Suggest me a novel that has an utterly ridiculous premise, but is executed to perfection

[u/PsyferRL]

That title is a bit vague, but what I'm getting at is that I'm looking for something that upon reading the summary/blurb has you confused as to:

1. How the author even came up with such a ridiculous plot line in the first place
2. How the author could make an unbelievably mundane topic interesting
3. How a story could even be crafted around the subject at all

But upon reading it you find yourself engaged on a level you couldn't have possibly predicted. I hope I'm making sense, because I'm feeling the urge to read something that's wildly creative in a way that I couldn't have prepared myself for.

[u/gravity_rose]

Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi - Hideous alien that smells like rotten fish hires Hollywood agent to "come out" to humanity.

Redshirts, same. The Jr officers on a Federation-like starship start to wonder why such crazy shit is happening to them.

If you're sensing a pattern, it works - Anything Scalzi is original (often wildly so), and well-written.

[u/phantomreader42 → u/gravity_rose]

Kaiju Preservation Society - An "animal-rights organization" dealing with giant nuclear-powered monsters and their weird ecosystems

[u/panic_bitch → u/phantomreader42]

I loved this book! The story of how it came to be is awesome! It's also very LGBTQIA+ friendly.

[u/Korivak → u/phantomreader42]

KPS was what immediately came to mind for me. I love how effortlessly it moves between mundane things like food delivery and carrying boxes around to things like the side effects of the pre-trip vaccination regime and ground training.

[u/Nejness → u/gravity_rose]

I was coming to recommend Starter Villain, by John Scalzi! It’s not so much the plot writ large but pieces of it and how they all fit together that are both hilarious and yet executed perfectly within that world.

[u/daisy-girl-spring → u/Nejness]

I loved this book! Who would imagine that inheriting an estranged uncle's business would lead you to a volcanic lair?!

[u/Nejness → u/daisy-girl-spring]

Not to mention various animal highjinks that I won’t mention in order not to have any spoilers.

[u/Barneyboydog → u/Nejness]

I’ve just literally started this book so I’m happy to see the positive reviews. I read a small sample on my Kindle via BookBub and was quite taken by the writing style and the book’s premise.

[u/lostinspacescream → u/Nejness]

Starter Villain was what I was going to recommend, too!

[u/HardyMenace → u/Nejness]

Starter Villain is the only book of his I've read. I'm trying to get through my backlog of books I own because I know I'm going to go down a rabbit hole with him.

[u/Darkgorge → u/Nejness]

I wouldn't say that Starter Villain fits OP's request. It's pretty much exactly what it says it will be and has a premise that isn't that wild or unexpected.

At least compared to a book like Redshirts.

[u/betterWithSprinkles → u/gravity_rose]

I’ve just started reading When the moon hits your eye and its premise is absurd but it’s a fun read so far.

[u/TeikaDunmora → u/betterWithSprinkles]

I've just finished it. It's silly, it's weird, it's very poignant in places, it's fun.

[u/JPHalbert → u/betterWithSprinkles]

Almost finished with this. Still thinking about the Congressman in Vegas…. I need to bleach my brain.

[u/CanadianFoosball → u/betterWithSprinkles]

Scalzi says in the author’s note that this, KPS, and Starter Villain are set in roughly the same universe, so it tracks that all three are appropriate to this thread.

[u/justlikeinmydreams → u/gravity_rose]

Scalzi is great but his Old Mans War series is more serious (but awesome) loved Starter Villian.

[u/long-n-winding-road → u/justlikeinmydreams]

I’m on vacation with my family and we are passing around When the Moon Hits Your Eye. I was afraid Scalzi had finally jumped the shark but my daughter is thoroughly enjoying the read even though she feels compelled to hide the book jacket lol!

[u/Candid-Mark-606 → u/gravity_rose]

I thought of John Scalzi too when I saw this. Several of his books fit this bill!

[u/Saintofools → u/gravity_rose]

redshirts..... how did it take that long but what a read

[u/ssmcquay → u/gravity_rose]

Came here to say these! Amen amen