I've been going through my Discworld collection and am nearing their end. As it looks like there aren't going to be any more, are there any authors that can match the comic fantasy genius of TP?
Jasper Fforde.
Wierd, crazy, funny stuff!
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Humpty Aloucious Stuyvestant Dumpty has been murdered. Jack Spratt (recently divorced, wife had terrible diet problems) of the Reading Constabulary Nursery Crimes division goes to investigate.
New one out on the 1st of October (unseen academicals)
I'll just say it in the slim chance you haven't read it already: Hitchhikers Guide 😆
Robert Sheckley, Harry Harrison, and, a leftfield choice this... Richard Morgan's The Steel Remains.
Comic fantasy? not a huge choice, it must be said. I didn;t get on with Fforde, might give him another try. Harry Harrison's stainless steel rat series is excellent SF humour. Adams h2g2 is good, try the Dirk Gently series too
Fforde is a little like that, I agree. You'll either love it or not. I find his work superb. Clever plots and all manner of witty stuff thrown in!
Robert Rankine, the driking mans fantasy.
Douglas Adams of course.
Kurt Vonnegut.
P.S.
The above are authors I consider the same sort of genre, I think Pratchett is a dreadful author. Personal opinions and all that.
Funniest fantasy writer I've read is Jack Vance - specifically books 2-4 of the dying earth series.
V different from Pratchett - Vance is not an out and out comic writer, he's an old master of the genre (still alive in his 90s) and has a beautiful style - but his books about Cugel in the Dying Earth are gloriously funny. Legendary creation.
I think where Terry scores over many lesser writers is that he has a world that follows it's own internal logic, and it doesn't need to try to twist existing fantasy creations into 'humourous' modern-world situations, but uses modern-world stuations transferred to the fantasy world, and just sees the real humour in the way people behave, and the politics involved.
If you like fantasy, and aren't too bothered about it having to be funny all the time, a writer I've recently discovered is easily as good as TP and Philip Pullman. Her name is Kate Griffin, and she has a brilliant book out called A Madness Of Angels. It's set in present-day London and is all about urban magic, and is quite humorous but dark at the same time. There's a follow up coming soon called Midnight Mayor. She also has a bunch of earlier books written for teenagers, (allegedly), which I'm just reading, under the name Catherine Webb. The first, Mirror Dreams, is very Pratchett-like in some ways, and also like Roger Zelazny, excellent story telling with well-crafted characters. There's a follow-up to this book called Mirror Wakes, which I'm just about to start. There are five other books she's written as well. Pretty good going for a 23 year-old. Mirror Dreams was finished when she was fourteen...
I started reading Terry Pratchett from Colour Of Magic, when it was first published, and I really can't recommend Catherine/Kate highly enough.
the obvious is tom holt, not quite so good, but a light read. You could also try neil gaiman books, jeff noons book vurt is good and my personal favourite is The Raw Shark Texts by steven hall.
Someone was bound to mention Robert Rankin... Can't recommend against reading his stuff too highly, horrible... Not even funny, most of it.
The stainless steel rat series is ok.
Have you tried the red dwarf books? They're quite good. Obviously all Douglas Adams books are pretty good.
Nobody mentioned AE van Vogt or Iris Murdoch yet? Both had a lot in common with Pratchett.
Someone was bound to mention Robert Rankin... Can't recommend against reading his stuff too highly, horrible... Not even funny, most of it.
I agree in Part, but I thought "Armageddon -the Musical" was brilliant; in a different league to what followed
I have enjoyed the Neil Gaiman books. Not comic but I like the wit and logic of the Ian M Banks books, Quite fun but not comical more comic like SiFi opera-ish) are Elizabeth Moon's si fi books. And read Nation for one last bit of Pratchett!
I'm amazed no-one's mentioned Robert Asprin.
He's done the myth series - apprentice wizard etc (no, better than that cr@p by rowling in my opinon).
And the Phule series, which if can get hold of is excellent.
Stainless Steel Rat is indeed good. It's by Harry Harrison, who also did Bill the Galatic Hero series and "make room make room" which IIRC was made into Soylent Green. He's an easy reading author for sure.
