Books tagged with: light-hearted

  • Channel BlueJay Martel
    Channel Blue
    by Jay Martel
    Science Fiction

    In Channel Blue the Earth is essentially an entertainment show, think "The Truman Show" on a world-wide scale. For many years Earth was Galaxy Entertainments most successful show attracting the western galaxy's richest and savviest viewers. Nothing lasts forever though and lately ratings have begun...

  • Crossed Genres Year 2Bart R Leib
    Crossed Genres Year 2
    by Bart R Leib
    Science Fiction

    Crossed Genres Year 2 is a collection of twelve short stories featured in the Crossed Genres magazine between issues 13 and 24. Crossed Genres has a different theme each month so there is quite a varied mixture on offer here. All have been written to a high standard and each have a distinct voice. L...

  • Death, the Devil, and the GoldfishAndrew Buckley
    Science Fiction

    I'm often saying that there just isn't enough well written comic fantasy, aside from the likes of Pratchett, Holt, Howard and Rankin the laugh-out-load novels still being written are few and far between and in large the genre is being propped up by writers such as Rob Knipe and RJ Astruc. Thankfully...

  • Dinosaur SummerGreg Bear
    Dinosaur Summer
    by Greg Bear
    Science Fiction

    Greg Bear's Dinosaur Summer is a follow up to the old The Lost World a novel written by Sir Author Connan Doyle, taking place in 1947. After Professor Challanger returned from the Lost World, there were a lot of follow up expeditions and dinosaurs were taken back to civilisation, where they where pu...

  • TerraMitch Benn
    Terra
    by Mitch Benn
    Science Fiction

    Terra is a very different novel. It doesn't take itself too seriously and on the surface appears very light-hearted, a safe novel with prose full of soft curves rather than sharp edges. This is after all a young-adult novel and yet there is much more to this book than meets the eye. The story follow...

  • The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy OmnibusDouglas Adams
    Science Fiction

    This Omnibus Edition Includes the First 4 books in the "Hitchhikers guide Trilogy" 5 book set. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is also the title of the first of five books in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy comedy science fiction series by Douglas Adams. The novel is an adaptation of the f...

  • The Long EarthTerry Pratchett
    The Long Earth
    by Terry Pratchett
    Science Fiction

    The Long Earth follows the premise that there are an infinite number of alternative dimensions, all existing within one great "Multiverse", each universe containing a slightly different version of the Earth. A few years in the future and a device powered by the humble potato (it will make sense, tru...

  • The Origami ManBen Mumford-Zisk
    The Origami Man
    by Ben Mumford-Zisk
    Science Fiction

    The Origami Man begins with the death of the protagonist, Greg Samson. This however doesn't prevent Greg from returning home and then off to work. It does however mean he now has to carry around an incredibly deadly alien warship which has burrowed into his neck and is now in a symbiotic relationshi...

  • Bigfoot Loose and Fin Fancy FreeRandy Henderson
    Fantasy

    Phineas (Finn) Gramayare has an unusual occupation. He's a part-trained necromancer, returned to the mortal world after being exiled to the Fairy realm for 25 years for a crime he didn't commit. Along with his Necromancy ability, Finn has decided to use his connections to offer a match-making servic...

  • Breaking the Devil's HeartH A Goodman
    Fantasy

    Breaking the Devil's Heart continues the ideas presented in the previous novel Logic of Demons . This time we follow the young couple Stewart and Layla as they spy on the Devil and try and figure out how to beat "the formula", bankrupt Satan's underground Company and save Heaven from civil war. The...

  • Endangered CreaturesStephen Dunkley
    Endangered Creatures
    by Stephen Dunkley
    Fantasy

    The premise of Endangered Creatures is that there is a secret part of London Zoo in Regents Park that the public never get to see. In this hidden area are housed the real endangered creatures; those of mythology, creatures that most people don't even believe exist or believe to have died out centuri...

  • HellbentCherie Priest
    Hellbent
    by Cherie Priest
    Fantasy

    Hellbent sees the return of the sassy super thief Raylene - also known as Cheshire Red - who is back to her usual tricks, hired to retrieve a valuable magical artifact. This time however she is up against a very powerful Witch and must team up with x-Navy SEAL and fabulous drag queen Adrian deJesus;...

  • Logic of DemonsH A Goodman
    Logic of Demons
    by H A Goodman
    Fantasy

    Logic of Demons: The Quest for Nadines Soul is a contemporary fantasy novel by H A Goodman. Devin's life has been ripped to pieces, his wife raped and murdered while still carrying his unborn child, revenge is the only thing that drives his continued existence. He listens as his father-in-law counse...

  • Picus the ThiefRobin Bennett
    Picus the Thief
    by Robin Bennett
    Fantasy

    Picus is one of those people who act as a magnet for trouble, disowned by his parents (or at least his quite scary mother) for not being blood-thirsty enough, hunted by the violent vampire Raben for the theft of an item that wasn't really his and wanted by the leader of the faie Queen Mab (the tooth...

