FANTASY AND SCI-FI HUMOR AUTHORS

INDEX

Terry Pratchett
Robert Asprin
Tom Holt
Craig Shaw Gardner
Grant Naylor
Robert Sheckley
Robert Shecley & Roger Zelanzy
L. Spraque de Camp
John de Chancie
Esther Friesner
Daniel Pinkwater
Barry Hughart
Robert Rankin
Rick Cook
John Morressy
Margaret Ball
C. Dale Brittain
Fredric Brown
James Branch Cabell
Gordon Dickson
Lionel Fenn
Ron Goulart
Harry Harrison
Jody Lynn Nye
Nick Pollotta and Phil Foglio
Eric Frank Russell
Mark Twain
Christopher Stasheff
Fritz Leiber
Douglas Adams
Alan Dean Foster
Piers Anthony
Steven Brust
Joe Clifford Faust
Connie Willis
Isidore Haiblum
Christopher Moore

Older Authors
Anthologies
General Links
Book-Buying Links


TERRY PRATCHETT

The Colour of Magic (1983)
The Light Fantastic (1986)
Equal Rites (1987)
Mort (1987)
Sourcrey (1988)
Wyrd Sisters (1988)
Pyramids (1989)
Guards! Guards! (1989)
Eric (1990)
Moving Pictures (1990)
Reaper Man (1991)
Witches Abroad (1991)
Small Gods (1992)
Lords and Ladies (1992)
Men at Arms (1993)
Soul Music (1994)
Interesting Times (1994)
Maskerade (1995)
Feet of Clay (1996)
Hogfather (1996)
Jingo (1997)
The Last Continent (1998)
Carpe Jugulum (1998)
The Fifth Elephant

Truckers
Diggers
Wings

The Carpet People (1991)
Good Omens (1990)
Strata (1981)
The Dark Side of the Sun (1976)
The Unadulterated Cat (1991)

Only You Can Save Mankind (1992)
Johnny and the Dead (1991)
Johnny and the Bomb (1996)

Comments: Well, this page was originally set up to list 'authors similar to Terry Pratchett' so that fact alone should tell you my opinion of his work! Though, now i've found that some people don't know who Terry Pratchett is, therefore I've added his works into the list. The Discworld series are his most famous works, and are extremely funny and entertaining, and highly recommended. The Discworld is a world resting on the back of four giant elephants, standing on the back of a turtle. As the description of it might suggest - reality tends to wear a little thin there, and therefore magic runs havoc everywhere! Adventures, naturally, can be found at every turn!
His other series' are also humourous, though it should be noted that the Trucker's trilogy are more for younger readers.

LINKS

BUGARUP STUDENT UNIVERSITY GUILD

DISCWORLD FROM THE BROTHERHOOD

DISCWORLD MONTHLY

THE L-SPACE WEB

WYRD SISTER'S DISCWORLD PAGE


ROBERT ASPRIN

Cold Cash War
Bug Wars

MYTH ADVENTURES

Another Fine Myth (1978)
Myth Conceptions (1980)
Myth Directions (1982)
Hit or Myth (1983)

Myth-ing Persons (1984)
Little Myth Marker (1985)
M.Y.T.H., Inc. Link (1986)
Myth-Nomers and Im-Pervections (1987)
M.Y.T.H., Inc. in Action (1990)
Sweet Myth-tery of Life (1994)

THE PHULE SERIES

Phule's Company (1990)
Phule's Paradise (1992)

Comments: The Myth series is very Pratchett-like, flavored with a bit of Damon Runyon. The Phule series is SF humor that is funnier than most.

LINKS

ROBERT ASPRIN PAGE

STEVEN WINIKOFF - ROBERT ASPRIN LINKS

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TOM HOLT

Expecting Someone Taller (1987)
Flying Dutch (1992)
Who's Afraid of Beowulf?
Odds and Gods
Wish you were here
Grailblazers
Here comes the Sun
Overtime
Ye Gods!
Faust among Equals
Open Sesame
Paint your Dragon
My hero
Djinn Rummy

LUCIA SERIES

Lucia Triumphant
Lucia in Wartime

Comments: Very funny and entertaining. Very Pratchett-esque humour style. Some aren't up to the standard of others, though, so I recommend starting with "Odds and Gods" and "Faust Among Equals" in particular. For those who know about mythology, Odds and Gods is expecially recommended.

