Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Funny Sci-fi
A few years ago I listened to Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (because Wil! Wheaton! narrates it magnificently) and it hit just the right spot of humor, action, and irreverence. I've been looking for something that hits near that sweet spot ever since, and I almost don't want to read anything else at the moment. I rarely re-read these days, although I did frequently in my youth (certain Sweet Valley books became very battered), but Ready Player One has been revisited several times.
Recently I listened to The Martian, a first novel by Andy Weir and it rekindled my need for more of that same trio of qualities. Looking for something similar finally led me to John Scalzi, who's been one of those authors I've resisted reading for no good reason. I finally read Redshirts, which is nothing but a fantastic and loving send up of Star Trek, and while it didn't hold strong all the way to the end (it got a little too meta for my tastes), it was nevertheless a really fun read. Sadly, Cline & Weir have only published those titles, and now I'm resisting going on a huge Scalzi binge.
I've talked to a few colleagues about what other books should go into this tiny grouping. Terry Pratchett has been mentioned, and while he definitely hits the humor, action, and irreverence, that's fantasy, not sci-fi. I did enjoy the completely insane Mothership by Martin Leitcht and Isla Neal (pregnant teens in orbit around Earth? and they get attacked by aliens? yeah, I'll always be up for that), but that was almost too slapstick to really fit with the other three. Novelist indicates that I may like Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan, so I have that on hold, even though it's fantasy.
Have you read anything that matches?
Labels:
audiobooks,
science ficton
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4 comments:
If you haven't read Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, I may have to temporarily disown you as a friend.
Of course I've read Hitchhiker's. My towel is in my back pocket. Who do you take me for? *disbelief*
Walk-don't-run and get the audio of John Scalzi's Fuzzy Nation, read by Wil! Wheaton!
Also, maybe the audio of Steelheart, which has kept me on the road (kinda literally) for the last 5 days...
Oh, Aarene, EXCELLENT. I'm totally going to do that. Like right as soon as I finish replying here I'm going to put both of those on hold. YES. THANK YOU!
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