  • Quest of the DemonML Sawyer
    Quest of the Demon
    by ML Sawyer
    Fantasy

    Darci is a fairly regular sixteen year old, living in a country town and plays basketball in her free time with her best friend. Her life is abruptly changed when she is accidentally transported to the strange land of Nahaba by a young apprentice wizard called Taslessian. Within hours of her arrival...

  • The Complete AlcatrazBrandon Sanderson
    The Complete Alcatraz
    by Brandon Sanderson
    Fantasy

    The Complete Alcatraz collects the whole series of Brandon Sanderson young adult novels including Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians, Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones, Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia and Alcatraz Versus the Shattered Lens. These novels follow the adventures of the 13...

  • The Greatest Show Off EarthRobert Rankin
    The Greatest Show Off Earth
    by Robert Rankin
    Fantasy

    The Greatest Show Off Earth is a comic fantasy tale by Robert Rankin. Raymond has an adventure. It starts of when he gets kidnapped by an interplanetary slave merchant called Abdullah, who just happens to be giant starfish. Soon he's on sale at the Venusian meat marked, where he narrowly escapes and...

  • The Gun SellerHugh Laurie
    The Gun Seller
    by Hugh Laurie
    Fantasy

    I've been a fan of Hugh Laurie since he first made an appearance on Blackadder (series 2 and onwards) in the early 80's along with "A bit of Fry and Laurie" and the the TV adaption of PG Wodehouse' "Jeeves and Wooster". He is a talented comedian but it took me years to finally watch his long running...

  • The Hobbit: Illustrated EditionJRR Tolkien
    Fantasy

    Like many people who read fantasy my journey into this wonderful genre was largely propelled at a young age by JRR Tolkiens classic "The Hobbit". For me it came from a completely unlikely source too - from my Gran who didn't seem to read much (at least that I noticed), didn't have many books and yet...

  • The Philosophers StoneJ K Rowling
    The Philosophers Stone
    by J K Rowling
    Fantasy

    (Seems to be titled "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in the US). Not a word about Hollywood and the movie (which I will be seeing in a couple of days). Not a word about the merchandise and kids dressed as Potter. Not a word about how this book made the kids read again. Just the book. Some of...

  • The Wizard of Crescent Moon MountainOldman Brook
    Fantasy

    The Wizard of Crescent Moon Mountain is firmly rooted within the high fantasy genre, telling the tale of the wizard Greybeard and little elf Beezle who set off on an adventure after a magical weapon proves to have a distinct life of it's own. The novel draws heavily from Lord of the Rings with nods...

  • Thief of TimeTerry Pratchett
    Thief of Time
    by Terry Pratchett
    Fantasy

    Summertime is Pratchett and Discworld time. Reading while frying in the sun asks for a special kind of book, something that can hold your attention, even while your brain is reaching dangerous temperatures and even while members of the opposite sex, moves around you in small articles of clothing. It...

  • Mechanical FailureJoe Zieja
    Mechanical Failure
    by Joe Zieja
    Science Fiction

    I was quite unprepared for Mechanical Failure . While the blurb mentions it as a "sarcastic adventure", such a description doesn't do justice. Set in the far future after Humanity has spread to the stars and now live in a different Galaxy, mankind has managed to endure Two Hundred years (and countin...

  • Brothers KeeperDonald E Westlake
    Brothers Keeper
    by Donald E Westlake
    General Fiction

    The world of crime is riddled with the worst vices known to man; murder, kidnapping, estate acquisition. It is also full of the most ruthless people; bank robbers, killers, monks. You may have noticed that a couple of elements snuck in there that are not always synonymous with crime fiction, but you...

  • King ConStephen J. Cannell
    King Con
    by Stephen J. Cannell
    General Fiction

    There is nothing quite like a caper movie. A bunch of loveable rogues essentially breaking the law, but it is ok as they are up against even worse rogues. It is not a genre that I have found in a book format too often, can you capture the humour and pace required to make the ride an exciting one? Wh...

  • Lord of SecretsBreanna Teintze
    Lord of Secrets
    by Breanna Teintze
    Fantasy

    To the ill-informed all fantasy books must look the same. They are about elves and dwarves, just retelling The Lord of the Rings repeatedly, aren’t they? Fans of the genre know that this is anything but the truth. Fantasy is an evolving genre that encompasses high and low, fantastical and the more m...

  • Love BitesRy Herman
    Love Bites
    by Ry Herman
    Horror

    The best thing about genre fiction is that it provides such a wide array of ideas. Take the  concept  of a vampire novel. You may immediately think of  gothic buildings and lace, but you could easily read a modern vampire novel that is violent and full of action.  Love Bites  by Ry Herman  goes in a...

  • Grave SecretsAlice James
    Grave Secrets
    by Alice James
    General Fiction

    Walk into my house and  glance at  my bookshelves and you will find an  eclectic  mix of books. My favourite genres are  represented  heavily in science fiction and fantasy, but I also have loads of crime, history,  biographies  and  general  fiction. This  cannot be said of my sister’s shelves that...