LINKS

TOM HOLT

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CRAIG SHAW GARDNER

THE EBENEZUM TRILOGY

A Malady of Magicks (1986)
A Multitude of Monsters (1986)
A Night in the Netherhells (1987)

THE BALLAD OF WUNTVOR

A Difficulty With Dwarves (1987)
An Excess of Enchantments (1988)
A Disagreement with Death (1989)

THE CINEVERSE CYCLE

Slaves of the Volcano God (1989)
Bride of the Slime Monster (1990)
Revenge of the Fluffy Bunnies (1990)

THE SINBAD SERIES

The Other Sinbad (1991)
A Bad Day for Ali Baba (1991)
Scheherazade's Night Out (1992)

Comments: The first two series are very Pratchett-like, the other two are much less so, but amusing.

LINKS

CRAIG SHAW GARDNER - BIBLIOGRAPHY

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GRANT NAYLOR

RED DWARF

Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers (1989)
Better Than Life (1993)

Comments: Adventures aboard the worst run spaceship in the galaxy. Very funny. The main characters are a cat that's evolved into a human, an android missing his sanity chip, a cowardly hologram, a less than adept computer, and the last surviving human in existance. Based on the BBC series.

LINKS

RED DWARF PILE O' SMEG - THE RED DWARF LINK PAGE

WELCOME TO RED DWARF

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ROBERT SHECKLEY

Can You Feel Anything When I Do This? (1971)
Citizen in Space (1955)
Immortality, Inc. (1959)
Is THAT What People Do? (1984)
Journey Beyond Tomorrow (1962)
Notions: Unlimited (1960)
Options (1975)
The People Trap (1968)
Pilgrimage to Earth (1957)
The Robot Who Looked Like Me (1978)
Shards of Space (1962)
The Status Civilization (1960)
Untouched by Human Hands (1954)
Godshome (1999)

Comments: Robert Sheckley is the acknowledged king of the humorous SF short story. These collections contain the best of his work.

LINKS

ROBERT SHECKLEY

ROBERT SHECKLEY'S ALMOST OFFICIAL HOMEPAGE

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ROBERT SHECKLEY & ROGER ZELAZNY

Bring Me the head of Prince Charming (1991)
If at Faust You Don't Succeed (1993)
A Farce to Be Beckoned With (1995)

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L. SPRAGUE DE CAMP

The Goblin Tower (1968)
The Clocks of Iraz (1971)
The Unbeheaded King (1983)
The Wheels of If (1948)
The Incorporated Knight (1987)
The Pixilated Peeress (1991)
The Complete Compleat Enchanter (1975)

Comments: Most of these are mildly amusing. His best is The Complete Compleat Enchanter. He's also written a lot of other books, including The Viagens Interplanarias series which is SF humor, and a lot of Conan continuations which are better than most but not humorous.

LINKS

ALPHA RALPHA BOULEVARD - L.SPRAGUE DE CAMP

L. SPRAGUE DE CAMP

WELCOME TO THE OFFICIAL L. SPRAGUE DE CAMP WEBSITE

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JOHN DeCHANCIE

From Prussia With Love

CASTLE SERIES

Castle Perilous (1988)
Castle for Rent (1989)
Castle Kidnapped (1989)
Castle War! (1990)
Castle Murders (1991)
Castle Dreams (1992)
Castle Spellbound (1992)
Bride of the Castle (1994)

Comments: Yesterday he was an umemployed philosopy major. Today he lives in a castle that opens onto 144,000 hilarious alternate worlds.

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ESTHER FRIESNER

Elf Defense (1988)
Gnome Man's Land (1991)
Harpy High (1991)
New York by Knight (1986)
Sphynxes Wild (1989)
Split Heirs (1993)
The Sherwood Game (1995)
The Harlot's Ruse (1986)
Unicorn U (1992)
Wishing Season (1996)

DEMON SERIES

Here Be Demons (1988)
Demon Blues (1989)
Hooray For Hellywood (1990)

MAJYK SERIES

Majyk By Accident (1993)
Majyk by Hook or Crook (1994)
Majyk by Design (1994)

Comments: All excellent. Pratchett fans will particularly like the Majyk series.

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DANIEL PINKWATER

Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars
Slaves of Spiegel
The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death
The Last Guru
Young Adult Novel

Comments: The above titles are all combined under the title of "5 Novels," a screamingly funny collection of way out SF.The best novel is "Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars."

LINKS

THE (SORT OF) OFFICIAL DANIEL PINKWATER WEBSITE

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BARRY HUGHART

Bridge of Birds (1984)
The Story of the Stone (1988)
Eight Skilled Gentlemen (1991)

Comments: Three very funny novels about an ancient and magical China that never was.

