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gabe@literature.cafe

Anyone know any good books with similar humor to Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy? (literature.cafe)

submitted 2 years ago by gabe@literature.cafe to c/bookrecs@literature.cafe

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I finished that series a few weeks ago and I still crave that kind of humor

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[–] Rottcodd@lemmy.ninja 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Well... yes and no.

I've never read anything else that combines humor, wit, philosophy and phrase-turning in quite the same way.

Some that are at least similar in one or another way:

Lots of Terry Pratchett's stuff - I'd especially recommend Guards! Guards! or Monstrous Regiment.

Tom Robbins, and especially Jitterbug Perfume

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

Kurt Vonnegut, and especially Cat's Cradle or Sirens of Titan.

Most anything by Carl Hiaasen. He writes in a completely different genre, but with a very similar sense of the absurd.

Will Save the Galaxy for Food by Yahtzee Croshaw.

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch

[–] revelrous@sopuli.xyz 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

^ This is a good list. I'll add Christopher Moore's Lamb or A Dirty Job and the comment that imo the Rivers of London series starts a bit skeevy with how women are written, but the author shakes it out by book 2 or 3, and it's got a great voice actor for the audio.

[–] Rottcodd@lemmy.ninja 1 points 2 years ago

Yeah - Lamb and A Dirty Job were both pretty good, and I liked Practical Demonkeeping too.

I also thought after I posted that that I should've mentioned Tom Sharpe's Wilt.

[–] AlwaysNowNeverNotMe@kbin.social 1 points 2 years ago

The John dies at the end series might interest you.

[–] dognaut@literature.cafe 1 points 2 years ago

The Discworld books by Terry Pratchett get compared to Hitchhiker's Guide a lot -- if Hitchhiker's Guide is a sci-fi parody, Discworld is a fantasy parody. HHG I think is a bit zanier/more absurdist but they both are super witty with a side of social commentary.

[–] Nath@aussie.zone 1 points 2 years ago

Red Dwarf is as close as I can think of. In so far as it's set in space and it has that magical breed of British humour.

[–] infinitevalence@discuss.online 1 points 2 years ago

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xanth

Piers Anthony Xanth series is one big pun and joke about Florida.

[–] kingludd@lemmy.basedcount.com 1 points 2 years ago

Well, there's Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul and The Salmon of Doubt, by the man himself.