  • Low ActionAndrew Cartmel
    Low Action
    by Andrew Cartmel
    General Fiction

    Punk was a  short-lived  musical genre and if you have listened to some of it you can probably tell why. It was raw, edgy and loud, but most of the songs were not that great and it was more about attitude than  being able to  sing. The songs that you may lik e from that genre may be post- P unk or N...

  • Doctor AphraSarah Kuhn
    Doctor Aphra
    by Sarah Kuhn
    Science Fiction

    When an intellectual property becomes huge it can go one of two  ways,  a homogeneous blob of the same stories on repeat, or a vibrant  universe full of different adventures. Star Wars was already massive, but  recently has branched out even wider. This included a reset of the tie in novels and rath...

  • The 13th WitchMark Hayden
    The 13th Witch
    by Mark Hayden
    Fantasy

    I find it amazing how easy it is to miss things that are right on your doorstep. I grabbed this book online (not by choice, this was before the shops had re-opened) because I was after some easy reading. I often find good urban fantasy easy and immersive. It was only after actually picking the book...

  • Under Fortunate StarsRen Hutchings
    Under Fortunate Stars
    by Ren Hutchings
    Science Fiction

    I have a love hate relationship with time travel stories. I love the mind-bending physics and puzzles that they create but hate the fact that most of them just could not work. How can people from the past learn what they need to from those in the future if they have not lived their own futures yet?...

  • Constance Verity Destroys the UniverseA Lee Martinez
    Science Fiction

    By this, her third outing, Constance Verity has saved the world countless times and the Universe itself just as many. Fighting off otherworldly threats is an everyday occurrence. It is the more mundane things in life that worry Constance like assuring her best friend’s wedding is not ruined by mole...

  • The Kaiju Preservation SocietyJohn Scalzi
    Science Fiction

    What are you going to do if Godzilla arrives. You must have a plan in mind. At least one for home and one for the office. I used to have a great plan that would see me have an almost 100% chance of surviving, but then I went and started a family. Now I have no chance as their little legs are just no...

  • Silver QueendomDan Koboldt
    Silver Queendom
    by Dan Koboldt
    Fantasy

    Fantasy does not have to be massive epics set over several books that see dynasties rise and fall. Some of the best modern fantasy books concentrate on the characters that may have hidden in the background of Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings. The humble conman for instance and their crew. I cann...

  • The Androids of TaraDavid Fisher
    The Androids of Tara
    by David Fisher
    Science Fiction

    The Doctor can travel anywhere in the Universe and at any time. He can witness the last days of existence or visit a planet of peace. Or he could visit Tara, a planet that seems like our own feudal era Britain, but with added androids. And some odd feeling 70s chauvinism. Target Books have adapted D...

  • CackleRachel Harrison
    Cackle
    by Rachel Harrison
    Fantasy

    Witches have a bad reputation, green skinned, covered in warts and prone to stealing children so that they can use their bones for broth. People feared the idea of witches so much that they would place innocent people on trial. Don’t they realise that if witches were as powerful as they thought, the...

  • Legends and LattesTravis Baldree
    Legends and Lattes
    by Travis Baldree
    Fantasy

    What is Comfy Fantasy? It is a new name for the type of fantasy that does not have you on edge all the time. As a genre fantasy can often feel epic, but also stressful. The heroes on the run from a darkness they cannot fathom, or a fellowship were hardly anyone can be trusted. Sometimes you just wan...

  • Starter VillainJohn Scalzi
    Starter Villain
    by John Scalzi
    Science Fiction

    Inheritance should never be something that you look forward to, but when you receive some, it can make a huge change to your life. I may be enough to pay a deposit on a house or pay for a child to go to university. It can also be a real pain in the bureaucracy. Think of the taxes that need paying, t...

  • The UndetectablesCourtney Smyth
    The Undetectables
    by Courtney Smyth
    Fantasy

    Advances in forensic science can feel like magic from the discovery that we all had unique fingerprints to the use of DNA to catch criminals, but what would you do in a world were magic exists? Can science be used to solve crimes committed by magic? The Undetectables believe so, they use their scien...

  • The Knife and the SerpentTim Pratt
    Science Fiction

    As a child you read books and imagine that you may be that child who is whisked away on an adventure. Perhaps you will be the chosen one to be taken through a magical wardrobe or told you are a wizard. By the time you are studying for a PhD such flippancy is no longer part of your character, so how...

  • Death Wasnt InvitedCarlene O'connor
    Death Wasnt Invited
    by Carlene O'connor
    General Fiction

    I love to play hidden object games; I find them a nice way to relax after a busy day. I also love to read for the same reason, even a crime story can be comforting in its own way. Death Wasn’t Invited by Carlene O’Connor combines the two as it is a ‘cosy’ crime caper based on the June’s Journey game...