Top 5 Funny Sci-Fi Books

One thing I think we all can agree on is that 2020 as a year pretty much sucks ass.

And, what we could all really do with right now is a damned good laugh.

Sci-fi isn’t a genre that most people associate with laugh-out-loud books, but I’ve managed to find a few that have definitely made me laugh.

And if the reviews are anything to go by, others have found these books funny, too.

So, in no particular order, here they are my Top 5 Funny Sci-fi books.

1. We Are Legion (We are Bob) | Dennis E. Taylor

If you liked The Martian by Andy Weir, chances are you’ll love We Are Legion, first book in the Bobiverse Trilogy.

Yes, that’s right. I said Bobiverse.

This is a book that’s not just funny, it’s clever and one that resonated deeply with me.

Bob Johannson is at Comicon, celebrating the sale of this software company. He crosses the road at lunchtime and BANG! He wakes up 130 years later as an AI owned by a pretty nasty theocracy in a post-climate-collapse America whose society is reminiscent of the Handmaid’s Tale hell-bent on galactic domination.

Lots of laughs, a few bittersweet tears if you read the whole series, too. I’m happy to say this is in LIFETIME top 5 books.

PRO-TIP: The audiobook version narrated by Ray Porter is AMAZING. Get it here:

2. Space Force | Jeremy Robinson

You know how a certain president wanted to create a Space Force?

Well, what if he did create a completely lame-arse Space Force, then the day he disbanded it, the aliens turned up?

Aliens who resemble choads (Google that) and base their understanding of Earth upon 1990s video games.

All your base are belong to us.

Space Force by Jeremy Robinson won’t be everyone’s taste, but it was one of my fave reads from 2019.

I laughed so much listening to this book on audio, people started staring at me as I was walking down the street.

3. Columbus Day (Expeditionary Force Book 1) | Craig Alanson

I’m not going to say much about Columbus Day other than you’ll meet Skippy the super-intelligent AI, so, so, SO incredibly intelligent that us monkey-shaped meat sacks couldn’t possibly begin to understand how incredibly intelligent Skippy is.

Oh, and by the way…Skippy looks like a beer can.

If you like military sci-fi with laughs, black-ops action, LOTS of explosions and wise-cracks, this is the series for you.

PRO-TIP: The audiobook is narrated by RC Bray who could narrate the cornflakes packet and make it AWESOME.

4. Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy | Douglas Adams

I can’t possibly write a post about funny sci-fi without mentioning Douglas Adam’s legendary Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Look, I probably don’t even need to say too much about it all.

But let me leave you with the one of my fave entries from the Guide and the reason you shouldn’t leave home without a bath towel to put over your head:

The Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal, a vicious wild animal from the planet of Traal, known for its never-ending hunger and its mind-boggling stupidity. One of the main features of the Beast is that if you can’t see it, it assumes it can’t see you. Due to this it has been considered one of the least intelligent creatures in the Universe.

5. The Vacuum of Space (Space Janitor Book 1) | Julia Huni

Ok, so I haven’t read The Vacuum of Space yet but I recently picked up the whole series on sale and it sounds right up my alley for humour.

If you have read it, drop me a comment and let me know what you thought.

Here’s the blurb:

It’s a dirty galaxy and someone has to clean it.

Avoiding the wealthy inhabitants on the upper levels of Station Kelly Kornienko is bot-programmer Triana’s number one rule. Well, number two, right after “eat all the chocolate.”

But when one of her cleaning bots finds a dead body, all the rules go out the airlock.  A highly connected security agent interrupts her routine with stories of missing bodies, and Triana can’t ignore him; it’s cooperate or find a new job. A girl has to pay the rent, even on a crappy studio compartment.

Working with a shiny detective beats a shuttle dirt-side, so Triana lends her programming skills to Agent O’Neill’s investigation. Together, they find more victims and evidence of a major cover-up.

It will take all Triana’s technical talents, most of O’Neill’s connections, and some really excellent croissants to stop the murders, save her job, and ultimately, her life.

Final Thoughts:

I know someone is going to mention Old Man’s War by John Scalzi. Yeah, I’ve read it. Honestly, I didn’t laugh much and I found it very average.

When I’ve said this to others, I’ve been asked: Who hurt you as a child?

Well, the answer to that is: Nobody, the book just didn’t float my boat.

Lastly, a question for YOU: What funny sci-fi books do you recommend?

Drop me a comment below and let me know.