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Books @lemmy.world

Can you suggest me books in the style of Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams?

Those two are my favorite authors, but sadly I've read all their work and neither are making any more.

I absolutely love that style of writing and I'd love to know if there's more like them!

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  • I don't know you, but I love you already 💖

    Neil Gaiman - More on the Fantasy side than irony. His works are still a pleasure. And ofk his collaboration with Terry "Good Omen". Also check "American Gods" and "Anansi Boys".

    Kurt Vonnegut - Not what you would call "Fun and laugh" works, but his stories are crazy, well written and full of irony and smart social critics.

    • Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Craddle is a wonderfully satirical novel.

      American Gods is very good as well, I did not try the other books by Neil Gaimlan you mention but will definitely give them a try, thanks for the recommendation.

      Good Omens was like my favourite cake spiced with bits of oh-so-ironic-and-absurd British humour.

  • It's actually a very dark book in some points, but Joseph Heller's Catch-22 is that style of absurdist humor set during World War II. My English teacher assigned that one to me when he found out I loved Hitchhiker's Guide.

    I second (third? fourth?) the Kurt Vonnegut suggestions too. I have never regretted reading anything with his name on it.

  • One that reminded me a lot of Discworld was the Magic 2.0 series by Scott Meyer. First book was called Off to be the Wizard.

  • Those two are hard to top!

    You may enjoy 'Tuf's Voyaging'. An early G.r.r. Martin novel, about some dude space traveling.

    It's more pulpy, but if you're fantasy starved, try Jack Vance (especially the Dying Earth series).
    He's a very prolific and inventive writer. DnD pretty much copied his magic system.

  • Tom Holt is much in a similar vein as Pratchett (even shared the same cover artist for a while) with his satirical takes on fantasy & fairy tale tropes.

    Surprised no one has mentioned Robert Rankin, who has a darker view that Adams but is good at satirical takes, even though some of his works do feel dated since they were written for the contemporary audience of the publications time.

    Diana Wynne Jones is also recommended, she was an influence on Pratchett to a degree. She picks apart a lot of fantasy tropes in her books. she was also a friend and teacher to Gaiman. Most people know her for the Ghibli adaptation of her book Howl's Moving Castle.

    Jasper Forrde has been described to me as like Adams but haven't read his book yet.

    and finally the Gormenghast series by Mervyn Peake, which was referenced a lot in the early Discworld novels.

38 comments