Humorous books...

[zorcarepublic]

Does anyone have any specific suggestions for humorous books? I'd like to read something funny because my mood has been a bit down over the last day or two, and Im not really interested in reading TP or any of the books I have at home...

 

[GOLLUM]

In the fantasy Genre the obvious one would be Terry Pratchett's Discworld series but you mention TP so I assume you mean this author??. I'm not that into comedic fantasy if that's the right word but I know plenty of peolpe who enjoy his books. Apparently the earlier ones in the series are very funny but more lately he's become a bit more dark or sombre in his stories. That's not my opinon just what people who've read the books say.

I believe the Lemony Snickett books for younger readers are supposed to be a bit of fun!

Also the send up book Bored Of The Rings and Mary Gentle's Grunts is supposed to be quite good.

For older comedy fantasy Fletcherr Pratt and L Sprague De Camp's Enchanter series featuring Harold Shea and his various adventurous mishaps is worth a look.

Hope this helps...

There's plenty of members here who'll be able to give you more completre answers than this, so good luck and keep your chin up mate!!

All the best..

 

[Tsujigiri]

Anything by Douglas Adams...Mein Kampf is bloody hilarious....there are others...

 

[Leto]

Does anyone have any specific suggestions for humorous books? I'd like to read something funny because my mood has been a bit down over the last day or two, and Im not really interested in reading TP or any of the books I have at home...

Douglas Adams - Hitchhiker Guide to the Galaxy
Jasper Fforde - the Jane Eyre affair
Fredric Brown - any of his novel but especially Martians go home !
Roger Zelazny and Robert Sheckley - the Millenial contest :
Bring Me the Head of Prince Charming, If at Faust You Don't Succeed, A Farce to Be Reckoned With
Not sci-fi, John Irving - The world according to Garp or Hotel New Hamsphire (sp ?)
The complete Monty Python Flying Circus - Graham Chapman (scripts from the serie)

 

[Alia]

Here's my favorite to add to the list, The Princess Bride by William Goldman... excellent read! Never laughed so hard in my life!

 

[Princess Ivy]

my name comes from the Xlanth series by piers antony. full of really stupid and funny puns. would also recomend james bibby and alan dean fosters spellsinger series

 

[ravenus]

Not SF/Fant but...3 Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome never fails to amuse and engage me. About 3 gentlemen on a boat trip down the Thames who get into all kinds of delightfully odd predicaments. The book also has some nice philosophic insight and some very interesting historical vignettes.

 

[Winters_Sorrow]

My suggestions:
Phule's Company & Phule's Paradise by Robert Asprin
Any of the "Myth" series by the same author
Grunts by Mary Gentle
Ronan the Barbarian by James Bibby

Oh, and I second the Xanth series - especially the earlier ones like Centaur Aisle or Crewel Lye (although my favourite's probably "The Colour of Her Panties - possibly the best book title ever.. )
Check out the precis on somewhere like Amazon & see if any tickle yer funny bone

Oh and, in the words of Eric Idle, "Cheer up ya miserable bugger! You come into this life with nothing, leave with nothing. What have you lost? Nothing! Alway's look on the bright side of life *whistles annoyingly*" .....

 

[Amber]

Not SF/Fant but...3 Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome never fails to amuse and engage me. About 3 gentlemen on a boat trip down the Thames who get into all kinds of delightfully odd predicaments. The book also has some nice philosophic insight and some very interesting historical vignettes.

Good, good. I love that book myself. Such a wry little novel

 

[rune]

Keeper Chronicles by Tanya Huff, very amusing at times There are three books in the series.

 

[dwndrgn]

In addition to the others mentioned above (dang, I really have to get a hold of Grunts, I just can't find it other than on the internet) I'd suggest any of Spider Robinson's Callahan Chronicles - my favorite salve for the delving gloomies...recommended for anyone going through a bad patch, anyone just bored stiff, anyone who likes to read...do you think I like this series?

Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle - not specifically meant to be humorous but the author definitely shows his enjoyment over a tickled funny bone...

Simon Hawke's Wizard series is quite amusing as well.

 

[Estelthea]

Couple of my favourites not mentioned - Tom Holt and Robert Rankin, both very funny fantasy authors with a whole shelf full of books to read.

 

[Jay]

Funniest book I ever read, and one of the best in the genre is Thorne Smith's Night Life of Gods.

 

[ITR Champion]

I always recommend The Prophecy Machine and The Treachery of Kings, by Neal Barrett, Jr. They're about a professional lizard maker who's in love with a mouse, travels in a sausage-shaped balloon, and goes on all sorts of crazy missions for an insane prince. But if you're feeling down right now, you might want to save these books for later. They're not feel-good humor, more like feel-depressed-at-how-nuts-the-world-is humor. They are wonderful books, though.

 

[Mark Robson]

Couple of my favourites not mentioned - Tom Holt and Robert Rankin, both very funny fantasy authors with a whole shelf full of books to read.

I'd second Tom Holt up to a point. He has a bizarre mind and a thing about norse gods and mythology that dominates his writing. If I were to recommend an opening novel to try, then it would have to be Expecting Someone Taller.

From what I remember it starts with an insignificant nobody called Malcolm who runs over a badger one evening. He is somewhat annoyed, because the accident dents the wing of his car, which he is about to sell. However, the badger turns out to have been one of the norse gods, who bequeaths him two gifts - I think one gives him unlimited wealth and the other makes him the ruler of the world. The badger's dying words are 'somehow I was expecting someone taller' - hence the title.

The other norse gods, who have been looking for the two objects for centuries, realise that Malcolm has the two artifacts and come looking for him. Mayhem ensues! Is Malcolm cut out to rule the world? Well, with Tom Holt's strange sense of humour and justice just about anything is possible.

 

[zorcarepublic]

Read--enjoyed--especially the bit where its my home town mentioned...

 

[Mark Robson]

How about The Great Time Machine Hoax by Keith Laumer - now there's a name I had to look up!

This is an old sci fi comedy (1963 vintage) that was great fun and an easy read. Chester W Chester IV discovers that he is the heir to his quirky grandfather's estate - good news you might think, but no. From what I remember (and again, please bear in mind that it's a good few years since I last read this) his estate is pretty much bankrupt and unless he comes up with something pretty quickly, Chester is going to sink in debt before he can say 'Oh my...'.

It appears that Chester's grandfather has invested a lot of his money in a new style of computer that has been programmed to be rather more than one might expect. A great fun read and worth a go if you can find a copy.

 

[Leto]

The Cyberiad by Stanislas Lem

 

[Animaiden]

As people said before, books by Robert Rankin(just his titles are funny) and the Keeper's Cronicles by Tanya Huff. Also Sir Apropo of Nothing by Peter David. Lots of groan worthy puns. I never laughed so hard reading a book. Fool's Tavern by Ned Resnikoff is another funny book. Not laugh out loud funny, but make-fun-of-the-genre funny. It isn't the most well written book(the author is only 15) but it is a good and quick read.

 

[stencyl]

Hitchhiker's Guide series is great fun, if you haven't read it already.

Vonnegut's stuff is good for a laugh and it's poignant, too.