Funny Science

Ian Harebungler, our hapless hero, just can't catch a break. First, the deli ran out of his favorite cucumber sandwiches. Then he left the gas on at home. But the lowlight was being abducted from his front yard by a particularly ill-mannered alien, one who apparently doesn't believe in anesthetic, no less. Fortunately, Ian is saved by an unlikely ally: the Twiller, whose bravery is somewhat overshadowed by its uncanny resemblance to a floating yellow marshmallow with big eyes. The Twiller follows the adventures of Ian and his newfound companion as they are whisked around the Universe, and ...

Percy Jackson fans will embrace this humorous time travel adventure, the first in a series, about an iPhone malfunction that sends three kids back to 1776 in time to rescue George Washington. On Christmas Day, Mel finds General George Washington lying dead as a doornail in a stable. But Mel knows that George Washington must cross the Delaware River, or the course of American history will be changed forever. Could Mel’s iPhone have sent him back in time to 1776? And can Mel and his schoolmates, know-it-all Bev and laid-back Brandon, come to the rescue?

What’s so funny about space and science? Our season finale features the incomparable comedian Joan Rivers. In this episode, she provides color commentary for a Red Carpet parade of previous show topics, including space tourism, the anniversary of Apollo 11, and the search for alien life (both in space and in Hollywood).

Remember the time we went to the Land of Lost Things to look for my lucky rabbit's foot and then we got lost too? That was one of our most exciting, surprising and knuckle-headed adventures ever. What? You don't remember? Well, have I got a story for you! It all started like this . . .

This truly dark mystery story sees our protagonist Dragonman and undeniable friends and partners investigate a bizarre murder spree. The murders turn out to be far from ordinary when an investigation into the past brings untimely dread and danger for the future. This scary audiobook leads you on a trail of homicide that is more than meets the eye. John Logan has to look deep into Luke Starr’s past to find the answers he seeks. Nobody is laughing, because it turns out dying isn’t funny.

Did you know that, as of 2013, it is illegal to unlock your smartphone in the United States? Not only is it illegal, you may be fined up to $500,000 and/or be imprisoned for up five years. Crazy? Maybe. I stumbled across this unique (AKA crazy) law while reading a newspaper article. I have since found that there are hundreds of laws like this one, not just in the United States but all over the world.

In this Caldecott Medal-winning tale set in Old Japan, a lively little woman who loves to laugh pursues her runaway dumpling - and must outwit the wicked three-eyed oni when she lands in their clutches.

The Unidentified Funny Objects series serves an annual dose of funny, zany, and unusual science fiction and fantasy stories. All-new fiction from the genre's top voices! Our sixth volume features a Mad Amos story by Alan Dean Foster, a Harry the Book tale by Mike Resnick, and an Alexander Outland short by Gini Koch.

Mary O'Sullivan makes her own rules now. Her first self-assigned mission? Track down the league retirees who killed her family, and enforce the long-overdue justice they deserve. But Mary's crusade thrusts her deep into the shadows of vigilantism, where good and evil blur to gray. With her secret identity blown to shreds, she's beset by reporters and forced to seek unlikely allies. When her enemies turn the tables and start hunting her, Mary must face the darker side of heroism—or risk becoming their next victim. Follow Mary into the dark with the page-turning sequel to Alter Ego.

Life as an asteroid wildcatter ain't easy! Hello, friends. The name's Christopher Columbus Jackson. When I set out to make my fortune as an asteroid wildcatter, I had no idea that I'd soon cross paths with a down-and-out warrior priestess of the Church of Jesus Christ of Post-Millennial Saints, Orthodox. If I'd known better, I'd have steered clear of her distress beacon altogether. But there are two kinds of people in this galaxy: those who believe in something bigger than themselves, and those who don't believe in anything else. I would soon find out what kind of a man I was.

T-Bin has been traveling through space for years to deposit its passengers on a new planet, to give them a new life. But now, mere days from arrival, Tanner can’t shake the feeling that there’s a more sinister plot at work.