LINKS

BARRY HUGHART BIBLIOGRAPHY

BARRY HUGHART

BRIDGE OF BIRD REVIEW

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ROBERT RANKIN

The Antipope
The Brentford Triangle
East of Ealing
The Sprouts of Wrath
Armageddon the Musical
They Came and Ate Us
Armageddon II The B Movie
The Suburban Book of the Dead
Armageddon III The Remake
The Book of Ultimate Truths
Raiders of the Lost Car Park
The Greatest Show Off Earth (1994)

Comments: If you can fathom his intense Brit slang and weird vocabulary, he's supposed to be very funny. Some people think he is great, however, so decide for yourself. More a 'love him or hate him' type author

LINKS

THE FLYING SWAN - ROBERT RANKIN

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RICK COOK

Wizard's Bane (1989)
The Wizardry Compiled (1990)
The Wizardry Cursed (1991)
The Wizardry Consulted (1995)
The Wizardry Quested (1996)

Comments: A computer programmer finds himself in a medieval world where his programs turn into spells. Full of computer humour.

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JOHN MORRESSY

THE KEDRIGERN SERIES

A Voice for Princess (1986)
The Questing of Kedrigern
Kedrigern in Wanderland (1988)
A Remembrance for Kedrigern
Kedrigern and the Charming Couple

Comments: At the age of 160, the Wizard Kedrigern marries a Princess who used to be a frog, and still tends to say "brereep" a lot. Very Pratchetty, complete with a whining sword.

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MARGARET BALL

Lost in Translation (1995)
Mathemagics

Comment: I especially recommend Lost in Translation, a wonderful fantasy about a young girl en route to college who is switched into a wizard's college in an alternate universe and doesn't realize it.

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C. DALE BRITTAIN

A Bad Spell in Yurt (1991)
The Wood-Nymph and the Cranky Saint (1993)
Mage Quest (1993)
The Witch and the Cathedral (1995)
Daughter of Magic (1996)

Comments: Parts of these books are amusing, but the author swings back and forth between being serious and being funny. The Wood-Nymph and the Cranky Saint is about as good as it gets.

LINKS

AUTOGRAPHED C. DALE BRITTAIN BOOKS

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FREDRIC BROWN

Martians, Go Home (1955)
What Mad Universe (1949)

Comments: Science fiction humor.

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JAMES BRANCH CABELL

THE BIOGRAPHY OF MANUEL

Figures of Earth: A Comedy of Appearances (1921)
The Silver Stallion: A Comedy of Redemption (1926)
The Music from Behind the Moon (1926)
The Way of Ecban (1929)
Domnei: A Comedy of Woman-Worship(1920)
The Music from Behind the Moon (1928)
Chivalry: Dizain des Reines (1909) [rev. 1921]
Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice (1919)
The Line of Love: Dizain des Mariages (1905)
The High Place: A Comedy of Disenchantment (1923)
Something About Eve: A Comedy of Fig-Leaves (1927)
The Cream of the Jest: A Comedy of Evasions (1917)

Comments: These titles are only a sampling of the output of one of the most literate and talented fantasy writers of the early 20th century. Jurgen is still readily available, and well worth your time.

LINKS

JAMES BRANCH CABELL

JAMES BRANCH CABELL

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GORDON DICKSON

Magnificent Wilf

THE DRAGON SERIES

The Dragon and the George (1976)
The Dragon Knight (1990)
The Dragon on the Border (1992)
The Dragon at War (1992)
The Dragon, the Earl, and the Troll (1994)
The Dragon and the Djinn (1996)
The Dragon & The Gnarly King (1997)
The Dragon in Lyonesse (1998)

THE HOKA STORIES

Earthman's Burden (1957)

Hoka! (1983)
Comments: Best known for his Dorsai series (definitely not humorous), in recent years Dickson has turned out a series of fairly amusing novels about a modern man who is transported to a medieval kingdom -- and into a dragon's body. The Hoka series is SF humor about a race of intelligent teddy bears.

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LIONEL FENN

Blood River Down (1986)
Web of Defeat (1987)
Agnes Day (1987)

Comments: A retired football player steps through a door in his pantry and finds himself in a world run by ducks.