Currently enjoying (and by no means like Pratchett) Timothy Zahn. He did the Cobra series, the black collar series and then a load of other stuff. I've ready something like 20 of his books now (ebooks are great) and every one has been a good read. Not sure I can say that about any other author I've read, even Asimov.
Another vote for Neil Gaiman, Anansi Boys is quite funny, and if you haven't read Good Omens you should be shot.
Tom Holt +1
Another vote for Neil Gaiman, love his stuff, have read all/most of it now.
I'm about 1/3 of the way through the disc world series myself. Only started reading it about 18 months ago, but loving it so far.
Agree with Northwind on Rankin, I know some people love it, but I just don't find it funny at all and a slog to read.
I used to love Pratchett but I found the series a bit hard going in it's latter parts. The earlier books are immense though.
Not funny, nor does he intend to be, but Michael Moorcock is a good read - Dancers at the End of Time set, the Eternal Champion books and (almost) anything with Jerry Cornelius and his cronies in it are good. Well, I liked them, anyway.
How about PG Wodehouse?
I can read and re-read his work.
(and Terry Pratchett must have done the same)
http://www.pgwodehousebooks.com/quotes.htm
StirlingCrispin - Member
How about PG Wodehouse?
Am stuck in to some of his at the moment, as it happens. Such good fun!
Tom Holt +1
Stainless Steel Rat +1
I actually like Robert Rankin...
Tom Holt I find a little unpredictable, I liked the better mousetrap and you don't have to evil to work here but found only human rubbish
Christopher Moore - The gospel according to Lamb and Dirty Job were entertaining reads
Neil Gaimon - loved the hangover description in Anansi Boys, laughed out loud
My favourite TP book - Mort (the 1st one that I read).
Fantasy, but not as you know it - imagine a twisted version Wodehouse - the short stories by Saki.
Personal favourites, and available completely free online
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If you haven't already, you must read Good Omens co-written by TP and Neil Gaiman, one of my favourite books of all time.
Neil Gaiman gets a big nod from me, too. Neverwhere is very good, set in London, something of an influence on Kate Griffin. Tim Powers' 'The Drawing Of The Dark' is brilliant; fighting Irishman, wizards, beer, Vikings, great historical background... I've read this book countless times, never got bored with it. A new printing of it is around now. Brian Duffy is a fantastic character, and there's a lot of humour in the book. The title refers to beer, btw. Another Powers book, The Anubis Gates, is very good, but darker, and without as much humour.
I'm surprised no-one has offered up Steve Aylett as a candidate yet. Think Terry Pratchett stories set in a twisted future universe and you'll get close to what he does.
Kurt Vonnegut - no! Don't get me wrong, I think his stuff is really good, but I have to be in an especially good mood to read it or I go suicidal.
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Michael Moorcock is a good read
I'll agree with that - i'm about halfway through his Eternal Champion omnibus collection. Von Beck, Hawkmoon, Elric/Stormbringer, Corum all stick out for me.
Oh... If you're happy without the jokes, but just want a witty fantasy rather than lots of LOLling, Roger Zelazny might be worth a look... Lord of Light is a pretty Pratchettesque concept, played a bit more seriously but it's got a real dry wit and sense of absurdity, very good.
Couple of authors I've read there (I loved Fforde's Big Over Easy) and loads to check out over Winter. Many Thanks.
Charles Stross - The Atrocity Exhibition and The Jennifer Morgue. Especially good for anyone with a Computer Science background.
+1 Robert Asprin
+1 Christopher Moore
Zelazny's Amber series is pretty good but not laugh outload funny.
Almost forgot Fitz Leiber's Fafhred/Grey Mouser books, Pratchett was obviously influenced by them.
Also, I find them irritating and they're written for kids but Philip Jose Farmer's Xanth series is also comic fantasy.
I'm currently reading the Flashman books. Historcal rather than fantasy but superbly comic and sublimely written.
Not fantasy but deffo comical Christopher Brookmyre's books, loved them all but esp A Big Boy Did It and Ran Away and also The Sacred Art of Stealing.
