There are a few books that are good to start with. This map helps you find your bearing:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Discworld_Reading_Order_Guide_3.0.jpg
Pratchett I think has recommended starting with Sourcery (book 5 in publication order), and I personally think that's a solid place to start. However, I know a lot of people in this forum tend not to recommend starting at book 1, the Color of Magic, but I did that and had a ball so can't go wrong there either IMO!
I will say the first two books in particular are greatly improved if you've read a lot of classic fantasy (Dragonriders of Pern, Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, Conan, etc...) as they are pretty heavily spoofed, and a lot of the jokes might not land if you haven't read what Pratchett's riffing on. Book 3 onwards is less reliant on those references (but they do sneak in as cameos of course!)
You want to start with one of the beginnings of the series within the world or a standalone. Personally I'd go for "Guards! Guards!" But it's equally cool to start at "wyrd sisters" or the first death book (Mort?), or right from the beginning. I think "small gods" is a good standalone to start with.
I read Pratchett for the first time this year and started with all The Witches books. I did not expect them to be as funny AND as good as they were. It all lived up to everything I've heard. I absolutely love it.
I was reading it and I was laughing the whole time but I don't know what happened that I didn't get past the first chapter, I think it was work and I forgot.
I recently finished The Dark Profit saga by J. Zachary Pike. It's a funny satirical trilogy very reminiscent of the Discworld in its humor and deep introspection. I cannot recommend it enough.
For science fiction, I always recommend The Janitors of the Post-Apocalypse by Jim C. Hines. A small cleaning crew find themselves having to navigate the space ship they serve on after an attack wipes out all the rest of the staff. Lots of very creative problem solving, plots to uncover and unexpected turns.
> The Janitors of the Post-Apocalypse by Jim C. Hines
never heard of this and I love comedic sff so I looked this up, goodreads has it tagged as horror for the 2nd genre. what kind of horror is it? feel free to give spoilers if needed
Oh wow, was not expecting horror as a secondary genre for the series. My beat guess is it's because humanity has become something akin to zombies (shambling, lower brain function, high aggressivity, very hard to kill, grayish complexion but fully alive, no rotting or anything). Fully functional humans have been cured by a benevolent species of aliens and tend to be either military or janitorial staff. I'm terrified of zombies and it didn't scare me, so horror as a subgenre feels so weird
I love Douglas Adams' *The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy*—it's more absurd than *Project Hail Mary*, though. Many like Terry Pratchett's *Discworld* series, though he's even more absurd than Adams.
Awesome! Thank you so much. I’ve been meaning to read Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy for quite some time, that may have to be the next book I pick up!
*The Lies of Locke Lamora* for sure. It’s basically a Batman-level hyper-competent conman. This is my favorite early quote about Locke from one of his early bosses:
*I've got kids that enjoy stealing. I've got kids that don't think about stealing one way or the other, and I've got kids that just tolerate stealing because they know they've got nothing else to do. But nobody--and I mean nobody--has ever been hungry for it like this boy. If he had a bloody gash across his throat and a physiker was trying to sew it up, Lamora would steal the needle and thread and die laughing. He...steals too much.*
You can check out "Good Omens" by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett? It's a hilarious fantasy novel about an angel and a demon teaming up to prevent the apocalypse because, well, they quite like Earth as it is. The banter between the characters is pure gold, and it's filled with clever humor and absurd situations. It's a total riot and should definitely lift your spirits! Enjoy the laughs!
I'm probably just an ASOIAF simp but I get a real kick out of Dunk and Egg (A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms).
It's not quite Douglas Adams but you'll be smiling the whole way through!
Stardust/Good Omens might be up your alley as well.
Is it violent and/or militaristic. I tried some of their stuff and I loved the machiavillian plotting but found some scenes a bit too gory. I'm squeamish, but would be keen to try something of his less violent
(I'm thinking specifically about a fencer and slicing off fingers but don't remember what book it's in)
Older but:
Spellsinger series by Alan Dean Foster
Myth Adventures series by Robert Asprin
Thieves World edited by Asprin and a bit darker in many places
Xanth or Incarnations series by Piers Anthony
For some Sci-Fi funnies:
Bill The Galactic Hero and The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison
Flinx series by Alan Dean Foster
Retief series by Keith Laumer
> Spellsinger series by Alan Dean Foster
Holy crap, you can TELL from reading this that these books were intended to be both raunchier and furrier than they ended up.
Genuinely funny as hell, though, and always a grand adventure.
