Books Like...

Mercury Falls by Robert Kroese is a humorous and clever take on preventing the apocalypse, featuring a fallen angel named Mercury who prefers ping pong over the end of the world. The story follows the unlikely duo of Mercury and a human reporter, Christine, as they try to stop the end of the world according to plan, navigating through celestial bureaucracy and divine mishaps. The book is filled with pop culture references, humor, and witty dialogue that keeps the readers engaged from beginning to end.

Omega Rising is a sci-fi action-packed adventure that follows the main character, Jason Burke, as he embarks on an incredible journey after encountering a mysterious alien ship. The book is filled with detailed descriptions of advanced spaceships, weapons, and alien species, creating a rich universe for readers to immerse themselves in. The story features a variety of characters with distinct personalities, engaging dialogue, and a good balance between action and humor, making it an enjoyable read for fans of space operas.

Dimension of Miracles by Robert Sheckley is a comedic space opera novel following the interstellar adventures of an average American businessman named Tom Carmody who unexpectedly wins the Intergalactic Sweepstakes. As Carmody embarks on a journey to claim his Prize at the Galactic Center, he finds himself lost without the knowledge of how to return home to the correct Earth. Alongside his Prize, Carmody seeks assistance from various entities like Gods and Planet Contractors while being pursued by his personal Predator. The book is described as a mix of absurdity, humor, and philosophical musings set in distant galaxies and multiple Earth dimensions, providing a thought-provoking and entertaining experience for readers.

The writing style of Dimension of Miracles is often praised for its intellectual, silly, bizarre, and complex nature, characteristic of Robert Sheckley's unique stream of insanity. The novel is noted for its satirical elements, comical dialogues, and eccentric characters that create a blend of humor and philosophical depth, making it a captivating and enjoyable read for those who appreciate Sheckley's peculiar writing style.

The Fandom of the Operator by Robert Rankin revolves around Gary Cheese, a slacker who tries to resurrect his favorite author, PP Penrose, after his death. The story dives into absurdities like alien encounters and telecommunication networks for the dead. As Gary unravels the chaos surrounding him, he navigates through a wild and humorous adventure, peppered with unexpected twists and memorable characters like his best friend Dave and undead wife Sandra.

Rankin's writing style is characterized by clever wit and a blend of dark humor, making the story both entertaining and thought-provoking. Though the plot is outlandishly quirky, it maintains a vibrant pace that keeps readers engaged. Many have compared Rankin's work to that of Terry Pratchett, praising his ability to weave ludicrous tales with moments of genuine warmth. Overall, the book reflects Rankin's unique storytelling ability, pushing the boundaries of far-fetched fiction while remaining accessible and fun.

The Areas Of My Expertise by John Hodgman is a humorous and quirky book that presents a collection of fictional facts designed as a book of complete world knowledge. Hodgman's writing style is described as dry, deadpan, and brilliantly random, with a focus on absurd and nonsensical topics such as hoboes, werewolves, and the secrets of Yale University. The book is structured like an almanac, filled with humorous entries, lists, and essays that provide a joyous and rye look at the missing facts of American history.

Phule's Company by Robert Lynn Asprin is a lighthearted take on the military sci-fi genre, following a ragtag company of aliens and misfit humans lead by a trust fund kid with lofty ambitions. The story revolves around newly minted Captain Jester, a.k.a. Willard Phule, who finds himself in command of a group of rejects and no-goodniks on a backwater planet, Haskin's Planet. Despite the initial challenges, Phule sets out to turn this ragtag group into an effective and cohesive unit, with a humorous and tongue-in-cheek writing style that introduces quirky characters and incorporates Asprin's typical humor.

'Year Zero' by Rob Reid is a satirical sci-fi comedy that explores the consequences of aliens pirating Earth's music and the resulting copyright licensing chaos. The book follows the story of a copyright lawyer, Nick Carter, who must find a solution to prevent the destruction of Earth by extraterrestrial beings due to the massive fines owed for illegal downloading. The writing style is described as humorous, engaging, and filled with pop culture references from the '70s and '80s, making it a nostalgic and entertaining read for fans of satire and sci-fi.

'Monster' by A. Lee Martinez is a humorous fantasy novel that follows the adventures of Monster, a pest control agent for cryptobiological creatures, who teams up with Judy, a night shift worker at a local food mart, to contain a sudden influx of mythological creatures in a mundane suburbia. As they unravel the mystery behind the appearance of these cryptos, they discover a connection to the fate of the universe and a sinister cat lady. The book is described as a fun and light-hearted read, filled with dry humor, quirky characters, and fantastical elements that blur the line between the mundane and the extraordinary. The plot is engaging and action-packed, with a writing style that balances absurdity with mundanity, making even the most outrageous scenarios feel relatable.

David Wong creates a vision of the future that is both wondrous and depressing, ridiculous yet terrifying, and amazing yet familiarly banal. Into this he drops Zoey Ashe, a twenty three year old barista turned quasi criminal corporate boss who's so achingly relatable that she's very nearly a completely useless thriller protagonist. Facing an army of internet trolls who, distressingly, might also be an actual army armed with hellishly irresponsible future weaponry, she'll need to outmaneuver the cult like vitriol of people who hate her for being rich, powerful and female. And fat. Can Zoe triumph over the worst of humanity without becoming a monster herself. But there's a major problem. This book relies far too much on the device of hiding something from the reader that both Zoey who is supposed to be a viewpoint character and the other characters all know. No sooner do you get out of the first section which both does this and actively misrepresents the views characters have to hide the fact that they know things the reader doesn't then the book starts to mention Zoey's halloween costume multiple times while carefully avoiding mentioning what it is, which of course she and everyone else would know. Later, one of Zoey's staff gives her an item to take with her to protect her, apparently without telling her what it is It's frustrating, especially since it breaks the viewpoint relationship with the character. Ironically, the author write a Cracked article in 2016 which called out this device as meaning that movie TV writers were out of ideas.