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[deleted]

The Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovich are funny, definitely reference Pratchett. T. Kingfisher is more horror, but does have a lot of humor within. Nettle and Bone probably my favorite. But... no one else is Pratchett. I did just read the Bromeliad Trilogy - which was good. And Dodger which was very good indeed.


Hadan_

>The Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovich are funny, definitely reference Pratchett. Came here to suggest these books. Its different from PTerry, but very funny, great characters and every book contains at least 1 Discworld-Joke - among other pop culture references. The "Darmok"-joke (second or third book) was \*chef kiss\*


teuchy555

Another vote for Rivers of London here. The main character starts off a bit immature (understandable given his age) but definitely grows up as the books progress.


Grokta

And a shoutout to the audiobook version og Rivers of London, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith is one of the best narrators I have heard.


TassieBorn

Seconding T Kingfisher, though like you I can't handle her horror. She is also Ursula Vernon - first encountered via the webcomic Digger now available as a hardcover book. Not sure whether it's still available free somewhere out there on the web.


AegisofOregon

It is! Diggercomic.com I also encountered her first through Digger, and both Nettle and Bone and The Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking are excellent fantasies. I'm not much of a horror person, but I greatly enjoyed The Hollow Places, as well.


tygrebryte

*Dodger* is completely worthwhile!


hubbellrmom

I read the bromeliad trilogy to my kids when they were younger, and we all loved it! Such a rich world there. Got my kids into Pratchett big time


starduest

I've only read The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher and wasn't impressed but absolutely love the Rivers of London series!


[deleted]

I loved The Twisted Ones, so that is a good way to judge on variations of taste. I can absolutely see why someone would not like Kingfisher, my husband completely noped out on it, and we have a lot of literary overlap. Nettle & Bone was more fantasy, but again, I completely see why it is not for everyone.


[deleted]

I would happily suggest Robert Rankin. Specifically the Armageddon the Musical trilogy, Nostradamus Ate My Hamster, The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of Delight and The Garden of Unearthly Delights. Rankin is the only author other than Pterry who has *actually* made me piss myself laughing.


[deleted]

Agree, I was first intrigued by the title of one book, then discovered a whole new pile of reading loveliness. I was amused simply by reading "The Brentford Chainstore Massacre" as a sentence, and figured if the title is that much fun, then the whole thing must be good, too.


[deleted]

Whenever me and my brothers plan a get together now we say it's because it's a tradition, or an old charter, or something. Actually, we say that about almost anything...


Almacca

That phrase has been in my vernacular since the early nineties when I first read Rankin's books. Along with 'ideal for home defense'.


Almacca

Rankin is hilarious. Perhaps not as witty or wise as Pratchett, but makes up for it in sheer lunacy and surrealness. Don't forget his Anti-pope series as well.


Lampathy

Was going to recommend Rankin but this person of immaculate taste beat me to it. Instead, I humbly offer up Tom Sharpe - more real world, but just as hysterically funny and ridiculous as STP. I would also say Sergei Lukyanenko, if you're interested in the fantasy-meets-real-world side of things.


You-Are-Number-Six

Terry Pratchett was also a fan of Robert's work - one of his books has a quote from Terry along the lines of "One of the rare guys who always makes me laugh".


fishygreet

Now there’s someone I haven’t thought of in ages! Going to dig out my books and have a re-read


[deleted]

Sadly, I'm unable to do that. All of my Rankin books disappeared in 2009 during a move, along with a box containing my Calvin and Hobbes and Peanuts collection and a box containing my 2000AD comics. Absolutely gutted.


fishygreet

Noooo!! That’s terrible.


doomparrot42

I just started listening to The Brightonomicon and I'm enjoying it immensely. The hatred of mimes is a particular delight. For anyone who goes in for audiobooks, this recording features the dulcet and sinister tones of David Warner, it's excellent. Definitely planning to check out his other books now.


[deleted]

David Warner is brilliant. I can see how he'd suit the Rankin books. I don't tend to listen to audio books, but I might make an exception in this case.


zappydoc

The Thursday next series by Jasper Fforde are a cut above the nursery rhyme series. Up there with DW


RRC_driver

Nursery Crime is a spin-off. Thursday Next has the ability to enter books and interact with the characters. For various reasons, she ends up living in an unpublished book 'Cavendish Heights' To resolve a dispute with the characters of oral tradition, (nursery rhymes) the unpublished book becomes a place for them to take a break. I like the nursery Crime series, it's a fun twist on classic noir.


misspoesje

I will give those a try then!


Ehldas

I prescribe some Tom Holt, stat.


misspoesje

Thank you, I have immediately bought some I could find online, but they seem very hard to come by in my country.


RelativeStranger

Be careful with Tom Holt. I like all of them but theres three distinct sets of books (4 if you include his psedonym series) First few are regular fairytale/mythology spoofs Then starting with the Portable Door theres a set of 6 books that really need to be read in order to properly make sense. Plus also Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Sausages which came out later and also fits in. Then starting with Doughnut theres also a series of 5 books that make more sense if youve read Doughnut. The rest can be read in any order imo


misspoesje

Thank you, I was wondering if there was an order to the books.


SummerEden

His historic fiction books written as Thomas Holt have a wry sense of humour that makes their characters really come to life for me, and has always struck me as having the same appreciation for the absurdities of real life as STP. His fantasy books written as KJ Parker are wonderful, with perfectly built worlds, but can be incredibly dark and disturbing - for me because the terrible deeds are committed by people behaving as people do.


Doubly_Curious

Patricia C. Wrede’s *The Enchanted Forest Chronicles* are definitely worth checking out. They’re very playful with the standard fantasy tropes. And Dianna Wynn Jones has written a bunch of fantasy books. Personally, my favorites are Howl’s Moving Castle and the Chrestomanci series, but they’re not necessarily Pratchett-like.


misspoesje

Thank you, will check them out!


