Best humorous fiction books according to redditors
We found 1,747 Reddit comments discussing the best humorous fiction books. We ranked the 409 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 1,747 Reddit comments discussing the best humorous fiction books. We ranked the 409 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
![Off to Be the Wizard [Kindle in Motion] (Magic 2.0 Book 1)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/510eo29nzOL.jpg)
Bizarro Fiction is hilariously awesome. Ass Goblins was an alright story IMO. Other books in this particular genre include:
and so much more. more info
EDIT: Spacing
Partially. He was one of the strongest writers and has a huge amount of the best episodes under his belt.
Also, he has a bunch of self-published books that are absolutely fantastic. I read the first couple pages on Amazon and was immediately hooked.
[Pokemon: The Origin of Species]
[Worm]
[Animorphs: The Reckoning]
[Luminosity]
[The Two Year Emperor]
[Worth the Candle]
[The Erogamer] (NSFW)
[The Gods are Bastards]
"Being the best that you can be" is a better goal than "being better than everyone else", because it results in better outcomes.
For the vast majority of people being better than everyone else is simply not going to happen for any one thing. In order to be better than everyone else at a particular task you effectively need to dedicate your entire life to that one task. Most people are not going to be happy doing that, and so they're not going to be as effective at it as the people who are happy doing that. Because of that, having the goal of being better than everyone else leads to the things that you've noticed: an inferiority complex, stealing work (an act which adds no value to the world), giving up because you won't succeed, etc.
For the few people who are going to be world class at something, the goal of "being better than everyone else" may lead to underachieving. If the best in the world simply wants to be the best in the world, then there's no need for them to strive to improve themselves any more than necessary to keep up with their competition.
Having the goal of "being the best that you can be" deals with both of these problems. Doing the best you can is always an achievable goal, so it won't put you in the "my goals are impossible" funk, and if you're going to be the best in the world at something, it encourages you to keep getting better no matter what.
Now, an important thing about this is the value of contribution. Implicit in your view is that contribution has no value unless it's the best contribution. This shows up in your line:
> Why be the best you if there's someone out there who can run laps around your best?
The answer is that your best can still improve the world and your life. For example, I really enjoy the Magic 2.0 book series. It is definitely not the best writing out there. It's not even the best entertainment-focused fantasy fiction out there. But I'm glad that it exists. I find it fun. If the author decided it was unimportant to be their best, because other people write better, then that book series wouldn't exist.
The novel Atlanta Nights was written as an experiment to expose crappy vanity publishers (I know OP's book is different). It was created by a bunch of professional authors trying to write as bad a novel as possible. It is hilariously awful, but was accepted for publication anyhow.
The story of the novel is interesting and it is available for purchase from Amazon. You can click the "Look Inside" link there. The authors have also made the book freely available (eg http://www.cs.du.edu/~aburt/StingManuscript.pdf) - it's well worth checking out, at least a few pages, just to see how badly it's written.
I highly recommend The Time Machine Did It by Swartzwelder. It's a short book and if you watch the Simpsons you can visualize its inanity (is that a word) even better.
Ah, and I just finished http://www.amazon.com/HELP-Bear-Eating-Mykle-Hansen/dp/1933929693
For kumo https://www.novelupdates.com/series/kumo-desu-ga-nani-ka/?pg=2
Start with the blastron translations and then switch over when they stop. Sorry it is not more straight forward but there were a number of different translations of various qualities who worked on this one.
For ELLC there is the e-book here https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076NSQ6JT/ref=series_dp_rw_ca_1 which is a more polished version of the content with a few new additions and less nsfw content but you have to pay for it or here https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/8894/everybody-loves-large-chests which is less polished but free. Only somewhere between 1/10 to 1/5 has been published though so you will have to switch over anyway if you want to keep reading.
George RR Martin: A Game of Thrones
http://www.amazon.com/Game-Thrones-Song-Fire-Book/dp/0553573403
Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman: Good Omens
http://www.amazon.com/Good-Omens-Neil-Gaiman/dp/0441003257
Both fantastic books, but very different.
For general fantasy I've enjoyed Gentleman Bastard, The Kingkiller Chronicle, and The Broken Empire. I listen to Kingkiller Chronicle fairly often due to the amount of commuting I do where I live.
For more urban/fantasy maybe try Lives of Tao, Iron Druid Chronicles, or anything by Neil Gaiman. The anniversary edition of American Gods was really excellent on audio-book. Not sure if the others have audio editions or not.
I've also really enjoyed stuff by Drew Hayes (a webnovelist). His banner series is SuperPowereds. But I though NPCs was a great take on an old fantasy trope. Neither come in audio formats unfortunately.
Good luck.
Off to Be the Wizard (Magic 2.0) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1612184715/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_6HElDbAQ230Z0
How to Succeed in Evil is about a Lex Luther-type super villain who snaps and takes out the superhuman order by creating an insurance agency. So, if you're willing to be kind of awful about it surprisingly affordable.
Excellent list! Lots on here that is on my list to get to already, plus a few that I hadn't heard of.
I'll add a few recommendations of my own:
I'm sure I'm forgetting some, but I don't have my complete list handy.
I'm not sure if they're considered alt-comedy, but John Swartzwelder's books are hilarious. He's an old writer for the Simpsons. Most of the books are about a private detective named Frank Burly. I think this is the first one: https://www.amazon.com/Time-Machine-Did-John-Swartzwelder/dp/0975579908/
The new Norm Macdonald book, Based on a True Story, is also very funny.
I haven't heard very good things about Amy Poehler's book, to be honest, but I haven't read it. I've heard Tina Fey's book is great, but I haven't gotten to that one, either.
Grunts
Confessions of a D list Supervillian
How to succeed in evil
Secret Six
Sounds like the book Off to be the Wizard by Scott Meyer of Basic Instructions fame.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard
> Martin Banks is just a normal guy who has made an abnormal discovery: he can manipulate reality, thanks to reality being nothing more than a computer program. With every use of this ability, though, Martin finds his little “tweaks” have not escaped notice. Rather than face prosecution, he decides instead to travel back in time to the Middle Ages and pose as a wizard.
> What could possibly go wrong?
> An American hacker in King Arthur’s court, Martin must now train to become a full-fledged master of his powers, discover the truth behind the ancient wizard Merlin…and not, y’know, die or anything.
https://www.amazon.com/Off-Be-Wizard-Magic-2-0/dp/1612184715
Sounds a bit Matrix-y for kids.
Here's a full list:
How To Avoid Death On A Daily Basis
cover
What if you really were transported to a fantasy world and expected to kill monsters to survive? No special abilities, no OP weapons, no status screen to boost your stats.
Never mind finding the dragon’s treasure or defeating the Demon Lord, you only need to worry about one thing—how to stay alive.
 
This is a four book series (so far) with new books released every 2-3 months on Amazon and Smashwords
 
Or you can read it for free here:
How To Avoid Death On A Daily Basis
An online web serial, updated 5 times a week.
150+ chapters
300K+ words
250K+ views per month
His co-authorship w/Neil Gaiman, Good Omens, is phenomenal and hilarious.
I can't believe no one has said this one yet:
Off to Be the Wizard
Description:
>
Martin Banks is just a normal guy who has made an abnormal discovery: he can manipulate reality, thanks to reality being nothing more than a computer program. With every use of this ability, though, Martin finds his little “tweaks” have not escaped notice. Rather than face prosecution, he decides instead to travel back in time to the Middle Ages and pose as a wizard.
>What could possibly go wrong?
>An American hacker in King Arthur’s court, Martin must now train to become a full-fledged master of his powers, discover the truth behind the ancient wizard Merlin…and not, y’know, die or anything.
It was a great read and there are two more books after (with the next in production now). The sequels are not as good as the first but I still enjoyed them very much. :)
It's been done. Three book series actually.
https://www.amazon.com/Off-Be-Wizard-Magic-2-0/dp/1612184715
The first ebook of Dante's Immortality was recently published, and should fit your criteria. Dante basically distrusts everyone all the time, but because he genuinely doesn't know a lot he ends up committing some believably naive mistakes.
You might also like Threadbare - the main character isn't naive so much as innocent, given that he's a newborn golem for most of the novel. The combat system is all about skills and skill synergies, and the dialog is great (even though the main character can't speak).
