[net.books] Request for humorous Science Fiction

gts@dmcnh.UUCP (09/11/84)

[this line posted to net.line.eater]

	Anyone out there know of any good humorous Science Fiction titles?
	I enjoyed the Douglas Adams trilogy and am looking for others.  I
	read _Mallworld_ but it *really* stank.
	Mail any leads to the literal mailbox of:
	><..!decvax!ittvax!sii!dmcnh!gts
	Thanks in advance.

upstill@ucbvax.ARPA (Steve Upstill) (09/12/84)

   Any of Keith Laumer's Retief books is first-rate science fiction humor
in my book (sic).  Retief is in the galactic diplomatic corps, and Laumer's
experience in the American version of same forms the basis for a, how you
say, jaundiced point of view re the competence and acquittal of diplomats.
The Retief stories give every indication of having been knocked out casually,
but that could just be writerly skill on Laumer's part.  Great fun.

Steve
Upstill

wildbill@ucbvax.ARPA (William J. Laubenheimer) (09/13/84)

Second the motion by Upstill on the Retief stories. A couple of other
favorites: the Svetz time-travel series by Larry Niven, collected in
\\The Flight of the Horse//, and \\The Flying Sorcerers//, by David
Gerrold (and, I believe, somebody else; I don't have it, so I can't check).
Also, if you like extrapolation carried to ridiculous lengths, you
might check out "Man of Steel - Woman of Kleenex", also by Larry Niven.
This can be found in \\All the Myriad Ways//, along with the entertaining
(but not properly humorous) essays on the theory and practice of time
travel and teleportation.

Avoid the \\Myth Adventures// series by Robert Asprin unless you enjoy
wretched puns in excess.

                                        Bill Laubenheimer
----------------------------------------UC-Berkeley Computer Science
          ...Killjoy WAS here!          ucbvax!wildbill

chuqui@nsc.UUCP (Chuqles) (09/13/84)

Another very funny author is Spider Robinson. Look for the Callahan's bar
series (Callahan's crosstime saloon and Time Travellers Strictly cash)

chuq

-- 
From the spotlight of the center ring:		Chuqles Von Rospach
{amd,decwrl,fortune,hplabs,ihnp4}!nsc!chuqui	nsc!chuqui@decwrl.ARPA

And now... Mutual of Omaha presents "Penguins: Antarctica's little clowns"

dsmith@proper.UUCP (David Smith) (09/15/84)

{Line eater fodder}

	I approve of Laumer and Niven and let's not forget Spider Robinson.
	Callahan's Crosstime Saloon has some of the worst puns I've ever seen.

				David L. Smith @ Proper Unix

mangoe@umcp-cs.UUCP (Charley Wingate) (09/19/84)

>  Um, I missed the original posting, I hope it mentioned
>  Stanislaw Lem.

So did I (on both counts).  I have to say that no SF I've read made
me laugh as much as _The Futurological Conference_, except maybe
_The Cyberiad_ (ah, "Love and Tensor Calculus!").

Charley Wingate             umcp-cs!mangoe

ishizaki@saturn.UUCP (Audrey Ishizaki) (09/21/84)

let me add to the list:

(well, perhaps this is "lighthearted" sf)

Christopher Stasheff:
    The Warlock In Spite of Himself
    The Warlock Unlocked
    Escape Velocity
    King Kobold Revived

these books all take place in the same universe, at different times
(though all but the third book deal with the same characters). True
chronological listing is (EV TWISoH KKR TWU), but I think it's best
to read them in the order first listed.

audrey ishizaki
HPLabs
Palo Alto, CA		...ucbvax!hplabs!ishizaki

ponce@tty3b.UUCP (2-8-84"Lorenzo D 97750) (09/25/84)

<....>

I just finished reading "Venus on the Halfshell" and thought it was extremely funny.
Does anyone know if any other "Kilgore Trout" books are readily available?  Is
Kilgore really who I think he is or am I imagining something?