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Recommend a very good (semi-)obscure fantasy/sf book

direstraits

direstraits

Well-Known Member
Hey fellas.

Just a challenge for you fellas - can you recommend a good book that isn't very popular or well-known? Tell us about it, and why it's so good for you. It could be from a famous author, but make sure that the work isn't well known.

Anyone caught recommending stuff like Harry Potter or GRRM's Song of Ice and Fire or "oh, you may not have heard of him, but Lord of the Rings is so good" or anything else not obscure enough will get a virtual smack. Also authors whose name have been bandied around a little too many times in too many threads are not welcome too (you know, good authors like Guy Gavriel Kay).

[smack!]



I'll start. My recommendation is George Alec Effinger's When Gravity Fails. I've mentioned this before a long time ago, but nobody seems to know who he is, except one other TBFer (who has since left).

When Gravity Fails is a scifi story set in the world of Budayeen, which is loosely based on an Arab city in the middle of nowhere many years in the future. It's a gritty story where the protagonist, Marid Audran, is a down-on-his-luck detective living in a world filled with people with bio-enhancements - people with implants in their brains to support moddies and daddies. These are chips that plug directly into the wearer's brain granting temporary abilities (like ability to read Japanese) to total behavioural modification (like behaving like Nero Wolfe).

It's a very fascinating read for me - think Dashiel Hammett writing scifi.

ds
 
Oh, and you're welcome to give useless bits of info pertaining to the work as well. Like George Alec Effinger is not too long ago deceased, has an ex-wife in fellow author Vonda McIntyre, and that When Gravity Fails almost won the Hugo (runner-up) and was nominated for the Nebula.

ds
 
Dragon's Winter by Elizabeth A. Lynn. I picked it up on a whim because of the cover and was pleasantly surpirised. It's a well-written Fantasy about 2 not so brotherly brothers who are part dragon. One betrays the other leading to a battle between the two, there are also interesting supporting characters, other were-creatures who align with the good brother and an evil sorcerer who plots with the bad brother. There is a book 2 (Dragon's treassure) but this book can be enjoyed on it's own as a stand-alone.
 
Old Songs in a New Cafe by Robert James Waller. This would be pretty close to my favourite book. It's a short compilation of essays by Waller, who is best known for Bridges of Madison County. I haven't read the latter but have read dubious reviews of it's literary value. Old Songs is about things that Waller loves - the environment, his family, animals and travelling, and I think there's something in here for everyone. There's an essay about his daughter leaving home and one about his old cat, Roadcat, which makes me smile and cry at the same time, and I'm not one who cries over books. There's an essay about releasing otters into the river, and a speech that he gave at a graduation ceremony about 'Romance' which is incredibly uplifting - I recall one section in which he talks about keeping journals all his life and his joy at reading back over them. One line in particular was written while travelling and went something like, 'Georgia and Rachel are asleep and I am over Africa'.

I just adore this book - I don't think it's 'obscure', per se, but I don't think it's gotten the attention it deserves.
 
The one that comes to my mind is actually a series. "The Monarchies of God" by Paul Kearney. It has a lot of great military and political intrigue. For a fantasy series, it is short. It consists of five books, yet all are just over 300 pages. The writing is very good, the story is very interesting, especially to watch alliances come together, or fall, and the reasons are good, not contrived BS. The characters are engaging and well written. And though the magic lacks a little, it is still enough to give the book credibility.
 
Christopher Fowler - they say he's Sci-Fi/Fantasy but I disagree.

Try Spanky... very, very good!
 
Just a challenge for you fellas - can you recommend a good book that isn't very popular or well-known?
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Althoguh obscurity is relative, I think I can recommend tons, here is a just a few (admittedy I don't think theyare obscure but should be talked baout more IMHO)


The Fourth Circle by Zoran Zivkovic

One of the most narrativley ambitious works in years, yet Zivkovic never loses control - all you have t osay is that it's a metaphysical rump that includes Stephen Hawking, Sherlock Holmes and Archimedes appearance in it's pages

The Divinity Student by Michael Cisco

Another wordsmith, Cisco's Fantasy/Horror for the fan of either looking for elusive intelligence in either sub-genre. I would recommend purchasing The San Veneficio Canon which includes Divinity Student, and it's sequel Golem.


Letter From Hades by Jeffrey Thomas

You wake up in hell - you get educated in hell - you wander around and start a war between heaven and hell... talk about a the beginings of a bad day:) . I also strongly recommend hsi SF/Horror Punktown works - incredible collections.


The Labyrinth by Catherynne M. Valente

There may not be a better sylists in speculative fiction currently - which i sa huge statement. Valenete has captivatingly beautiful, and unique prose. Enter the Labrynth, and you wil be exposed to imagery beyond any authors I have read in a long time.
 
I can think of a couple that are very good and yet not mentioned much :)

Louise Cooper - doesnt get mentioned much but her older stuff is pretty good - The Time Master Trilogy and The Choas Gate being two series that come to mind. She's written stand alones too.

Mark Anthony - The Last Rune series. Ive mentioned this series before but no one seems to have read it. Personally I think its very good.
 
[Laugh]
Kook, I thought it was a good recommendation, but I knew something was amiss when I saw the word 'Africa.' It simply means your reading tastes is varied, and that's never a bad thing. I learned about a new book! :)

Guys, this is wonderful stuff. I've not read *any* of the stuff mentioned here (except what I recommended, duh!), and will certainly keep my eyes peeled. Except for a couple of authors mentioned, I don't think I've ever seen them in my bookstores. Sometimes I wish B&N will just build a bloody huge one here and let me shop in peace knowing I will get anything you guys throw at me.