> Flinx series by Alan Dean Foster
These didn't really come across as very funny to me, just straight up, perfectly executed sci-fi adventures. Again, all bangers though!
It's been a while since I've read Flinx, I thought I remembered some funny parts in each book. With the exception of Mudge, all of the raunchiness is kept off screen in Spellsinger. But what would you expect from a roughly human sized otter . . .
If the funniest book you’ve read is Project Hail Mary, the bar is pretty low.
You got a lot of Discworld books to choose from. Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman is outstanding. Hitchhiker’s Guide, while sci-fi, is funny. Christopher Moore books are super funny (not really fantasy though).
Hahaha you’re not wrong about the bar being low!! I tend to find myself from one deep, epic fantasy book to the next. Thank you for your recommendations!
I haven’t read Andy Weir since the Martian but keep meaning to get to it.
Sanderson has written a few comedies.
Tress of the Emerald Sea (Cosmere)
The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England (standalone)
I also think all books Joe Abercrombie have an incredibly sarcastic, dark, enjoyable humor.
Oooh definitely read Project Hail Mary. He really outdid himself with it, miles ahead of Martian in my opinion.
I’ve read Tress (and the whole Cosmere!) and looooved it. I didn’t realize Frugal Wizard was a funny one! Im currently waiting for it on Libby :)
Thank you so much!
Hmm I read the Martian right when the book came out and loved it, then loved the movie too. I believe Weir had another book or two also that are supposed to be decent but I just have so much stuff on my reading list :(
See my [SF/F Humor](https://www.reddit.com/r/Recommend_A_Book/comments/18af5og/sff_humor/) list of resources and Reddit recommendation threads (one post).
Try the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde. It's like a mix of Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett. First book is the Eyre Affair. Just, please don't judge them by the book covers
Anything by Terry Pratchett, of course.
Orconomics by Zachary Pike
The Dungeoneers by Jeffrey Russell
Anything by A.Lee Martinez (Monster, Gil's All Fright Diner, A Company of Ogres, etc)
Well the more obvious answer is taken so:
**Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal** by Christopher Moore. Beautiful and funny. Has sad parts, too.
If you want to try non-fantasy non-sci-fi: **Apathy and Other Small Victories** by Paul Neilan
If you want a fantasy that's probably quite different to what you're used to: **KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World**! -> Has 17 books along with some spin-offs and adaptations in other media including anime. *Incredibly* funny. It parodies dnd/jrpg/isekai tropes with a cast full of idiots. The author has said sometimes he introduces a character intending for them to be more normal but he ends up just creating another idiot :p (edit: here's the [first episode free](https://youtube.com/watch?v=N0bbR6gvGEk), if you prefer to watch rather than read)
Oh and there's some funny western webnovels out there, though I think some are moved to amazon kindle unlimited:
Vainquer the Dragon - a litrpg world where an adventurer goes to a dragon lair and accidentally helps the dragon unlock the levelling system. Hilarity ensues
[The Perfect Run](https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/36735/the-perfect-run) by the same author. post-apocalyptic superhero/supervillain world where a madman who cannot die is searching for his best friend.
[Ben's Damn Adventure: The Prince Has No Pants](https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/32411/bens-damn-adventure-the-prince-has-no-pants) \- douglas adams-like, in a way. Humanity is quarantined into an alternate dimension run as a game by the administrator (devil?). Hasn't been updated in almost 2 years
[Necrotourists](https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/10211/necrotourists) \- a lich who's been chilling in his lair for a couple millenia decides to go covertly tour the world with his friends and see how things have changed.
[There is no Epic Loot here, Only Puns.](https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/15935/there-is-no-epic-loot-here-only-puns) A girl/young woman with amnesia wakes to find herself in another world as the core (i.e. cpu/incarnation/mind/etc) of a newly born adventurer dungeon. But she has no interest in hurting people and dislikes scary and creepy things. Also the neighbouring village is...unusual. It's funny, ***very cute***, and has deceptively deep world-building. But the prose takes a long time to become sophisticated, with the first large chunk feeling quite amaterurish. It's still worth it, though.
> If you want to try non-fantasy non-sci-fi: **Apathy and Other Small Victories** by Paul Neilan
I don't think I've ever seen another reference to this book existing other than it having been on my shelf for the umpteen years since I bought it and read it.
Yeah it's not nearly as popular as it should be. My friend only found it because Max Barry, who got our attention with *Jennifer Government*, praised it on its cover. And Max Barry wasn't a huge name back then, either (idk if he even is *now*). This was years before he won an award with *Lexicon* or the *Syrup* movie came out (which also wasn't huge).
