Pour yourself another Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster and enjoy these laugh-inducing listens
“Don’t Forget Your Towel” — This is the most important advice offered in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the titular guidebook to interstellar travel from Douglas Adams' beloved sci-fi series. For space farers newly exploring the universe, there is a great deal to know and learn, and without this helpful guide, many hapless space travellers would find themselves overwhelmed by the endless challenges. Emphasizing the importance of a bath towel doesn’t seem like key information, but the whimsical, absurd advice fits perfectly with the whimsical and absurdist world Adams creates.
Science fiction has a long-standing reputation for dealing with dark and sombre themes, but the titles we’re exploring below prove that science fiction isn't always about the ultra-serious. Using scientific or sociological trappings to explore and poke fun at life’s more ridiculous elements, the latest in contemporary sci fi can often serve as a side-splittingly spot-on examination of the chaos of human existence.
For decades, science fiction has offered a unique form of escapism, mixing whimsy, humour and fantastical elements — allowing us to confront the absurdities of life and have a good chuckle at the same time. When you listen to the best sci fi on Audible.ca, you’ll never want to stop.
So strap in, buckle up, and let’s travel to the far horizons of hilarious with these uproarious sci-fi titles.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
While humour in sci-fi existed before Douglas Adams, this title and its many sequels — *including The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, Life, the Universe and Everything, So Long and Thanks for all the Fish and Mostly Harmless* — has become the genre’s true milestone.
Surrealist writer Andre Breton once famously said, “the mind, placed before any kind of difficulty, can find an ideal outlet in the absurd.” That has never been more true than for protagonist Arthur Dent, the Earthling plucked from his quiet, mundane existence in Middle Britain and thrust into an interstellar adventure with a rogue’s gallery of aliens aboard a stolen spacecraft.
Narrated brilliantly by British humorist Stephen Fry, this surreal story follows Arthur as he encounters hyper-intelligent mice, planet-sized supercomputers, the architect of Earth’s landmasses and the recipe for the ultimate cocktail, the Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster.
The sheer vastness of the cosmos is itself absurd and the unending possibilities of what we might find out in the deep blackness of space offer the perfect arena to explore the hilarious and the surreal. The fact that Adams uses playful language and his signature British wit to chart that path makes listening to this classic even more of a treat.
The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek
Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal are probably best known for their extraordinarily popular daily internet show, Good Mythical Morning as well as their podcast, New York Times-bestselling book and other creative ventures.
But in The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek these southern-born storytellers prove they are as adept at spinning clever, humorous science fiction yarns as they are at writing ridiculous songs and conducting odd taste tests. This title takes us into a world that only seems normal on the outside. Bleak Creek, North Carolina appears to be just another Southern town, but the calm exterior hides a wild secret.
Drawing on a long tradition of both classic sci-fi and dark humour, Rhett and Link use the familiar landscape of rural North Carolina to explore themes of civil disobedience, rebellion and conformity and the importance of courage and friendship in overcoming adversity.
Listeners who already love Rhett and Link for their other ventures will not want to miss this sci-fi gem that Mayim Bialik called a “heady brew of hilarity, friendship, and dark forces in the small-town South, where being the funny, smart kids might just end up as the fight of your life.”
All Those Explosions Were Someone Else’s Fault
If you like your sci-fi to be hilarious while also confronting contemporary identity politics, you can’t go wrong with this hit from Canadian sci-fi darling James Alan Gardner.
Splicing space-faring speculative fiction with a heaping helping of magic and superhero flair, this title is a riotous exploration of gender, identity, stereotypes, and the bonds of friendship. Did we also mention that it features vampires and demons?
Partially set on the University of Waterloo campus, our protagonist Kim is a genderqueer Canadian of Chinese descent as well as a geology major. Along with a motley crew of academic pals including a no-nonsense chemist, a doctor turned activist, and a hunky jock biologist, our protagonist is quickly thrust into an adventure to become a superhero in order to defeat the villainous Darklings.
Not only will this title tickle your funny bone, but through its clever use of Light and Dark magic, you might even reconsider how you look at binary comparisons.
Audible brings you the world’s largest library of audiobooks from every genre. Explore our deep catalogue to find your favourite titles in sci-fi or any other genre. Whether you’re looking for a hilarious space adventure, a darkly humorous take on small town quirkiness or a playful rethinking of cultural assumptions, these titles are sure to keep you giggling from minute one.
Need a good excuse for a laugh? Take these sci fi audiobooks on your next road trip, sample them on your lunch break, or listen to them as you hit the treadmill. It’s easy to enjoy the lighter side of life with audiobooks that keep you smiling.
Check in with our blog weekly for recommendations on awesome new titles, and be sure to share your favourites with us on Instagram Stories by tagging our Instagram account.
