybe I need to start another threat - is it possible to write humorous fantasy (or humorous anything) without using either OPOV or First Person POV? (Both Pratchett and Adams write OPOV.) I just don't think limited third works for humour, but would love to hear a counter example.

 

[BAYLOR]

Typewriter in The Sky by L Ron Hubbard is about man trapped in bad novel . It is hilariously funny.

 

[Randy M.]

I'd second The Compleat Enchanter by de Camp and Pratt, also much of the work of Eric Frank Russell.

I think an obvious draw of the Harry Potter series is its humor. While the series darkens as it proceeds, the humor never quite fades away; for me, especially in the first 4-5 books, my reading was often interrupted by laughing.

The Circus of Dr. Lao by Charles Finney, a satire, some of it funny, some it maybe too close to the bone to make you laugh, but much of it on the nose. I think that is why something like Slaughterhouse 5 is called comedy but doesn't really inspire gales of laughter.

The Wonderful O by James Thurber. A kids story that adults may like even more than kids. Pirates steal the letter O so that, "Woe is we." The wrd play is delicius.

Tea With the Black Dragon by R. A. McAvoy is not a laugh riot, but mixes in humor largely based on the wry personalities of the two main characters.

Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart is ... I'm not really sure what it is, but it has moments of high good humor, again mainly drawn from the protagonists and how they react to the situations they are in and how they work together.

The Mall of Cthulhu by Seamus Cooper, which is probably a pseudonym, concerns a schmuck who recognizes supernatural/paranormal creatures when he sees them and his best friend, a young, female FBI agent who manages now and again to get him out of trouble. Rather better than that sounds, though certainly not my first recommendation from this list.

Tangential to all of this, Bimbos of the Death Sun by Sharyn McCrumb, a mystery. First published in 1988, she seemed aware of the eccentric personalities attending s.f. conventions and not afraid to lampoon them, which didn't go over well with fandom but for someone on the fringe like I was, seemed pretty funny. The sequel, Zombies of the Gene Pool, wasn't as successful and frankly read like the idea for a better, more serious novel shoehorned into preexisting packaging.



Randy M.

 

[Ray McCarthy]

Anything by Terry Pratchett

The Xanth series by Piers anthony

Yes to both, but for different reasons, not everyone's cup of tea. If you don't like what Piers Anthony is doing, you'll find it a punishment to read the Xanth series. Clue perhaps in some of the titles.

 

[WaylanderToo]

Just finished Bone (comic) which is at times a real hoot.

The Iron Druid series is also very funny in place (albeit not a comedy)

 

[VKALFIERI]

I'm very much a fan of comedy; and have wondered why there isn't more fantasy comedy out there as much as there is science fiction comedy.

It seems like a genre ripe for taking the mickey; but it seems like whenever someone other than Pratchett tries to make a go of it; it comes off as terrible fan fiction.

I myself have made several attempts at writing comedy; but what I came up with ended up like a bad fan fiction of Hitchhiker's Guide.

Humour is a tough beast and what you think is funny isn't always what others will find funny.

I would like to take another shot at it in the future; after I get my current story done.

I believe there's room for humour in the genre and have written a short called "Freddy McMerlin, The Wizard Who Lived on a Farm" and another one called "The Tale of Sir Trevor; Knight of the Square Barstool, Who Done Brave Deeds and Stuff"; but aside from those....

I'm happy to get suggestions for fantasy comedy novels aside from those by Pratchett. I'm interested and intrigued by Thursday Next; but dunno if it would be to my taste.

 

[WaylanderToo]

Robert Asprin has written several comedic novels containing perverts... sorry pervects