Humorous Fantasy

Fitzandrostand

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Hi guys,

Does anyone have any humorous fantasy books they've read recently that they'd recommend? The book I'm writing is fantasy with quite a bit of humour in it so I'm trying to find books who have done that sort of thing to see how they handled it. I'm not having that much luck though, most of what I've read is in other fantastic genres (sci-fi with Douglas Adams, or paranormal, or urban fantasy, etc), but not in actual secondary world Fantasy. Of course there's the master, Terry Pratchett, but other than him or classics like Princess Bride I'm not having much luck in finding tongue in cheek / humorous fantasy.

If you've read anything funny recently I would love to hear. Thanks!
 

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Hmmm. I have a couple of older examples you could look at - David Eddings and Patricia C. Wrede.

Otherwise, it's MG, but the Fablehaven series has some good moments, i think. Been a little while since I read that.

I'm writing a high fantasy series with a fair bit of humor myself and am plotting a YA fantasy that is very tongue-in-cheek humor. Cheers and good luck!
 

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Some people swear by Christopher Moore. What I've read of his isn't really my thing, but some people love him.

I've also downloaded a book to Kindle called Graveyard Shift by Lana Harvey that's fairly humorous - at least from what I've read so far.

Also, though it might be more Sci-Fi than Fantasy, maybe Robert Anton Wilson's Illuminatus! I'd read it right after Foucault's Pendulum, which ruined it a bit for me (the conspiracy stuff was meh in comparison to Umberto Eco) but all my friends *loved* it.
 
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introvertedwife

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I've done three fantasy books that were mostly humor, but the only one I really recommend is the master. (If Pratchett is The Master does that make Adams The Doctor?)

Someone suggested that Terry Brooks was funny once. I read about half a chapter and hid the book under a pillow in terror.
 

ClareGreen

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Try Robert Aspirin's MythAdventures series.
 

Fitzandrostand

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Hmmm. I have a couple of older examples you could look at - David Eddings and Patricia C. Wrede.

Otherwise, it's MG, but the Fablehaven series has some good moments, i think. Been a little while since I read that.

I'm writing a high fantasy series with a fair bit of humor myself and am plotting a YA fantasy that is very tongue-in-cheek humor. Cheers and good luck!

David Eddings sounds great actually, thanks for that. And good luck with the fantasy series!

Also, though it might be more Sci-Fi than Fantasy, maybe Robert Anton Wilson's Illuminatus! I'd read it right after Foucault's Pendulum, which ruined it a bit for me (the conspiracy stuff was meh in comparison to Umberto Eco) but all my friends *loved* it.

I've heard of Illuminatus! although haven't got around to reading but it sounds pretty awesome.

(If Pratchett is The Master does that make Adams The Doctor?)

Haha, maybe there is a Whovian - Adams conspiracy in the air. Been ages since I read Adams, might be time for a revisit....

Try Robert Aspirin's MythAdventures series.

I will do, I had a look on amazon and they sound pretty funny!
 

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Terry Pratchett - Funny, but with a sharp hook behind the humor.

John Moore - The two I've read have been fun, poking fun at fantasy tropes.

Jim C. Hines - Haven't seen him mentioned yet, but he's fun, and also writes a good story. Try his Jig the Dragonslayer books (first book: Goblin Quest): a cowardly goblin is captured by a group of bickering Adventurers, and is forced to heroics to save his own hide.

Stephen Brust - His Vlad Taltos books (first published, if not chronologically first: Jhereg) are actually a hybrid of sci-fi and fantasy, leaning toward the latter. A human assassin and his dragonlike familiar struggle to survive among near-immortal inhuman Dragaerans, balancing human witchcraft with Dragaeran sorcery and backstabbing inter-house politics. Pretty fun, though I grew tired of them after a while.

Diana Wynne Jones wrote an excellent send-up of fantasy tropes - The Tough Guide to Fantasyland - and two YA books based on the idea of a magical world forced to re-enact epic fantasy "tours" for offworlders (of which the first, Dark Lord of Derkholm, is vastly superior to the second, Year of the Griffin.)