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RON GOULART

Big Bang (491) (1982)
Brainz, Inc. (629) (1985)
Calling Dr. Patchwork (283) (1978)
Flux (107) (1974)
Hail, Hibbler (399) (1980)
Hello, Lemuria, Hello (331) (1979)
Hellquad (592) (1984)
The Panchronicon Plot (231) (1977)
The Robot in the Closet (439) (1981)
Spacehawk, Inc. (132) (1974)
A Talent for the Invisible (37) (1973)
The Tin Angel (80) (1973)
Upside Downside (467) (1982)
What's Become of Screwloose (60) (1973)
When the Waker Sleeps (175) (1975)
A Whiff of Madness (207)(1976)
The Wicked Cyborg (311) (1978)

Comments: Ron Goulart is one of the best SF humorists writing today, and his work goes back to the 70s. Much of his early (and funniest) work was published by DAW Books, and I have included the DAW Book Numbers. Unlike most publishers, they keep all their backlist in print and you can buy these by writing them and ordering by book number. Ron has written many other non-DAW books, but I don't know if you can find them. Check his listing under Amazon.com

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HARRY HARRISON

Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers (1973)
The Technicolor Time Machine (1967)

THE STAINLESS STEEL RAT SERIES

The Stainless Steel Rat (1961)
The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge (1970)
The Stainless Steel Rat Saves the World (1972)
The Stainless Steel Rat Wants You! (1978)
The Stainless Steel Rat For President (1982)
A Stainless Steel Rat is Born (1985)
The Stainless Steel Rat Gets Drafted (1988)
The Stainless Steel Rat Sings the Blues (1994)

BILL THE GALACTIC HERO SERIES

Bill, the Galactic Hero (1965)
The Planet of the Robot Slaves (1989) [#1]
The Planet of the Bottled Brains (1990) [#2]
The Planet of Tasteless Pleasures (1991) [#3]
The Planet of the Zombie Vampires (1991) [#4]
The Planet of Ten Thousand Bars (1991) [#5]
The Final Incoherent Adventure (1992) [#6]

Comments: Science fiction humor of high quality. Bill the Galactic Hero is a parody of Starship Troopers/Forever War and it is a gem.

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JODY LYNN NYE

Magic Touch

MYTHOLOGY SERIES

Mythology 101 (1990)
Mythology Abroad
Higher Mythology(1993)

Comments: There are leprechauns in the university library.

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NICK POLLOTTA & PHIL FOGLIO

Illegal Aliens

Comments: Invading aliens run afoul of some American street people.

LINKS

NICK POLLOTTA - BIBLIOGRAPHY

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ERIC FRANK RUSSELL

Men, Martians and Machines (1955)
Six Worlds Yonder (1958)
The Space Willies (1958)

Comments: The late Eric Frank Russell was one of the top SF writers of the Golden Age of the 50s, and when you read his humorous books, you'll see why. His other stuff is great, too.

LINKS

ERIC FRANK RUSSELL - THE FORGOTTEN MASTER

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MARK TWAIN

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889)
Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven (1909)

Comments: Oldies but still funny.

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CHRISTOPHER STASHEFF

THE WARLOCK SERIES

The Warlock in Spite of Himself (1969)
King Kobold Revived (1984)
The Warlock Unlocked (1982)
Escape Velocity (1983)
The Warlock Enraged (1985)
The Warlock Wandering (1986)
The Warlock is Missing (1986)
The Warlock Heretical (1987)
The Warlock's Companion (1988)
The Warlock Insane (1989)
The Warlock Rock (1990)
Warlock and Son (1991)

THE ROGUE WIZARD

A Wizard in Mind (1995)
A Wizard in Bedlam (1979)
A Wizard in War (1995)
A Wizard in Peace
A Wizard in Chaos
A Wizard in Midgard (1998)

THE WARLOCK'S HEIRS

A Wizard in Absentia (1993)
M'Lady Witch (1994)
Quicksilver's Knight (1995)

A WIZARD IN RHYME

Her Majesty's Wizard (1986)
The Oathbound Wizard (1993)
The Witch Doctor (1994)
The Secular Wizard (1994)
My Son the Wizard (1997)

Comments: The Wizard series started off light and whimical but has gotten increasingly "heavy" -- try the earlier ones if you can find them.

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FRITZ LEIBER

FAFHRD AND THE GRAY MOUSER

Swords and Deviltry (1970)
Swords Against Death (1970)
Swords in the Mist (1968)
Swords Against Wizardry (1968)
The Swords of Lankhmar (1968)
Swords and Ice Magic (1977)

Comments: Medieval fantasy with a light touch.