There's also Everybody Loves Large Chests. Again the main character starts out a little naive, but that's largely because it starts from more or less zero Int. It doesn't become an asshole so much as a completely amoral monster, because that's what it is.
If you're willing to read serials that aren't published as complete books, you can try out the bifecta of combat LitRPGs on Royal Road: The New World and The Legend of Randidly Ghosthound are both great.
https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/20451/who-says-this-ol-cant-become-a-splendid-slime
Office Lady reincarnated as a slime. A little worried that the author's slowing down is turning into the author stopping this series.
​
https://www.amazon.com/That-Reincarnated-Slime-light-novel-ebook/dp/B076H132D2/ref=pd_cp_351_1/131-0686409-1127854?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B076H132D2&pd_rd_r=1040ec8c-2170-481c-b955-6b04dc76527e&pd_rd_w=glHS3&pd_rd_wg=hzJUj&pf_rd_p=ef4dc990-a9ca-4945-ae0b-f8d549198ed6&pf_rd_r=N3XZPC8B5H02AJQ4705Q&psc=1&refRID=N3XZPC8B5H02AJQ4705Q
Office Worker reincarnated as a slime. Really fun series, Eventually City management/politics with big battles.
​
https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/20568/tree-of-aeons-an-isekai-story
Guy reincarnates as a sentient tree. Slow paced skill growth into city building/unit management.
​
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CQMYQT5/ref=kinw_myk_ro_title
Reincarnated as a Lovecraftian horror: Yuri princess edition
​
Oh, just noticed you also said born as a monster....
https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/8894/everybody-loves-large-chests
MC is a monster, one of the best litrpg monster series I've read, HOWEVER, it does have lots of raunchy NSFW content mixed in there. The Amazon versions (starting with https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076NSQ6JT/ref=kinw_myk_ro_title ) toned down the sex scenes but it does still have a lot of them.
​
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NNWZT9M/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i3
A skeleton from an world set up like an RPG gets teleported in space and begins a Sci-Fi adventure on an abandoned spaceport.
​
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078KGS4V4?notRedirectToSDP=1&ref_=dbs_pwh_calw_0&storeType=ebooks
Toy Golem leveling up and fighting to rescue his owner.
​
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071LHHY85/ref=kinw_myk_ro_title
A goblin joins a camp of bandits.
​
So, so many reincarnated as a dungeon core novels, but not sure if that fits in with your "monster" request.
Let's see...
If you like villain protagonists, the Vlad Taltos by Steven Brust series might be up your alley. The protagonist is an assassin who has access to multiple types of sorcery, magical items, and epic level allies who are equally or more overpowered. In specific, one of the main "allies" - Sethra Lavode - is an overpowered character that gets directly involved in some of the books. Morollan, a swordsman/sorcerer that owns a flying castle, probably counts, too. The first book is Jhereg.
If you like anime-style combat and character progression, I'd recommend Will Wight's Traveler's Gate Trilogy. There are lots of high powered "legendary" figures that get involved directly, especially in the second and third books. The first book is House of Blades.
Several characters in the Stormlight Archives are very quickly getting into overpowered territory, and only two of the ten projected books are out. Like most of Sanderson's work, the Stormlight Archives has epic action scenes and a fantastic magic system. This may not be quite as directly what you're looking for - it has very powerful characters, but you only get a little bit of the perspective of the puppet masters. The first book is The Way of Kings.
Atlanta Nights was written to see if there existed a potential book so terrible that Publish America would turn it down. The book is truly terrible and PA accepted it. They rescinded the offer when they realized they were being made fun of, but you can buy the book POD through Lulu.
Relevant: Help! A Bear Is Eating Me! (Amazon link to book)
Shatnerquake. Calling it a book is charitable but technically correct.
Klondaeg The Monster Hunter works for the following:
There are so many more options like this, but I don’t want to overwhelm you! These may not all be your cup of tea. But they are some of my favorites for a somewhat reasonable price.
I just read Changing Faces: New Game Minus, and the MC is a former NPC that becomes a "player", but doesn't know it's a game world. So he's dealing with nonsensical game mechanics (getting exp, getting stronger at a level up, etc.) and fully aware of how ridiculous it would be in a realistic world.
Definitely not clueless or stupid/bashful.
Link: https://www.amazon.com/Changing-Faces-Game-Minus-Book-ebook/dp/B07KMMT9TX
Some other recs:
Drew Hayes' series: Spells, Swords, & Stealth - "NPCs" in a Dungeons and Dragons-esque world have to become adventurers. The main characters definitely are aware of D&D tropes and aren't stupid. This is a really good series, and it's a good time to get into it as the next book is coming out next month.
https://www.amazon.ca/NPCs-Spells-Swords-Stealth-Book-ebook/dp/B00KB2RLKO
Hero of Thera: The MC gets sucked into a new world with game-like mechanics (leveling up, picking classes, new skills, new gear, etc.). So that I guess is an Isekai book. What sets it apart is the great writing and worldbuilding.
Also a good time to get into this, as book 2 should be coming out next month.
https://www.amazon.ca/Hero-Thera-LitRPG-Eric-Nylund-ebook/dp/B0719CYNCG
Full disclosure - I edited book 4 of Spells, Swords & Stealth and book 2 of Hero of Thera. But I'd recommend them even if I hadn't.
That sounds incredible. I love stories that revolve around the ordinary people while all of the crazy shit is happening around them. This book is a great example of that kind of thing.
US Amazon for those interested. :)
Random thoughts on stuff I've read or listened to in the sale:
The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien - It's The Hobbit, and Rob Inglis is the perfect narrator for it. Worth every penny.
Off to Be the Wizard, Scott Meyer - Lighthearted and highly entertaining. The only caveat I'd offer is that independent of the sale, you can get the full Whispersync combo for $6, which includes what appears to be a fancy, multi-media Kindle version as well as the audio.
The Complete Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle - I've been slowly working my way through this one story at a time and loving it. 60 hours of Holmes with an incredible narrator for $5 is just insane.
The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley - I'm super conflicted about this one. I thought the book was phenomenal... and then I looked up MZB on wikipedia. Saying she was a horrific human being would be a gross understatement. It significantly recolored my feelings about the book, but maybe others have an easier time separating the art from the artist.
Farewell My Lovely, Raymond Chandler - Not my favorite of the Philip Marlowe detective novels I've read, but still good. Ray Porter is great. It's the second book in the series, but I've yet to find any reason why you need to read them in order. They're all pretty self-contained.
Iliad & Odyssey box set, Homer & Rouse (translator) - I've seen a lot of "Which translation of Homer should I read?" discussions and Rouse is never anyone's top pick, but Anthony Heald does a fantastic job narrating and it's $5 for the pair.
Beyond that, I've got my eye on Masters of Doom (literally the first thing I ever added to my Audible wishlist, and yet for some reason I've never gotten around to grabbing it before) and the Great Course on the Medieval World (mostly because I thought Dorsey Armstrong did a fantastic job with the King Arthur GC).
I feel like A Practical Guide to Evil would hands-down be number one on this list if more people agree'd with me that it was a litrpg piece. The main character class development and abilities are straight out of the genre in my opinion, but there is no overt acknowledgement of this in the text. I can't recommend all four of these enough. Worth the Candle and a Practical Guide are both available free via the author's websites, so they have that going for them also.
MoL is a member of the groundhog's day loop subgenre. Check out Re:Zero, ERASED (AKA boku dake ga Inai Mache), and Edge of Tommorrow (also known as "All you need is kill") for non-fanfic examples. Also check out the peggy sue and groundhog peggy sue pages for when the time loop is on a significantly larger scale. For some reason I can't find a whole lot of non-fanfic examples (I've probably just forgotten stuff I read a long time ago) but there are oodles of fanfic with that premise.
Are you willing to read MLP:FiM fanfiction? I have a bunch of excellent completed fics to recommend for groundhog's day loops. If you like naruto, there's Time Braid and Chuunin exam day of the top of my head for loops, though they come with caveats: Time Braid is rather overty sexual, and Chuunin exam day is pure tripe written by an author I hate (so I only mention it because of its popularity.) Naruto also has incredibly amounts of peggy sue fics, but they tend to be either fairly blatant wish fulfilment or incomplete. I know for a fact that harry potter has tons of both peggy sue and time loop fics, but I don't really read that fandom much. Worm has a bunch of peggy sue fics, but they're all (or almost all) incomplete.
