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Looking for some light hearted/humorous readings.. been reading the likes of Wool and The passage of late, and need something to off-set the depressive future.
I enjoy the likes of Pratchett, John Scalzi, A. Lee Martinez and Neal Stephenson (serious but the humour is brilliant) and done the obvious Adams stuff and even the P G Wodehouse, so what else ya got?
Before I continue on with "Shift"
Sci-fi (& fantasy) is my preferred genre but obviously off the wall fiction is fine too. Though I've never got Tom Sharpe, might have to try again, and Jasper Fforde well he was just ok...
Read any Robert Rankin? No idea about his recent stuff, but he used to produce quality suburban mock-Crowleyan page-turners. Always particularly loved his idea that the A to Z (or Allocated Zones) was designed to guide us norms around the places we're not supposed to know about. Quality silliness.
Michael Marshall Smith writes off the wall, weird SF.
And of course Pratchett writes off the wall, funny, weird fantasy. But you knew that already.
(And Game of Thrones is amazing, if not what yer after right now - though Tyrion is funny and has an even cuttinger (if sometimes earthier) wit than Jeeves!)
+1 for Robert Rankin - try one of the Brentford trilogy. Also +1 for MM Smith but only his SF stuff - try "One of Us".
I like these books.
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Game of throne killed of every character I liked by book 4, and Tyrion got all depressing, he did kill his dad afterall, who killed his g/f [or maybe not]... man that just down right f-ing depressing all round
So I gave up & can't understand the hype now- though the boobage might be the draw?
I actually think it was Robert Rankin I might not have got, or was it both him and Sharpe? Will have to try them again (or for the 1st time)
Read a couple of Jasper Ffordes and they are fantastic, proper looney tunes imaginative and laugh-out-loud funny. Think I've read Shades Of Grey and The Eyre Affair, no prior knowledge needed for either of them - pick em up and enjoy. 🙂
Neil Gaiman?
Douglas Coupland
Pondo read the OP... Jasper just OK in my world.
Which Neil Gaiman though, obviously done Good Omens (with Pratchett) but the only other I've read was American Gods.. verging on the dark side (sandman esk). Which are his comedic stories?
Will try Douglas Coupland too
Is DBC Pierre actually comedy or tragedy (black comedy), going by the synopsis?
Cheer for the suggestions, lots of ppl I've not heard of to try out.
Jack Vance's the Dying Earth chronicles - v funny and part of the pantheon of SF.
First novel is not comic as such but written with a brilliant lightness of touch - the latter ones involving Cugel, though, have brilliant humour. Best written trickster character I've read.
Can read the books in any order.
Saki - a bitter, twisted (yet still funny) version of Wodehouse. Out of copyright, so you can almost certainly get it free in the ebook format of your choice.
Loads of his stories here: http://www.readbookonline.net/stories/Saki/77/
Two of my personal favourites: [url= http://www.readbookonline.net/readOnLine/766/ ]The Reticence of Lady Anne[/url] and
[url= http://www.readbookonline.net/readOnLine/668/ ]Sredni Vashtar[/url].
John Connolly's Charlie Parker books.
Pretty dark and twisted, but incredibly amusing in places and beautifully written.
Pondo read the OP... Jasper just OK in my world.
Bah - attempt-to-help fail. 🙁
Little Green Man by Simon Armitage
Submarine
All Quiet on the Orient Express by Magnus Mills. Not laugh out loud by any means, but you will get sucked in by it.
I found parts of these books proper LOL black comedy for sure but real captivating tales, I don't have much time for books generaly but it was hard to put either of these two down!Is DBC Pierre actually comedy or tragedy (black comedy), going by the synopsis?
cheers again, loads of ppl I've never heard of, which is good!
How about Tom Holt? The JWW series (starts with [url= http://www.amazon.co.uk/Portable-Door-Tom-Holt/dp/1841492086 ]The Portable Door[/url]) sounds like it might be right up your street.
For Robert Rankin, especially if you've tried before and not clicked, I can recommend [url=www.amazon.co.uk/The-Hollow-Chocolate-Bunnies-Apocalypse-ebook/dp/B0053YOZN6/]The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse[/url], which is quite unlike anything else he's ever written (apart from its sequel).
Try Joe Abercrombie, very moderate fantasy stuff, I'd recommend starting with the First Law Trilogy.
I'll add my own, just discovered a couple of short 'Laundry' stories by Charles Stross, from a Tor collection including another ace Scalzi short "The President's Brain is Missing", amusingly irreverent - right up my alley.. will be trying his 'proper' books along with your suggestions.
Again thanks.
Which Neil Gaiman though, obviously done Good Omens (with Pratchett) but the only other I've read was American Gods.. verging on the dark side (sandman esk). Which are his comedic stories?
Stardust is probably quite comedic. I liked Anansi boys.
Just had a thought - Michael Moorcock's stuff is mental. 'Dancers at the End of Time' is funny as hell in places. I reckon it's the best of his I've read, and I've read a few.
A 'Nomad of the Time Streams' is good too, it's Steampunk so would feel quite conventional - by Moorcock standards.
Another vote for Michael Marshall Smith - Only Forward, Spares and One of Us (my fave of the 3), are excellent.
hairyscary - Member
All Quiet on the Orient Express by Magnus Mills. Not laugh out loud by any means, but you will get sucked in by it.
That one's not my favourite but anything by Mills is darkly and weirdly entertaining, especially, The Restraint of Beasts.
Stardust is probably quite comedic.
It's a wonderful film.
conservative election manifesto, lots of fiction and written by comedians.