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DOUGLAS ADAMS

THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1979)
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (1980)
Life, the Universe and Everything (1982)
So Long and Thanks for All the Fish (1984)
Mostly Harmless (1992)

DIRK GENTLY

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (1987)
The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul (1988)

Comments: Science fiction humor. Most people would know "Hitchhiker's Guide" as a classic of its genre

LINKS

HITCHHIKERS GUIDE TO THE GALAXY - DOUGLAS ADAMS

THE DOUGLAS ADAMS WORSHIP PAGE

THE PAGE OF DOUG

DOUGLASADAMS.COM

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ALAN DEAN FOSTER

Codgerspace (1992)
Glory Lane (1987)
Quozl (1989)
Smart Dragons, Foolish Elves (1991)
Mad Amos
Jed the Dead (1997)

THE SPELLSINGER SERIES

Spellsinger (1983)
The Hour of the Gate (1984)
The Day of the Dissonance (1984)
Season of the Spellsong (1985)
The Moment of the Magician (1984)
The Paths of the Perambulator (1985)
The Time of the Transference (1986)
Son of Spellsinger (1993)

Comments: An extremely versatile author who has written many more books than I've listed here - all very readable. All of his work is not humorous, however. Read the cover blurbs and decide. The whole Spellsinger series is a delight, however. Probably more fantasy than humour, but worth the read.

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PIERS ANTHONY

Prostho Plus

XANTH

A Spell for Chameleon (1977)
The Source of Magic (1979)
Castle Roogna (1979)
Centaur Isle (1981)
Ogre, Ogre (1982)
Night Mare (1983)
Dragon on a Pedestal (1983)
Crewel Lye (1985)
Golem in the Gears (1986)
Vale of the Vole (1987)
Heaven Cent (1988)
Man From Mundania (1989)
Isle of View (1990)
Question Quest (1991)
The Color of Her Panties (1992)
Demons Don't Dream (1993)
Harpy Thyme (1993)
Geis of the Gargoyle (1994)
Roc and a Hard Place (1995)
Yon Ill Wind (1996)
Faun & Games (1997)
Zombie Lover (1998)

Comments: Most of the humour is in his use of puns, so they are fun to read for those who enjoy that. Piers Anthony has written many other books besides these, but they are not humorous, and some are very grim.

LINKS

PIERS ANTHONY

HOME OF THE UNOFFICIAL PIERS ANTHONY FAN CLUB

PIERS ANTHONY

PIERS ANTHONY'S VOLK

WELCOME TO MAGICIAN HUMFREY'S CASTLE

WELCOME TO THE HOME OF THE XANTH THREAD

WELCOME TO XANTH

XANTH PAGE

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STEVEN BRUST

Coyboy Feng's Space Bar and Grill

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JOE CLIFFORD FAUST

Ferman's Devils (1996)
Boddekker's Demons (1997)

LINKS

ALPHA RALPHA BOULEVARD - JOE CLIFFORD FAUST

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CONNIE WILLIS

To Say Nothing of the Dog (1997)

LINKS

CONNIE WILLIS

CONNIE WILLIS' BIBLIOGRAPHY

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ISIDORE HAIBLUM

The Wilk Are Among Us (1979)

LINKS

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF ISIDORE HAIBLUM

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CHRISTOPHER MOORE

Practical Demonkeeping (1992)

Comments: humour style is very Prachett-esqe, and the cover illustrations are even by Josh Kirby!


OLDER AUTHORS

JOHN COLLIER Short story collections
ANATOLE FRANCE Penguin Island


ANTHOLOGIES

The Mammoth Book of Comic Fantasy (1998) ed. by Mike Ashley

Comments: A wonderful new anthology of fantasy humor that will introduce you to the top writers in the field.

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Alien Pregnant By Elvis Esther M. Friesner, Editor
Chicks In Chainmail Esther M. Friesner, Editor

COMMENTS: These two anthologies have lots of humorous stuff in them.

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It Came From The Drive-In Marin H. Greenberg, Editor

COMMENTS: Another funny anthology.


GENERAL LINKS

SF AUTHORS LIST [INDEX A]

THE RECOMMENDED AUTHOR LIST A-C

THE SF SITE

SCI-FI ARCHIVE

INDEX STORIES - LISTED BY TITLE

THE SF SITE - THE BEST IN SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY

THE ULITIMATE SCIENCE FICTION WEB GUIDE

DOUG'S LIBRARY - WELCOME PAGE

LINKS TO FANTASY AUTHORS

FANTASY


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