I was thinking about this today, and can't remember any threads about this: what're your favorite funny authors?
Some of my faves = Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, Robert Rankin, Christopher Moore.
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
Robert Ludlum: The Road to Gandalfo Stan Lee: Dunn's Conundrum John M. Ford: How Much for Just the Planet?
Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
Patricia C. Wrede: Dealing with Dragons.
And of course, the ever-popular J.K. Rowling. Posted by Jeorge (Member # 11524) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lisa: John M. Ford: How Much for Just the Planet?
WOW! I had forgotten that book! My brother owns just about every ST book ever written, and I've read a few of them...my brother HATED that book, but it was the only one that I felt the need to go back and read more than once. What a funny book!
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
I had gotten every Star Trek book up to about #100 (original series). When I got rid of about 750 books, I included most of the Star Trek ones. I kept maybe a dozen of them, and this was one. The Romulan Way, Dreadnought, Ishmael, The Entropy Effect, Spock Must Die, the two New Voyages collections, the two Phoenix books, Spock's world... I don't recall the rest.
Posted by plaid (Member # 2393) on :
Is the John Ford book the one with the Magian?
Posted by Jeorge (Member # 11524) on :
I realize this is slightly deviating from the topic of the thread (which is FUNNY books), but Ishmael was also one of my favorites. I don't remember much about "The Romulan Way", but I do remember that I enjoyed that one, along with "The Final Reflection". Both of those, if I remember right, tried to give back-history on other species (Romulans and Klingons)
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
Final Reflection, too, of course.
Posted by Philosofickle (Member # 10993) on :
Hitchhiker's guide Jasper Fforde
funny in a goodhearted way, James Herriot
Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
Spider Robinson's Callahan's series is very funny. Lots of John Varley cracks me up. Connie Willis is funny too, even in serious novels like Passages about near-death experiences.
I really need to read some Terry Pratchet. Should I start with Discworld or something else?
*does some quick research*
Good God, there's almost 40 Discworld books? I had no idea.
Posted by Lupus (Member # 6516) on :
I loved David Eddings book Redemption of Athalus, as well as the Belgarion books and the Sparhawk books. I just connected with his sense of humor. I didn't like his most recent series though...I only read the first couple of books.
Posted by Shanna (Member # 7900) on :
If you wanna read Terry Pratchett, try "Mort." I like the Death character the most and that's a good place to start. I couldn't get into his other Discworld books as much.
For me, its without a doubt Douglas Adams. And not just H2G2. I some of his short essays and "Last Chance to See" are some of the funniest things he's written. If I could bring anyone back to life for a quick lunch, it would be him, and I would be happy to listen to him rattle on about computers and endangered animals all day.
Don't know about Christopher Moore yet. I like parts of "Lamb" but I can't quite convince myself to read anything else he's written.
I'm thinking about tracking down this book called "Happiness" by Will Ferguson. I read a review at work that described him as perfect for "the Douglas Adams fan who is sick of The Secret and all the other self-help books that get talked up on Oprah." Which is basically me in a nutshell. Its supposedly about and editor who gets this manuscript for a self-help book and discovers upon its publication that it really works and everyone is happy which nearly leads to the end of the world or something. Sounds interesting.
Posted by plaid (Member # 2393) on :
Jasper Fforde -- yeah! Forgot to mention him, he's a fave.
Connie Willis -- I wish I could like, many folks have recommended to me, but her humor's just too dry.
Did William Goldman ever write anything else as funny as The Princess Bride? (I read Marathon Man, that was an OK thriller, but not really to my liking.)
Posted by scholarette (Member # 11540) on :
I have been enjoying the Dresden files.
Posted by Eduardo St. Elmo (Member # 9566) on :
Stephen Fry - most notably The Hippopotamus and Making History. Alan Dean Foster - The Spellsinger books have some great scenes in them. Like Pratchett they tend to be a slightly warped version of well-known fantasy rules. Tom Sharpe - The Wilt series is really all I've read by him so far, but they were good enough to consider some of his other titles as well.
Posted by AvidReader (Member # 6007) on :
If we're talking Adams, I prefer Dirk Gentley's Holistic Detective Agency even though I don't really get the bit about the albatross.
When I need a good laugh, I pick up Poul Anderson's Hoka, Hoka, Hoka. It's a short story collection about a race of aliens obsessed with Earth fiction. They become the culture they read about.
