Unusual Books with a Satiric Feel

These books are not for the easily offended or faint of heart. These are satirical, strange or unusual books with a humorous bent. If you are easily offended by your society, religion, sexual orientation,or anything else dear to your heart being poked and prodded, then skip these books. However, if you like taking a closer look at what you believe and seeing a very different point of view while being entertained, then these books are for you. These are shocking, funny, challenging and extremely well-written works that are well worth the exploration.

The Plato Papers by Peter Ackroyd is an enjoyable satire of our age. Imagine that your beliefs in science, history and the world in general are entirely incorrect. In the year 3700, Plato is a public speaker educating people about the important literature and beliefs of past generations. Unfortunately, many things have been destroyed or misinterpreted, causing On the Origin of Species to be attributed to Charles Dickens rather than Charles Darwin, which causes people to consider the book a melodrama rather than a scientific work. Plato also is confused by mentions of our computer age and the infestation of "webs" and "nets." Also, Edgar Allan Poe's Tales and Histories is noted as a record for a lost race rather than a Gothic work of fiction. When Plato starts suspecting that the information he has on the past is incomplete at best, and incorrect at the worst, his new ideas land him in trouble with those in power. The story is more than just a satire about our society; it also explores how a search for knowledge can affect an individual. The Plato Papers is humorous, satirical, highly intellectual and occasionally fragmented, with satiric bends that most armchair cultural theorists will enjoy. If this sounds interesting, or you have read it and want similar titles, I suggest reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams and Warlord of the Air by Michael Moorcock.

Fifty Ways of Saying Fabulous by Graeme Aitken is a tale of a gay awakening that will resonate with anyone who struggled through an awkward adolescence. The story is a warm, humorous and touching tale about growing up as a homosexual in rural New Zealand. Twelve-year-old Billy loves food and in turn struggles with weight and sexual identity. He is the only son on a farm and is needed to do various chores that leave him little time to indulge his love of Lost in Space and theatrical interests. Billy's tomboy cousin Lou and a rich fantasy life help him get through. Then two outsiders arrive, the strange and pimply Roy and the attractive Jamie, changing everything. Friendships, relationships and attractions are tested and explored. If this sounds interesting or you have read it and want similar titles, I suggest reading Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown and watching the television series As Queer as Folk.

Lights Out in Wonderland by DBC Pierre is the story of Gabriel Brockwell. This athlete and philosopher is also a disaffected 20-something who is planning on killing himself, but not right now. He wants to experience new things, leaving only his exact path to be decided. He is in search of the ultimate high, something to make all previous parties pale in comparison, and travels between London, Tokyo and Berlin to do so. Everything is larger than life, the characters, the settings and even the food. He falls apart only to redeem himself and set off on a mission to fix his past mistakes. Along the way he has a near death experience, a stint in rehab and a feast. The story is a slick commentary on the rise of banality in the modern age, as well as a joyful celebration of the human spirit. If this sounds interesting or you have read it and want similar titles, I suggest reading A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz and The Island of the Sequined Love Nun by Christopher Moore.

The Waterproof Bible by Andrew Kaufman is a small, quirky book that is big on content. It will make readers reconsider why people are the way we are, and why we live like we do. Humor, fable, satire and fantasy all play a role in the story. Rebecca Reynolds has an unusual and inconvenient problem. No matter what she does, she cannot keep her emotions from leaving her body to enter the surrounding world. She discovers how to store her powerful emotions in personal objects, but how many shoe boxes can a girl fill with emotion before feeling smothered by her past? Three large events change everything for Rebecca. One of these events is the death of her sister Lisa, whose husband sets off on a bizarre journey stripping himself free of everything before he can find a way through his grief, with the help of a woman who calls herself God. If this sounds interesting or you have read it and want similar titles, I suggest reading All My Friends are Superheroes by Andrew Kaufman, The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger and The Lollipop Shoes by Joanne Harris.

The Perfect Fool by Stewart Lee follows misfits who bridge a metaphysical Grand Canyon between London and Arizona, unwittingly taking part in a quest for the Holy Grail. The eclectic and seemingly unrelated characters come together in the deserts of the American Southwest, forming an uneasy alliance. Humorous moments appear at the most unlikely, and otherwise non-funny, moments. If this sounds interesting or you have read it and want similar titles, I suggest reading The Last Continent by Terry Pratchett and Accordion Crimes by Annie Proulx.

Thinks... by David Lodge is a gentler satire with occasionally ribald humor. Helen Reed joins the staff at the University of Gloucester to teach creative writing. It is at the university that she meets Ralph Messenger, who is trying to use science to analyze and fully explain human consciousness. The two share heated debates and sparks fly. The heart of the story is shared between them, with each of their voices offering a different take of what happens. Lodge makes things even more interesting by using and playing with different literary styles. As the story progresses it becomes more intriguing, as the novelist become more and more scientific and the scientist becomes increasingly emotional. If this sounds interesting or you have read it and want similar titles, I suggest reading The History Man by Malcolm Bradbury and Tulip Fever by Deborah Moggach.

A Cock-eyed Comedy by Juan Goytisolo is a satirical, bawdy tale about a friar that is reincarnated through centuries. The story is the friar's stream of consciousness, which brings readers along to discover the strange version of religion that he holds to, and his converts. Some might see the book as sacrilegious, but it offers a new take on the church that has never been seen before. The story is highly sexual, an overtly lusty homosexuality-themed fable that is sometimes very fun and sometimes more than a little confusing. The book was originally in Spanish, translation to English is by Peter Bush. If you can, I suggest reading A Cock-eyed Comedy in the original Spanish. I could not, and I often wonder if I might have gotten even more out of the book if I could have. This is not a book for those easily offended by religion, sexual encounters, sexual orientation based satire and story lines. If this sounds interesting or you have read it and want similar titles, I suggest reading The Garden of Secrets by Juan Goytisolo and Crimes of Love by Marquis de Sade.