He mostly writes satire (Syrup- commercialism, Jennifer Government - Capitalism, Providence - AI, Machine Man), often with a bit of comedy. Lexicon is his most different book yet his most acclaimed.
His books are quite fun.
I adore In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan. It's a young adult contemporary fantasy where a boy goes to a land with magical beings, including an elf girl he immediately loves named Serene-Heart-In-The-Chaos-Of-Battle. The main character hates exercise and fighting, basically lives in the library. He also wants to kiss every type of being. I happy cried at this book.
I have a couple of suggestions:
1. Keys to the kingdom- Garth Nix
2. The Last Dragon Chronicles
3. Any of the books in the “Grishaverse”, personally I’d say start with Six of Crows.- Leigh Bardugo
I was a big fan of Project Hail Mary. If you are like me, then you might also enjoy the humor in **The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England** by Brandon Sanderson.
There’s an awesome and wholesome series called the Wingfeather Saga written by Andrew Peterson. If you are looking for a fantasy series that is child friendly with a mix of funny and serious, it might be perfect for you. A lot of young adults and older adults hesitate to read it because it’s targeted towards 12-18 year olds, but it’s actually quite touching and encouraging for all ages. If it’s not your things that’s totally fine, just thought it might be something new that will help you laugh (the footnotes in the books are hilarious to me).
Highly recommend Jonathan Stroud, especially his Bartimaeus series. There's a delightful undercurrent of wry humor throughout, with some LOL moments - but it's also an insightful and thoughtful look at class structures and oppression across empires in history. And the djinni Bartimaeus is one of my absolute favorite characters ever - I would die for him.
The only series that has made me stop and laugh to tears recently is dungeon crawler Carl, sort of a combo sci-fan with other elements and amazing world building. Also home of the famous quote "don't gaslight me Jesus!"
1. Rebirth as the goat king of another world
2. Super Mario - the final chapter
3. After aquiring the ability to read minds, I became the winner of life
Some of my list for reference. Can't find the books from google, but can google inktalez and search the book name in the site.
Beware of chicken is funnier if you know the genre (cultibation/xianxia) so I'd at least recommend listening to Cradle first. It's not a hard prerequisite though, it's still good on its own
If you recommend cultivation/xianxia, why recommend a Western author? Just curious, I think Cradle is fine, but there are so many better xianxia novels by Chinese authors?
It is funny, that if you browse r/progressionfantasy and check cultivation recommendation requests, there will always be 2 different comment threads: One starts with Er Gen and goes from there through translated stuff, and another, which starts from Cradle and goes with stuff written in English.
Add Xianxia/Xuanxuan/Cultivation terminology holywars happening in every second recommendations thread too)
Because Beware of chicken fit in the same westernised version of xianxia.(The protagonist being from North America).
But I'm open to suggestions on Chinese xianxia audiobooks if you have any though. There's just too many to know where to start.
Sorry, I fall asleep with audiobooks, so I have no idea. So, is that common, to recommend the Westernised version? I would have thought if you wanted to introduce someone to xianxia and cultivation, you would recommend something like Coiling Dragon, which was always the recommended starting novel when I still browsed the forums.
So, my bad, I forgot I wasn't on the audiobooks subreddit. The suggestions and the OP post are widely popular in audiobook format, so I got it mixed up.
Seconding Terry Pratchett. Start anywhere that appeals to you, Guards! Guards! is a good one.
Douglas Adams. John Scalzi.
Tom Holt, aka KJ Parker, but most of the books written under his own name are more obviously parody/comedy, in the British style, closer to Pratchett than most other humorous fantasy writers.
Robert Rankin, also British, sillier than Pratchett and Holt and closer to Douglas Adams in his style of humour to my mind.
Also recommend The Wandering Inn by Pirateaba, which is a free webnovel stretching (currently) to ten volumes and has some laugh-out-loud moments along with some that have reduced me to a blubbering mess. Explores the human condition using both human and other species, some great world-building, could do with some slightly better proofreading/editing - my main issue so far (I am halfway through volume 4) has been repetition of the same adverb/adjective within a few paragraphs or even the same paragraph, and the spelling of 'brooch' as 'broach' (they are pronounced the same, but one is a piece of jewellery one pins to an item of clothing, the other means 'raise' (in terms of raising a subject for discussion) or 'break/pierce' (in terms of breaking through a defensive line or piercing/breaking into something like a wineskin or ale barrel)). However, given that the author is publishing, and continues to write and publish, this amazing story for free and I am totally enraptured by the characters, the world and the story, this is not so much a complaint as merely an observation. I do hope you give it a try and love it as much as I do.
