10 Great Sci-Fi Comedy Books to Read This Summer (With Space Pirates, AI, and Chaos)

For fans of space pirates, sentient ships, galactic screw-ups, and misfit crews

Looking for the perfect sci-fi summer read that’s heavy on laughs and light on gravitas? Whether you're a fan of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, We Are Legion (We Are Bob), or Hometown Space Pirate (yes, I’m totally plugging my own book), these titles bring the absurd, the clever, and the downright ridiculous right into your orbit. Packed with rogue captains, malfunctioning AIs, grumpy janitors, and spacefaring shenanigans, this list is your passport to intergalactic chaos and comedy. 

What the Hell Did I Just Read – by David Wong
Part cosmic horror, part absurdist comedy, and all chaos—this third entry in the John Dies at the End series goes off the rails in the best way.

A Question of Navigation – by Kevin Hearne
Aliens abduct the wrong scientist—and now it’s up to him to outwit the galaxy’s most clueless conquerors.

The Worst Ship in the Fleet (Dumb Luck and Dead Heroes Book 1) – by Skyler Ramirez
A disgraced space pilot is accidentally given command of the worst ship in the galaxy—and somehow, the fate of the universe.

Chilling Effect (Chilling Effect, Book 1) – by Valerie Valdes
A foul-mouthed Latina captain, her crew of misfits, and psychic cats face down alien mobsters in this wildly fun adventure.

Will Save the Galaxy for Food – by Yahtzee Croshaw
A washed-up space hero takes a fake job impersonating a real one—and ends up in way over his head.

The Wrong Stars (The Axiom Book 1) – by Tim Pratt
An old ship, a weird crew, and a long-dead alien civilization spell disaster and snark in equal measure.

Year Zero: A Novel – by Rob Reid
Aliens accidentally pirate Earth’s music—and now owe us trillions in royalties in this hilarious legal space opera.

Spaceman of Bohemia – by Jaroslav Kalfař
A Czech astronaut’s lonely mission turns weirdly philosophical when he befriends a hallucinated alien spider.

Mechanical Failure (Epic Failure Trilogy Book 1) – by Joe Zieja
Military bureaucracy, malfunctioning robots, and one very unqualified hero make for the funniest galactic war ever.

Space Team – by Barry J. Hutchison
One man, one galaxy, and one extremely unqualified team of space idiots—what could possibly go right?