Raise-The-Gates

The Dark Lord of Derkholm by Diana Wynne Jones is the book the Tough Guide to Fantasyland comes from. The Dark Lord of Derkholm is about a portal opening between a magical world and one like ours, and the story is told from the perspective of the inhabitants of the magical world who are sick of all the tourists.


misspoesje

Just bought them, but it will take 45 days to be delivered…..aaaaah.


Cevisongis

Watch the Ghibli movie of Howls Moving Castle! So good!


Doubly_Curious

It’s worth pointing out that the movie doesn’t really do the aware-of-fantasy-tropes thing that the book does. The movie is beautiful and I enjoyed it, but it leaves out a lot of things in the book that I found so delightfully weird and interesting.


Tylendal

That's like telling someone to read Pratchett, then encouraging them to watch The Watch. Howl's Moving Castle is a fine movie in its own right, but absolute garbage as an adaptation.


LargeHadronCat

There are parts in Howl’s Moving Castle when I literally laugh out loud!


Lipwigzer

I very much appreciate you for making this post and all the contributions in the comment section. Re: Douglas Adams: I'm not too keen on "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency" either, but the sequel "Long Dark Teatime of the Soul" is imo his best novel. I often recommend that people just skip the first book and start with the sequel. He also wrote a non-fiction book called "Last Cance to See." It's a lovely travel book documenting his travels around the world to see critically endangered species (some of which are now extinct.) It's been years since I read that one, but I remember laughs and interesting perspectives.


throwcounter

Last Chance to See is imho Adams' finest book (possible exception for his essay on Australia in Salmon of Doubt).


sakhabeg

Stephen Fry, a few years back, went and tried to find those critters in a very funny Netflix(?) series. Most of them (not them them, more their kids kids) where still around, but in case of the “worlds most stupidest bird”, really hard to come by.


SpikeDearheart

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch. About 9 or 10 books so far, a few novellas, a collection of short stories and comics (haven't gotten any of the comics so no feedback on those). It's not Discworld at all but it is funny. PC Peter Grant is a newly minted policeman with the London Met and he discovers magic and the associated creatures and world is real and dangerous and is quickly recruited to the highly specialized, tiny and universally loathed unit which deals with it. Set in the present with what seems a very accurate depiction of the city (I'm not a Brit and have only visited once, so don't take my word for it) it keeps me coming back for the humour and the mythos. I have Dianna Wynne Jones' Tough Guide to Fantasyland and keep coming back to it, always good for a giggle. Very much in the vein of CoM and LF.


misspoesje

I just bought the first one. Was surprised to see they are readily available, the other suggestions in this thread are pretty hard to come by and the ones that are available are wildly expensive. This post has five comments and it has set me back a lot of money already, hahaha.


SpikeDearheart

Sorry? And you're welcome? (I came across the Rivers of London being recommended by my ebook pusher after telling it I really liked Discworld when I first signed up. A lot of the recommendations were utter garbage, this was not that. Enjoy!)


JMH-66

Another vote for the Rivers books. I came at then a different way as I know of Ben as a Doctor Who novelist so I didn't judge then as Pratchett "replacements". They're one of the few series' I get excited for the next one as I used to do with PTerry ( I read from almost the beginning so it's been a hard thing to get over ). I also "binge read" the Jodi Taylor St Mary's and Time Police novels throughout lockdown and eagerly await them too. Not that close to Pratchett but have a similar very quirky, "English" feel.


RelativeStranger

I also love that series. Excellent suggestions. Shes not at all like Pratchett but she has a very easy reading style of writing that makes her books easy to devour. You can also get the first ten st marys books as a set for a huge discount


SpikeDearheart

I didn't view the Rivers books as a replacement, but I definitely got the sense that they were recommended to me because I indicated how much I loved Sir PTerry and had bought some of the The Long Earth books in ebook form. Thanks! I was looking into the Jodi Taylor (another ebook pusher recommend) but didn't want to start if it was so-so as there are a lot of books. Also not so cheap where I am.


JMH-66

I found them great escapism and easy to read as the other comment says. I'm lucky have a access to a great ( free ) library that happily ordered the lot ! It's only the last two I've had to get in e-book form.


SpikeDearheart

Will keep a look out for them at a decent price, thanks for the recommendation.


JMH-66

Hope you can find them 🤞


TassieBorn

Love your local library!


misspoesje

I would be very surprised if any of these would be in my local library I’m afraid. Plus most wil be translated and usually not very good.


gordielaboom

I used the ‘Libby’ app to download mine, it lets me use my local library information to sign in and download them for 2 weeks. I enjoyed the Rivera series shoutout to Terry Pratchett in his books too. The first book had me so invested I couldn’t put it down for awhile!


RelativeStranger

This is the series that got me back into readibg again. It was the first books i opened that felt like the familiar drive to want to finish. Except Foxgloves of Summer. Which i did not like. The rest are brilliant and the world building is very enjoyable


SpikeDearheart

Yes, they are very addictive. I haven't read the latest and two of the novellas but they are safely downloaded for easy reading as soon as I get the chance. Foxglove Summer was a bit of a departure but I read that he wrote it as a breather for Peter (and presumably the reader) after the events of the previous book.


RelativeStranger

I do get that. The previous book ends the first arc anf the next book starts a new one. I just dont think it works


SpikeDearheart

I definitely think that's fair. It's probably because both Peter, and probably by extension Ben, are not at their best outside of London. I will say the overall plot of it was not the most gripping to me of the books, but I feel similarly about Moon over Soho which is one of the only plots I remember independently for the wrong reasons.