Milton Maroo, a portly space trader who enjoys a gourmet meal as much as a good deal, is wanted for murder in a strange star system on the brink of war. The Idon star system is fragile, crumbling from the outer planets in. At the edge, resentment boils in the Idonan people, whispers of uprising are growing. The palace, on the innermost planet, still projects order from a king increasingly out of touch with his subjects. Milton Maroo, the lone pilot of the trading ship, the Zenger, transports goods from system to system, most of it legal. On a run into the Idon system, his dazzling skills ...

A heist story with a difference: Guardians of the Galaxy meets The Hobbit in this rollicking fantasy adventure. The dragons who once ruled over the land are dead. The motley crew that stole the dragons' gold and stumbled through a revolution are rich and praised as saviours. Everyone gets to live happily ever after, right? Well, it might have worked out that way if the dragons in Kondorra had been the only ones. If they hadn't been just the tip of the spear about to fall upon the whole world....

Esha Verma, her snotty apprentice Broccoli and his cunning pet tortoise have a dream. They are going to win the legendary Brain Trophy - the ultimate inventing prize. This year's entry: a time machine. But the day before the competition, Esha's ignoramus big sister hijacks the time machine and is lost in the Cretaceous age. With help from a new recruit for The Office of Time, Esha and Broccoli will have to face hungry dinosaurs, mysterious black holes and malfunctioning inventions to get them back in time.

Monty Python meets Gladiator! Sand is destined for greatness...or so a pair of two-bit criminals would have him believe. After rescuing him from certain doom, Bess and Kaede embark on a scheme to game the War God Tournament. It’d be easier if Sand wasn’t an alcohol-soaked twit with a disturbing interest in mutton. Pitted against monsters, magic swords, and murderers galore, they soon realize winning the tourney is the least of their worries.

"Elementary, my dear Rand. It works because it's impossible!" - Quinn Schmul, eccentric inventor. A whirlwind tale of time travel, magic, science, coffee, geeks, logic, fallacy, and spaghetti. Rand likes his coffee, his sleep, and the study of philosophy. Especially philosophy. He craves the beauty and rigor of it. That's why he's studying formal logic at an age when he should be doing something far more sensible with his life. It's a mystery how he ended up getting roped into his girlfriend-inventor's latest experiment. Sure, yeah, Quinn has terrific hair, and as a barista in her day job, ...

Odo (seventh child of the village miller) and Eleanor (always looking for adventure) stumble upon a sword in a dried-up river outside their village. Eleanor (strong and able) tries to extract the sword but is unable to, and it is Odo who is surprisingly successful. It is even more surprising that the sword, once pulled out, starts to talk. And rather annoying when the talking sword turns out to be rather grumpy, stubborn and, at times, catastrophically wrong....

Are you a Gnome? Do you want to be one? Do you know what one is? Do you have magical, technical, or any other talent whatsoever? (1) Do you pine after a non-holographic Omnicron, make design sketches of transmorphic actionable multidimensional exo-robotic systems, create novel subroutines for synthetic intelligences, tinker with Dwarf-proof beard mowers, imagine a grand unified theory of life, the universe, and facial hair, or take apart and modify negentropy cannons for fun and amusement? Do you like root vegetables? If you answered yes to one of these questions (2), then you may have what...

Some Laughs with the Flat-Earthers takes you on a journey to the edge of reason — and possibly to the edge of the world, if you ask the right people. This is not a scientific treatise, nor a conspiracy manifesto. It’s a satirical safari through the wonderfully bizarre landscape of modern flat-Earth belief. From rulers aimed at the horizon to water levels built with melons, this book dives into the wildest arguments and experiments ever invented to deny gravity, curvature, and sometimes even common sense. With witty dialogues, absurd scenarios, and a tone that oscillates between ...

Fake superheroes. Real comedy. Doctor Mind has it made. Having spent the last three years using a combination of alien technology and clever stage magic to fool the people of Freedom City into thinking he's a legitimate superhero (including hiring his failed actor brother to play his supervillains), Doctor Mind thinks he's set for life. Until a real supervillain, the dangerous but quirky Death Skull the Murderer, shows up and threatens to destroy the entire city in a month unless Doctor Mind defeats him in a fight. Ostracized from the mainstream superhero community for his scammy business, ...