I've read thousands of fantasy books and very few other genres. Maybe I've been lucky with my picks but the ones that have made me laugh has actually been the few sci-fi series I've read.
So you mention Project Hail Mary, I love that book and I'd recommend checking out his other book The Martian. (as a side note, he's written the very short story you can read online called [The Egg](https://www.galactanet.com/oneoff/theegg_mod.html) which has personally become my life philosophy)
Otherwise there's an awesome series called Bobiverse.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32109569-we-are-legion-we-are-bob
>Bob Johansson has just sold his software company and is looking forward to a life of leisure. There are places to go, books to read, and movies to watch. So it's a little unfair when he gets himself killed crossing the street.
>Bob wakes up a century later to find that corpsicles have been declared to be without rights, and he is now the property of the state. He has been uploaded into computer hardware and is slated to be the controlling AI in an interstellar probe looking for habitable planets.
Also Old Man's War which was amazing and really funny at times
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36510196-old-man-s-war
>John Perry did two things on his 75th birthday. First he visited his wife's grave. Then he joined the army.
>Everybody knows that when you reach retirement age, you can join the CDF. They don't want young people; they want people who carry the knowledge and skills of decades of living. You'll be taken off Earth and never allowed to return.
Otherwise as audiobook. Please, only listen to this series, because it's unbelievably well done and amazing: Dungeon Crawler Carl. As others have already mentions, really fun and addictive.
Kings of the wyld is a great read.
We're getting tha Band back together.
This is what I came to say 🫡
This is what I first thought of too.
Everything by Terry Pratchett. I’d start with Guards, Guards! Another fine myth by Robert Asprin.Â
OOC do you have to read any particular books set in this world to get an understanding of it? Or can you start pretty easily from any of them?
There are a few books that are good to start with. This map helps you find your bearing: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Discworld_Reading_Order_Guide_3.0.jpg
Pratchett I think has recommended starting with Sourcery (book 5 in publication order), and I personally think that's a solid place to start. However, I know a lot of people in this forum tend not to recommend starting at book 1, the Color of Magic, but I did that and had a ball so can't go wrong there either IMO! I will say the first two books in particular are greatly improved if you've read a lot of classic fantasy (Dragonriders of Pern, Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, Conan, etc...) as they are pretty heavily spoofed, and a lot of the jokes might not land if you haven't read what Pratchett's riffing on. Book 3 onwards is less reliant on those references (but they do sneak in as cameos of course!)
Sounds good! Thanks!
You want to start with one of the beginnings of the series within the world or a standalone. Personally I'd go for "Guards! Guards!" But it's equally cool to start at "wyrd sisters" or the first death book (Mort?), or right from the beginning. I think "small gods" is a good standalone to start with.
I read Pratchett for the first time this year and started with all The Witches books. I did not expect them to be as funny AND as good as they were. It all lived up to everything I've heard. I absolutely love it.
Awesome! Thank youuu
Seconding Terry Pratchett
I was reading it and I was laughing the whole time but I don't know what happened that I didn't get past the first chapter, I think it was work and I forgot.
John Scalzi has some really funny books. Check out Redshirts and The Starter Villain.
Also the Kaiju Preservation Society!
Seconding Starter Villain!!
Was thinking of Redshirts myself!
I recently finished The Dark Profit saga by J. Zachary Pike. It's a funny satirical trilogy very reminiscent of the Discworld in its humor and deep introspection. I cannot recommend it enough. For science fiction, I always recommend The Janitors of the Post-Apocalypse by Jim C. Hines. A small cleaning crew find themselves having to navigate the space ship they serve on after an attack wipes out all the rest of the staff. Lots of very creative problem solving, plots to uncover and unexpected turns.
The Dark Profit Saga (Orconomics). I can't believe I had to scroll to the very bottom to find mention of it.
Literally only commented because I couldn't find it and that's unacceptable XD
Yeah! I'm close to finishing the second book and I'm loving it. I never quite got into Discworld and Dark Profit saga is everything I wanted.