___
On the other hand, Hero's War is an "uplift" fic. The only non-fanfic example I can think of off the top of my head is Light on Shattered Water which I'm about halfway through. Aside from that, check spacebattles for ASOIAF SIs: they almost all tend to be of this variety. Again, I also have a bunch of MLP:FiM fics with similar premises.
For sort-of-similar works, check out Erfworld and Two Year Emperor for modern-person-gets-put-in-charge-of-fantasy-land fiction.
Spacebattles really likes both of these kinds of fics, so you may have more luck posting a thread there.
The Two Year Emperor ($9, but the free version can be found here) also fits. A human is summoned and forced to lead a nation that runs on D&D-ish rules.
Spoiler alert: D&D-ish rulesets are completely, utterly broken when there's no GM to step in.
Oh, and there's Erfworld which also fits if you can stand webcomics - a WH40K(ish) player gets summoned and is forced to act as general for his summoner. This is much closer to "human as familiar", the others in this post are closer to "human summoned by magic is the prophesied hero"
Also the Wizardry series by Rick Cook - a hacker is summoned into a world where magic is deterministic.
Shatnerquake
A book that will Shater your expectations
If you like this concept check out the Off to Be the Wizard book and series.
Unfortunately, that story is no longer available for free. You can buy it for $9.00 if you want to read it anyway. Also, here's the TV Tropes page.
Responses in the order in which I thought of them within each category (don't take it as an order of preference or anything). Lots of fanfic in this list because it's what people tend to write. Assume they're rational unless stated otherwise.
Note that "rationalist" means "rational + demonstrates analytical techniques", so I note where that's applicable (if I remember; a lot of this is fuzzy due to sheer quantity).
Finished:
Updating often:
Updating rarely, possibly abandoned:
I can go into more detail about what separates the Naruto/Harry Potter fanfictions on request. They all have their charms but differ quite a lot in theme and characterisation.
I've also probably forgotten a whole bunch of things. Apologies also if I got authors wrong or missed somebody who's active on this subreddit (I don't remember usernames for everyone who is, sadly).
There's also a lot of great one-shots on the subreddit, some in the challenge threads that get posted every two weeks.
read this, it's wonderful and my favorite book of all:
http://www.amazon.com/Good-Omens-Neil-Gaiman/dp/0441003257
Off to Be the Wizard by Seth Meyer is my favorite comfort food book. It's very light, but engaging, and presents an intriguing premise that's fun to think about.
I listened to the audio versions of the series read by Luke Daniels, who was a great match for the material, I thought.
I want to read print if I'm sitting and relaxing, but if I have to be up and active, doing tasks like laundry or driving that leave my mind free to ruminate, audio books really save me from myself.
I won't be doing any sort of weekly recommendations because I'll probably run out too quickly. Here's one I might do an audible thing for later though https://www.amazon.com/Wizard-Kindle-Motion-Magic-Book-ebook/dp/B00EF8Z32I
Locke's life does get more crazy but there is a lot more humor later on. I can see how coming from Brandon's books though, how other books might appear darker in concept or tone.
The Shadow Of What Was Lost - This is very influenced by the Wheel Of Time. It only has one book so far, and it is not as slow paced or descriptive as Jordan. However I am very very much enjoying it. I think if you loved WoT you would enjoy this.
Eye Of The moonrat - So far there is 6 Books in this Series. It is a little Y.A and the Hero is a little too good at everything but it is a good pulpy read and more light hearted.
Off To Be The Wizard - A Nerdy IT Programmer discovers that nothing is real and his entire existence and everyone elses is governed by a secret file he finds on the Internet. So of course he sends himself back to Medieval Times to become a powerful wizard, just like every other nerd who found the file to his dismay. Hilarity ensues.
The Iron Druid Chronicles - A 2000 year old Druid, the last of his kind runs a Bookshop. Urban Fantasy. Very enjoayble. Lots of Irish/Celctic/Norse/Greek/Christian Mythology woven in. Has a cool dog sidekick.
Thanks! For me it seems that book #1 has the same special:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EF8Z32I/ref=series_rw_dp_sw
How are these books? Is it worth picking up all 3?
NPCs (Spells, Swords, & Stealth Book 1) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KB2RLKO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_pOeKxbT3BQWAM
What happens when the haggling is done and the shops are closed? When the quest has been given, the steeds saddled, and the adventurers are off to their next encounter? They keep the world running, the food cooked, and the horses shoed, yet what adventurer has ever spared a thought or concern for the Non-Player Characters?
In the town of Maplebark, four such NPCs settle in for a night of actively ignoring the adventurers drinking in the tavern when things go quickly and fatally awry. Once the dust settles, these four find themselves faced with an impossible choice: pretend to be adventurers undertaking a task of near-certain death or see their town and loved ones destroyed. Armed only with salvaged equipment, second-hand knowledge, and a secret that could get them killed, it will take all manner of miracles if they hope to pull off their charade.
And even if they succeed, the deadliest part of their journey may well be what awaits them at its end.
Then you might be interested in this series.
https://www.amazon.com/Off-Leash-Freelance-Familiars-Book-ebook/dp/B011J9L5JA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1436843535&sr=8-1&keywords=dan+potter+off+leash
I'm mostly into litRPG so that's what my recommendations will focus on.
everybody loves large chests was already a great webnovel but the author also published on amazon. you can still read it for free on royal road if you want. it features a truly evil monster as primary character who was never human to begin with, so it's quite a different take on the litRPG genre.
life reset is a VR based litRPG with the focus on the MC having been turned into a monster character against his will and ending up stuck in the VR world, with emphasis on city building.
Awaken Online is also a VR based litRPG but the main character kinda turns into a big villain. sort of.
Dodge Tank combines an interesting post-apocalytpical but very futuristic 'real' world combined with a VR world.
The Land/Chaos Seeds transportation litRPG with a bit of a contentious author who has a tendency to shove every fun idea he has into the story at the expense of actual story progression, but if you like the idea of city building litRPG I'd certainly still recommend it. there are plenty of other aspects that make up for it.
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman/Terry Pratchett. It's funny, well written, and a book that you will re-read multiple times in the future.
Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins is one of my favorites, and Perdido Street Station by China Mieville is a book I consider a must read.
If you like fantasy novels, I cannot recommend the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett or the Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss enough.
If you took the same program that they used to generate that one chapter of "Atlanta Nights," and fed it on low-rated DailyKos diaries for a week, it might come up with something like this article. So, computers don't always write better than this...
Man, wasn't it so good?! I just found out it's turning into a movie, but idk how well that would work. I got the audiobook for it, and Wil Wheaton narrating it was goddamn perfect! I think that's the best medium for a story like this that's heavy on internal narration.
Also, I'm currently reading/listening to Off to be the Wizard, by Scott Meyers. Somewhat similar, but extremely enjoyable, and the narrator on this audiobook is damn good too! http://www.amazon.com/Off-Be-Wizard-Magic-2-0/dp/1612184715
There was a book that reminds me of this called Off to be the Wizard. I really enjoyed it, there's a few sequels as well which I haven't read yet but the first one at least was great, it's worth a look, seems like you'd enjoy it if you have thoughts like this!
Heh sounds kind of like the plot to "Off to be the Wizard" by Scott Meyer
I'll post a link later, but check out Off to Be the Wizard. It's literally a whole book series about this.
Edit link, as promised, and Wikipedia article
Here's a really good find that not a lot of people have heard of (I think). Scott Meyer--the comedian behind the web comic Basic Instructions--started a fantasy book series called Magic 2.0 that starts with Off to Be the Wizard.
The premise is that the hero lives in a computer simulation and have found a file that allows them to change the parameters of their world. By editing the file, they can change their location, the money in their bank account, the time that they are living in, etc.
I laughed out loud at many passages. I actually listened to the audio version of the book that you can get on Audible. The narrator Luke Daniels does a tremendous job of reading the book.
