Absurdist Humor

Named as one of the New York Times Year’s Ten Best upon its publication, Gary Shteyngart’s Absurdistan is a biting, poignant satire of American-style democracy and the American Dream. After returning to Russia to attend his father’s funeral, 30-year-old Misha is subsequently denied a visa when he attempts to re-enter the United States.

Mr. Quark is a down-on-his-luck pot smuggler hiding out in the mountains of Columbia with his dog, High Pockets, and a small band of banditos led by the irascible José. Times are lean, and to liven up their exile, José decides to mug a family of American tourists. Among the spoils are physics texts, which launch Mr. Quark on a sidesplitting, boisterous adventure north to California, where he confronts the owner of the books with his own theories.

What would you do if every law disappeared… for 24 hours? Steal a croissant? Slap your nemesis at the bakery? Form a rooftop cult around your dog? Because that’s exactly what happened. One ordinary couple (me and Mia) and one very judgmental dog (Frosty) wake up to discover that every law — from jaywalking to grand theft to using your neighbor’s Wi-Fi — has been suspended. For one day only, society hits pause… and chaos presses play. What follows is a whirlwind of moral confusion, IKEA looting, philosophical cheese, vigilante yoga instructors, and a surprisingly charismatic ...

The universe has a complaints department. Unfortunately, it’s still processing yours If you enjoy absurd sci-fi, dry wit, and bureaucratic nightmares that somehow feel a little too real… welcome to the worst office in existence. Arthur Denton is just a human clerk trying to survive his shift at the galaxy’s most dreaded institution: The Department of Interspecies Complaints. His job? Process 47,000 grievances from aliens, planets, concepts, and occasionally reality itself—before the universe collapses under the weight of unresolved paperwork. No pressure. Inside this hilariously ...

How about something completely ridiculous? What if your life was accidentally swapped with an alien's? The universe is a very strange place. Some galaxies are built on logic. Others appear to have misplaced the instruction manual. Then one seemingly impossible cosmic glitch changes everything.

Read by the author. "A sunny celebration of a life well lived in the South of France—except for the bloody plumbing." —KIRKUS REVIEWS In 1971, at the beginning of Monty Python mania, Eric Idle bought a crumbling ruin in the hills of Provence. With no electricity, no water, no road, and no...

Charlie Asher is a pretty normal guy with a normal life, married to a bright and pretty woman who actually loves him for his normalcy. They're even about to have their first child. Yes, Charlie's doing okay—until people start dropping dead around him, and everywhere he goes a dark presence...

Winner of the Locus Award and CIBA Mark Twain grand prize, The Man Who Saw Seconds is a gripping speculative fiction thriller, blending absurdist satire and adrenaline-charged suspense, about a New York man who can see five seconds into the future—which changes his life forever; perfect for...

“A propulsive, madcap story” (The New York Times) about a salaryman who decides to put his life up for sale in the classifieds section of a Tokyo newspaper after a botched suicide attempt. "An outstanding writer not only of Japan, but of the world." —The Atlantic After salaryman Hanio...

The birth of Jesus has been well chronicled, as have his glorious teachings, acts, and divine sacrifice after his thirtieth birthday. But no one knows about the early life of the Son of God, the missing years—except Biff, the Messiah’s best bud, who has been resurrected to tell the story in...

A rollicking, "unsinkable," (Sam Lipsyte) and hilarious debut novel about a family of unforgettable women obsessed with securing their legacy, for fans of Geek Love Claire grew up with the legend of the Unsinkable Mounsey Women. Her great-great-grandmother Fanny made headlines in 1915 for...

A very unique and comical view of life, death and all that comes after it. This very darkly humorous but strangely heart warming tale follows the unremarkable Bernard Fish as he learns that living is far less simple than he thought. He also discovers that being dead is more exciting than he could ever have imagined, not that he has ever had much of an imagination. Betrayal, greed, love and lust all play a part in this simple everyday story of an ordinary man who wasn't supposed to know he was going to die. With guest appearances from God and of course Satan as well as a host of afterlife ...

Bottom feeders beware: the Sunshine State’s favorite psychotic killer and lovable Floridaphile Serge Storms has found a new calling, legal eagle, and he’s going to make a killing as a crusading attorney—and star as a dashing lawyer on the big screen—in this madcap escapade from the...

2026 Audie Winner – Fantasy | Winner of the AudioFile Magazine Earphones Award Christopher Moore's novel comes to life in this incredible audio edition! Narrator Mary Jane Wells displays an impressive range of character voices, accents, and tonal shifts that perfectly compliment the story's...

“O’Brien’s first novel in two decades was well worth the wait. . . . In the age of ‘mythomania,’ O’Brien takes aim at the lies that power this country, and how and why they sustain us. America Fantastica peers straight into the dark heart of the American psyche, and it's unafraid of...

From “weird, scary, ingenious” (The New York Times) stand-up comedian Maria Bamford, an instant New York Times bestselling, brutally honest, and “laugh-out-loud funny” (Jennette McCurdy, #1 New York Times bestselling author) memoir about show business, mental health, and the comfort of...

“Christopher Moore is a very sick man, in the very best sense of that word.” —Carl Hiassen “[Moore’s novels] deftly blend surreal, occult, and even science-fiction doings with laugh-out-loud satire of contemporary culture.” —Washington Post “If there’s a funnier writer out...

What's next for Allan Karlsson? Turns out this centenarian has a few more adventures in store . . . It all begins with a hot air balloon trip and three bottles of champagne. Allan and Julius are ready for some spectacular views, but they’re not expecting to land in the sea and be rescued by a...

What do you get when a neurotic funeral director, a time-travelling scientist, and an ancient curse collide in Southend-on-Sea? Dennis Dogmore hasn’t had a client in weeks, his love life is six feet under, and the woman of his dreams would rather dance with anyone else. Then Miss Miftley Wade arrives from ninety-four years in the future with a half-broken time machine and a talent for chaos. Throw in a Wiccan aristocratic curse, accidental trips through time, and the constant threat of a preordained death, and Dennis’s quiet life is suddenly anything but. One hypochondriac. One time ...

A secret baby with my brother's grumpy best friend... what could go wrong? Luca's stormy return reignites a passion I thought I'd buried. His dark past and dangerous ties make him absolutely off-limits. But when our fiery connection leads to an unexpected little secret... All bets are off. Luca's determined to escape his father's criminal empire. But his smoldering intensity and our sordid past are impossible to forget. As our forbidden desire collides in a firestorm of lust and longing. Will our secret baby bind us together or tear us apart? Caught between loyalty to my brother and my ...