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Humorous Fantasy

© Debbie Ledesma

Humor is an important aspect of human existence. We all enjoy humor whether it is subtle, bringing a smile to our lips or makes us laugh hard. For authors, humor can be a tricky thing to write but some do master it. Several Fantasy authors write humorous books using the Fantasy genre as their playground. They bring us works that give us laughs through many books.

One of the masters of Humorous Fantasy is British author Terry Pratchett. He created the Fantasy world of "Discworld." He uses satire to poke fun at all of the cliches in Fantasy as well as at our modern world. His characters of the wizard Rincewind, the witch Granny Weatherwax and many others bring Discworld to life and gives us many laughs. Mr. Pratchett has a keen talent for humor that extends over several books. The Color of Magic is the first of the series.

Another humorous author is Piers Anthony and his "Xanth" books. Xanth is a land of magic bordering on our world of Mundania. Everyone in Xanth is born with a magic talent. Those that aren't get exiled to Mundania forever. A Spell for Chameleonis the first book in this long series. It tells the story of Bink and his quest to find a magic talent before he's exiled.These books are pun driven. The series is now up to twenty-seven books.

Humor is not limited to men writers. Esther Freisner writes some books and stories that are very funny. She has a subtle but wicked sense of humor. Her books range from in your face comedy to a mild undercurrent in some books. They cover a vast array of Fantasy sub-genres. Harlot's Ruse and Elf Defense are just two books from her considerable talent and imagination.

Following in Pratchett's footsteps, Tom Holt added his contribution to humorous Fantasy with several books. Expecting Someone Taller tells the story about a character named Malcolm. While driving one day, Malcolm hit a badger. The badger granted him two powers, making Malcolm king of the world. A lot of satirical humor ensues. Mr. Holt uses various mythologies to write Fantasies poking fun at society. His books are entertaining

For slapstick humor, puns and a lot of fun, Fantasy author Robert Asprin fits the bill. He has written several humorous books, especially his "Myth" series. These books tell about Skeeve the magician's apprentice and the demon Aahz as they stumble through many adventures. Another Fine Myth is the first of the series.

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