Anyways, I cannot recommend this series enough. There's only two books out now, but a new one should be published in early 2015.
Off to Be the Wizard by Scott Meyer.
I read this a few years ago and really enjoyed it. It's on the lighter side of things.
Amazon description: Martin Banks is just a normal guy who has made an abnormal discovery: he can manipulate reality, thanks to reality being nothing more than a computer program. With every use of this ability, though, Martin finds his little “tweaks” have not escaped notice. Rather than face prosecution, he decides instead to travel back in time to the Middle Ages and pose as a wizard.
There's also [Off to be a wizard] (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Off-Be-Wizard-Magic-2-0/dp/1612184715). Anybody knows other series in similar spirit? (techno-geek-magic thing)
Slightly relevant quick read.
I guess they also wrote The Faggiest Vampire:
Deep in The Land of Broodsarrow, just outside the village of Gneirwil, and high on a cliff overlooking the Everbleed Sea, there stands the faggiest gothic castle that any mortal being has ever seen. Living in this ancient faggy castle is none other than the well-renowned vampire, Dargoth Van Gloomfang. The citizenry of Broodsarrow sure has its share of faggy vampires, but old Dargoth has always been by far the faggiest of them all. That is, until a new vampire came to town. A younger, hippper vampire. One that emits such a grand amount of fagginess that one cannot help but be completely overwhelmed by his presence. Now Dargoth Van Gloomfang must figure out a way to out-shine this young newcomer if he wishes to ever reclaim his throne as . . . the faggiest vampire.
Why have just three when you can have every Shatner incarnation ever?
My. God.
How to Succeed in Evil
Try this next time^
There is actually!
https://www.amazon.com/Wizard-Kindle-Motion-Magic-Book-ebook/dp/B00EF8Z32I
Magic meets Programing
Amusingly enough the first spell the protagonist casts in the book is a height spell.
If we go with Scott Meyer's interpretation of *Magic, then yes.
At which point they would be able to edit the universe directly and be unstoppable.
Paraphrased
'There were two wizards who chose to live in france, when martin asked them why France they said "French girls" in a way that it was obvious they had no idea what they were talking about. There was a burly wizard who lived in russia who when asked said "Russian girls" in a way that suggested that he knew exactly what he was talking about'
Off to be the wizard
Magic 2.0 series by Scott Meyer (great book series)
https://www.amazon.com.au/Wizard-Kindle-Motion-Magic-Book-ebook/dp/B00EF8Z32I/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1573717349&sr=1-1
I liked NPCs by Drew Hayes.
A group of NPCs from your usual inn in a village are forced to take on the role of heroic adventurers, which they surely are not.
Geeky hilarity ensues.
NPCs
Mogworld by Yahtzee Crosshaw
I will never stop recommending this. From the bitingly sarcastic game critic of "Zero Punctuation", this story is equal parts funny, and dramatic. It focuses more on MMORPGs than traditional tabletop games, but even as a non-WOW player I understood and loved every minute of it.
NPCs by Drew Hayes This story focuses more on the aspect of traditional tabletop roleplaying, such as Dungeons and Dragons. It's about a group of NPCs - such as a bartender, a reluctant damsel in distress, and a former minion - who have to take up the roles as fake heroes in order to save their town. It starts off a little bit slow, and at first I was rolling my eyes thinking "okay, I know where this is going" but then it went off in a completely different direction. Highly recommended.
Critical Failures by Robert Bevan
I didn't like this one personally as much as the others - it was a bit too vulgar for my tastes. However, it got some really good critical feedback (heh) and it definitely is an interesting concept. It's basically about a group of players who get trapped in a tabletop game by a sadistic GM. If you play a lot of tabletop games, you can probably see a lot of your group members in the characters. It's part of a series too, (I think there's at least 3) so this one should keep you occupied for a while.
Game Night
The Merchant Adventurer
I haven't read either of these two myself, but they are both on my list, and seem somewhat similar to the kind of thing you're looking for.
Nah, that's just a luxury cabin on one of the ships owned by a prominent Goo of Gooville.
Sad no one else made any Fluke jokes, so I had to throw one out there.
If you're a Neil Gaiman fan, I'd recommend Good Omens or Night watch. Good omens is a stand-alone book by both Gaiman and Pratchett, and is silly and fun- Night Watch is perhaps the darkest of the discworld novels and matches Gaiman's usual tone more (it's also my personal favorite :) ).
But any of the Discworld novels are worth a read, really. If you want to go chronologically, though, you should start with The Colour of Magic, however the order really isn't important- you won't miss much, if at all.
Maybe the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman?
The first book, The Golden Compass, was made into a film.
Also, the Lord of the Rings books?
My favorite fantasy author is Steven Brust, though. Highly recommend reading Jhereg to see if you like the world. It's a relatively quick read, compared to the tomes that more and more fantasy novels seem to be nowadays.
Also, Neal Stephenson.
I can't deny that it's a pleasure to watch Hugh Laurie act like an asshole. Just as an aside, he has also authored a truly excellent and hilarious spy novel called The Gun Seller that you should check out if you enjoy reading.
I like the Inspector Morse series (Colin Dexter) and I'll second matts2 Nero Wolfe mysteries. Also, Hugh Lurie's The Gun Seller was good in a fun with wordplay sort of way.
Hugh Laurie wrote The Gunseller which is about the military industrial complex in the west. It's a fun book and well written.
I really enjoyed Hugh Laurie's The Gun Seller.
He also wrote an awesome (and hilarious) spy thriller.
Not really in the same tone but very well written and entertaining (some mild melancholy) is The Gun Seller by Hugh Laurie. I loved it.
I think the age/gender span is kind of awesome so far! Will be interesting to get such varied perspectives, and see what a ragtag band of book readers have to say to each other haha.
I didn't know Hugh Laurie was a writer, but that book sounds great.
I have been wanting to READ this for years!
If you're in the UK, there's a CD box-set for £40.
If you're in the US, the whole set is nearly $87.
But "season one" (Guide and Restaurant) are on CD for about $20.
Off To Be The Wizard by Scott Meyer?
(Normally I link to Goodreads instead of Amazon, but Goodreads is throwing up a certificate error for me right now.)
'Off to be the Wizard' also uses Esperanto, as the words they use for magic spells. It's not very good Esperanto, though.
It would be awesome if you could make it possible to have DLC like living through scenarios from "Help! A Bear is Eating Me!" - probably the book with the greatest opening to the second chapter ever.
http://www.amazon.com/HELP-A-Bear-Eating-Me/dp/1933929693
Read this book as it may help you through the tough times ahead.
I think my favourite is The Faggiest Vampire by Carlton Mellick III
Much too early for your purposes, but kind of interesting- There was an unofficial follow-up to Don Quixote, written by someone called Alonso Fernández de Avellaneda.
Cervantes was not amused, and when the actual second part came out, it featured Avellaneda's work as a plot point- Quixote is outraged that people were publishing slander about him, and actually encounters one of the characters from the spurious work and makes him recant his testimony. A few hundred years later, Borges would take Quixotic metatextuality and authorship questions to another level entirely in his short story "Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote".
Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and Philip José Farmer's Wold Newton series, both weave bewildering arrays of fictional works together.
Gregory Maguire's Wicked is fairly well known, but probably more for the musical adaptation than the original novel. Dunno about the public domain status of the Oz works when it was published, though.
There's an entire genre of Sherlock Holmes pastiche, and has been since the thirties or forties at least- and there are related genres devoted to Nero Wolfe and other fictional detectives from the first half of the 20th century.
There's also a book called Shatnerquake, which is exactly what it says on the tin.
I can't help you with regards to the legal status of that sort of work, or what you'd need to go through to get it published.
Shatnerquake is the most ridiculous book I've ever read.
Anyone else notice the book is Shatner Quake? by active redditor Jeff Burk /u/jeffburk https://imgur.com/a/SmVsXCJ
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shatnerquake-Jeff-Burk/dp/1933929820
"I'm sick of these Motherfucking Polish stealing these Motherfucking jobs!"
^(please don't post to r/nocontext)
-----
Starring (à la Shatner Quake):
a bit like Shatnerquake in reverse.
