[SusF]

From Anthony to Asprin to Adams. Humorous writers. Who do you find funny?

My three favorites, way above the rest, are Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, and Tom Holt. My biggest gripe is that Tom Holt's work is hard to find here in the states.

I think it's interesting that I prefer the British humorists to the American ones. It must have been my early introduction to Monty Python.

I've also read some Robert Asprin, Piers Anthony, and Spider Robinson.

Who makes you laugh? http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/smile.gif

Susan

[Midus]

Mary Gentle's GRUNTS cracked me up.

[takezosan]

well, John DeChancie and Spider Robinson both do well, though Asprin's still the king amongst comical fanasy authors. Others that deserve mentioning, though not on par with these elite, would be Harry Harrison and Tanya Huff. Admittedtly, they seem to focus more on the drama of a story than the humor, but perhaps that's what makes the laugh that much more enjoyable; dunno, myself^^;

[Bond]

Not a joke-a-minute or fantasy, but I love the folksy mix of pathos and humor of O. Henry or some of the older American short story writers like Stephen Vincent Benet and Saki.

[Llama]

Rhys Hughes. Hard stuff to find, though.

[saintjon]

Okay, when I read Weis and Hickman, I laugh my ass off reading reading about Tas and Flint, and that part in Dragons of Spring Dawning with Fizban and that gold dragon was amazing! The early Salvatore was pretty funny, too. If I remember right, I used to enjoy Dave Eddings characters making quips at each other, too.

[JohnH]

None. I have yet to find a fantasy author whose humor does not seem contrived or forced.

Humorous fiction is probably the toughest thing to write. Few books make me laugh out loud, but when they do, it guarantees buying the next book by the author.

[Loaba]

Glen Cook's Black Company series is full of clever sarcastic wit. This irreverence is a major reason why I enjoy reading Cook.

Lack
Of
A
Better
Acronym

[Bond]

JohnH you didn't laugh when reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy? Okay maybe you didn't mention it because it's SciFi, but please don't tell me you thought the passage dealing with Vogon poetry was bland. Pratchett is good for a laugh or two too and many a grin even though his stories as a whole are rather scatterbrained and contrived after a fashion. But still does the following line leave you completely unmoved?

"Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set a man on fire, and he's warm for the rest of his life." Jingo (Pratchett)

Who DO you find funny?

J.K. Rowling makes me smile while reading Harry Potter. Fritz Leiber's Lanhkmar series is mentioned from time to time but I haven't read it myself.

[This message has been edited by Bond (edited January 24, 2002).]

[Cygnus]

All of the above that I've read I have found funny. SusF, I've never heard of Tom Holt, what books by him do you recommend?

I first read Hitchiker's Guide when I was 11, and I've been a fan of British humor ever since.

Cheesy and juvenile though it might be I laughed until I cried the first few times Zifnab appeared in the Death Gate Cycle. http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/smile.gif

Much to my surprise I laughed out loud a lot when reading Don Quixote. I was expecting a dry, classic novel and I was pleased that it was so much fun!

Dave Duncan is one author who's works aren't inherently funny, but who has moments of comic genius. Maybe it's because it catches me so off gaurd, but some of his dialogue is so crazy that I have to laugh out loud.

John, like Bond here I'm curious what does make you laugh? With such high standards it must be good! http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by Cygnus (edited January 25, 2002).]