Love The Spirit Thief? Readers share 64 books like The Spirit Thief...

The premise of a fussy angel and a fast-living demon positions the book with humor, which I absolutely loved. As the plot unfolds, we discover that these two figures have been living on Earth for thousands of years and enjoying it. So when the demon receives word that the Apocalypse is upon them, they conspire together to subvert the ancient prophecy that predicts the world's end. LOL

The ingenuity and cleverness of these authors are top-notch, starting with the character names: The demon character is Crawley. If you recall, Satan was made a snake in the Garden of Eden after tempting Adam and Eve. But it doesn’t stop there. Crawley creates a motorway that emanates evil, with all of the issues associated with that. LOL.

Let us move toward the light, shall we, into the realm of satire and farce—and set aside for a moment the profoundly significant intentions of the author. At least long enough to say the book was fun to read. Witty, sophomoric, frivolous, irreverent, ridiculous. Meanwhile, taking a jab at pride, greed, sloth, ignorance, carelessness, and all the other deadly sins, as demonstrated by the cruel, blind, destructive arrogance of bureaucracy.

A political/philosophical manifesto, if you will, penned by a Literature MFA who wrote gags for the Monty Python troupe and scripts for the BBC television show Doctor Who. (Cover art by fellow Python alumnus Terry Gilliam.)

The book was a huge success and is still worth reading for entertainment value. If, somewhere along the journey, you begin to fret over the cost of surrendering autonomy to unelected pencil-pushers, good for you.

What? You didn’t know there was a book? There is! Now, the movie is, in my humble opinion, the most perfect movie ever made, but the book came first.

I read the book ages ago and fell in love with it. More in-depth than the movie and a little different in places, it is worth the read, and if you want to follow up with a small, equally as fun read, try The Silent Gondoliers, also by Goldman.

Originally I “read” this book but loved it so much that I just had to pick up the audio version. Like Lies of Locke Lamora, the narrator (Jeff Harding) did an exceptional job. Also like LoLL, this book has amazing humor and a cast of unforgettable characters. My favorite is Clay “Slowhand” Cooper, who defies fantasy convention by living a quiet, ordinary, life, until an old friend comes calling and asking for help.

While most of my bromances tend to be “pairs” this book has an entire “band” of brothers including Moog, an eccentric wizard, and Ganelon a warrior who had been frozen in stone for decades. My “band” reference wasn’t arbitrary. The entire book is “rock band” inspired and the concept of “getting the band back together” is a highly entertaining premise.

So, first off, this is one of the best audiobooks of all time. While Scott did an amazing job spinning the tale, Michael Page elevated this work to a whole new level. There was a time around 2010 when fantasy became overly serious and dark. And I was rescued by the Gentlemen Bastards which was fast paced, fun, and fabulous. The absolute best part of this book is its humor, something that is sorely missing in fantasy these days.

Of course the stars of the show are Locke and Jean. Locke is a charismatic, cunning cutthroat and Jean is his loyal right-hand man. Together they make a great pair. Their deep, brotherly friendship and unwavering loyalty to each other is fantastic, and the reason they made my list.

Shvartsman has been compiling anthologies of funny fantasy and science fiction since 2012; he's just recently launched a Kickstarter for Unidentified Funny Objects No. 9. He picks wonderful stories from an array of genre authors, which always leads to a great experience for readers. This particular book is a compilation of fourteen of his best (at least, so far). I have a warm spot for these stories, not just because they make me laugh, but they show a wide variety of the types of comedy that can work on a page, and as such are a primer in how to do it right. I did submit a story to Shvartsman once and he gave me such generous feedback it made me want to work harder. And funnier.

I have a soft spot for books where characters struggle to uphold justice in an unjust world. When you add in swashbuckling adventure, wry humor, and razor-sharp wit then I’m all in.

Sebastien de Castell’s Greatcoats is a wonderful romp with fabulous characters. While Falcio would be considered the main character, I think it’s Brasti, who steals the show. The fact that he is handsome, flirtatious, and self-assured, could become tiresome in less skilled hands, but Sebastien hits the mark (yes archery pun intended), and Brasti’s biting remarks (especially in dire situations) are the best part of this book.

While Terry Pratchett is the king of satirical fantasy, for my money, J. Zachary Pike is doing a great job carrying that banner. Like Kings of the Wyld, this book’s strong suit is its humor and a darn fine cast of eclectic characters. But what shines brightly is its originality. Finding a truly unique fantasy isn’t easy, but Orconomics is. In this book, heroes are essentially corporate employees, and quests are commodified through an adventuring system that prioritizes lucrative returns over noble deeds.

When it comes to the bromance aspect, you can’t beat Gorm Ingerson (a disgraced dwarven hero whose glory days are past) and Brahm (the undocumented goblin who Gorm stands up for). The two make a great pair that easily places them on my favorites list.

I have a tender spot for heroines who experience such strong emotions that they’re prone to being tossed by their own inner tempests. (I…ahem…might resemble that last comment). Romy had to make a wretchedly hard choice to protect her brother and the fallout separates her forever from the man she loves. She’s a determined, fiery woman and her diligence helps her survive in a city where her magical gift is forbidden. Her past could easily have made her bitter, but she fights with hope for second chances and a ferocious love that makes me adore her! When Romy teams up with other magically gifted people for a complicated heist, she’s consistently kind, unifying, and bravely vulnerable. I just love her!

This book is just fun, but it’s also a weird kind of fun. Short and to the point, it follows two monstrous men as they wreak deadly havoc on a dark little town. It leans heavily on the media’s history of queer-coding villains in stories and allows the characters to be unapologetically evil. Readers who enjoy this book will find themselves thinking the pair are strangely cute together, all the while trying to remember that they’re very dangerous. It’s great as an audiobook and makes the perfect palate cleaners between longer books.