Sci-fi Comedies

[Dave]

I think you've all about covered it. I would also recommend the 'Stainless Steel Rat' series, and even the newer ones are still fairly good. There are other Harry Harrison books not mentioned yet - 'The Technicolour Time Machine' being one.

The 'Red Dwarf' Books are based on the series, but do depart from it a little. They are certainly worth reading.

Robert Rankin - I only read 'Armagedon - The Musical' and I didn't find it that funny - I think his titles are funnier than the books themselves.

There are always 'Bored of the Rings' and 'Barry Trotter' if you like spoofs.

 

[palooka]

Robert Rankin is a bit of an acquired taste.

The Brentford books are probably easier to get in to than any of the others: The Antipope, The Brentford Triangle, East of Ealing, The Sprouts of Wrath being the early ones

 

[gully_foyle]

Just remembered, Ijon Tichy books by Stanislaw Lem

- "Futurological Congress: From the Memoirs of Ijon Tichy"
- "Memoirs of a Space Traveler - Further Reminiscences of Ijon Tichy"

Both classics and good satire

Memoirs of a Space Traveller is hilarious. It is a collection of short stories. The Washing Machine Tragedy sticks in my mind.

 

[Blue Tyson]

There are now three Hal Spacejock books (by Simon Haynes). My wife is reading the second one (before I could get to it!) and says it is very funny.

 

[Chun the unavoidable]

To expand on Edott - read "Starship Troopers" first, then "Bill, the Galactic Hero". It's a fine satire.

 

[Bikewer]

The High Crusade by Poul Anderson is great fun; alien invaders are defeated by a middle-ages group of warriors, who then take over the spaceship and in turn invade the alien's home planet.

Another one is The Great Explosion by Eric Frank Russell. A crazy inventor accidently invents a star-drive, and all manner of fringe groups up and leave the Earth to colonize their own worlds.
Years later, the Earth sends out an ambassadorial crew to re-establish contact. Really funny; the first planet has been settled by nudist/bodybuilders....

 

[Fahim]

Since this is in the classics section, I would say Keith Laumer's "Retief" and Harry Harrison's, "Stainless Steel Rat" (I believe both were already mentioned though ) There's also the early Xanth books by Piers Anthony as well as the first Apprentice-Adept books though I'm not sure if the latter were actually humorous. Robert Sheckly is always good though some of his writing is more satirical than humorous. Asprin's Myth series and Rick Cook's Wizadry series is also good though in the case of the latter, you might not think it was funny unless you're a computer programmer.

If you want more contemporary stuff, then Terry Pratchett's Discworld books are a must - they are the ultimate in humour Some of Tom Holt's books are quite good as well. I hear that Jasper Fforde is considered to be pretty good as well but the first book of his I tried had such a painful opening paragraph that I never took it up again

Oh yeah, Simon Haynes' Hal Spacejock is also something you should give a try. Good humour, good spoofs and funny stories. If you'll permit a little bit of self-horn-tooting, I might also add my own humorous science fiction novel, which is available as a free e-book from Lulu, called "Honest, the Martian Ate Your Dog". You can find it here:
Honest, the Martian Ate Your Dog by Fahim Farook (Book) in Science Fiction & Fantasy

If you get my book and like it, do spread the word and let me know as well

 

[Briareus Delta]

I enjoyed the John Carpenter movie "Dark Star", more ideas than you can shake a stick at.

Also available as a novel by Alan Dean Foster

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

<If you can find it, Michael Kurland's Unicorn Girl is also well worth a read: weird, trippy and hilarious.>

There were three in that series the other two were:
The Butterfly Kid, Chester Anderson 1967 Pyramid
Probabilty Pad, T.A. Waters 1970 Pyramid

and M.K. U.Girl was 1969 fun books

Also Tom Holt books
Andrew Harman
Piers Anthony for really bad puns in the Zanth series
Terry Pratchett's Discworld
The Mammoth Book of Cosmic Fantasy Ed by Mike Ashley
The Mammoth Book of SeriouslyCosmic Fantasy
The Mammoth Book of Awesome Cosmic Fantasy well you did ask
and National lampoon's "DOON" by Ellis Weiner

 

[Connavar]

Another good parody on space opera like Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy?

I mean something good and smart in a clever way and not just trying to funny in everything?

Hitchhiker's is my fav series and wondered if there is something like that. No other books in any genre has made me laugh as that series.

 

[lin robinson]

"Guide" is pretty sui generis but I always liked the humor in Keith Laumer's old Retief stories--intergalactic James Bond finessing bureuacrats and lingerie. I know they have been collected into books, but don't know if they're still in print.

 

[chrispenycate]

Baen still have two books of Retief stories in their catalogue, thus presumably available Keith Laumer - Baen Books

 

[SpaceShip]

"Red Dwarf" series should probably qualify

Definitely! TV series was good but books are much better!

 

[Connavar]

"Guide" is pretty sui generis but I always liked the humor in Keith Laumer's old Retief stories--intergalactic James Bond finessing bureuacrats and lingerie. I know they have been collected into books, but don't know if they're still in print.

Haha only thats worth checking out

 

[rimworlder]

The High Crusade by Poul Anderson is great fun; alien invaders are defeated by a middle-ages group of warriors, who then take over the spaceship and in turn invade the alien's home planet.

Another one is The Great Explosion by Eric Frank Russell. A crazy inventor accidently invents a star-drive, and all manner of fringe groups up and leave the Earth to colonize their own worlds.
Years later, the Earth sends out an ambassadorial crew to re-establish contact. Really funny; the first planet has been settled by nudist/bodybuilders....

The Great Explosion is actually a pastiches of individual shorter works...

 

[jojajihisc]

The Spectre General - Theodore Cogswell
Agent to the Stars and The Androids Dream - John Scalzi
The Illuminatus! Trilogy- Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson
Schrodinger's Cat - Robert Anton Wilson

 

[Heck Tate]

Harry Harrison's Stainless Steel Rat series and his Bill the Intergalactic Hero series are both good. Harrison has a nice right to the point style of writing that keeps the reader involved.

 

[dask]

I remember a story called "Elephant With Wooden Leg" by John Sladek kept me in stitches.

 

[Rodders]

Yeah, i've read tha Stainless Steel Rat and Bill the Galactic Hero, but it was some time ago and i'm not too sure that they'd age that well. I've read the Red Dwarf books and they were pretty funny. Of course, you can't discuss comedy in SF and not mention The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy. Very funny, even after many rereads.

 

[merritt]

The Aluminum Man by G. C. Edmondson