[billbears]

Not necessarily fantasy except the 'what if' part but Harry Turtledove. He's written a long series on what would possibly have happened if the South had won the War (he's past WWI in that one), another series if aliens had landed during WWII (last time I looked up into the 1980s on that one), and another couple of history ones including what if Mohammed had turned to Christianity. Haven't gotten into that series all that much, but did just pick up his latest book, Ruled Britannia, set 10 years after the Spanish Armada defeated the British.

For laughs, without a doubt, Terry Pratchett and the Discworld series. What I've always found so funny is how he ties in things from our lives into the stories

[Tax-chick]

Turtledove bump, way cool! "Guns of the South," Deo Vindice!

Stainless, you like?

[VeritatisSplendor]

Aww, ya beat me to it.

Mrs VS

[Spyder]

For laughs, without a doubt, Terry Pratchett and the Discworld series. What I've always found so funny is how he ties in things from our lives into the stories.

Terry Pratchett is the best. Some of the best satire on the disk, ah, er, planet. He's prolific, too - something Douglas Adams unfortunately was not.