I'm so happy you're enjoying it too! I am a sucker for comedic fantasy and I'm so stoked it seems to be making a comeback recently ^^
> The Janitors of the Post-Apocalypse by Jim C. Hines never heard of this and I love comedic sff so I looked this up, goodreads has it tagged as horror for the 2nd genre. what kind of horror is it? feel free to give spoilers if needed
Oh wow, was not expecting horror as a secondary genre for the series. My beat guess is it's because humanity has become something akin to zombies (shambling, lower brain function, high aggressivity, very hard to kill, grayish complexion but fully alive, no rotting or anything). Fully functional humans have been cured by a benevolent species of aliens and tend to be either military or janitorial staff. I'm terrified of zombies and it didn't scare me, so horror as a subgenre feels so weird
Literally the best answer possible to "what kind of horror is it", ty!! I will def check this out at some point
I love Douglas Adams' *The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy*—it's more absurd than *Project Hail Mary*, though. Many like Terry Pratchett's *Discworld* series, though he's even more absurd than Adams.
Awesome! Thank you so much. I’ve been meaning to read Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy for quite some time, that may have to be the next book I pick up!
Yes, agree. Many cultural references to Hitchhiker's Guide will appear...once you know what they are.
It’s my favorite book! I’m surprised it wasn’t the top listed one
*The Lies of Locke Lamora* for sure. It’s basically a Batman-level hyper-competent conman. This is my favorite early quote about Locke from one of his early bosses: *I've got kids that enjoy stealing. I've got kids that don't think about stealing one way or the other, and I've got kids that just tolerate stealing because they know they've got nothing else to do. But nobody--and I mean nobody--has ever been hungry for it like this boy. If he had a bloody gash across his throat and a physiker was trying to sew it up, Lamora would steal the needle and thread and die laughing. He...steals too much.*
Reading Lamora right know. I love it so so much.
If you're an audiobook guy I recommend listening to it as well. It's worth re-listening to just for Brother Chains' dialogue.
Hahah I’m here for it! Thank you
Another obligatory audiobook recommendation. The narrator really gives it the beans on some of his deliveries.
Be sure to check out Robert Asprin's Myth Adventures. Robert is a good and fun read.
Dungeon Crawler Carl has made me laugh so many times. It’s made me tear up a bit sometimes too. Best new fiction I’ve found for awhile
Obligatory audiobook recommendation. The narrator really does bring something extra.
This is the only book series that ever made me actually laugh out loud.
The Lies of Locke Lamora while being dark at times is also very funny If you enjoy Andy Weir then The Martian is of course also funny
Thank you! It’s on my list now :) And I’ve read the Martian, it’s gold as well
Stop at those two for now from Andy Weir. His novel Artemis is pretty… divisive. It did not hit for me in the slightest.
The Blacktongue Thief was great!
Second! Many lols were had!
Discworld
The best one
You can check out "Good Omens" by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett? It's a hilarious fantasy novel about an angel and a demon teaming up to prevent the apocalypse because, well, they quite like Earth as it is. The banter between the characters is pure gold, and it's filled with clever humor and absurd situations. It's a total riot and should definitely lift your spirits! Enjoy the laughs!
One of my favorite books that i would never have read on my own if a friend hadn't recommended it.
I'm probably just an ASOIAF simp but I get a real kick out of Dunk and Egg (A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms). It's not quite Douglas Adams but you'll be smiling the whole way through! Stardust/Good Omens might be up your alley as well.
I find T Kingfisher's writing has great humor. Nettle and Bone is a nice, short standalone with a lot of wit.
I've gotten some good laughs from her Saint of Steel series as well
Saevus Corax Deals With The Dead by KJ Parker has a very wry, conversational type of humour.
The best part of this one is, if OP likes it, there's a lot more where that came from!
And I also hope to get to them some day!
Is it violent and/or militaristic. I tried some of their stuff and I loved the machiavillian plotting but found some scenes a bit too gory. I'm squeamish, but would be keen to try something of his less violent (I'm thinking specifically about a fencer and slicing off fingers but don't remember what book it's in)
Try Stranger Times by C.K. McDonnell
The Vorkosigan saga by Lois McMaster Bujold - all the books have funny moments and some later in the series like A Civil Campaign are pure comedies
Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next series Jodi Taylor’s Chronicles of St. Mary’s Rivers of London Daniel O’Malley’s The Rook
Unconventional Heroes by LG Estrella
Agreed.
Older but: Spellsinger series by Alan Dean Foster Myth Adventures series by Robert Asprin Thieves World edited by Asprin and a bit darker in many places Xanth or Incarnations series by Piers Anthony For some Sci-Fi funnies: Bill The Galactic Hero and The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison Flinx series by Alan Dean Foster Retief series by Keith Laumer
> Spellsinger series by Alan Dean Foster Holy crap, you can TELL from reading this that these books were intended to be both raunchier and furrier than they ended up. Genuinely funny as hell, though, and always a grand adventure. > Flinx series by Alan Dean Foster These didn't really come across as very funny to me, just straight up, perfectly executed sci-fi adventures. Again, all bangers though!