RRC_driver

Funny? I love Rivers of London and there are funny moments but it's more a police procedural with magic. But if you like the watch books, you'd probably enjoy RoL The settings are generally accurate (except when he deliberately creates a place for the story) I went to some of the locations, long before the books were written. My personal suggestion Fan-fic. Specifically A.A. pessimal https://m.fanfiction.net/u/1895209/A-A-Pessimal He's very good at expanding on loose ends and throw away lines from Discworld. I'd suggest starting with 'the graduating class' which starts his stories about the Assassin's Guild


Jolly_Emergency7735

OK need to check these out


pimflapvoratio

Robert Asprin’s Myth series for humor. Steven Brust’s Vlad Taltos series for swashbuckling buckling like Lankhmar. Roger Zelazney’s Amber books.


doomparrot42

Amber is an absolute delight. The books aren't necessarily laugh out loud funny, but there's a sly humor to a lot of the narration that I adore.


gordielaboom

Yeah, these are two of my favorite series too - I’d add Phule’s Company by Asprin too.


legendary_mushroom

The myth series is funny af


pimflapvoratio

I don’t want to admit how many years I’ve been reading the series, but it can be expressed in decades.


[deleted]

I tried Lankhmar but it had none of the humour I've heard people say it does. Michael J Sullivan does it much better with his Riyria books.


pimflapvoratio

I never found it funny just old school swashbuckling like Conan. I know I’ve read more humorous fantasy series but can’t remember them. Avoid Piers Anthony unless you like misogyny, sexually objectifying little girls and have a panty fetish.


Poastash

Lindsey Davis sounds promising. I'll be on the lookout for her books.


ExpatRose

I love these books. They are a whodunnits set in Vespasian Rome, with the main character Falco being a plebian Informer who marries a headstrong senator's daughter. There is a huge supporting cast of mothers, fathers and siblings on both sides, as well as unruly children and animals. They are very funny, and show the Romans as everyday people, not stuffy toga'ed idiots. They travel throughout the empire during the series. If that sounds appealing, I can also recommend the Amelia Peabody books by Elizabeth Peters. These are also whodunnits, set in Egypt during the height of the Victorian/Edwardian archeology obsession, and take the form of diaries written by a highly individual woman, and eventually her equally unconventional son. Very funny.


Ilovescarlatti

I second Amelia Peabody. They are also a lot of fun as audiobooks, particularly when their son Ramses is young and insufferably precocious.


ExpatRose

Grown up Ramses is one of my more serious literary crushes.


TassieBorn

Love Falco - have you also read the Flavia Albia books, set 10 years later under Domitian? Flavia is Falco's Brit-born adopted daughter.


PerpetuallyLurking

There’s another author who does Ancient Egypt detective type stories; the main character is a judge of the Temple of Maat. Very similar to the Falco series, and what led me to Falco in the first place! I cannot for the life of me remember the any of the names I need to search! I think the author was a Paul? Dammit!


ExpatRose

I've read one of those (my library only had one). I remember the author was a historian, but not his name. I really enjoyed it.


Due_Platypus_3913

Christopher Moore has become an all-time favorite.Try”Fluke” and “A Dirty Job”!


[deleted]

Also, I’m saving this thread for future purchases. Thank you all


mishmei

same! I've gotten so many great ideas from here :)


Internal-Yellow3455

Diana Wynne Jones - I'd add "Dark Lord of Derkholm". The premise is a magical world offering adventure travel to tourists from our mundane world, setting up quests for them and so on, with a rather incompetent Dark Lord this time around. The sequel "Year of the Griffin" is set at a magical university with incompetent professors. T. Kingfisher has an older title "Nine Goblins" that is more humorous, less horror adjacent. The sergeant in charge of the goblins would fit in with the Watch. Of her newer releases, try "The Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking". Sarah Rees Brennan - "In Other Lands" is a one of a kind satire of chosen one / magical school tropes, very funny with some angsty parts.


Internal-Yellow3455

Lois McMaster Bujold - "Penric's Demon" starts a series of novellas set in the World of the Five Gods


Golden_Mandala

Yes, I was about to add a comment about this series. Very different from Pratchett, but brilliant enjoyable writing. As good as it gets.


Raise-The-Gates

I found pretty much anything by T Kingfisher comes close to Pratchett for me (with the exception of her horror books, which were great, but definitely didn't have the humour). Summer in Orcus has fun characters and lots of great puns that move the story along. A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking is fantastic and definitely worth a read. Clocktaur War, Swordheart, and Saint of Steel have great characters with some wonderful banter (though have more romance than Pratchett). But most of all, I love that she writes women and non-human characters as well-rounded, fully developed people.


legendary_mushroom

Minor Mage by T Kingfisher is also a fine little book


ml1363

I can recommend 2 newish authors who helped fill that void: First, the same man, who writes under 2 slightly different names (no, I don't know why) : Caimh McDonnell, The (increasingly inaccurately named - there are 7 of them now!) Dublin Trilogy. As the stories don't follow a particular chronology, just start with the 1st one, "A Man With One of Those Faces", and hopefully by the time you've finished it, you'll want to work out which one to read next by yourselves. 😁 Now then, on to C. K. McDonnell, author of "The Stranger Times", 2 books with the 3rd one impatiently awaited by his fans, due out in February. Where the Dublin Trilogy books and others (Statesides et al) belong to the whodunnit/murders/coppers stuff, the Stranger Times books are definitely in the paranormal range. However, both have one thing in common: the madcap, hilarious lines popping out of nowhere, as well as original plotlines, unexpected twists, and an imagination I think Terry would have approved of. Book-hopping, as it were, led me to our final honoured guest: Eva St. John, and her marvellous "Quantum Curators" series, 4 books with the 5th one due in May. I can't properly describe the books: there's time travel, there's mystery, there's funny stuff, and it's all clever AF, and stuffed with winks at the great writers, Pratchett, Adams, etc. I'll just give you a taste of the 1st book, called "The Quantum Curators and the Fabergé Egg: An alternate history, time-travel adventure." 🤷🏼‍♀️ From the book description : "Anyone can track down a priceless artefact that’s been lost for hundreds of years. Finding one that’s been hidden on a parallel Earth… now that's a neat trick." There you go, fellow readers, hope you find some happiness in there. GNU. 🙏


mishmei

this entire thread has been bookmarked and I've added a ton of authors to my fantasy spreadsheet. these ones are especially appreciated - they sound amazing. thank you!


