And just to head it off, I’ve read all of Discworld and a number of P.G. Wodehouse’s stories
I’m looking for humor books in any genre, but I would prefer ones that are speculative like Hitchhiker’s Guide, Discworld, and John Scalzi. But I’ve recently realized what I really like is the ones where they either have something absurd and they explain it rather matter-of-factly, the Babel fish being the clear example here, or where they have something normal and they describe it in an absurd way. I don’t have a good example of it.
I love The Android’s Dream by Scalzi, but the last two books of his feel a bit too much like the *characters* in it are overreacting and freaking out. I want something a wee bit more *narrator* driven, maybe? I dunno. I’m just trying to figure out where the line is. And I’d prefer something with a bit lighter plot or something that feels so absurd, you can’t possibly take it seriously.
Thanks!
by action_lawyer_comics
7 Comments
_Dungeon Crawler Carl_, by Matt Dinnaman
The Spaceship Next Door by Gene Doucette is a charming, light sci-fi novel that asks: what if an alien spaceship landed on Earth and just stayed there doing nothing for years?
Since you like P. G. Wodehouse you might also enjoy Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome.
Connie Willis has a bunch of time travel comedy books. To Say Nothing of the Dog might be a good start.
Since you’ve read Pratchett, have you read Good Omens by him and Neil Gaiman?
Both Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons and The Princess Bride by William Goldman are made funnier by the archness of the narration.
Have you read any of Oscar Wilde or Jane Austen? The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen are both comedies of manners that poke fun and the absurdity of the world around them.
If you’re okay with nonfiction, you might enjoy Bill Bryson. I’m a Stranger Here Myself is exactly the observational comedy you’re asking for.
Terminal Alliance, Janitors of the Post-apocalypse
By Jim C. Hines
You’ll love it!
Jasper Fforde is who you want. If you’ve read a lot of classical literature, then start with The Eyre Affair.
Christopher Moore. Start with A Dirty Job, I think it’s got exactly what you’re looking for.
You might like India Holton’s trilogy starting with _The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels_. An alternative Victorian England with flying pirate battlehouses. Marvellous and absurd.
If you enjoy your comedy with a side of crime-solving, ‘The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency’ by Alexander McCall Smith is a charming and witty series that follows Precious Ramotswe as she navigates mysteries and life’s little dramas in Botswana.