Funny sci-fi

scheherazade · Feb 28, 2009

I'm looking to compile a reading list of funny sci-fi - could be satirical, or comedic characters, or just a humorous style of writing. What are some of the best examples you can think of?

Kathleen42 · Feb 28, 2009

Douglas Adams immediately springs to mind.

badducky · Feb 28, 2009

Funny as in "Ha Ha" or Funny as in "China Mieville and Thomas Ligotti"?

As usual, the first place to look is the AW Library where you can find both Adrienne Kress and Jim C Hines, stellar storytellers and hilarious.

Greg Wilson · Feb 28, 2009

If you want funny, satirical, and chilling, you can't go wrong with Minister Faust's From the Notebooks of Dr. Brain. It's really excellent work, but I'll warn you that if you look a little below the surface it's not particularly uplifting!

Greg

NicoleMD · Feb 28, 2009

Rudy Rucker's Mathematicians in Love is pretty hilarious.

Nicole

Lyra Jean · Feb 28, 2009

Red Dwarf

scoursen · Feb 28, 2009

Strata, by Terry Pratchett.

BookStop · Mar 1, 2009

Robert Asprin's Myth books; Harry Harrison's Stainless Steel series and Bill the Galactic Hero; Wade Kimberlin's Echoes...

Maryn · Mar 1, 2009

Harry Harrison's Bill, the Galactic Hero cracked me up. Bill was an ordinary guy before the space accident, but the super strong, oversized black arm transplanted to replace his own crushed wimpy one allowed him to do amazing things...

Maryn, who used to read a lot of SF

sunandshadow · Mar 1, 2009

For Rudy Rucker, I enjoyed his The Hacker And the Ants.

If you like military/diplomatic humor there are the Retief books by Kieth Laumer and the Phule books by Asprin.

A lot of people can't stand Piers Anthony but some of his books really are hilarious, particularly the Xanth ones and I enjoyed the Phase ones. In a similar vein Jack Chalker's books are criticized yet amusing.

Shadow_Ferret · Mar 1, 2009

badducky said:
Funny as in "Ha Ha" or Funny as in "China Mieville and Thomas Ligotti"?

As usual, the first place to look is the AW Library where you can find both Adrienne Kress and Jim C Hines, stellar storytellers and hilarious.

You forgot our own John Zakour also.

Smiling Ted · Mar 1, 2009

Ron Goulart.
Robert Sheckley.
Eric Frank Russell.
CM Kornbluth.

waylander · Mar 1, 2009

Simon Haynes (AWer) - Hal Spacejock books

spacejock2 · Mar 1, 2009

waylander said:
Simon Haynes (AWer) - Hal Spacejock books

The first of which is now a free ebook ;-)

Pthom · Mar 3, 2009

Larry Niven's Rainbow Mars.

scottishpunk · Mar 15, 2009

I would have to say The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. Not only is that a funny sci-fi book, it ranks, hands down, as one of the funniest books I have ever read, period.

benbradley · Mar 15, 2009

Smiling Ted said:
Ron Goulart.

I didn't really like the Stainless Steel Rat series, even though I tried. I was hilariously misled that the whole series would be really good by first two pages of the first book.

Smiling Ted said:
Robert Sheckley.

His "Mindswap" was and is still hilarious. I reread an old beat-up MMPB copy a couple years ago, and was thinking I enjoyed it more than the Hitchikers series, which of course was "pretty good."

JS Emuakpor · Mar 15, 2009

scoursen said:
Strata, by Terry Pratchett.

Pretty much anything by Terry Pratchett.

Jerry Cornelius · Mar 16, 2009

Try some L. Sprague de Camp or Lester del Rey.

F. Anstey, too.

Funny sci-fi

scheherazade

Human

Kathleen42

crushing on fictional characters

badducky

No Time For Chitchat, Kemosabe.

Greg Wilson

NicoleMD

Onomatopotamus

Lyra Jean

Two years old now.

scoursen

BookStop

Maryn

I Tried

sunandshadow

Impractical Fantasy Animal

Shadow_Ferret

Court Jester

Smiling Ted

Ah-HA!

waylander

Who's going for a beer?

spacejock2

Pthom

Word butcher

scottishpunk

benbradley

It's a doggy dog world

JS Emuakpor

I lurk. Therefore, I am.

Jerry Cornelius