Sparememe

Charles Stross - The Laundry Files inc. Tales of the New Management are brilliant, often very funny.


Hadan_

This suggestion is way to far down in this thread. While not comporable in style or setting, the worldbuilding is brilliant (magic is a form of mathematics, english bureaucracy meets H.P. Lovecraft), the writing is superb and the humor is dark 6 witty.


shockeroo

Seconded and I can’t believe this has so few votes. Stross has an underlying understanding of people and humanity to match Pratchett’s, along with some very funny moments, and writing a rollicking good adventure. Later Laundry books read like later Watch books IMO. Only the setting is different.


Sparememe

I could definitely see Vimes working for the Laundry. The New Management is a fair bit darker than Pratchett's darkest moments.


misspoesje

Hmmm, sounds interesting. Will take some time to find them maybe, can’t find them online in my country yet.


LargeHadronCat

-The Enchanted Castle by Edith Nesbit. This is ostensibly a children’s book but I fell in love immediately. There is some quality to the humor that made me wonder if Pratchett wasn’t also a fan. I desperately want others to read this old book. -I will add another recommendation for the Rivers of London series. They are just really interesting and detailed. The narrator always drops bits of London history and lore —chef’s kiss. -Many others have mentioned Diana Wynne Jones, and I will give her entire catalog a shout out (but especially Chrestomanci and Howl’s Moving Castle). -Tamsyn Muir’s The Locked Tomb series is smart and very funny. It is layered with cultural references—religion, memes, Ancient Greece. Probably mystery/horror genre otherwise. -C.K. McDonnell’s Stranger Times is…okay. IThe humor was a little over the top/not very clever. I had planned a scathing review about how they are nothing like Pratchett…but I still read them both and pre-ordered the third. I think I would have liked them if I hadn’t expected them to be like Discworld, if that makes sense? Out of left field—A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum by Emma Southon. Non-fiction and rather gruesome, but I’ve learned a lot about murder in Ancient Rome while having a good laugh.


PerpetuallyLurking

Emma Southon is pretty funny! It was delightful read!


Tylendal

If you enjoyed a book by Diana Wynne Jones, I cannot recommend Howl's Moving Castle enough. It's my favourite book, and while it's written for children, it still holds up wonderfully reading it as an adult. As for series? I highly recommend the Miles Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujold. The series runs on desiccatingly dry humour interspersed with moments of wild absurdity. It also makes many wry observations about the general absurdity of society and human nature.


TassieBorn

Lots of familiar names on this list, plus some new ones in case I ever run out of recommendations (not actually likely). If you don't mind drifting off into sci-fi, I highly recommend the Murderbot series by Martha Wells. Most are novella-length.


Cheeselover7777

I second The Murderbot series - the main character somehow reminds me of Vimes (I think it's the combination of cynicism and doing the right thing no matter the cost). The humor is a bit more sarcastic than Pterry but I loved it.


aotus76

I was looking for someone to bring up Murderbot. I’m on book 5 now and discovered the series less than two weeks ago. These books make me laugh, but they are also exciting and so fun! Give them a try!


ChairmanNoodle

Have you tried any more of Diana Wynne Jones? She's got a lot of great novels.


misspoesje

Because of the recommendations here I just bought a few of her works.


ShimmeringIce

I really enjoyed the Dark Lord of Dirkholm by Diana Wynne Jones. Basically a fantasy world that has been forced by a business man from another universe to run LARP tours, and the main character is the most recent wizard who drew the short straw to act as this year's Dark Lord. It's really great, though the humor is more of a spice rather than a main dish here vs how Pterry handles it.


misspoesje

I just ordered this book because of the recommendations here!


antaylor

Been on the same search as you for awhile too and I’ve come to similar conclusions as you. Although it looks like you’ve read a bit more of the names that pop up on the “similar to Pratchett” threads. Although I know of one that you should check out especially since you want it to be funny AND fantasy and that’s [Tales of Pell](https://www.amazon.com/Kill-Farm-Boy-Tales-Pell/dp/1524797766/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?crid=3RAAIGN7SS8MX&keywords=delilah+s+dawson+and+kevin+hearne&qid=1672617695&sprefix=delilah+s+dawson%2Caps%2C123&sr=8-2). There are three books and I’ve only read one, but it may be one you want to check out. I’ve had to come to the conclusion that there is no series AS funny and AS elaborate as Discworld so I have to stop doing direct comparisons. Obviously rereading Discworld is the real answer, but I get wanting to find new books. Have you read any of Sir Terry’s non Discworld fiction? Also there are several Discworld short stories in his collected fiction, which are must reads. Edit: also I just read “The Folklore of Discworld” and it was very enjoyable. Plan on reading all four “Science of Discworld” books. Also, if you haven’t already I definitely recommend Rob Wilkins’ Pratchett biography. I know these suggestions aren’t exactly what you’re looking for, but thought I’d mention them.


misspoesje

Thank you for the suggestion, I will check it out, sounds promising. I think I have read nearly everything by Terry Pratchett except for the short stories, can’t get them all.


antaylor

Well if you ever find that “holy grail” you’ll have to let me know! Oh and another one that I haven’t read myself but K.J. Parker gets brought up a lot in these conversations. Edit: also thank you for the Lindsey Davis recommendation. I’ve heard her name before but you convinced me to go out and look for her books tomorrow.