Shelf space expensive Shelf space expensive Shelf space expensive Shelf space expensive...

Okay here's another one, and I'll give you a cookie if you've read this: Greenmagic by Crawford Kilian. It's about a boy born with a legacy of a forgotten but powerful magic, and how he grows up to fulfill his destiny. It's not a multivolume paperweight, but a pretty good (if formulaic) novel. I read this a long time ago in a single sitting, and the overall impression was it was quite enjoyable.

ds
 
Lavondyss by Robert Holdstock. You mentioned in another thread that you had read Mythago Wood but it didn't seem like you had read the sequel. I prefer Lavondyss because he takes the idea he presented in Mythago Wood and runs away with it, producing some of the most beautiful prose I have ever read, especially in a particular metamorphic scene that sent my head reeling. This is especially recommended to those with an interest in Celtic mythology and Jungian psychology.
 
Thea said:
Lavondyss by Robert Holdstock. You mentioned in another thread that you had read Mythago Wood but it didn't seem like you had read the sequel. I prefer Lavondyss because he takes the idea he presented in Mythago Wood and runs away with it, producing some of the most beautiful prose I have ever read, especially in a particular metamorphic scene that sent my head reeling. This is especially recommended to those with an interest in Celtic mythology and Jungian psychology.
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Yes, I did read Mythago Wood. I had half wanted to recommend that instead, but was afraid of a virtual smack, since it won the World Fantasy Award. :D I hadn't read Lavondyss, but I have his Celtika on my TBR...

I think Wabbit read Lavondyss.

Wonderful recommendation, Thea!

ds
 
I will, as I've done before, recommend The Aquasilva Trilogy by Anselm Audley. It's published in UK so for the US dwellers it will likely be rather obscure. Possibly also to UK dwellers since Audley was 19 when the first book, Heresy, was published. Yesterday I saw a review of it on Amazon.com and that reviewer clearly did not like what he had read. Fair enough, though it isn't half as bad as he wrote it was. Yes, there are some linguistic woopsies here and there, but nothing to ruin the pleasure of reading for me.

What that reviewer also suffers from is the lack of having read the following two books. He wonder very much why he had needed to know so much about the history, geography and politics of that world, had he read the last two books of the trilogy then he would have known. I will not spoil.

Heresy has a sort of pseudo ending. A halfways resolution so those who get tired of the book/setting can finish there and still have a finale. But everything in the first book also sets the scene for the next two. I posted a thread on Heresy back in summer and I wrote a review of it in my book log.
 
direstraits said:
I think Wabbit read Lavondyss.
ds
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Yup, good stuff. I would like to get around to reading all the other books in the cycle. There are quite a few of books, I think it's 5.

Anyway, good thread DS!

OK, I have one. Not sure that it's obscure. It's by Tanith Lee ( who I like a lot ) she is a great writer. I know she isn't exactly what you would call unknown, but I rarely hear her name mentioned, and so I assumed she isn't that wide read author. He writing is lyrical and poetic. Her novels are never "typcial" fantasy. The book is called Kill the Dead. Synopsis from Amazon: "A haunting tale of strange shadows and weird evils which features three travellers, Parl Dro, Myal Lemayal and Ciddey Soban, who are drawn together on a quest for Ghyste Mortua, city of the dead. "
 
Finishing an interesting obscurity right now called Southeast, Forgotten Memories by Blair Cunnyngham. Found it on Amazon by keyword search.

It's about angels and demons fighting for a young girl's soul. The battle is waged in a 70's high school setting. Pretty cool imagery and good message. Definitely unlike anything else I've ever read.

The author died in a shooting before he could write the sequel. I'll post more when I finish.
 
Books I have enjoyed that are probably out of print:
(all of these are fantasy)

PC Hodgell: God Stalk
Greg Frost: Lyrec
Dave Smeds: The Sorcery Within
Will Shetterly: Witch Blood
Herbert: The God Makers (a non-Dune book)
Modesitt: Hammer of Darkness
Laura Resnick: In Legend Born (this one is fairly recent)
Robert Don Hughes: The Prophet of Lamath
 
Fascinating, fascinating. Southeast, Forgotten Memories sounds interesting. What's so special about the chick?

I've finished Elantris, which isn't an incredibly popular book, but is acclaimed (by people like Orson Scott Card). I'm not sure I'd recommend it, despite Card calling it 'the finest novel of fantasy to be written in many years.'

Maybe that's why he's got Hugos and I don't.

I'll write up a review soon.

ds
 
celestial matters: richard garfinkle

set in a ptolemaic universe with both science and history and greek mythology involved. interesting from a historical perspective.

alternate history/alternate science novel.
 
Philip José Farmer should fall under these guidelines. I myself have only read one or two of his books, neither of which struck me as particularly interesting, but my father adores them and owns most of his work.

Another author that I love but most of my friends have never heard of is Raymond E. Feist. He wrote a book called Fairie Tale about a couple who move into a new place which just happens to be part of the acres of forest which will next house the fairie kingdom. One of the twin boys is captured, a changeling put in his stead. The other goes off on an adventure to find him. I make it sound like a little child's book, but it's full of a lot of really nifty stuff, and probably falls under the obscure realm of things.
 
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