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Post by Red Baron on May 13, 2015 21:39:41 GMT -6
Summer is here, (in the northern hemisphere), and I'm searching for stories to foster good cheer.
Just reread 9 Princes in Amber and 3H&3L; I'm looking for books running in the vein of "brighter" fantasy (so no horrifying CAS or melancholy Dunsany)
Any recommendations?
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Post by tkdco2 on May 14, 2015 0:42:52 GMT -6
Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels are fun to read.
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Post by Porphyre on May 14, 2015 6:56:10 GMT -6
Jack Vance is always a good choice for some entertaining fantasy, imho.
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Post by kesher on May 14, 2015 9:04:46 GMT -6
Piers Anthony's Xanth series?
Robert Asprin's Myth Adventures series?
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Post by talysman on May 14, 2015 9:51:07 GMT -6
Seeing as you've read Three Hearts and Three Lions, I'll recommend another Poul Anderson novel, Operation Chaos. It's adventure rather than humor, although there are bits I found funny. It was originally three or four separate stories written in the '40s and '50s, so no modern anti-heroes or broodiness.
James Branch Cabell's Figures of Earth or Jurgen were both written around the 1920s by someone who was *not* part of the pulp adventure scene. His stuff reads more like snappy literary works with lots of repartee and definitely humorous. However, the sad feeling you will get after reading either is because you'll wish more modern fantasy writers wrote like Cabell, but probably no one will.
You've probably read De Camp and Pratt's Incompleat Enchanter stories, but in case you haven't, I'll mention them.
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Post by Finarvyn on May 14, 2015 10:45:54 GMT -6
I'm not sure which of two directions you want this thread to go. Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels are fun to read. Piers Anthony's Xanth series? Robert Asprin's Myth Adventures series? The three series listed above are all humorous. If that is the style you want, any of these would be great choices. Another you can try is the Dying Earth stories by Jack Vance, particularly "The Eyes of the Overworld." The main character is pretty light-hearted and the tone is pretty upbeat. If by "light" you mean non-dark (as opposed to satirical) there are a number of other good books to consider. * Tolkien's Middle-earth (The Hobbit & the Lord of the Rings) are pretty light overall. * If you liked Zelazny's "Nine Princes in Amber" you might try the other nine Amber books. (Particularly the remaining 4 of the original Corwin cycle.) In addition, Zelazny's Dilvish and Shadowjack characters are written in a style very much like Amber. * The Earthsea trilogy by Ursula LeGuin is pretty standard fantasy fare, and not so dark overall. * Leiber's Fafhrd & Grey Mouser books seem dark on the surface, but are chock full of humor and satire. F&GM tend to make fun of themselves a lot and their wacky plans remind me a lot of D&D adventures gone wrong. Maybe this helps? |
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Post by geoffrey on May 14, 2015 10:49:55 GMT -6
In addition to those already mentioned, I recommend:
Phantastes by George MacDonald
Lilith by George MacDonald
Out of the Silent Planet by C. S. Lewis
Perelandra by C. S. Lewis
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Post by tkdco2 on May 15, 2015 1:27:36 GMT -6
I'll second the Xanth novels, with the proviso that you don't mind puns too much. The books are full of them. I love puns, so it isn't an issue.
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Post by Deleted on May 15, 2015 12:56:04 GMT -6
Tad Williams' underrated Osten Ard series is highly underrated - intriguing, and vanilla as hell. If you're looking for real comedy, though, Robert Asprin is the one to go to.  |
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Post by cooper on May 15, 2015 13:36:32 GMT -6
Aspirin is by far the most humerous. Same vibe as Douglas Adams hitchhikers guide to the galaxy.
I love LeGuin, but humerous and funny she is not.
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Post by buttmonkey on May 18, 2015 7:36:01 GMT -6
Aspirin's Myth novels are great up until he started working with co-writers. The novels nose-dived in quality at that point.
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Post by Finarvyn on May 18, 2015 17:36:41 GMT -6
Craig Shaw Gardner wrote some funny books. A Malady of Magics is the first one in the series and I think it centers around a wizard who has an allergic reaction to magic. It's been a long time since I read them, but I have fond memories of the series.
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Post by talysman on May 18, 2015 19:22:41 GMT -6
I would say that the Malady of Magics series isn't as good as his Cineverse series, which isn't as good as Asprin's books, which aren't as good as the first of Asprin's Myth books, and even that is good, but not great. Certainly not as good as any random Terry Pratchett book. I haven't read Piers Anthony's Xanth books, but I've read about four of his Incarnations of Immortality books, and he's uneven, mostly worse than Asprin's first Myth book, but perhaps better than some later Myth books.
Tanith Lee, who I didn't mention above because she tends towards dark and thus not what Red Baron needs right now, occasionally has moments of humor in the middle of the darkness, and those are actually better written humor than Asprin's stuff. If you can find her "Odds Against the Gods" short story, that's all humor, and it kicks Another Fine Myth's ass.
If you haven't read Bored of the Rings, now is probably a good time. It's lightweight and pretty funny.
I'd still rank Douglas Adams and James Branch Cabell as better writers, and funnier, than almost all of that. And Robert Anton Wilson's Schroedinger's Cat trilogy also ranks up there.