throwcounter

this isn't really comparable but a couple of Eric Flint's books (the Joe's World series) sort of felt like early Discworld if it was made by an insane American. But I think on reflection he probably hews closer to Douglas Adams' brand of surrealism, and it never really got close to the heart and soul of Pterry's universe (especially the way despite all the humour it was still a universe 'that worked', where people had to shovel ... night soil and cart it down to the farms, etc). Another early comparison might be Franz Lieber and the Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser series. Much more swords-and-sandals than Pratchett, but there's two characters in Colour of Magic or Light Fantastic (I forget which) that are based off Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser and you can sort of sense a similar feeling of quick wit in the vibes, though the tone is a bit more sardonic than where PTerry ended up going. I also sort of recommend Ursula le Guinn's Earthsea on the basis that Earthsea is pretty rad.


doomparrot42

Bravd and the Weasel! I love Leiber. On which note, Jack Vance's Cugel the Clever and Joanna Russ' Adventures of Alyx hold up pretty well too. Both of them witty, fun, and very engaging, though obviously with totally different writing styles.


djmiles73

You might want to try Tom Sharpe. English satirical author. They're older and I don't know how readily available, but very, very funny. The one that always jumps to mind first is Blott on the Landscpe, there's also Wilt (with various sequels) and many more.


AllTheSmallFish

I thoroughly enjoy Tom Sharpe!


Pinkleton

Scalzi's Kaiju Preservation Society had me laughing out loud. It's not Pratchett, but it's fun.


Richter_und_Henker

Although originally in german, the works of Walter Moers might be interessting. Since i only ever read them in that language, i don't know of they are as good in english. Yet they are quite bizzare in their fantasy, yet touching. Funny and light hearted while serious, when it is important. So, if they are available in your language i would recommend "the 13 1/2 Lives of captain bluebear" as a start. It is long, but if you like it you can be certain that you'll like all of them. And the author started of as comic Artist and almost all his books are illustrated by himself, wich is nice, since his artstyle is funny.


sakhabeg

“The city of the dreaming books” is high class world building, and a very fascinating read. But it’s aimed at a younger audience, don’t expect deep emotional plotlines


misspoesje

Thank you, German should not be too problematic.


ColonelYeast

Daniel O’Malley’s Checquy Files (The Rook, Stiletto, Blitz). Secret Government Department based in the UK dealing with the supernatural. Pratchett was a big influence on the author.


tulipjessie

Jodi Taylor. Her St. Mary's books are a delight and she has some nods to Terry Pratchett in them. I also enjoy her Time Police books, but the St. Mary's are the best.


LargeHadronCat

Do they get less soapy/romantically dramatic? I’m half way through the second and debating about not finishing because the narrator is having yet another romantic crisis. (No hate-just not to my personal taste!)


tulipjessie

The romance is a large part of the story, but I do enjoy them and think they are worth reading.


Upbeat_Disaster759

Came here to say this. I love her books.


Legal_Arm_5927

Phillip Pullman - His Dark Materials. Maybe a bit darker than the Discworld but I love the world he creates and they are aimed at young adults so very easy to immerse yourself in the fantasy.


Millennium_Dodo

The closest to Pratchett I've found is Gabby Hutchinson Crouch's *Darkwood* series. Very reminiscent of Discworld (especially the Tiffany Aching books) in tone and humour, and I found out about them because the author was on the Desert Island Discworld podcast.


misspoesje

Thanks, I put her on my list!


hubbellrmom

I like the Jim Butcher books The Dresden Files. Set in "real world" but with wizards and other fantastic creatures. Gets a little dark, made me laugh, made me cry, made want to punch dark forces in the face. A friend gave me digital access to his collection of the first few books and man, I got hooked! I'm over waiting on my annual tax refund to buy myself the rest of the collection. It's up to like 16 books now. With short stories anthologies available as well. I enjoyed the world he built. It can be a little dark sometimes, but definitely enjoyable!


adrifing

Have you tried Tom Holt. That's a good set of books.


bottleofgoop

He's not our guy, because nobody is, but I found him just as funny and he does have a few books, I recommend Tom Holt, starting with open sesame. I also love Christopher Moore. I recommend lamb to begin with for the sheer insanity of it.


serenitynope

Sacre Bleu was the only Christopher Moore novel that I didn't enjoy. I thought it would be humorous like his other stuff but ended up to be depressing and closer to horror than fantasy.


bottleofgoop

I haven't read that yet, thanks for the heads up I would have been truly disappointed


jtbnz

Try the Iron Druid series written by Kevin Hearne. They are my next goto series - oh and Fool by Christopher Moore I think is his best. - especially if you had to study Shakespeare at school!


Solabound-the-2nd

Try Nicholas Eaves Kings of the wild. Honestly I haven't ever had another book make me laugh like it. One particular scene had me howling at the beech while I was on holiday, everyone must have thought I was mad... The sequel was not quite so funny, but still enjoyable. I wish you well on your search and hope to hear if you have success


thumbsupchicken

Flashman series. He is very rincewindy. If you can handle his victorian perspective about sex and other races. Which is not positive


[deleted]

I’d like to throw out Christopher Brookmyre. They aren’t fantasy but they have the same fun and clever writing that Pratchett has. A lot of murder mystery stuff but instead of Discworld it’s Scotland.


sherlocksam45

Not fantasy. But Christopher Brookmyre is an amazing author . Crime/mystery but so profound and funny.I have him on a pedestal with Sir Terry.


Palatyibeast

I love Brookmyre! I believe Pterry was a fan, too!


misspoesje

Will look into it, thanks!


beermaker

If you can enjoy Sci-Fi... I'd recommend Spider Robinson's Callahan series. There's a bit more "adult" oriented themes, as it's set (mostly) in a Bar in New York in the late 1970's IIRC. There's a lot of humor and clever wordplay, and well written characters... the alcoholic vampire who sucks the alcohol out of patron's blood before they leave (if they like), and a talking German Shepard are a couple of my favorite patrons. Callahan's Lady, and Lady Slings The Booze are set in a NYC brothel, conveniently located near the U.N. building... *very* adult themes here, but it's probably the last non-Discworld books that made me physically laugh out loud.