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
Like in "A Piece of the Action". More Star Trek funniness, even if it wasn't a book.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by plaid: Is the John Ford book the one with the Magian?
Yup. Ilian the Magian.
quote:Originally posted by Lisa: The Romulan Way, Dreadnought, Ishmael, The Entropy Effect, Spock Must Die, the two New Voyages collections, the two Phoenix books, Spock's world... I don't recall the rest.
You kept Dreadnought but not Battlestations?
Must Die, New Voyages, and the Phoenix books are primarily notable for historical reasons, not because they're much good.
But I'll agree on keeping anything by Vonda McIntyre, Diane Carey, and Diane Duane.
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by rivka:
quote:Originally posted by plaid: Is the John Ford book the one with the Magian?
Yup. Ilian the Magian.
quote:Originally posted by Lisa: The Romulan Way, Dreadnought, Ishmael, The Entropy Effect, Spock Must Die, the two New Voyages collections, the two Phoenix books, Spock's world... I don't recall the rest.
You kept Dreadnought but not Battlestations?
I couldn't remember the title. Of course I kept Battlestations. I wish she'd do more stories with Piper and friends. I really enjoyed those.
quote:Originally posted by rivka: Must Die, New Voyages, and the Phoenix books are primarily notable for historical reasons, not because they're much good.
But I'll agree on keeping anything by Vonda McIntyre, Diane Carey, and Diane Duane.
Spock Must Die was cool just because it was the first novel that wasn't a novelization of the episodes. The Entropy Effect was cool because that's where Sulu got his first name. Some of the stories in New Voyages were pretty cool, like the one by Nichelle Nichols, and the one where the actors wound up on the Enterprise.
I should also have mentioned Prime Directive, Final Frontier and the sequel to Final Frontier, the name of which escapes me at the moment. I think I may possibly have also kept the David Gerrold one.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lisa: I couldn't remember the title. Of course I kept Battlestations. I wish she'd do more stories with Piper and friends. I really enjoyed those.
Agreed. I actually re-read Dreadnought on Shabbos, and made it halfway through Battlestations. (Just past the dance with the veils, IIRC.) Diane Carey's other ST books are all good, but none are as much fun as those two.
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
I wonder why she didn't do more of those? Honestly, I would have supported a whole series of Piper books. It would have made a terrific TV show, too.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
My understanding (backed up by Wkipedia) has always been that there was a fair bit of fan backlash. The only reason there were two was that the second one had been bought by Pocket before the first one hit the shelves.
Piper is a Mary Sue. A fun one, but not everyone liked her. Personally, I would have liked to see one or two more books, but I think a series or show would have driven me wild.
And I like Piper.
Posted by Epictetus (Member # 6235) on :
Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchet definitely make the top of my list. I'm also a big fan of P.G. Wodehouse. His humor was very subtle but beautifully crafted.
Posted by plaid (Member # 2393) on :
Peter David's written some pretty good ST novels. Can't remember the name of the first one he did -- has the Illuminatus in it? much good Klingon humor. And I've read Imzadi a couple times.
Posted by The Rabbit (Member # 671) on :
Joseph Heller, Catch 22
My first thought when I heard Douglas Adams had died, was "Now I'll never get another Dirk Gently novel".
Posted by BandoCommando (Member # 7746) on :
quote:Originally posted by The Rabbit: Joseph Heller, Catch 22
My first thought when I heard Douglas Adams had died, was "Now I'll never get another Dirk Gently novel".
While it wasn't my *first* thought, it had definitely occurred to me at some point, too.
Strangely, my wife just doesn't get the Dirk Gently novels...or Adams, in general, I guess.
Posted by Sterling (Member # 8096) on :
I used to be very fond of John Moressy's Kedrigern books and Craig Shaw Gardner's Ebenezum/Wuntvor series.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by plaid: Peter David's written some pretty good ST novels.
Indeed! Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
Has anybody read much of Tom Holt? I read Expecting Someone Taller and thought it was pretty funny, but I haven't read more by him.
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
I really like the novel Tom Jones by Henry Fielding. It's hilarious and so true. But his other writings aren't nearly as good. I don't recommend them. Tom Jones is absolutely wonderful, though. I can't recommend it highly enough. =)
Posted by Raventhief (Member # 9002) on :
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