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Post by makofan on May 19, 2015 11:18:22 GMT -6
Terry Brooks - Magic Kingdom for Sale
David Eddings Belgariad series
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Post by buttmonkey on May 19, 2015 13:55:46 GMT -6
David Eddings Belgariad series There is a difference between a book being a joke and a book being funny.  |
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Post by Otto Harkaman on May 21, 2015 21:14:51 GMT -6
George MacDonald Fraser's Flashman series  I suppose more historic fiction than fantasy but you won't be disappointed. |
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Post by Finarvyn on May 22, 2015 4:22:07 GMT -6
David Eddings Belgariad series There is a difference between a book being a joke and a book being funny. An odd comment, since I have friends that tell me that the Belgariad is their favorite series and they often pattern their D&D characters around characters from the series. I only read the first one and thought it was "okay" and not good enough to read the rest, but I didn't see anything in the book to make it "a joke." What didn't you like about it? |
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Post by makofan on May 22, 2015 7:51:05 GMT -6
Flashman is ridiculously awesome
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Post by buttmonkey on May 22, 2015 14:12:40 GMT -6
There is a difference between a book being a joke and a book being funny. An odd comment, since I have friends that tell me that the Belgariad is their favorite series and they often pattern their D&D characters around characters from the series. I only read the first one and thought it was "okay" and not good enough to read the rest, but I didn't see anything in the book to make it "a joke." What didn't you like about it? That's a little hard to articulate. It's significantly better-written than Dragonlance, IIRC (that's not saying much). However, if you read the 2nd set of 5 books in the series, you will discover it is the same d**n plot as the first series. The utter outrageousness of the author ripping himself off makes the first 5 books weaker in hindsight. |
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randyb
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Post by randyb on May 22, 2015 15:39:30 GMT -6
Oh, it's even worse than that. He has two other series, both set in a different world from the Belgariad, and uses the same plot in those as well. Amazing.
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Post by archersix on May 30, 2015 18:19:48 GMT -6
"The Dragon and the George" by Gordon Dickson is great fun. It's a series and the others are good too, but "George" is the best of the bunch IMHO.
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Post by Red Baron on Sept 12, 2015 10:55:59 GMT -6
George MacDonald Fraser's Flashman series I suppose more historic fiction than fantasy but you won't be disappointed. Flashman was a great read, thanks for the recommendation. |
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Post by Vile Traveller on Sept 12, 2015 21:07:14 GMT -6
An odd comment, since I have friends that tell me that the Belgariad is their favorite series and they often pattern their D&D characters around characters from the series. I only read the first one and thought it was "okay" and not good enough to read the rest, but I didn't see anything in the book to make it "a joke." What didn't you like about it? That's a little hard to articulate. It's significantly better-written than Dragonlance, IIRC (that's not saying much). However, if you read the 2nd set of 5 books in the series, you will discover it is the same d**n plot as the first series. The utter outrageousness of the author ripping himself off makes the first 5 books weaker in hindsight. Oh, it's even worse than that. He has two other series, both set in a different world from the Belgariad, and uses the same plot in those as well. Amazing. I think this is the problem - the Belgariad was fine (not great) on its own and had some neat and very gameable elements. The fact that Eddings subsequent series simply re-skinned the same story shouldn't put you off reading the first series, and in my opinion it very much qualifies as "light" fantasy, if you don't equate light with humorous. I did play in a relatively long-lived GURPS* campaign based on the setting and it was great fun. In retrospect that was probably because it was a relief from the "dark" fantasy of the 80s. * Started with 2E and then converted to 3E shortly afterwards. |
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randyb
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Post by randyb on Sept 13, 2015 20:04:09 GMT -6
Oh, it's even worse than that. He has two other series, both set in a different world from the Belgariad, and uses the same plot in those as well. Amazing. I think this is the problem - the Belgariad was fine (not great) on its own and had some neat and very gameable elements. The fact that Eddings subsequent series simply re-skinned the same story shouldn't put you off reading the first series, and in my opinion it very much qualifies as "light" fantasy, if you don't equate light with humorous. I did play in a relatively long-lived GURPS* campaign based on the setting and it was great fun. In retrospect that was probably because it was a relief from the "dark" fantasy of the 80s. * Started with 2E and then converted to 3E shortly afterwards.I enthusiastically concur. The Belgariad alone is exactly as you have said. |
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tog
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Post by tog on Jun 15, 2016 9:48:41 GMT -6
If you haven't read Bored of the Rings, now is probably a good time. It's lightweight and pretty funny. I for one can't read it in public, as I snicker 'way too much. The best part is that the writers actually read the trilogy; if you read LotR and BotR back-to-back, you realize just how closely the parody is to the original. "...but pity stayed his hand. 'It's a pity I've run out of bullets', he thought." Lin Carter's "World's End" series is all kinds of fun cheese, as is John Jakes' Mention My Name In Atlantis. I also recommend White Plume Mountain by Paul Kidd ("NOBODY messes with the pixie!"); not a bad adaptation of the module, either. It's been a while since I read either of them, but I'd also put in a good word for Expecting Someone Taller by Tom Holt and Gil's All Fright Diner by A. Lee Martinez (and I see a copy of the author's Monster on my bookshelf I need to read; the opening scene has a Yeti breaking into a convenience store freezer to eat ice cream...) |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 15, 2016 20:16:14 GMT -6
LANKHMAR!
ANY Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser.
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artikid
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Post by artikid on Jun 16, 2016 12:16:24 GMT -6
Harold Shea books by Sprague de Camp, maybe?
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