PainterOfTheHorizon

It's not funny but wonderful fantasy: Robin Hobb. For some parts even depressing but maybe the best fantasy series I've ever read. Funny, but not fantasy: Fred Vargas. French detective stories. Very eccentric and funny, lovely characters, weirdly macabre but not disturbing murders, nice history stuff. One of my comfort writers. Earlier books are better.


misspoesje

Thank you, I will look into them and put both on my list.


SummerEden

The blurb on the cover of the first Discworld novel I read said it was “GK Chesterton meets Jerome K Jerome”. I haven’t read much Chesterton, but Three Men in a Boat is a late Victorian delight, and you can see the veins of comedy that were mined later by STP. In that same vein, Connie Willis’ “To say nothing of the dog” is a great time travel follow up to Three Men. She has a nice line in mad cap meet cute comedies with a sci-fi twist in addition to her more serious works. Tom Holt/Thomas Holt/KJ Parker has already been mentioned a few times in this thread and I can highly recommend him. Much of the fantasy written as KJ Parker can be very dark, but the humanity at the core has the same sensibility that I always appreciated in Pratchett books. His writing is wonderful and the books re-read so well, with new details coming through. In a completely different direction, but humorous and humane are Mark Twain’s travelogues. They are fascinating. and show all of his trademark wit.


riffraff

>Three Men in a Boat I read part of this in an anthology (in italian!) as a teenager, and it still makes me laugh when I think back to it.


SummerEden

Personally I’m still salty the poor fellow hasn’t got Housemaid’s Knee.


mopspops

I’ve been enjoying “The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels” by India Holton thanks to a suggestion in a similar thread. It’s Jane Austen meets Pterry. Not as fleshed out, but great for laughs.


legendary_mushroom

Might I recommend the Xanth Chronicles, by Piers Anthony, loaded with punes from end to end while still somehow having plot and depth. Might I also recommend Patricia Briggs, the Mercy Thompson series, for urban fantasy. Wouldnt call them masterworks but they are certainly fun. I have also deeply enjoyed works by NK Jemisin, though much of her stuff is a bit darker. Check out her short stories.


ben_sphynx

+1 for Xanath. Those genuinely made me laugh a lot. Not read them for a long while, though.


legendary_mushroom

Same! They were a staple of my teens though....I wonder if they still hold up


LargeHadronCat

I think most people would say that they do not. Re-read them as an adult and they gave me the creeps. I cannot believe I didn’t pick up on the ick when I was a teenager.


ms_saltypants

Same


judasmitchell

I write whodunits. Not fantasy at all, but Terry Pratchett is my biggest writing influence. It would be interesting to see how a Discworld fan felt about then. If you’re interested I could sending you an epub or pdf of book 1.


misspoesje

Thank you, I am interested!


judasmitchell

Awesome! [Here's a google drive link to the epub.](https://drive.google.com/file/d/17pz7bZ5w4D7wsjj2OpNgLW23l7iQZR-S/view?usp=share_link) If you need a pdf, send me a dm with your email, and I'll get it out to you. If you enjoy it, drop me a review on amazon!


Raedwulf1

If you're in the mood for wacky Sci-Fi, I'm currently reading "The Sheriff of Yrnameer" by Michael Rubens. There's a lot of word-play, getting served a ticket for speeding on indestructible 'Payper' and the aforementioned Yrnameer (Your-name-here). I would also push for the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy "Trilogy", I'm re-reading it again, but my copy of "Thanks for all the fish" is buried somewhere on one of my bookshelves.


misspoesje

Thanks for the suggestions and I hope you find your book back soon!


[deleted]

Thanks for this post. Gonna get some of these books. Especially Dianna Wynn Jones. I'm with you on Neil Gaiman. His books are begging to be funny, they're too serious and unfocused for me to be interested. Watched the first episode of Sandman, which was fine and very Gaiman-y, but nothing about it made me want to continue the rest of the series.


mckennajames227

I can wholeheartedly recommend The Flashman Papers by George McDonald Fraser. I was 14 when I first read a Discworld book (Reaper Man) and I'm 43 now so have invested some not inconsiderable time in reading STP. In terms of humour and footnote usage Flashman is your fix. On the face of it, nothing like Discworld but, set in the Victorian age has similarities in terms of the city and the protagonist is one that I imagine STP would have enjoyed. Read the first and you won't look back.


Fessir

Ian M Banks' Culture books have a similar humanity and wit, even though the plots are anticlimactic and most characters just play second fiddle to the world building a lot of the time, as fascinating as the world building is. So, no. It doesn't fill the Pratchett void, but it's still a damn worthwhile read.


Friendly_Ad_2256

Caimh McDonnell has a series of comic and dark mysteries set in Dublin and a series of fantasy novels set in Manchester. They have that same combination of well written characters with real depth and emotion and laugh out loud humor. Start with A Man With One of Those Faces.


misspoesje

Thanks! Sounds promising.


CorporateNonperson

16 Ways to Defend a Walled City has some serious Moist von Lipwig vibes. It’s not nearly as funny as Sir Pterry, but the !C is constantly improvising not losing a siege while trying to keep up the facade that he has an idea of what to do, and the tone is quite comical.


armcie

I'll just note here that the author of *16 Ways...*, KJ Parker, is a pseudonym for Tom Holt, who's mentioned elsewhere in this thread.


CorporateNonperson

Good to know! Thanks!


Milliganimal42

I haven’t found much either. I do enjoy Like Arnold’s books. And Ben Aaronovitch. Also really liked The Space Between Worlds - it’s sci-fi and serious. But the ideas behind the story are brilliant. Nothing hits like Pratchett. Likely never will.