After a reality bomb goes off at the first ever ShatnerCon, all of the characters ever played by William Shatner are suddenly sucked into our world. Their mission: hunt down and destroy the real William Shatner. Featuring: Captain Kirk, TJ Hooker, Denny Crane, Priceline Shatner, Cartoon Kirk, Rescue 9-1-1 Shatner, singer Shatner, and many more.
Has anyone read the novel Shatnerquake?
I only have a few hours in one of the King's Quest games, but you've described Steve Thomas's Klondaeg the Monster Hunter which I enjoyed very much. Good clean fast-paced fun with a wide variety of locations, threats and artifacts of power.
I've only read the first:
https://www.amazon.com/Klondaeg-Monster-Hunter-Steve-Thomas-ebook/dp/B0084PAWYW
But he has an omnibus edition that's next on my list:
https://www.amazon.com/Klondaeg-Omnibus-Steve-Thomas-ebook/dp/B00V9L1HL0
You should check out this book. I listened to it on audible. It's sort of a sci-fi/fantasy comedy book and I really enjoyed it.
>Martin Banks is just a normal guy who has made an abnormal discovery: he can manipulate reality, thanks to reality being nothing more than a computer program.
I used to listen to a whole lot of Joe Rogan when I was working a temp job several years ago. He talked about simulation theory a lot.
If you're really nerdy about it like I am, there's a great fantasy series called Magic 2.0 that has a hilarious take on it.
"Martin Banks is just a normal guy who has made an abnormal discovery: he can manipulate reality, thanks to reality being nothing more than a computer program. With every use of this ability, though, Martin finds his little “tweaks” have not escaped notice. Rather than face prosecution, he decides instead to travel back in time to the Middle Ages and pose as a wizard.
"What could possibly go wrong?
"An American hacker in King Arthur’s court, Martin must now train to become a full-fledged master of his powers, discover the truth behind the ancient wizard Merlin…and not, y’know, die or anything"
https://www.amazon.com/Off-Wizard-Magic-2-0-Book-ebook/dp/B00EF8Z32I#nav-subnav
The Magic 2.0 series.
The first book is Off to be the Wizard.
Seconding Off to Be the Wizard (by Scott Meyer). Fantastic book, there's two out right now with a third on the way.
Amazon and Goodreads
It's two bucks for the kindle version right now. I'm not affiliated with the author in any way, just seriously love the series and want to spread the love!
You'd probably like this book based on that shower thought.
Scott Meyer did it!
https://amzn.com/B00EF8Z32I
NPCs by Drew Hayes - it's here and fun!
Drew Hayes. He is just amazing. He writes his books in a sort of tongue-in-cheek-yet-serious kind of way.
One of his book series is called Super Powereds, and it's better than the title might make it sound. It's set in a world where some people are born with superhuman abilities, and then some are born with superhuman abilities that they can't control. There are also humans. It's a school for those wanting to be a hero. It's full of subplots and twists and the books are quite long as well. They're also cheap in Amazon Kindle. This book is awesome.
He also has another book series called
Spells, Swords, & Stealth. It is set in a Tabletop RPG world and follows some NPCs that are forced to deal with the dead adventurers that had just appeared at their door. Great for people who love TTRPGs and great for people who don't! Seriously, it's amazing and you will love it. You will love either book!
There is also a book series called "Spells, Swords, & Stealth" First book in the series called "NPCs"
I've only read the first so far but it was fantastic. Basically the same premise, except with Dungeons and Dragons.
Synopsis:
A group of adventurers die in a tavern because of some poisoned mushrooms that they ate. Several people in the tavern realize they have to take the adventurer's place in the quest they were given, or else the king will destroy their town. So a group of NPCs pretend to be a party of adventurers and go on a quest.
ninja edit:
https://www.amazon.com/NPCs-Spells-Swords-Stealth-Book-ebook/dp/B00KB2RLKO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1538162573&sr=8-1&keywords=npcs
I assume you mean https://www.amazon.com/NPCs-Spells-Swords-Stealth-Book-ebook/dp/B00KB2RLKO, which I agree is an excellent book (as is nearly everything else by that author).
Yes, of course
Source:
https://www.amazon.com/Off-Leash-Freelance-Familiars-Book-ebook/dp/B011J9L5JA
Here is a few that I know of that should be fairly SFW. I have well over 100 books in my kindle library, a lot of them are somewhat furry.
Exile's Return - Scifi Space bunny pushed into being an Ambassador to an alien race after they called for him by name.
Sunset of Furmankind - Murderer is sentenced to take part in the colonization project.
Mindtouch - This book is fairly intresting and one of the few books that I have ever read that features a almost romantic platonic relationship.
Bait and Switch - While I don't think this book is everyones cup of tea, it tackles identity issues in a interesting way.
Off Lease One of the few quad books iv ever seen and the writing good too. Thomas becomes a big kitty familiar and is sucked in the world of magic.
Portals of Infinity (Series) - While I wouldn't call the series great books. Its fun furry action. Human stumbles in to a portal ends up becoming a champion of a fuzzy god, gets the girl and saves the day.
For 100% Free:
I would recommend Fel (James Galloway). If you can stand some errors he writes rather well and refuses to publish.
From him Id recommend:
[Spirit Walker](http://www.weavespinner.net/worlds_of_fel.htm#Spirit Walker) - Rather dark post apocalyptic world with slaves and abuses. Kyven finds out he has a rare ability to see and interact with creatures on a different plane. He joins the ranks to free slaves and ends up one him self. This book is not SFW as it has rape, murder, brothels and sex used as a tool.
Kit Romance. Ex-Rich exiled fox falls in love with a cat and faces off off with his past and his racist family.
[Earth Bound](http://www.weavespinner.net/worlds_of_fel.htm#Earth Bond) Magic and Dragons. Dragons hid out on a cloaked island until plains started flying overhead causing chaos in the ranks and eventually a civil war
There's a rather silly book with a Mimic as it's main character. https://www.amazon.com/Morningwood-Everybody-Loves-Large-Chests-ebook/dp/B076NSQ6JT
Christopher Moore wrote a book about it.
And if you want to know why the caged whale sings
Be sure that you pack essentials separately, like several changes of clothes, toothbrushes, towels, soaps, etc. Everything you need for a few days so you're not exhausted and digging through boxes just to try to shower. We only moved within town, but I did that and it made everything so much easier and less rushed.
I have this book on my list that would complete my Christopher Moore collection.
Good luck and thanks for the contest!
Edit: Go West, my friend!
Tottally weird. o.o Kinda like Tag, but not with actual zombies and only perception.
Not what you're looking for, but might I also suggest Good Omens
I haven't read any Sanderson, but based on your summary, perhaps the Jhereg series? Assassins, convoluted plots, lots going on behind the scenes, and as the series goes on it gets deeper and we find out why.
You might also like the Shannara series. Elfstones, the second book, in particular seems like it'd be a good fit.
Steven Brust's Vlad Taltos novels, also To Reign in Hell a marvelous novel about the revolt in heaven.
Um.... I honestly don't know? I have to confess I read them out of my dad's books and he has physical copies. I'm actually several books behind at this point too ^^;
Clicking the link from Goodreads to Amazon got me the German Language paperback, which had a link on it to this: https://www.amazon.com/Jhereg-Steven-Brust/dp/0441385540
If you're looking for Ebooks sorry I have no idea. If you're fine with physical books and just don't want to store them you could check your local library.
Your milage may vary in terms of what you find "weird," but off the top of my head here's a few that fall all over the weird spectrum
1)The Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea. Deals with drugs, conspiracy theories, and the occult blended with a strong sense of wit and cynicism. Imagine Dan Brown but with a much stronger sense of humor.
2) VALIS by Philip K. Dick. Really anything by Dick could deserve a place on here but VALIS is my personal favorite. A group of misfit adults all struggle to piece together a series of odd occurrences that just may be a message from the god of the Gnostics.
3) Spacetime Donuts by Rudy Rucker. If the above are a bit too heady for you, then this might be more up your ally. Weird theoretical math is explored through the travels of an elderly, weed and acid loving guy who lives in a world controlled by a mostly benevolent supercomputer.
Edit: Forgot a couple!
