Books Like The Color of Magic

The fantasy genre in general and high fantasy in particular has a reputation for taking itself very seriously. Then Terry Pratchett came along in 1983 with The Colour of Magic starring a bumbling wizard named Rincewind. According to Pratchett, his aim for the story was to do for the classic fantasy universe what Blazing Saddles did for Westerns. The success of The Colour of Magic paved the way for 40 more novels set in his very popular Discworld universe. Throughout the series, Pratchett parodied wizards, warriors, witches, and everything else in the fantasy genre. Sadly, Terry Pratchett passed away in 2015, but his legacy lives on in his books and the comics, television shows, stage plays, video games, board games, and more inspired by his creation. There are also a few other books like The Colour of Magic for fans who would love more fantasy-themed comedies.

The Tough Guide to Fantasyland

By Diana Wynne Jones

Fans of the fantasy genre and the Discworld novels should already be familiar with all the common fantasy tropes, but The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones is still a great read. It is written in the form of a fictional tourist guidebook that treats all the fantasy worlds from other books in the genre as different places in the same world. Readers who got a kick out of the way that Terry Pratchett parodied the cliches and archetypes of the fantasy genre will also enjoy this tongue in the cheek guide.

Nine Goblins

by T. Kingfisher

Nine Goblins by T. Kingfisher is another novel that plays around with familiar fantasy tropes. However, just like the Discworld novels, Kingfisher also manages to feature complex characters that draw readers in no matter how absurd things get. The story features a squad of goblin soldiers who are teleported far behind enemy lines by a human wizard. It is here that they encounter Sings-to-Trees, an Elven wildlife veterinarian who takes pity on the motley crew.

A Portion of Dragon and Chips

by Simon Haynes

A Portion of Dragon and Chips is filled with marauding dragons and other fantasy terrors for the amnesiac protagonist, Clunk, to overcome. However, Clunk is not your typical fantasy hero either. Instead, he is a robot who doesn't know who he is or where he came from. All Clunk knows is that a fantasy kingdom with an aggressive queen and a vengeful champion is not a great place for a robot to be. To make matters a little more urgent there is also the fact that Clunk has nowhere to recharge since the fantasy world where he finds himself has no electricity. Discworld fans will enjoy the humor as well as puns in A Portion of Dragon and Chips.

The Hike

by Drew Magary

Colossal insects, man-eating giants, and bizarre demons are all staples of the fantasy genre, but not exactly the type of things a suburban family many on a business trip to rural Pennsylvania expects to encounter on a short hike. However, that's exactly what happens in The Hike by Drew Magary. The man is named Ben and what was supposed to be a short hike in the woods behind his hotel turns into a quest of epic, life, or death proportions. As Ben navigates a world of magical objects and other bizarre fantasy elements he realizes his only hope of ever leaving is to find the creator of the world.

The Legend of Eli Monpress

by Rachel Aaron

The Legend of Eli Monpress by Rachel Aaron is the tale of the titular character who is a charming thief. Eli is also a wizard and his partners consist of a swordsman with a powerful magic sword and a demonseed who can punch through walls and step through shadows. Together they make quite a formidable party and Eli has big plans for their future. These plans mostly involve stealing as Eli is determined to amass a fortune, but to start things off he set his sights on stealing something a little smaller, like a king.

Klondaeg The Monster Hunter

by Steve Thomas

Klondaeg The Monster Hunter by Steve Thomas has been described as a novel for fans of Discworld and Saturday morning cartoons, which is pretty apt. The protagonist, Klondaeg, is the world's greatest monster hunter and he is on a quest to slay every monster he encounters to avenge his parents. To exact his vengeance Klondaeg makes his of his battle-ax, which despite a split personality and penchant for bickering is very effective at monster slaying. The monsters he encounters are also a formidable bunch, ranging from an acid-drooling wizard to mummified Elves and even an army of gold-devouring demons.

The Dungeoneers

by Jeffery Russell

In The Dungeoneers by Jeffery Russell a human city guard named Durham finds his career becoming decidedly more exciting when he is mistakenly assigned to guard a group of Dwarves. These Dwarves hire themselves out as professional dungeoneers and make a living from sacking dungeons and recovering artifacts. However, despite his delusions of being a hero, Durham is far from being a "chosen" one and even the Dwarves consider him to be a bad luck charm. Just like Terry Pratchett, Jeffery Russell has a knack for comedy but doesn't skimp on the fantasy elements either, which makes for a very enjoyable read.