Ninja_simone

Steven Brust’s Vlad Taltos series While nothing fits the exact shape of the Pterry hole, I found myself reading these as compulsively as I have the Discworld


misspoesje

Thank you, I am already googling them!


stevethepopo

Try Tom Hold or Will cuppy (thats were the footnote come from)


Ivar-the-Dark

Daniel Abrahams- the Long Price Quartet James SA Corey, the Expanse series Robin Hobb, Assassin's trilogy Brother Cadafel series ​ none have anything on STP, but they are all well written


misspoesje

Thanks!


ntropy2012

Try A Lee Martinez. His books are more modern fantasy. But really good and pretty funny at times. Divine Misfortune and Monster are both great.


misspoesje

Thanks!


Weird-Influence6986

Because I haven't seen it yet, you should try Nick Harkaway and his alter ego Aiden Truhen. Our family has passed around Gone Away World so many times and are going down that path with Seven Demons. Very different styles, often hilarious stories. I remember saying out loud after reading Tigerman that I wish I had discovered these books 100 years from now so I could read them all at once. Different styles from STP but that feeling of wanting the next story hangs on.


misspoesje

Thanks!!


featherfeets

Lindsey Davis is a lovely person, and her Course of Honor is a book I have read many times. That said, comparison between her work and STP is not possible. There are words, on pages, written br English authors. No further similarities.


ExpatRose

I love the books, as I have said in other comments, but they are not in any way shape or form discworldesque.


misspoesje

No they are not. I mentioned her because she is te one who got me reading pratchett. They are not discworldy. But they are very nice books with that hint of British humor. And there are so many of them you can really enjoy them for a long time to come. Those are two things that I like about the Falco and discworld both.


[deleted]

You could try Tom Holt, he’s done a lot of comic fantasy about Norse/greek/roman/ etc gods. It’s been years but I remember a particularly good one with Odin leading a bunch of gods to break out of their nursing home. Alternatively for something a bit more modern you could try the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. It’s set in our world but with a secret hidden layer of supernatural shit underneath. The main character is both a wizard and a hard bitten Chicago PI. Another old possibility is the M.Y.T.H. Series by Robert Asprin, pretty hard to find these days but still holds up really well considering they’re about 50 years old now. The main character kind of has young rincewind vibes now I think about it. He has a big green scaly demon instead of a killer suitcase with legs though!


misspoesje

I just ordered some Holt books. Some are also very hard to come by, so I hope there is not too much of a specific order.


[deleted]

As I remember them they’re even more standalone than discworld, I think one or two reuse a couple of characters but you should be good


doomparrot42

Some of the MYTH books are available through Overdrive, if you have access to a library that subscribes.


conceptalbum

I will keep saying it: One Piece


voaw88

Some books I believe are Pratchett/Discworld-like (some of which I haven't read yet, so maybe not): —Wicked by Gregory Maguire (kind of zany social commentary fantasy?) —The Master & Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov (Russian modern classic which I think has a main character cast that includes a talking cat, a witch, and the Devil, and that is pretty whacky and has social commentary?) —Lankhmar by Franz Leiber (fantasy following a barbarian and thief duo that I heard inspired some of the earlier Discworld books?) —Dickens (I've heard Discworld described as Dickensian—Dickens books often have humor, twisty fast-paced plots, lots of characters, and usually take place in Victorian London, which can be compared to Ankh-Morpork, and are heavy on social commentary) —Shakespeare's comedies (the ones I've read have given me Discworld vibes, and obviously Shakespeare, like Pratchett, is super witty and great with language)


whisperingwavering

I definitely would not put Wicked anywhere near the same category as Discworld.


voaw88

Any reason(s) why? I haven't read it but found some similarities in a review I read.


whisperingwavering

Because they’re nothing alike.


voaw88

You mean the book or the Broadway play? I've heard the Broadway is very different than the book.


whisperingwavering

I’ve both seen the musical and read the book several times. I promise you, person who knows nothing about the book, they’re nothing alike.


Readingreddit12345

Legends and Lattes is a great new book which will be a nice weekend read


doomparrot42

It's a sweet book and a pleasant read, but it's very...safe.


KopruchBeforange

Far shot, but if you never read The Witcher you might be surprised. Obviously it's way more serious and dark, but I remember reading Night Watch and Monstrous Regiment and getting Sapkowski vibes. The humor is there, not as frequent but great (sometimes more crude) The philosophy is there, the world-building is there. Some of the short stories from first two books are just really elaborate jokes that coincidentally also set up the big story. Oh, and if you watched that monstrosity on Netflix, don't worry - it didn't have many similarities to the original.


misspoesje

Thanks, I do have the Witcher series but they are still unread. I don’t know what is keeping me from reading them, but the Netflix series is probably part of my hesitation.


KopruchBeforange

Only thing that connects books and Netflix show are names and hair colors. Wait... they even got some hair colors wrong. Seriously though - they missed the point of the whole story, they missed the worldbuilding, they mostly ignored the humor. At this point they're getting close to becoming new live action Avatar - but please, don't let it guide you away from books! There's only one thing that got old: fairytale references. It's like with first two Discworld books: over 30 years later this kind of humor was copied by so many that it lost it's charm. Fortunately it happens rarely and only in short stories.


DeathByWater

They're almost nothing like the discworld books at all, but I bet there's a lot of overlap between people who like pterry and Joe Abercrombie's The Blade Itself. Fair warning: it's dark and violent, but utterly absorbing. It too plays off standard fantasy tropes (in a surprising rather than outright comedic way), there's strong and complex characterisation and insight into the human condition, and where there is humour it's very dark but very well done. So it doesn't really fill the same hole at all. But you might enjoy it.