4) John Dies at the End by David Wong. A great story about two slacker guys who stumble upon a "drug" known as Soy Sauce that opens up other words both literally and figuratively. A wonderful combination of dick & fart humor and deep meditations on the horrors of our universe.
5) The Time Machine Did It by John Swartzwelder. I have never laughed so hard, so consistently at a book. John is a writer from the golden age of the Simpsons and his unique sense of humor is on display here. He's got a bunch of books out and I admittedly have only read this one so far, but based on it the rest of his works are definitely on my must-read list.
The Time Machine did It by John Swartzwelder (writer of 59 episodes of The Simpsons)
The Stench of Honolulu: A Tropical Adventure by Jack Handey (of SNL 'Deep Thoughts' fame)
I'm not one to make personal guarantees but you will at least crack a smile by reading either one, wish you all the best.
The Time Machine Did It by John Swartzwelder. Swartzwelder is the most prolific writer in Simpsons history and he really does do an amazing job of writing a funny story. You will be cracking up throughout the book.
YES! He's so freakin' amazing!! He's written a total of 59 episodes and somehow his constant disregard for social interactions and refusal to make audio commentary's makes him so much better.
You should check out his series of novels too, The Time Machine Did It
I'm reading Stench of Honolulu, and it's great!
If you like it, I'd suggest you check out John Swartzwelder's books. Both Handey and Swartzwelder have a very dry-yet-silly wit. They both contributed to George Meyer's Army Man magazine from its inception. And his books are a lot like Honolulu: first person, stupid protagonist, and sentences packed with insane jokes.
This one's the first and the best although they're all hilarious.
Oh, yeah. Forgot to mention. These guys also didn't make a page quota, so they copied and pasted random pages throughout the book. Just... you know, whole pages, to bring the page count up.
Oh, and it's on Amazon.
Honestly, I'd purchase that movie (if it existed) just for the novelty, similar to Atlanta Nights.
Shame on you! How could you mention BBC Radio comedy and fail to mention the original Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?
You are NOT a hoopy frood, and have no clue where your towel is, sir.
This is the one I listened to :D
https://www.amazon.com/Hitchhikers-Guide-Galaxy-Primary-Original/dp/160283511X
The original
Audio Books:
Steve Martin has written some poignant stories and he narrates them himself which is quite soothing.
Podcasts
Radio Series
http://www.amazon.com/Hitchhikers-Guide-Galaxy-Primary-Original/dp/160283511X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1304184101&sr=8-1
Ugh. It frustrates me when people tell others to read the book, when it was written to be a radio play. The books came later.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Hitchhikers-Guide-Galaxy-Original/dp/160283511X
Oh, and Hitchhikers guide. https://www.amazon.com/Hitchhikers-Guide-Galaxy-Primary-Original/dp/160283511X
Pity she didn't have a Kindle instead.. very easy to gift books to people via that just have to send it to their email and it will appear in there library ready to sync to the device.
Perhaps consider getting her the radio series
on iTunesSadly it is only on Amazon.Oh well I am fresh out of idea save setting up an iTunes server on a NAS for her.
If you'd like some variety of medium or want the pick-me-up in a situation where reading a physical book isn't so easy, try listening to the original BBC radio series (first broadcast 1978, available on CD, Audible or YouTube). The radio series existed before the books, and the full-cast dramatisation is a pillar of radio comedy and drama.
The Primary and Secondary phases (first and second series, six episodes each) are from the 70s, the third through fifth were adapted from the later books in the early 2000s with the surviving cast.
Opening a permanent portal to an alternate dimension that resembles the past of our own dimension isn't really opening a portal to the past. It is opening a portal to a different dimension that resembles, but is not, our own.
This resembles "Off to be the Wizard" by Scott Mayer.
So it doesn't really affect our past. What the time travelers find is that whatever they do in the past, it has no affect on the future, since the past and the future are different dimensions.
https://www.amazon.com/Off-Be-Wizard-Magic-2-0/dp/1612184715
Martin Banks is just a normal guy who has made an abnormal discovery: he can manipulate reality, thanks to reality being nothing more than a computer program. With every use of this ability, though, Martin finds his little “tweaks” have not escaped notice. Rather than face prosecution, he decides instead to travel back in time to the Middle Ages and pose as a wizard.
What could possibly go wrong?
An American hacker in King Arthur’s court, Martin must now train to become a full-fledged master of his powers, discover the truth behind the ancient wizard Merlin…and not, y’know, die or anything.
I'd like to see the Magic 2.0 series from Scott Meyer or Spellsinger from Alan Dean Foster, but the latter would take a ton of CGI. I've always thought Thieves World would make an interesting translation to TV, a shared world, but each director gets to do their episode from a different viewpoint.
One book that i didnt see mentioned in a casual skim of the posts is Off to be the Wizard
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Off-Be-Wizard-Magic-2-0/dp/1612184715
A very silly series where a modern day guy ends up in an alternate dimension where he can do magic/control the world via programming. Super light reads, fun and funny, and pulls in your computer interest. If you enjoy the first one, you can pick up the others.
If you want something a bit meatier, check out some Douglas Hofstadter.
Le Ton Beau de Marot (it's in English) is about the process and problems of translating languages, and makes surprisingly good bathroom reading because the chapters are short. He starts the scope small, talking about whether to focus on literal meaning or the spirit of the words, and then brings in more concepts like artificial constraints (poetry, or even writing without certain letters, for one example). It is philosophical, informative, and amusing. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B012HVQ1R0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_L2sgAbDYFK1XK
He also wrote Godel Escher Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0465026567/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_b3sgAbQ79TTGS better writers than I have written reviews (this one is from Amazon)
>Twenty years after it topped the bestseller charts, Douglas R Hofstadter's Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid is still something of a marvel. Besides being a profound and entertaining meditation on human thought and creativity, this book looks at the surprising points of contact between the music of Bach, the artwork of Escher, and the mathematics of Gödel. It also looks at the prospects for computers and artificial intelligence (AI) for mimicking human thought. For the general reader and the computer techie alike, this book still sets a standard for thinking about the future of computers and their relation to the way we think.
The Magic 2.0 series is definitely in the YA heap, but I thought all of the books were pretty entertaining. First is the best - "Off to Be the Wizard" - and it's on kindle unlimited.
I like the Kindle in Motion version of Off to be the Wizard
Here is the link to the kindle version - https://www.amazon.com/Magic-2-0-3-Book-Series/dp/B00TP1RYO0/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1487251391&sr=1-5&keywords=magic+2.0
Here is the link to the first book in physical form - https://www.amazon.com/Off-Be-Wizard-Magic-2-0/dp/1612184715/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1487251391&sr=1-3&keywords=magic+2.0
No, I'm talking about this one.
>Martin Banks is just a normal guy who has made an abnormal discovery: he can manipulate reality, thanks to reality being nothing more than a computer program. With every use of this ability, though, Martin finds his little “tweaks” have not escaped notice. Rather than face prosecution, he decides instead to travel back in time to the Middle Ages and pose as a wizard. What could possibly go wrong? An American hacker in King Arthur’s court, Martin must now train to become a full-fledged master of his powers, discover the truth behind the ancient wizard Merlin…and not, y’know, die or anything.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Off-Be-Wizard-Magic-2-0/dp/1612184715
I really enjoyed it - I wont spoil it
Off to be the Wizard & Magic 2.0 series might fit the bill for you. It'll be a little different take on medieval wizardry, but it is a real entertaining read.
This looks exactly like something out of the Magic 2.0 series by Scott Meyer.
I have to agree with The End of All Things by Scalzi. Surprisingly good series.
Also, don't judge me, but I have one that is a bit more in the Fantasy side of things. It's admittedly a guilty pleasure, but I'm really excited for An Unwelcome Quest by Scott Meyer. It's the 3rd book in the "Magic 2.0" series that begins with Off to be the Wizard
Did you find "the" database?
http://www.amazon.com/Off-Be-Wizard-Magic-2-0/dp/1612184715
Or just the plot of a novel...
Have you ever read Off to Be the Wizard? Magic and programming is awesome! haha
Reminds me of "Off To Be The Wizard"
https://www.amazon.com/Off-Be-Wizard-Magic-2-0/dp/1612184715
I highly recommend Off to be the Wizard, about a kid who basically discovers life is a computer simulation, and goes back to medieval times to try and pass himself off as a wizard. Much better than it sounds.