Jonathan Stroud's YA Bartimaeus books (first: Amulet of Samarkand) are both hilarious and excellent.

Also in YA, Patricia Wrede's classic Enchanted Forest quartet (first book: Dealing with Dragons) mocked fairy tale tropes long before Shrek made it popular.

And Eoin Colfer's usually a safe bet for humor, particularly the first few Artemis Fowl books (first: Artemis Fowl.) YA title, pitting a modern boy criminal mastermind against the underground Fairy nation, which has not only magic but highly advanced technology in its arsenal.

I'm sure I'm missing some...
 
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VeryBigBeard

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I've done three fantasy books that were mostly humor, but the only one I really recommend is the master. (If Pratchett is The Master does that make Adams The Doctor?)

Yes it does. :)

If only he could regenerate....
 
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Once!

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Author coughs politely.

You might want to check out the chap on the left. Drop me a pm and I'll send you a review .mobi file.
 
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Bolero

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Tom Holt

and Grunts by Mary Gentle (very dark)

There is a difference between comic fantasy and fantasy with funny moments in it. My general understanding (as in stuff heard on line and around down the years) is that for some reason most comic fantasy doesn't fly well - so Terry Pratchett very popular, Tom Holt sells but never did as well as TP (have seen very annoyed conversations on line by people saying Tom Holt much funnier than Pratchett and vice versa) so there seems to be a limited market that is satisfied by a very few authors and little room for new ones. No idea why (would love to be enlightened :) )

There is also Jasper Fforde and his Thursday Next - BUT - his publishers say he is not writing fantasy.

Lois McMaster Bujold - her fantasy definitely has an edge to it in places, humour, comment on the society. Low key but there. Some is in the phrasing, some is of the think of the worst thing you can do to your character and do it.

In terms of getting published (further down the line) the usual advice is to look for authors who have been published for the first time in the last couple of years as that is what is selling at the moment. I can't think of any authors in that time frame.

Now there is always the chance that you will be the first author picked up for whatever it is that you are doing and others follow but...... :)
 
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DJE81

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Robert Rankin, Tom Holt, Christopher Moore, Jasper Fforde. There's also Rob Grant, who co-wrote Red Dwarf. I've really enjoyed his three non-Red-Dwarf novels ...
 

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By the way, does anybody know if Fantasy Humour is making a bit of a comeback, as far as publishers are concerned? They seem to be slightly more open to the idea than a few years ago. (Or maybe that's just wishful thinking ...)
 

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If you can find a copy, I'd recommend the Mammoth Books of Comic Fantasy.
 

Taejang

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The Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan is YA fantasy with humor, though humor wasn't the main point of the series. Likewise, the Advent Mage cycle (Jaunten, by Honor Raconteur) is also YA fantasy with humor, but again doesn't qualify as focusing on the humor. Both may be a different type of humor than what you're going for anyway.

I can't remember the last time I read a fantasy book that made me laugh out loud that wasn't YA... Though Brent Weeks' Black Prism might have gotten a few chuckles out of me.

Atomic Aardvark, by Ryan Guy, isn't a perfect book and probably qualifies more as YA sci-fi than fantasy, but it offers a fresh view of humor that could be useful for study. It's also a quick read.
 
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Fitzandrostand

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Neil Gaiman's Stardust is full of humour.

Good point. I read that and absolutely loved it - completely forgot about it, might re read it.

AGREED. Everything I've tried to read from Brooks (three or four stabs at it) is about as funny as Thomas Hardy's stuff.

Ok between you and Introverted, that's got me decided, I'm going to give Brooks a miss.

