The Best Humorous Fantasy Books

by Bjørn Larssen

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6 books

I like laughing. There, I said it – laughing is my guilty pleasure. I read Deep Books that make me think Deep Thoughts, because I like to pretend I am an Intellectual. Somehow, though, it takes me longer to get to them and even longer to actually read them. We already live in *gestures at the world* – even George RR Martin’s habit of killing everyone over 15000 pages seems funnier. My standards are higher, though.

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Good Omens

The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch

Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, 2011

When I saw the names “Pratchett” and “Gaiman” on one book cover, my wallet was ready. “The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch” made my credit card turn sentient and order the book without my involvement. (My credit card has excellent taste, too.) All my expectations were exceeded. Apparently the authors were competing against each other to make their parts better, and the result is a book that’s as close to perfection as the Nice and Accurate Prophecies are close to being Nice and Accurate.

Small Miracles

Olivia Atwater, 2022

It almost feels like a sacrilege to say this, but Atwater’s book is as close to Pratchett’s work as it gets. A cosy mystery featuring an angel and a demon, one of whom has a tendency to accidentally bend the rules for his convenience and the other – to do the right thing, which is not a welcome character trait for a demon? There’s grief, too, wonderfully handled queerness, and chocolate. It’s light and it’s deep. It’s also hilarious. My favourite read of 2022.

The Part About the Dragon Was (Mostly) True

Sean Gibson, 2020

It takes a genius bard to tell the story of Dragonia the dragon, and the brave heroes saving the village of Skendrick from Dragonia’s fire and fury. Unfortunately, genius bards were in short supply, so Heloise had to do. And oh, do she did. Like Rebecca Black’s famous ‘Friday’, this book is so bad it breaks through the fabric of the Universe and emerges on the other side as an instant classic. Publishers Weekly agreed with me, giving it a starred review. After all, Heloise is a genius. As she tells us herself. Many times. Gods, I love Heloise. I wouldn’t dare not to.

The Eyre Affair

A Thursday Next Novel

Jasper Fforde, 2003

I actually wouldn’t mind living in a world where time-travelling detectives have to free Jane Eyre from the captivity of the evil Acheron Hades, avoid the sort of people who knock on your door to convince you that Shakespeare’s plays have actually been written by Francis Bacon, and spend a few months in the book, which must be really unpleasant to their dodo that needs regular walks. You have never read anything like this, unless you’ve already read it, in which case you should read it again.

River of Thieves

Clayton Snyder, 2019

I needed to read the book twice, because I was laughing so hard at the dialogue and chemistry between the protagonists, Cord and Nenn – and the amazing side characters – that I missed the actual plot. Snyder’s books are masterpieces, whether it’s the bleakest grimdark of The Obsidian Psalm or the twisted Tracer Bullet thriller Demons, Ink. Oh boy, does he deliver. Now I have to re-read River of Thieves. And its sequel. You should, too.

Wyrd Sisters

Terry Pratchett, 2004

I would be amiss not to include the book that gave the world Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, and (partially) ‘The Hedgehog Song’. People looked at me weird when I was laughing out loud in public transport, but there was no way I was going to either stop reading, or stop laughing. When I finished, I flipped the book back to the first page and found out it didn’t get any less funny. I have no clue how many times I have re-read Wyrd Sisters by now. Hmmm. It’s been a while…