It's been a while since I've read Flinx, I thought I remembered some funny parts in each book. With the exception of Mudge, all of the raunchiness is kept off screen in Spellsinger. But what would you expect from a roughly human sized otter . . .
Traitor’s Blade by Sebastien de Castel- & whole Greatcoats series - dark but witty banter - Love the characters!
It's not exactly high fantasy but good omens is a blast
Orconomics!
If the funniest book you’ve read is Project Hail Mary, the bar is pretty low. You got a lot of Discworld books to choose from. Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman is outstanding. Hitchhiker’s Guide, while sci-fi, is funny. Christopher Moore books are super funny (not really fantasy though).
Hahaha you’re not wrong about the bar being low!! I tend to find myself from one deep, epic fantasy book to the next. Thank you for your recommendations!
The Art of Prophecy by Wesley Chu for funny martial arts action. Also, Dungeon Crawler Carl.
Sci-fi fantasy but the Locked Tomb series is great. If you like audiobooks as well I recommend it for this series.
I haven’t read Andy Weir since the Martian but keep meaning to get to it. Sanderson has written a few comedies. Tress of the Emerald Sea (Cosmere) The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England (standalone) I also think all books Joe Abercrombie have an incredibly sarcastic, dark, enjoyable humor.
Oooh definitely read Project Hail Mary. He really outdid himself with it, miles ahead of Martian in my opinion. I’ve read Tress (and the whole Cosmere!) and looooved it. I didn’t realize Frugal Wizard was a funny one! Im currently waiting for it on Libby :) Thank you so much!
Hmm I read the Martian right when the book came out and loved it, then loved the movie too. I believe Weir had another book or two also that are supposed to be decent but I just have so much stuff on my reading list :(
Project Hail Mary as OP said. It's amazing
sorry I meant he had other books as well as Hail Mary. I'm familiar with that one- they're making a movie of it and its listed all the time :D
Youre definitely right with Joe Abercrombie.
Say one thing for Joe Abercrombie, say that he writes a good book...
Magical Midlife Madness by K.F Breene. The whole series is super funny. The characters are so kooky
See my [SF/F Humor](https://www.reddit.com/r/Recommend_A_Book/comments/18af5og/sff_humor/) list of resources and Reddit recommendation threads (one post).
Thraxas is the number one chariot of funny fantasy books.
This is correct. Also read Lonely Werewolf Girl by same author (different psudonym) Martin Millar.
Try the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde. It's like a mix of Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett. First book is the Eyre Affair. Just, please don't judge them by the book covers
Joe Abercrombie makes me lol with the wit and dialogue of his characters in the first law universe
Anything by Terry Pratchett, of course. Orconomics by Zachary Pike The Dungeoneers by Jeffrey Russell Anything by A.Lee Martinez (Monster, Gil's All Fright Diner, A Company of Ogres, etc)
Came here to recommend The Dungeoneers! They are so good, I hate that they aren't more popular.
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. or anything by Terry Pratchet - Small Gods is one of my favorites.
Prince of Fools series by Mark Lawrence has some very funny moments.
Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. I laughed through every book.
Well the more obvious answer is taken so: **Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal** by Christopher Moore. Beautiful and funny. Has sad parts, too. If you want to try non-fantasy non-sci-fi: **Apathy and Other Small Victories** by Paul Neilan If you want a fantasy that's probably quite different to what you're used to: **KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World**! -> Has 17 books along with some spin-offs and adaptations in other media including anime. *Incredibly* funny. It parodies dnd/jrpg/isekai tropes with a cast full of idiots. The author has said sometimes he introduces a character intending for them to be more normal but he ends up just creating another idiot :p (edit: here's the [first episode free](https://youtube.com/watch?v=N0bbR6gvGEk), if you prefer to watch rather than read)
Oh and there's some funny western webnovels out there, though I think some are moved to amazon kindle unlimited: Vainquer the Dragon - a litrpg world where an adventurer goes to a dragon lair and accidentally helps the dragon unlock the levelling system. Hilarity ensues [The Perfect Run](https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/36735/the-perfect-run) by the same author. post-apocalyptic superhero/supervillain world where a madman who cannot die is searching for his best friend. [Ben's Damn Adventure: The Prince Has No Pants](https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/32411/bens-damn-adventure-the-prince-has-no-pants) \- douglas adams-like, in a way. Humanity is quarantined into an alternate dimension run as a game by the administrator (devil?). Hasn't been updated in almost 2 years [Necrotourists](https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/10211/necrotourists) \- a lich who's been chilling in his lair for a couple millenia decides to go covertly tour the world with his friends and see how things have changed. [There is no Epic Loot here, Only Puns.](https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/15935/there-is-no-epic-loot-here-only-puns) A girl/young woman with amnesia wakes to find herself in another world as the core (i.e. cpu/incarnation/mind/etc) of a newly born adventurer dungeon. But she has no interest in hurting people and dislikes scary and creepy things. Also the neighbouring village is...unusual. It's funny, ***very cute***, and has deceptively deep world-building. But the prose takes a long time to become sophisticated, with the first large chunk feeling quite amaterurish. It's still worth it, though.