There is a difference between comic fantasy and fantasy with funny moments in it. My general understanding (as in stuff heard on line and around down the years) is that for some reason most comic fantasy doesn't fly well - so Terry Pratchett very popular, Tom Holt sells but never did as well as TP (have seen very annoyed conversations on line by people saying Tom Holt much funnier than Pratchett and vice versa) so there seems to be a limited market that is satisfied by a very few authors and little room for new ones. No idea why (would love to be enlightened :) )

I know I don't really get why Fantasy seems overall to be such a serious genre. Especially since it's Fantasy, literally ANYTHING can happen, so there should be plenty of space for humour!
Humour's tricky though I guess since it's quite a personal thing. Might be that what some writer's think is funny others don't and so those that try don't do well, or that people don't want to take the risk, and therefore stick to the more established serious fantasy model.

By the way, does anybody know if Fantasy Humour is making a bit of a comeback, as far as publishers are concerned? They seem to be slightly more open to the idea than a few years ago. (Or maybe that's just wishful thinking ...)

No idea, I'm going to go indie :)

Everyone else, thanks so much for all the suggestions!
 

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Talking to Dragons by Patricia Wrede is a humor fantasy novel. I read it during middle school.
 

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I know I don't really get why Fantasy seems overall to be such a serious genre. Especially since it's Fantasy, literally ANYTHING can happen, so there should be plenty of space for humour!

Humour's tricky though I guess since it's quite a personal thing. Might be that what some writer's think is funny others don't and so those that try don't do well, or that people don't want to take the risk, and therefore stick to the more established serious fantasy model.

Normally, serious fantasy bores the pants off me (well, not literally). I too have been looking for some funny fantasy to help my own stories so Thank You everyone for this thread!

I've read 2.5 Discworld novels so far and yeah, they're funny, but the only one with a plot started to bore me (and you'd think it would be opposite). Maybe I'm reading the wrong ones.

I read somewhere that Piers Anthony was funny. I read his first Xanth book. Parts of it were. It wasn't crazy enough for my tastes.

I also read Christopher Moore's Practical Demonkeeping. I guess that's more like urban fantasy (?) but I didn't find it very funny.

(off to google a bunch of these suggestions...)
 

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Well, as everyone has already said, Discworld is one of the best examples you're likely to find. I also second the Bartimaeus trilogy.

Another I recommend (although I haven't actually finished it yet) is The One and Future King, by TH White. It may be Arthurian legend, but it's told with a surprisingly whimsical, humorous tone. It's actually made me laugh out loud a few times.
 

hefronica

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Another I recommend (although I haven't actually finished it yet) is The One and Future King, by TH White. It may be Arthurian legend, but it's told with a surprisingly whimsical, humorous tone. It's actually made me laugh out loud a few times.

The Once and Future King. ;)

Crap, how did I forget that one?!

I only remember there being much humor in the first part (The Sword in the Stone) but that is exactly the type of humor that I love.
 

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Oh, yeah... almost forgot:

Scott Meyer, author of the Basic Instructions comics, has a fantasy series out. The first one, Off to Be the Wizard, is pretty fun, sort of like Douglas Adams for fantasy. A programmer stumbles across the data file controlling reality... and, long story short, winds up in medieval England playing wizard. The second one's out, and the third's on pre-order, but I haven't managed to squeeze them into the reading pile yet. Definitely worth a look, though.
 

Tyler Silvaris

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I read somewhere that Piers Anthony was funny.

This is immediately what I thought of! Piers Anthony is definitely humorous. I will note, however, that his humor is based almost entirely on wordplay and puns. None-the-less, reading some of his work may help you grasp that style of blending serious fantasy work and concepts with humorous story-telling.

I have read only a few of his works, but I heavily recommend "Demons Don't Dream" and "Ogre, Ogre".
 

ClareGreen

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This is immediately what I thought of! Piers Anthony is definitely humorous. I will note, however, that his humor is based almost entirely on wordplay and puns. None-the-less, reading some of his work may help you grasp that style of blending serious fantasy work and concepts with humorous story-telling.

I have read only a few of his works, but I heavily recommend "Demons Don't Dream" and "Ogre, Ogre".

Caution: Not all of Piers Anthony is funny. The Xanth series is fairly lighthearted, but a lot of his stuff is rather creepy and not in a good way.