I am still trying to wrap my brain around the ending. the significance etc... The writing was always good. The further you read and the older the main character gets the cleaning and easier it is to interpret. Chapter 7 where Eiji gets a job in the pizza shoppe and Yakuza's interaction with him are a bit over the top. If you think about it. Why would they spend that much time and energy bothering him and trying to make him pay his debts.
Eiji's relationship with Ai is sweet and they should of let that develop more. My faveroite character is Buntaro his landlord. But he plays such a minor role. On my goodreads I gave it 4 stars.
My next book "Off to be the Wizard" is totally random amazon buy. Hopefully it is good
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1612184715/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Help! A Bear is Eating Me! by Mykle Hansen.
Relevant
Relevant
"Help! A Bear is Eating Me!" was a pretty good book.
Help! A bear is eating me!
It's short, cheap, has a few spelling errors, but man is it funny.
Possibly the Sandman Slim novels, kind of a noir LA gumshoe that escaped from Hell, also authors like Charles De Lint or Joe Hill would be worth checking out.
*edit accidentaly posted Help a Bear is Eating Me in this thread instead of another, hahaha
Relevant book:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1933929693
XD came here to say this
http://www.amazon.com/Faggiest-Vampire-Carlton-Mellick-III/dp/1933929804
the first review
I'll just leave you with these...
So apparently there are many other good reads.
Kind of like this book.
Shatnerquake.
Not even kidding.
Sounds kind of like a reverse Shatnerquake.
vaguely related
Sex sells. You know? The books feel like some cross between a Troma film fan fiction.
In fact, Bizarro Central describes Bizarro as:
Other great Bizarro authors include Jeff Burk, Mykle Hansen, and Cameron Pierce.
It's really fun stuff, in the way that art house films and dropping acid are really fun stuff.
It reminds me of a Jeff Burk novel called "Shatnerquake", where all the characters played by William Shatner are out to get the real William Shatner.
Link
This has sorta kinda been done, only with characters and not with actors.
How To Succeed in Evil.
It's a super fun book!
Klondaeg the Monster Hunter by Steve Thomas (/u/SteveThomas)
>Klondaeg is a simple Dwarf with a simple plan: rid the world of monsters. When he was a boy, his parents were killed by unidentified monsters, and he swore revenge against all of them. Armed with a talking battle axe with a split personality, Klondaeg travels the countryside, slaying everything from tiny werewolves to gold-devouring demons. He negates prophecies, disproves history, and even comes face to face with Acerbus, the god of darkness himself. But will he ever find the thing that killed his parents?
Off to Be the Wizard (Magic 2.0 series) by Scott Meyer is a really quirky story where the MC discovers the world is really a computer program so he decides to go to the middle ages and portray his computer hacking as magic and be a wizard there. I highly recommend the audible version since the narrator Luke Daniels is hilarious with his voices. Not litRPG at all but is fairly geeky so some litRPG readers would like it.
https://www.amazon.com/Wizard-Kindle-Motion-Magic-Book-ebook/dp/B00EF8Z32I/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
This one may be a little out there, but you might enjoy [Off to Be the Wizard] (http://www.amazon.com/Off-Wizard-Magic-2-0-Book-ebook/dp/B00EF8Z32I).
It's about a hacker who comes across a file which, when altered, allows reality to be altered correspondingly. I don't necessarily want to give all the details of the premise away but he ends up sending himself to the Middle Ages, where he uses his newfound access to the reality-altering file to pose as a wizard to the locals. That's sort of the "unusual occupation" part, and the book parodies a lot of the tropes of the medieval wizardry fantasy genre. It's a pretty light read, at 276 pages. It's really quite a funny and charming book.
I'm enjoying the magic 2.0 series a lot. It's not exactly deep and complex but it's a FUN read and has lots of nerdy references.
Maybe Daft Punk for $9.49 and a book for $3.99 to total $198.87?
I don't know if I'd recommend Game of Thrones for your first audiobook unless you're already familiar with the material. It can be hard to keep track of all the names and stuff when you're listening...
For a first foray into audio I'd recommend something lighter and shorter, and since you like fantasy I recommend Off to be the Wizard. You can get the audiobook and kindle eBook for $6 with the whispersync bundle ($3.99 for kindle, $1.99 for audio).
The narrator is amazing, the characters have recognizable names and voices, the story has some good humor, and if you decide that audiobooks aren't your thing you still have the kindle version to read.
Reading. Obviously, if you get too high, you won't be able to read well. The secret is staying low dose, getting just high enough. Check out the Amazon "Look Inside" previews to see if any of these is right for you.
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Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett.
Tuf Voyaging by George RR Martin.
Into the Storm by Taylor Anderson.
Off to Be the Wizard by Scott Meyer.
The Remaining by DJ Molles.
Sorry about that. I don't have a good way of figuring out whether any price is honored in any other territory. I don't think that there are nearly as many UK Whispersync for Voice deals overall -- 90% of the titles I just checked around on didn't offer it, and some that did the combined price was actually more than the audiobook alone, e.g. Ben Winter's The Last Policeman. Did see one, Andy Weir's The Martian, for £3.49 + £3.99 which is only a little less than the £9.20 audiobook alone price, which is actually more than the £7.99 you guys pay per credit over there. The credit price rules out other titles like The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August (£2.99 plus £5.99).
One area where you guys can I think still make out really well is with self-published Kindle/Podium Publishing audiobook titles, e.g.:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Harbinger-Fates-Forsaken-Book-1-ebook/dp/B008RCI29Y/
Another of my usual "go to" deal strategies only offers a small discount, that being Amazon's 47North/Brilliance Audio titles, e.g.:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Off-Wizard-Magic-2-0-Book-ebook/dp/B00EF8Z32I/
The £3.49 plus £3.49 is less than the monthly credit price, but not by too much.
Hope some of that is helpful and takes a bit of the sting of "US only? rageface!!" out of the post!
I have the same complaint when I go to the humor section!
Here are some of my favorites that I haven't seen in the other comments:
Mercury Falls Series (and really almost anything by Robert Kroese). This one probably gave me the most laugh-out-loud moments.
>While on assignment in Utah, Christine Temetri isn’t surprised when yet another prophesied Apocalypse fails to occur. After three years of reporting on End Times cults for a religious news magazine, Christine is seriously questioning her career choice. But then she meets Mercury, a cult leader whose knowledge of the impending Apocalypse is decidedly more solid than most: he is an angel, sent from heaven to prepare for the Second Coming but distracted by beer, ping pong, and other earthly delights. After Christine and Mercury inadvertently save Karl Grissom—a film-school dropout and the newly appointed Antichrist—from assassination, she realizes the three of them are all that stand in the way of mankind’s utter annihilation. They are a motley crew compared to the heavenly host bent on earth’s destruction, but Christine figures they’ll just have to do. Full of memorable characters, Mercury Falls is an absurdly funny tale about unlikely heroes on a quest to save the world.
Peter and the Monsters--It initially reads like a kids book, but don't let that put you off. The first volume is free.
>When ten-year-old Peter moves into his grandfather’s creepy old mansion in a small town, bad, baaaaad things start to happen.
A family of charred boogeymen who haunt the garden decide they don't like trespassers...
A classmate with a crush comes back from the grave and decides to make Peter her Undead Prince Charming...
A creature from Fairieland changes place with Peter's two-year-old sister, leading to a VERY strange babysitting job...
A prehistoric predator snatches children from the town lake, forcing Peter to literally dive into the belly of the beast...
With his troublemaking neighbor Dill, his grumpy grandfather, and only his courage and wit to guide him, Peter has to survive all these things, plus the Greatest Horror Of All:
Fourth grade.
Magic 2.0 starting with Off to be the Wizard. To be honest, the series goes slowly downhill after the first one.
>Martin Banks is just a normal guy who has made an abnormal discovery: he can manipulate reality, thanks to reality being nothing more than a computer program. With every use of this ability, though, Martin finds his little “tweaks” have not escaped notice. Rather than face prosecution, he decides instead to travel back in time to the Middle Ages and pose as a wizard.
