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Published in the British Science Fiction Association
jounal "Matrix" 2006
Comedy Science Fiction – now there’s a contradiction. Like Military Intelligence and Star Wars (stars don’t fight each other). Or is it? It’s not that I’m actually against the masses of serious, shadowy SF that holds the majority market share, so you can’t really call this a Rage Against the dark-side per se. It’s more of a Passion Towards the radiance of comic wit. SF that’s not just dark and sinister does exist, but where the heck is it? Where are all the true comic SF books? Where are the planets that look like Auntie Mable’s face, the aliens who get space-sick, the rockets that run on custard? So in true SF style I departed on a quest. I didn’t pack my magic ring, my staff of light or my all-seeing eye. I guess I should have taken a blast-o-zap, portable transmat beam, and an e-custardpie. But none of these actually exist, and my quest was supposedly in the real world, or at least to my local Waterboardsmiths. My aim: to find out if SF still had anything funny about it. But first I had to define “Sci Fi”. And here’s where I knew could really upset the apple hovercart. So for the purposes of my Quest I decided to define SF as all those books in the SF section at Waterboardsmiths. It had to be at least moderately funny, and have at least two of the themes of technology, future, or space. But absolutely no Elves. Or magic rings. So, what did I find? So much serious doom and gloom, space opera, Elves in Wonderland, Cyberpunk, more Elves. And then a whole shelf full of Douglas Adams: H2G2, Dirk Gently and biographies of the Grandfather of true comedy SF. But very sadly Douglas is no longer with us. Scouring the shelves I find Grant Naylor – I like a bit of Red Dwarf, but I don’t think they’re writing SF anymore. Tom Holt’s Snow White and the Seven Samurai is sock-loosingly funny, but not SF. I discovered several acres of rib-braking Pratchett, but Rincewind and Nanny Ogg live in a fantasy world. And then Robert Rankin with his sprouts and hollow chocolate bunnies. Cross-genre at best. Slapstick was the only Kurt Vonnegut in the SF section (and many people say he’s not SF?) and there was no Robert Sheckley. So here we have it. There is no living true comedy SF author actually writing in the world today. Unless you look in Australia. In Aus they have two things: Andromeda Spaceways, a poor cricket team and Simon Hayes. Three things. And a sense of humour. Four..four things they have in Australia. I guess they need the sense of humour to get over the cricket, and Andromeda Spaceways Inflight magazine to cater for those who crave planets made of wobbly desserts and aliens needing anti-emetics. Simon Hayes recently released Hal Spacejock seems to fit the bill: Humour: yes. Technology: yup. Space: well it’s in the title. And then Editor of Scifantastic magazine Sarah Dodds pointed me in the direction of Sue Lange’s Tritcheon Hash, which is now on its way to me from Amazon. If only Waterboardsmith’s would stock either of these. So do I take it all back? Has the tide of titillation turned? Can we breathe a sigh of comic relief? Well two funny writers do not a genre make. Is there a truly funny SF book I’ve missed? Please let me know and I’ll send you a signed copy of my own hilarious Hugo nomination (ahem). Now all I need to do is find a comedy SF agent. Andrew OD Booth References: Scifantastic: www.scifantasticmag.co.uk |
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All articles copyright Andrew OD Booth 2008 |