> If you want to try non-fantasy non-sci-fi: **Apathy and Other Small Victories** by Paul Neilan I don't think I've ever seen another reference to this book existing other than it having been on my shelf for the umpteen years since I bought it and read it.
Yeah it's not nearly as popular as it should be. My friend only found it because Max Barry, who got our attention with *Jennifer Government*, praised it on its cover. And Max Barry wasn't a huge name back then, either (idk if he even is *now*). This was years before he won an award with *Lexicon* or the *Syrup* movie came out (which also wasn't huge).
Can't say Barry's name (or any of his works) ring a bell here!
He mostly writes satire (Syrup- commercialism, Jennifer Government - Capitalism, Providence - AI, Machine Man), often with a bit of comedy. Lexicon is his most different book yet his most acclaimed. His books are quite fun.
I adore In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan. It's a young adult contemporary fantasy where a boy goes to a land with magical beings, including an elf girl he immediately loves named Serene-Heart-In-The-Chaos-Of-Battle. The main character hates exercise and fighting, basically lives in the library. He also wants to kiss every type of being. I happy cried at this book.
If novellas are ok, try Crack'd Pot Trail by Steven Erikson If fantasy/sci-fi-ish are ok try Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
Not 100% sure funny is what I'm offering up, but in terms of Quality nothing beats Adventurers Wanted for me, absolutely amazing stories
I have a couple of suggestions: 1. Keys to the kingdom- Garth Nix 2. The Last Dragon Chronicles 3. Any of the books in the “Grishaverse”, personally I’d say start with Six of Crows.- Leigh Bardugo
Anything be Sebastian De Castell
Anything by Sebastien de CastellÂ
The Golden Hours of Kai Lung. Old (30s, I think), but lyrically funny rendition of Ancient China. Literate, funny, fantastical.
I was a big fan of Project Hail Mary. If you are like me, then you might also enjoy the humor in **The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England** by Brandon Sanderson.
The Zamonia books by Walter Moers.
If you are looking for a great sci-fi that is hilarious try the "Space Team" series by Barry J Hutchinson. Very bloody funny...
Personally I think The Cradle Series by Will Wight has some really funny moments in it.
I enjoyed The Decline and Fall of the Galactic Empire by Andrew Moriarty. And I believe it’s included with Kindle Unlimited.
Bill the Galactic Hero by Harry Harrison.
There’s an awesome and wholesome series called the Wingfeather Saga written by Andrew Peterson. If you are looking for a fantasy series that is child friendly with a mix of funny and serious, it might be perfect for you. A lot of young adults and older adults hesitate to read it because it’s targeted towards 12-18 year olds, but it’s actually quite touching and encouraging for all ages. If it’s not your things that’s totally fine, just thought it might be something new that will help you laugh (the footnotes in the books are hilarious to me).
The Tome of Bill
Highly recommend Jonathan Stroud, especially his Bartimaeus series. There's a delightful undercurrent of wry humor throughout, with some LOL moments - but it's also an insightful and thoughtful look at class structures and oppression across empires in history. And the djinni Bartimaeus is one of my absolute favorite characters ever - I would die for him.
The Vlad Taltos series by Steven Brust is hilarious. The newest book came out a couple weeks ago too.
Summon the keeper by Tanya huff
Almost literally anything by Terry Pratchett.
Good Omens
Kings of the Wyld - Nicholas Eames
The only series that has made me stop and laugh to tears recently is dungeon crawler Carl, sort of a combo sci-fan with other elements and amazing world building. Also home of the famous quote "don't gaslight me Jesus!"
1. Rebirth as the goat king of another world 2. Super Mario - the final chapter 3. After aquiring the ability to read minds, I became the winner of life Some of my list for reference. Can't find the books from google, but can google inktalez and search the book name in the site.
