Amelia Brown is very brave in this new essay. She has a go at defining ‘comedic fantasy’, and suggesting why that’s different from fantasy that has some funny bits in it. She highlights some aspects that appear in comedic novels - skewering genre tropes, one-liners, a comedic plot not just scenes - and points to some authors who excel in this rather niche sub-genre. More pointedly, she also makes a strong case for why we need comedic novels - perhaps now more than ever (hint: it’s about kindness).