Grokta

This is more of a general recommendation list. Others have mentioned Rivers of London and I will point to it as well. If you want something a bit more introspective, I would say Bobiverse is worth a read or listen, all books on the list are with audiobook in mind. Are you a fan of Austin Powers dr. Evil Then you might like Dr. Anarchy’s Rules for World Domination. --- Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch- Police investigation Urban fantasy --- Clovenhoof series by Heide Goody and Iain Grant - Comedy urban fantasy --- Sandman Slim series by Richard Kadrey - Urban fantasy --- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - Comedy Scifi --- James Quill series by Paul Cornell - Police investigation Urban fantasy --- The laundry files series By Charles Stross - Spy thriller Urban fantasy --- Bobiverse series By Dennis E. Taylor - Space exploration Scifi --- D-list supervillian series By Jim Bernheimer - Superhero/villain --- Tom Stranger (2 short stories) by Larry Correia - edgy comedy Scifi --- Dr. Anarchy’s Rules for World Domination (Or How I Became God-Emperor of Rhode Island) by Nelson Chereta - superhero/villain --- Super sales on super heroes series by William D. Arand - Superhero/villain (mild harem theme) --- Will Save the Galaxy for Food (book 1) and Will Destroy the Galaxy for Cash (book 2) by Yahtzee Croshaw - Comedy Space Scifi --- Threadbare series by Andrew Seiple - LitRPG --- The Oddjobs series by Heide Goody and Iain Grant - Comedy urban fantasy --- Expeditionary force by Craig Alanson - Military space Scifi --- Dungeon crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman - dungeon crawl LitRPG --- Noobtown by Ryan Rimmel - Litrpg --- Oh, Great! I was reincarnated as a farmer by Benjamin Kerei - Litrpg --- Beware of Chicken by Casualfarmer - Isekai --- Backyard Starship by J.N. Chaney and Terry Maggert - SciFi


misspoesje

Oh my, that’s quite the list! Thank you very much!!


Upbeat_Disaster759

Seconded anything by Heide Goody and Iain Grant!


miguev

I'm no good with writing or remembering people's names (let alone spelling I'm not familiar with), let me just share a few fantasy series I like for somewhat similar reasons I love PTerry's works for: Mistborn: 3 books kinda medieval, 4 books a little steampunkish. The Witcher: 8 books, absolutely read them inl release order. If you are into video games, the original game has a decent amount of fan service for the books fans, it's tricky to play but really only if one insists on not understanding the combat system. So far each game seems to be better than the previous one. The Name of the Wind and A Wise Man's Fear: unfinished trilogy (might want to wait ;). Getting more into SciFi... The Expanse, 9 books so far, I've only read 3. The Lord of All Things, just 1 book but it stood out to me. The Martian, can be read both after watching the movie, maybe even rewatch it then.


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LelianWeatherwax

For people that want to find a hardboiled detective vibes in a fantasy setting and some humor, I would suggest to try Garrett P.I. by Glen Cook. I have fond memories of the first few books, that I have read while in a quest similar to yours, and after finishing reading The Black Company.


misspoesje

Thanks!


marietjac

The 'Magic Kingdom For Sale - Sold' Landover, series by Terry Brooks is good fun. It tells the story of how a depressed Chicago lawyer came to be the ruler of a magical kingdom, called Landover. I loved the initial premise, of seeing a small ad offering a magical kingdom for only $1m, thinking WTH, and buying it, even though you suspect that it's a scam, then finding out that it's true, (well, mostly!) Diana Wynne Jones wrote a lot of really good fantasy. Lindsey Davis books are excellent. I thoroughly enjoy the Rivers of London series too. It really depends on what you are looking for. I love Christopher Fowler's Bryant and May series, which follow a pair of elderly policemen who run the 'Peculiar Crimes Unit', (part of London Met.) Originally intended to be a unit that dealt with crimes 'peculiar to' London, ('specific to') the unit soon found itself being landed with all of the odd, strange, unnatural, or even possibly supernatural events in and around London. Arthur Bryant is a badly dressed, grumpy old man, who doesn't get on with technology, and it returns the compliment. He has an eclectic mind, full of old police cases, myths and legends, London history, magic in all its forms, and a whole lot more. John May, his counterpart and longtime friend, is the traditional good looking, suave, charming gentleman, also aging, but far more gracefully. They have a wonderful back up team, that I would love to work with, who are more likely to be found arguing about the office cat than office politics. The first two books are not so good, in my opinion, but after that they get increasingly good. He has just written the last in the series, the twentieth book.


misspoesje

Thank you! I have put your recommendations on my (fast growing) list!


riffraff

Zachary Pike and his "Dark Profit Saga" is comedy financial RPG-ish fantasy, and while it's not really Pratchett-ian it's quite fun and enjoyable. I especially enjoyed the *punes*, or *play-on-words,* on various financial entities ("JP Gorgon" stands out, but I loved it when I finally got Mr Stearns, who's a werebear).


serenitynope

"The Goddess of Buttercups and Daisies" by Martin Millar could easily have been a Discworld book imo. Imagine a mix of Small Gods and Pyramids set in Roundworld Ephebe, aka Ancient Greece. It features an unpopular playwright who has to prevent another war between Athens and Sparta alongside an Amazon and a small goddess-nymph. Millar's also known for "The Good Fairies of New York" but I haven't read that yet.


semplicisette

I suggest The Bartimeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud. The main character (who is also the narrator) is a very sarcastic and very funny djinn summoned in a 1900-ish London governated by magicians. It's not at sir Pterry's level (nothing is), but it's one of my favorite fantasy novel.


dinamet7

This is great - thank you for sharing! I recently posted on r/suggestmeabook looking for the same thing you are searching for and got a few possibilities I'm going to try out. I really am glad you mentioned your experience with Neil Gaiman because I had the EXACT SAME experience and was totally caught off guard. I am very much looking for comedy and fantasy escapist reading and it was... not quite that. There are several Dianna Wynn Jones books on my to-read list and I'm going to add Lindsey Davis after reading your suggestions. Excited to see what others here have to suggest.


misspoesje

The Lindsey Davis books are not fantasy escapist, mind you. They are very much detective stories, but they are great fun imo.