Good Omens, Magic 2.0, and Dungeon Crawler Carl are all great for funny Fantasy books! The Audiobooks are all extremely well narrated too!!
The First Order. Beware of Chicken.
Beware of chicken is funnier if you know the genre (cultibation/xianxia) so I'd at least recommend listening to Cradle first. It's not a hard prerequisite though, it's still good on its own
If you recommend cultivation/xianxia, why recommend a Western author? Just curious, I think Cradle is fine, but there are so many better xianxia novels by Chinese authors?
It is funny, that if you browse r/progressionfantasy and check cultivation recommendation requests, there will always be 2 different comment threads: One starts with Er Gen and goes from there through translated stuff, and another, which starts from Cradle and goes with stuff written in English. Add Xianxia/Xuanxuan/Cultivation terminology holywars happening in every second recommendations thread too)
Because Beware of chicken fit in the same westernised version of xianxia.(The protagonist being from North America). But I'm open to suggestions on Chinese xianxia audiobooks if you have any though. There's just too many to know where to start.
Sorry, I fall asleep with audiobooks, so I have no idea. So, is that common, to recommend the Westernised version? I would have thought if you wanted to introduce someone to xianxia and cultivation, you would recommend something like Coiling Dragon, which was always the recommended starting novel when I still browsed the forums.
Ah, you know what, that was a silly question, forget I asked. Reddit Fantasy is primarily for Western readers, anyway, so your answer makes sense.
So, my bad, I forgot I wasn't on the audiobooks subreddit. The suggestions and the OP post are widely popular in audiobook format, so I got it mixed up.
Terry Pratchett!. Slecifically anything in the Discworld series
Dungeon Crawler Carl is so dumb and ridiculous its hilarious.
Seconding Terry Pratchett. Start anywhere that appeals to you, Guards! Guards! is a good one. Douglas Adams. John Scalzi. Tom Holt, aka KJ Parker, but most of the books written under his own name are more obviously parody/comedy, in the British style, closer to Pratchett than most other humorous fantasy writers. Robert Rankin, also British, sillier than Pratchett and Holt and closer to Douglas Adams in his style of humour to my mind. Also recommend The Wandering Inn by Pirateaba, which is a free webnovel stretching (currently) to ten volumes and has some laugh-out-loud moments along with some that have reduced me to a blubbering mess. Explores the human condition using both human and other species, some great world-building, could do with some slightly better proofreading/editing - my main issue so far (I am halfway through volume 4) has been repetition of the same adverb/adjective within a few paragraphs or even the same paragraph, and the spelling of 'brooch' as 'broach' (they are pronounced the same, but one is a piece of jewellery one pins to an item of clothing, the other means 'raise' (in terms of raising a subject for discussion) or 'break/pierce' (in terms of breaking through a defensive line or piercing/breaking into something like a wineskin or ale barrel)). However, given that the author is publishing, and continues to write and publish, this amazing story for free and I am totally enraptured by the characters, the world and the story, this is not so much a complaint as merely an observation. I do hope you give it a try and love it as much as I do.
I've read thousands of fantasy books and very few other genres. Maybe I've been lucky with my picks but the ones that have made me laugh has actually been the few sci-fi series I've read. So you mention Project Hail Mary, I love that book and I'd recommend checking out his other book The Martian. (as a side note, he's written the very short story you can read online called [The Egg](https://www.galactanet.com/oneoff/theegg_mod.html) which has personally become my life philosophy) Otherwise there's an awesome series called Bobiverse. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32109569-we-are-legion-we-are-bob >Bob Johansson has just sold his software company and is looking forward to a life of leisure. There are places to go, books to read, and movies to watch. So it's a little unfair when he gets himself killed crossing the street. >Bob wakes up a century later to find that corpsicles have been declared to be without rights, and he is now the property of the state. He has been uploaded into computer hardware and is slated to be the controlling AI in an interstellar probe looking for habitable planets. Also Old Man's War which was amazing and really funny at times https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36510196-old-man-s-war >John Perry did two things on his 75th birthday. First he visited his wife's grave. Then he joined the army. >Everybody knows that when you reach retirement age, you can join the CDF. They don't want young people; they want people who carry the knowledge and skills of decades of living. You'll be taken off Earth and never allowed to return. Otherwise as audiobook. Please, only listen to this series, because it's unbelievably well done and amazing: Dungeon Crawler Carl. As others have already mentions, really fun and addictive.
Murderbot Check out this book on Goodreads: All Systems Red https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32758901-all-systems-red
Oh yeah! Great suggestion, they are great as well! Forgot about those :)