>
>What could possibly go wrong?
>
>An American hacker in King Arthur's court, Martin must now train to become a full-fledged master of his powers, discover the truth behind the ancient wizard Merlin…and not, y'know, die or anything.
Clovenhoof Probably not as good as others in this list, but there are still some good laughs. It's more British humor (or humour, I suppose).
>Charged with gross incompetence, Satan is fired from his job as Prince of Hell and exiled to that most terrible of places: English suburbia. Forced to live as a human under the name of Jeremy Clovenhoof, the dark lord not only has to contend with the fact that no one recognises him or gives him the credit he deserves but also has to put up with the bookish wargamer next door and the voracious man-eater upstairs.
>
>Heaven, Hell and the city of Birmingham collide in a story that features murder, heavy metal, cannibalism, armed robbers, devious old ladies, Satanists who live with their mums, gentlemen of limited stature, dead vicars, petty archangels, flamethrowers, sex dolls, a blood-soaked school assembly and way too much alcohol.
Clovenhoof is outrageous and irreverent (and laugh out loud funny!) but it is also filled with huge warmth and humanity. Written by first-time collaborators Heide Goody and Iain Grant, Clovenhoof will have you rooting for the bad guy like never before.
We Are Legion (We Are Bob) This is the first in a series of 3. I would say it's a sci-fi book first with a lot of humor.
>Bob Johansson has just sold his software company and is looking forward to a life of leisure. There are places to go, books to read, and movies to watch. So it's a little unfair when he gets himself killed crossing the street.
>
>Bob wakes up a century later to find that corpsicles have been declared to be without rights, and he is now the property of the state. He has been uploaded into computer hardware and is slated to be the controlling AI in an interstellar probe looking for habitable planets. The stakes are high: no less than the first claim to entire worlds. If he declines the honor, he'll be switched off, and they'll try again with someone else. If he accepts, he becomes a prime target. There are at least three other countries trying to get their own probes launched first, and they play dirty.
>
>The safest place for Bob is in space, heading away from Earth at top speed. Or so he thinks. Because the universe is full of nasties, and trespassers make them mad - very mad.
The Henchmen's Book Club I read this one quite a few years ago, so I don't remember the specifics other than I thought it was funny at that time.
>Mark Jones is a henchman for hire. He guards bunkers, patrols perimeters and stands around in a boiler suit waiting to get knocked out by Ninjas. This is his job.
>
>He’s worked for some of the most notorious super villains the world has ever known – Doctor Thalassocrat, Victor Soliman, Polonius Crump; Mark was with each of them when they met their makers at the hands of British Secret Service super-spy, Jack Tempest and lived to tell the tale – if not pay the bills.
>
>Still for ever hour under gunfire there are weeks if not months of sitting around on monorails so Jones starts a book club with his fellow henchmen to help pass the time.
>
>It was only meant to be a bit of fun.
>
>It was never meant to save the world.
Everything else I was going to suggest is already in the comments. Good Luck!
I really enjoyed Scott Meyer's Magic 2.0 books.
There are some audiobooks with graphics "Kindle in motion" like this https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00EF8Z32I/ref=pd_aw_sim_351_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=MS57FVNWG0AEPJNWJS28&dpPl=1&dpID=91In9gKXiCL
Would be really cool if they make some VR option to listen/watch the books with graphics, videos, animations in 360.
I just started "Off to be a Wizard" by Scott Meyer and am really liking it. It's about a modern day programmer discovering magic (essentially) and traveling back to the Middle Ages to be a wizard. Only $2 on a kindle.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00EF8Z32I/
You may want to read "An Unwelcome Quest" by Scott Meyer. It is unfortunately the third and weakest book of his Magic 2.0 trilogy. The first book is very entertaining, the second one is pretty good, and the third one is kinda meh. But it's the third one that might provide you with the inspiration you are looking for. Without reading the first two, though, you won't get it.
I actually recommend the first one. I like it a lot. And, having read it, you'll be inexorably drawn to read the second one. Under normal circumstances you might then give the third one a pass since the second one disappointed. But if somebody wants to run a "trapped in a video game" style campaign, then that third one is a must-read.
Here's all three:
Probably all away reading NPCs (Spells, Swords, & Stealth Book 1)
https://www.amazon.com/NPCs-Spells-Swords-Stealth-Book-ebook/dp/B00KB2RLKO/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1484000775&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=litrpg+npc+fiction
NPCs by Drew Hayes is more like Pencil and Paper LitRPG (LitPnPRPG?)
Orcanomics: A Satire is, as advertised, a parody of P&P RPG tropes. Not LitRPG, though. Hilarious!
I just read them last year as well, as an middle-aged adult. Being a late comer to D&D, I really enjoyed the setting and fantastical adventure, but seek something more sophisticated and for an older audience. Still searching, but in the meantime have been really enjoying the Spells,Swords and Stealth books.
NPCs by Drew Hayes comes to mind and is recommended.
> How to Avoid Death on a Daily Basis
The first one is free on amazon. I put it on my list.
Couple new ones not mentioned:
M.C. Planck - "Sword of the Bright Lady"
Olan Thorensen - "Cast Under An Alien Sun"
Michael Oneill - "The Casere"
It's also a popular theme among the LitRPG crowd. Like the following:
Blaise Corvin - "Delvers LLC"
V. Moody - "How to Avoid Death on a Daily Basis"
Did you know Amazon will donate a portion of every purchase if you shop by going to smile.amazon.com instead? Over $50,000,000 has been raised for charity - all you need to do is change the URL!
Here are your smile-ified links:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00J1HDEH4/ref=dp-kindle-redirect
https://smile.amazon.com/Cast-Under-Alien-Destinys-Crucible-ebook/dp/B01I8DTAKQ/ref=sr_1_1
https://smile.amazon.com/Aebeling-Casere-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00JS8VRV6/ref=sr_1_1
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M0U4B3S/ref=series_dp_rw_ca_1
https://smile.amazon.com/How-Avoid-Death-Daily-Basis-ebook/dp/B01H5G6ZR8
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^^i'm ^^a ^^friendly bot
book 1 in series is free: How to avoid death on a daily basis
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H5G6ZR8/ref=series_rw_dp_sw
might not strictly be litRPG as there are no status screens or level ups, but reads very similarly.
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http://topwebfiction.com/
there are a few litRPG in the list (the wandering inn, everybody loves large chests,..), all can be read for free.
Check it out on Amazon. He is releasing an editted version on there.
It fixes some plot holes and edits out some of the more extreme rapey stuff, and I think the story is better for it.
https://www.amazon.com/Morningwood-Everybody-Loves-Large-Chests-ebook/dp/B076NSQ6JT
Everybody loves large chests
and
The Legend of Randidly Ghosthound are fun reads.
something like this: Everybody Loves Large Chests
It was actually a light novel that was later adapted into a manga and then an anime, but it obviously draws inspiration from JRPGs and such. Slime enemies are really common in JRPGs, though those usually play the adventurer story straight, with slimes just being minor enemies. The anime you are asking about is unique because it subverts that common trope in a unique way.
[Tales of Symphonia], [Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book], [Recettear: an item shop's tale] and [The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky] are all good starting points for JRPG beginners. Those play the slime enemy straight, but have interesting spins on the fantasy genre in their own rights. Recettear for example is from the perspective of an item shop owner, while Ateier Sophie has you play as an Alchemist crafting items.
As for unusually wobbly protagonists, maybe look at [Snake Pass]. It's a platformer where you play a snake.
And for unusual recommendation, check out this book. It merges fantasy storytelling with RPG-style stats and character levels to form a devilishly delightful romp. Don't be fooled by the weird name and generic description, just trust me.
Oh, and watch KonoSuba.
Give a lesser known writer a try and see if you like him: Steven Brust. He has a fantasy series that's truly brilliant, for a number of reasons. His characters have a lot of depth and endearing tendencies, he's got a wicked sense of humor and colors his writing with dark moments of self reflection, and his creativity in a field overrun with mediocrity is to be appreciated.
Try Jhereg and see what you think. Another thing that makes this series so good is that he intentionally wrote it out of order to encourage people to read whatever volume they happen to find, but this one as the first really outlines the world richly.