Science fiction stories have a reputation for veering into darkness and seriousness. And yes, if you want to read about space opera and post-apocalyptic nightmares, you have plenty of options. but science fiction books don’t necessarily have to be all exploding planets and intergalactic politics (or at least, exploding planets don’t have to be completely humorless). there are quite a few sci-fi reading comedy gems, for when you just need a laugh. especially if you want that laugh to involve Martians and aliens, time travel, and/or feline humanoids. (yes, seriously)
There’s something very appropriate about funny science fiction. With a universe of possibilities before you, there are simply plenty of opportunities for silliness and hilarity. the immensity of space is simply absurd, and these authors understand it. Also, while there are plenty of wonderful science fiction books out there that take themselves seriously, it’s refreshing to read a slightly lighter version of space battles and the apocalypse. maybe those invading aliens just want to hang out? So if you need a break from exhaustive explanations of starship engines, check out some of the funniest things speculative fiction has to offer.
You are reading: Fun sci fi books
1. the hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy by douglas adams
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Don’t Panic: Earth has just been demolished to make way for a hyperspace diversion, leaving poor Arthur Dent hitchhiking across the galaxy with his guide, his towel and a number. of strange alien companions. The Hitchhiker’s Guide series is, without a doubt, the best sci-fi comedy (and quite possibly the best comedy) ever written. Douglas Adams is not only one of the funniest writers to ever visit planet earth, but one of the most intelligent and inventive. you will never leave home without a towel again.
2. how to live safely in a science fiction universe by charles yu
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charles yu is a time travel technician with a nonexistent but ontologically valid dog, on a quest through space-time to find his father, the missing inventor of time travel technology. charles yu (the author, that is) creates a fantastically strange world known as mirror universe 31, located on the outskirts of fiction, where failed sci-fi protagonists live in slums with sexbots and all mess with the timeline . it all makes for a smart, wickedly witty, and genuinely moving read.
3. of these ashes of fredric brown
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Fredric Brown’s short stories are often only a page or two long, but he can pack more strangeness into one sentence than most writers can in a full novel. the shortest tale of his goes like this: “the last man on earth sat alone in a room. there was a knock at the door…” there simply is no better author for funny and scary flash fiction of the weird and weird variety. another world. From These Ashes collects all of his short stories, from the funniest to the scariest, and will surely make you wonder why more people haven’t heard of Fredric Brown.
4. the eyre case of jasper fforde
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thursday next is a literary detective with a pet dodo and a time-traveling father, and it’s up to her to find the kidnapper who kidnapped jane eyre from jane eyre. Of course, she will have to jump into the book and solve this case from the inside. The Eyre Affair is the first in a brilliant series that straddles the line between science fiction, fantasy, and classic literature; is a book for people who love books. And no one better than Jasper Fforde for cross-genre wacky adventure comedy.
5. slaughterhouse five by kurt vonnegut
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Billy Pilgrim was abducted by aliens from the planet Tralfamadore, and now he’s blasted back in time. so he goes. slaughterhouse five has earned a spot on just about every classic must-read list for a reason: kurt vonnegut is simply a virtuoso when it comes to writing tragedy through the lens of humor (and aliens), because this book is as funny as it is powerful. (And check out cat’s cradle if you ever need a vonnegut book that’s a little little more deadpan and somber).
6. dirk gentle’s holistic detective agency by douglas adams
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okay ok, I know douglas adams is already on this list, but what am I supposed to do? not include holistic detective pizza-eating dirk in a list of fun science fiction books? If you’ve already read the Hitchhiker’s Guide, but still desperately need a humorous story about dead cats, pizza, and quantum mechanics, then this is the book for you.
7. red shirts by john scalzi
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You know how in star trek, when they go down to the planet, and the guys in the red shirts always die? just to show that our real heroes are in real danger? well, john scalzi has taken that sci-fi trope and followed it up, creating a hysterical parody of star trek and everything like it. because what happens when the red shirts start to follow the pattern? and realize they may not want to be cannon fodder anymore?
8. the draco tavern by larry niven
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If your favorite part of star wars is the cantina scene, you should read this book right away. because reading the draco tavern is as much like being in a bar with aliens as any book will ever be. Ordinary human bartender Rick Shumann runs a tavern in Siberia, right near a spaceport, where all kinds of creatures congregate for all kinds of bizarre encounters. Larry Niven’s collection of linked short stories is fun, but it’s also packed with original sci-fi concepts and strange new life forms. read with the star wars cantina song playing on a loop in the background for full effect.
9. the automatic detective of a. lee martinez
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It’s hard to be a huge and dangerous robot. Mack Megaton is a killing machine designed for world domination, but he really has no interest in conquering humanity. He’s just trying to live his life in Empire City, but when his neighbors are kidnapped, he’s drawn into a seedy, futuristic underworld of mutants and mob bosses. the film noir mystery and the jetsons you never knew you wanted.
10. red dwarf: infinity welcomes careful drivers by grant naylor
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yes, this is a book based on a tv show. But before you turn your nose up, give this motley crew a chance: Dave Lister, former janitor and current last human in the universe, Arnold Rimmer, stretched-out and deceased hologram, and the cat, a highly evolved cat. It’s a quick and easy read, but it’s still a very enjoyable space farce with some really interesting insights into the future of the human (and feline) race.
11. not to mention connie willis’s dog
See Also: Who does Alina end up with in Shadow and Bone? Is her love life different to the books?
See Also: Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery – Audiobook – Audible.com: English
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ned henry is tired of jumping between the 1940s and the 21st century, searching for something called a “bishop’s bird stump” to restore a destroyed cathedral. but of course another time traveler complicates everything by bringing something from the past, and now the two must return to the Victorian era to set things right before history is altered beyond recognition. a hilarious time-travel adventure cleverly disguised as a Victorian novel, and all wrapped up in a romantic mystery.
images: good view photos
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