I often enjoy romantasies, but sometimes you want a fantasy with less romance and more humor, here are two great new picks for those looking for laughs.
Monsters of Ohio
by John Scalzi
I have enjoyed several of Scalzi’s previous novels some of which we read as part of the library’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Discussion Group. Scalzi pokes some loving fun at his home state with Monsters of Ohio, a tale of contemporary fantasy, about a man returning to his hometown and along with the fellow townspeople being forced to confront Lovecraftian inspired horror along with the problems of modern blue collar suburbia. The story shows though that sometimes the true monsters are the ones that might look the most normal on the outside. It does a great job of satirizing modern American life and having known people who had to deal with factory and other layoffs, this story resonated. There is also something hopeful in the books tagline “People Change.” If you enjoyed Matt Ruff’s Lovecraft Country or Scalzi’s The Kaiju Preservation Society and Starter Villain, then be sure to check this one out.
Saved by the Spell
Tanya Huff
Saved by the Spell is the funny new fantasy from Tanya Huff. Imagine Buffy the Vampire Slayer from the teacher’s perspective. At a magical arts boarding school in Canada, Abigail has a new class of incoming 9th graders and on top of the usual drama one of the students in her homeroom shows the signs of being a hero, but when disasters start happening around the potential hero, it also becomes clear there is also a budding villain. Much of the humor comes from sly meta-fiction references to other dark academic works as well as seeing normal teenage school issues with the addition of magic; acne breakouts seem a lot less stressful compared with turning into an elephant. Since I have several friends and relatives who are teachers and worked for a bit as a substitute and teacher’s assistant myself, I felt the depiction of teaching was very accurate (with an addition of a little magic). Added to this is the mystery of who the villain is and Huff has plenty of red herrings that kept me guessing till the end. If you enjoyed her previous novel, Direct Descendant, then this story should be a delight. Huff is always one of my favorites!
Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager
