# Best Novels No One Has Heard Of



## Philip Overby

We all know the heavyweights of fantasy.  The best-sellers.  The ones that get all the press and all the praise.  The ones that have inspired you to become a writer maybe.

But what about novels that are really great, but when you mention them in most circles people say "What?"

Any thoughts?


----------



## Ophiucha

Was it written before 1955 and isn't Tolkien or Howard? Because basically all of that. Peake, MacDonald, Eddison, Mirrlees, Spenser, etc. Modern examples... _Thomas Covenant_ is one of those series that most people don't know, and half the ones who do know it seem to hate it. _The Stone Dance of the Chameleon_ is another one few to nobody has heard of, perhaps because of its nonstandard setting.


----------



## rolf

Loved The Thomas Covenant series, once started, I couldn't put them down, followed them with the Many Coloured Land series by Julian May, more correctly known as The Saga of the Pliocene Exiles, but they are reasonably well known. The follow up Galactic Milieu Trilogy was no less engrossing.


----------



## Kelise

I have this all the times, since I live in Australia so most of you would never have heard of Jennifer Fallon, Glenda Larke, Juliet Marrillier... I suppose some could have heard of Sara Douglass since she's getting more popular? 

So yes, those for a start. Though I don't mind. Their lack of being known/having masses of fans, means that I get to be close to them  I've had lunch with Jennifer Fallon and just taught her some origami on the weekend at a convention we both went to


----------



## Digital_Fey

Agree with Ophiucha, a lot of the older stuff gets ignored these days. (Hans Bemman, anyone? Anyone? ) Same with sci-fi - every time I finish a really good 70s sci-fi book from my dad's paperback collection, I find that no one else has heard of it >.> 

_A Madness of Angels_ by Kate Griffin is, so far, sadly underrated - possibly because it's firmly fixed in London, which makes it more difficult for readers of other nationalities to identify with._ When the Lights Go Out_ by Tanith Lee is more magical realism than fantasy, but still excellent. Also, Ursula leGuin *did* write other books apart from Earthsea - _The Dispossessed_ blew my mind.


----------



## Kelise

I've tried A Madness of Angels actually, and while I love things set in London, it's actually the style of writing which made me set it aside for now. I'm going to try it again sometime since a friend adores the series, but I thought I'd interject just there ^^


----------



## Digital_Fey

I have to agree that the writing style is far from flawless - the 'shopping list' style descriptions got on my nerves from the beginning - but the dialogue and creative use of magic really made it worth reading^^;


----------



## Mdnight Falling

When I started reading the Earth's children series back in 1994 no one I knew had ever heard of Jean M. Auel even though the first book in the series, The Clan of the Cave Bear was written either in the late 70's or mid 80's . She just released the final book in the Earth's Children series... I've been waiting nearly a decade for this book mind you, and I bought it yesterday LOL then realized I no longer had the other 5 books.. So I went to my favorite used book store.. Book Worm and now suddenly Jean M. Auel is more popular then Stephen King since the proprieter was saying that everyones been in the store buying out all the books >.< So I dunno. Most of you probably haven't read the earth's children books.. they are fiction but not fantasy.. they're very good though if you don't mind reading about the ice age and cave people LOL


----------



## At Dusk I Reign

Tigana, by Guy Gavriel Kay. A masterpiece of a novel which, despite having been nominated for two major awards, no one I know has ever read. That's a pity, but not really surprising. The inclusion of orcs and dragons would probably have helped it shift by the ton.


----------



## Philip Overby

I have _Lions of Al-Rassan_ which I heard was as good or better than _Tigana_ but I've only read the first chapter or so.  So far it's definitely different, which is a good thing.


----------



## LadyPamela

Tigana and Lions of Al-Rassan are two of my favorites. In fact I am reading Lions right now, rereading actually. Keep going, Phil! It's an amazing story. So is Tigana. So well written, and interesting story concepts. 

GGK is an amazing author, and not talked about much on the fantasy boards. Shame, since a lot of writers would do well to take as much care in their own works.


----------



## At Dusk I Reign

Rats and Gargoyles by Mary Gentle is another book I'd throw into the mix. Not an easy read by any means, especially to those fed on a diet of Eddings and Tolkien, but it certainly deserves its place in a list of must-reads, if only because Gentle's prepared to eschew the obvious.


----------



## Digital_Fey

_Rats and Gargoyles_ definitely gets credit for a lot more creativity than your average fantasy novel. If I had more stomach for necromancy, I might even have finished it...


----------



## At Dusk I Reign

Digital_Fey said:


> If I had more stomach for necromancy, I might even have finished it...


 At least you gave it a try.


----------



## Mdnight Falling

ooOoo that sounds interesting I think I'm going to look for that when I go book shopping tomorrow e.e


----------



## Joseph Turpin

i really enjoyed cradle of saturn by james p hogan


----------



## Behelit

I think Stanislaw Lem may be a fairly well known author, but because I've never seen his books in brick n mortar stores I'll go with it. I really enjoyed _The Futurological Congress_, nice and trippy. _The Cyberiad_, on the other hand, as much as I love short stores, I had difficulty getting through(and have yet to finish.) Odd too since I'd say it should be right up my alley.

Otherwise I read mostly dated yet popular novels that still line the shelves of stores.


----------



## Artless

Some potentials:
The Vampyre by Tom Holland (A tale about Lord Byron - good fun)
Anno Domini by Barnaby Williams (A dual stroyline book about the founding of the Church, and the original Jesus and his descendants. Very good read)
Of Merchants and Heroes by Paul Waters (Ancient Roman historical fiction)
Imperium by Robert Harris (more ancient roman historical fiction)

And, for classical ancient historical fiction, which may as well be fantasy, Valerio Mossimo Manfredi. Not many people I know have heard of him.


----------



## Donny Bruso

Artless said:


> And, for classical ancient historical fiction, which may as well be fantasy, Valerio Mossimo Manfredi. Not many people I know have heard of him.


 
I've only read one of his books, _Spartan_, but I found it to be worth my time and money. Haven't re-read it in a while, but I remember thinking he was in the same vein with Pressfield for Historical Fiction.


----------



## Artless

I actually haven't read Spartan, but have read a lot of his other books. His Alexander trilogy, particularily, is epic.
I haven't heard of Pressfield, shall do some research.
The thing I love most about Valerio, is that he is a professor of classical ancient history at the Milan university, so he KNOWS the subject he is writing


----------



## Artless

Actually, I have read Tides of war. I think Valrio writes better, but thats just my opinion


----------



## Nick Jaden Williams

No-one seems to know about the Demonata Series that I used to obsess over in middle school! It might have been written by Darren Shan (my favorite author next to J.K. Rowling) - I'm too lazy to check!  But the plot is really weird and - as I'm typing this I remember!! - it's called the "Demon Thief"! That's the only one in the series that I've read. One of the best fantasy books I've ever read!  (and a bit scary too :/) I should go look up the rest...


----------



## BeigePalladin

Stuff by Joe Ambercombie (who may be famous in the rest of the world, but no-one elsse rounds here seems to have heard of him ) is pretty epic the first thing you read, but unfortunatly he falls into the same trap a Raymon E Faust (One good story line, but it's all he can write, and everything afterwards is a name-swapped variation)

and Dan Abnett eaisly ranks as one of the world's greatest modern writers, but due to the subject area he writes in mainly. He started as a comic book writer, (and did a few mister men) and also writes a lot of the stuff for Games Workshop's warhammer 40000 universe. I think he has 1 book out outside these areas. It's a shame, as it means most mianstream readers miss out on his work, which is amazing.


----------



## AvengerofOsiris

I'm sure someone has heard of this novel, but "Arena" (a Magic the Gathering book) was absolutely amazing.


----------



## Helbrecht

The _Orcs_ books by Stan Nicholls are fantastic. It's a crime that nobody seems to have heard of them.



BeigePalladin said:


> and Dan Abnett eaisly ranks as one of the world's greatest modern writers, but due to the subject area he writes in mainly. He started as a comic book writer, (and did a few mister men) and also writes a lot of the stuff for Games Workshop's warhammer 40000 universe. I think he has 1 book out outside these areas. It's a shame, as it means most mianstream readers miss out on his work, which is amazing.


 
I agree wholeheartedly. Dan Abnett is a bloody star as far as I'm concerned. I've gone so far as recommending some of his _Gaunt's Ghosts_ books to people with little to no knowledge of the Warhammer 40,000 setting, to generally favourable results.


----------



## Artless

I highly rate the Ghost series. The Orcs books are a fantastically fun read, because of the change up in protagonists. I highly rate a number of the Games Workshop authors actually.  But that's because I'm a Warhammer Nerd


----------



## Sezmo

I really enjoyed the Orcs:First Blood trilogy by Stan Nicholls but have only run into a couple of people who've heard of him so far.  So nice to find something written from the point of view of a race usually shown as mindless, evil killers.  I've always been a bit put off by the Warhammer and Warcraft ones for some reason.  

I also remember enjoying the Blackbird series by Freda Warrington.  Can't remember a lot about it now though, think I might have to dig it out and read it again.


----------



## BeigePalladin

I Liked Orcs: First blood, up until the ending. it just seemed a bit of a cop out to me, and it left a really intresting world hanging...


----------



## utiuts

For me it's a local fantasy series by Sitta Karina, a quite well-known Indonesian chicklit writer, entitled "Magical Seira". It may not be the best fantasy series, but this particular genre in Indonesia has never really been popular. Fantasy books are so scarce, that I read every Indonesian fantasy books if ever one is released, whether it's bad or not. "Magical Seira" is a teen-lit fantasy, complete with the cliches and all. However, I think it's a fun enough read for pre-teens. I hope it can be a start for more fantasy novels in this place.


----------



## JavaGoblin

I gotta mention the Raven books by James Barclay. They're awesome pulp fantasy, but nobody round my way seems to have read them, and that endsaddens me.

Ooh, and the Abhorsen trilogy by Garth Nix. Awesome YA right there.

I just don't think many of the people I know read much. What's the world coming to, eh?


----------



## Philip Overby

Jesse Bullington is a very interesting writer who I recently found.  And by "interesting" I mean this guy doesn't pull any punches.  
Really, find some of his stuff but only if you have a strong stomach.  Suffice to say some of his material may be very controversial or disturbing for most people.  But his stories are definitely fantasy.  _The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart_ and _The Enterprise of Death_ are the two books he has out now.  Worth a look if you aren't easily offended and want something different.


----------



## CicadaGrrl

Loved Sabriel and Lireal.  Got bogged down after that.  

Of course Nalo Hopkinson.  I esp.  recc. "Brown Girl in the Ring."  Some scary original and just plain scary stuff.

No one will answer my call about early Diane Wynne Jones, dammit!!  She is my biggest influence and influenced the likes of Gaiman and Rowlings.


----------



## Ravana

Samuel R. Delany's _NevÃ¨rÃ¿on_ books.


----------



## Telcontar

Another fan of Sabriel, though I didn't try to read the others. The first was just such a nicely contained story I didn't feel I needed any more. I'll probably try to read the others some day, I'm just fearful that it can only be downhill from the first.


----------



## Mreichardt

I'm sure some people have heard of it, but I might as well throw it out there. Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series is pretty great. Awesome setting, good pacing and one of most cool and original magic systems I've seen in fiction.


----------



## Map the Dragon

Mreichardt said:


> I'm sure some people have heard of it, but I might as well throw it out there. Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series is pretty great. Awesome setting, good pacing and one of most cool and original magic systems I've seen in fiction.



Millions and millions have heard. ALL his works, even Elantris, are bestsellers. There is a thread or two dedicated to him in the forums here. You should join those discussions and let us know what you thought in more detail.


----------



## Aegle

What about Mercedes Lackey? Some of the actual characterization is risque, albeit I think it's endearingly geared towards principle. It could be though- that I'm mostly centralized and focused on characterization moreso than the bigger picture.


----------



## Angharad

CicadaGrrl said:


> Loved Sabriel and Lireal.  Got bogged down after that.
> 
> Of course Nalo Hopkinson.  I esp.  recc. "Brown Girl in the Ring."  Some scary original and just plain scary stuff.
> 
> No one will answer my call about early Diane Wynne Jones, dammit!!  She is my biggest influence and influenced the likes of Gaiman and Rowlings.



Yes, yes!  I love Diana Wynne Jones!


----------



## pskelding

Joe Abercrombie deserves much more popularity than he has, IMHO.

Dan Abnett, everything he's written is great. Hopefully his new book Embedded, a modern mil-scifi will earn him some more recognition outside of Warhammer fame.  

Bernard Cornwell for his historical fiction.  Many have heard of Sharpe and the TV series with Sean Bean. But his other historical works like Agincourt or Archer's Tale are brilliant must read historical fiction.

Simon Scarrow, who I've just discovered. I'm reading Under the Eagle which is great Roman historical fiction. 

Guy Gavriel Kay, he has not written a bad or even ok book. Everything he's written is top notch and should be read by all fantasy readers.  I think he is more of a literary fantasy writer and that turns some "hardcore" fantasy readers off but they should really check him out. I was fortunate to meet him on book tour in China for Under Heaven. He was super nice and even gave me some writing advice.


----------



## Ark1117

I forgot all about Diana Wynne Jones, it's a shame that she passed away. The Wizard Howl is one of my all time favorite characters for his cockiness. "Spin" by Robert Charles Wilson is a great book, it won the Hugo award, but it seems not many people have really read it. Also, I'm sure people have heard of this novel but because of the movie it gets misrepresented. "I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson.


----------



## Lord Darkstorm

Angus Wells, The kingdoms series and Godwars series were quite good.  I need to reread them one of these years.


----------



## flyboy

I've read most of Stephen Donaldson back in the 80's I have a signed First of his last sequel The Runes of the Earth, but couldn't get into it - sad.

Has anybody read Charles De Lint or Michale Scott Rohan a series about a mage smith - brilliant


----------



## Lord Darkstorm

Charles de Lint?  I've read quite a few of his books, I haven't found any mages...not in the classic sense, but he does have some interesting novels.


----------



## flyboy

*Mage Smith*

Sorry, I didn't make myself clear - the Mage Smith - is a series written my Michale Scott Rohan ( which may be two people) I think they were Winter of Ice, Anvil of the Sun etc.

You don't see them around I sold a paper back for Â£20 on amazon a couple of years ago - very readable, very much like Stephen Donaldson but not as introverted.


----------



## Barnes4321

The Night Angel trilogy. Nobody seems to have heard of it :/


----------



## myrddin173

Anything by Cinda Williams Chima.  She is one of my favorite authors.


----------



## Chris Conley

I didn't particularly enjoy the Night Angel series, but I did read it.


----------



## Xanados

Nice thread. I'll look up some of these titles. Thanks!


----------



## Kelise

Chris Conley said:


> I didn't particularly enjoy the Night Angel series, but I did read it.



Read it also (well, the first book) and didn't enjoy it either. My friend Fodwocket (another member on here) has the series too and I think she liked it though... It's pretty well known in Australia at least, the books are everywhere.


----------



## Philip Overby

A lot of people have recommended the Night Angel series to me also.  I read the first chapter and put it down.  Wasn't really my thing.  Maybe I should have pushed through?  I don't know, I give up books so easily now if they don't capture my attention right from the beginning.

An author I'd recommend that most people don't seem to know (and that I recommend on another thread) is R. Scott Bakker.  His writing can be dense, but he writes in a world that is very different in my estimation.  His Prince of Nothing series is his first one.  If you like Martin, Erikson, and Abercrombie you may like Bakker too.


----------



## pskelding

I liked the Night Angel series but at times the romantic aspect of it was irritating. Durzo Blint was great however.

A couple of others - 

Pierre Pevel - Cardinal's Blades
Larry Correa - Monster Hunter International, great modern urban fantasy horror with many many guns and explosions!


----------



## MosesSiregarIII

Hey, Paul!

After I saw you on this thread, I decided to join the forum.


----------



## Easnadh

starconstant said:


> I have this all the times, since I live in Australia so most of you would never have heard of Jennifer Fallon, Glenda Larke, Juliet Marrillier... I suppose some could have heard of Sara Douglass since she's getting more popular?
> 
> So yes, those for a start. Though I don't mind. Their lack of being known/having masses of fans, means that I get to be close to them  I've had lunch with Jennifer Fallon and just taught her some origami on the weekend at a convention we both went to




Juliet Marrillier's _Daughter of the Forest_ is a great book. Until I finished reading that novel it felt like real life faded into the background, even when the book wasn't actually in my hand. I don't think I've ever cared that much about fictional characters. In fact one person I know got so upset she had to skip to end of the book to make sure her favorite characters were ok. 

Oddly though the rest of Marrillier's novels are somewhat formulaic. They all seem to follow a similar pattern and often become predictable fantasy/historical romances. I'll always love her for _Daughter of the Forest_ though!


----------



## Easnadh

Phil the Drill said:


> A lot of people have recommended the Night Angel series to me also.  I read the first chapter and put it down.  Wasn't really my thing.  Maybe I should have pushed through?  I don't know, I give up books so easily now if they don't capture my attention right from the beginning.
> 
> An author I'd recommend that most people don't seem to know (and that I recommend on another thread) is R. Scott Bakker.  His writing can be dense, but he writes in a world that is very different in my estimation.  His Prince of Nothing series is his first one.  If you like Martin, Erikson, and Abercrombie you may like Bakker too.



I really like _The Prince of Nothing_ series. Bakker's writing is very very dark, but I love how he focuses so much on the psychology of his characters. I can see how his style might not be to everyone's taste, but I think he definitely deserves more attention.


----------



## Erica

The Thomas Covenant books were pretty popular back when I was in college (which was ages ago), so I was surprised to see someone listing it as something no one has heard of. It was even on the bookshelves of a lot of people I knew who didn't usually read fantasy, and nearly everyone who did had read it back then. Not everyone loved it, but that's even true of Tolkien.

I discovered Glenda Larke recently and just finished her last Waterlords book. I think the Waterlords trilogy was the first work of hers to be published widely in the U.S. I really enjoyed them, and was able to track down an older trilogy (Isles of Glory) that was also quite good. I found them via used book sellers (one in Australia, which is where she is from originally), so they seem to be out of print.

Brent Week's work was good too.

Another series I liked was Jane Lindeskold's 'Wolf's Eyes' books. But really, most fantasy writers, even the ones who are well known within the genre, never make the new york times BS list.


----------



## Steerpike

Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast books probably go at the top of my list for under-read books.

Anything by Guy Gavriel Kay is excellent. He's fairly well known, but I think many of his works are overlooked.

Many fantasy readers I know have never read Steven Erikson. I think he's generally well known, but another one that is overlooked more than he should be.

Emma Bull for urban fantasy. Great writer.

Octavia Butler should be much more widely read.

Angela Carter. Particularly her book of short stories "Burning Your Boats." An excellent writer, and almost no one I know has read her.


----------



## Laughing_Seraphim

Sezmo said:


> I really enjoyed the Orcs:First Blood trilogy by Stan Nicholls but have only run into a couple of people who've heard of him so far.  So nice to find something written from the point of view of a race usually shown as mindless, evil killers.  I've always been a bit put off by the Warhammer and Warcraft ones for some reason.
> 
> I also remember enjoying the Blackbird series by Freda Warrington.  Can't remember a lot about it now though, think I might have to dig it out and read it again.



When it comes to that sort of fantasy I think Salvatore gets down much better, plus he writes like 7 full on novels every month it seems. lmao


----------



## Steerpike

Laughing_Seraphim said:


> When it comes to that sort of fantasy I think Salvatore gets down much better, plus he writes like 7 full on novels every month it seems. lmao



When it comes to gaming-related Fantasy Salvatore does a nice job (or used to; I couldn't get into his most recent offerings for some reason. May just have been my frame of mind).

I also like the Gotrek and Felix series in Warhammer. William King started it; Nathan Long continues it. Actually, Nathan Long's Blackhearts books and Ulrike the Vampire books (also Warhammer) are fun as well.

And it is hard to beat Dan Abnett for gaming fiction (Warhammer 40k).


----------



## Easnadh

Not sure how unknown this one is, but I think _The Lure of the Basilisk_ by Lawrence Watt-Evans is a really unique book. I picked up a second hand copy somewhere as a teenager and it is still fixed in my mind as a very unique and original book. The lead character Garth is an unusual vehicle for a fantasy story, with his cold detachment and very inhuman perspective. Definitely well worth a read!


----------



## Steerpike

Easnadh said:


> Not sure how unknown this one is, but I think _The Lure of the Basilisk_ by Lawrence Watt-Evans is a really unique book. I picked up a second hand copy somewhere as a teenager and it is still fixed in my mind as a very unique and original book. The lead character Garth is an unusual vehicle for a fantasy story, with his cold detachment and very inhuman perspective. Definitely well worth a read!



Hmmmm. I'll look for that one. I've only read his book "Dragon Weather," and I thought that one was pretty good.


----------



## ScipioSmith

Shadows of the Apt needs more love for sure.


----------



## Jess A

Rachel Neumeier - her series about griffin mages and the like. They are rather interesting. A random find.


----------



## charleshudgen

I got interested with the novel of Gayle Lynds and the title of it was The Coil. I didn't expect that there is a kind of that novel that I must that I enjoyed a lot. It is a dangerous game of spy against spy, father against daughter and killer against prey. It is seemingly an interesting novel. 

_________________
Science Fiction Book


----------



## Ireth

Dunno if this is on the list yet, but "The Lady in the Loch" by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough is amazing. Spooky Frankenstein-esque story set in Scotland in the late 1700's/early 1800's, with Sir Walter Scott as a main character. My mom lent it to me.


----------



## Steerpike

Ireth said:


> Dunno if this is on the list yet, but "The Lady in the Loch" by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough is amazing. Spooky Frankenstein-esque story set in Scotland in the late 1700's/early 1800's, with Sir Walter Scott as a main character. My mom lent it to me.



I'll have to check that out. I like Scarborough. Her early fantasy work was a lot of fun.


----------



## Mindfire

I always say the Codex Alera books could use more press. Jim Butcher's magnum opus I think. I haven't read the Dresden Files, but they'll have a hard time impressing me coming after the Alera series.


----------



## JCFarnham

Mindfire said:


> I always say the Codex Alera books could use more press. Jim Butcher's magnum opus I think. I haven't read the Dresden Files, but they'll have a hard time impressing me coming after the Alera series.



You sure? The first few Dresden books _are_ pretty addictive. I'll be honest I've stopped reading them to give myself a chance to read something else but I'm sure I'd go back to them (oh wait I have Death Masks half finished on my shelf )


----------



## J.P. Reedman

Hmmm. I used to love Nancy Springer's early stuff (before she went all horsey and YA, although I am Mordred is a good book.) A bit twee and self indulgent in retrospective but some lovely imagery and clean writing.
Paul Hazel--has anyone heard of him? He wrote a couple of celtic based novels and obviously really knew his myths. Read them just as I was discovering celtic myth myself and really liked them.
Tanith Lee-quite well known then kind of faded off the scene. Deserved to be better known.
Parke Godwin. Moderately popular in the 80's, his King Arthur novel Firelord is one of my favourites even today.


----------



## TheStoryPeddler

I'm pretty sure this hasn't been mentioned yet, but I absolutely loved "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell" by Susanna Clarke. It is a novel about magic, specifically English magic. In some ways, this book was more satisfying to me than most of the Harry Potter books because Ms. Clarke includes actual people and events from history to advance her plot. For example, the story is set during the time of the Napoleonic wars, and one of the magicians (there are only two remaining practicing magicians left) is called upon to fight and aid the English campaign against the French. Also, the magic within this world is heavily-tied and dependent upon the Fairy world that lives alongside ours. Ms. Clarke is actually friends with Neil Gaiman and the influence of his work "Stardust" is made obvious in her book as the Fairy realm in hers is the same exact world mentioned by Gaiman in his.


----------



## Benjamin Clayborne

TheStoryPeddler said:


> I'm pretty sure this hasn't been mentioned yet, but I absolutely loved "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell" by Susanna Clarke. It is a novel about magic, specifically English magic. In some ways, this book was more satisfying to me than most of the Harry Potter books because Ms. Clarke includes actual people and events from history to advance her plot. For example, the story is set during the time of the Napoleonic wars, and one of the magicians (there are only two remaining practicing magicians left) is called upon to fight and aid the English campaign against the French. Also, the magic within this world is heavily-tied and dependent upon the Fairy world that lives alongside ours. Ms. Clarke is actually friends with Neil Gaiman and the influence of his work "Stardust" is made obvious in her book as the Fairy realm in hers is the same exact world mentioned by Gaiman in his.



I enjoyed _Jonathan Strange_ but I also found it kind of a slog. The stuff she invented was fascinating and the book was dripping with detail, but the characters all annoyed me, and the story kind of meanders for long periods.

It's the kind of book I'm glad I read, and never want to read again.


----------



## T.Allen.Smith

Benjamin Clayborne said:
			
		

> I enjoyed Jonathan Strange but I also found it kind of a slog. The stuff she invented was fascinating and the book was dripping with detail, but the characters all annoyed me, and the story kind of meanders for long periods.



Totally agree. A very slow read that I put down before the halfway mark.


----------



## TheStoryPeddler

I have to admit that Mr. Norrell annoyed me, but everyone has different tastes.


----------



## Shockley

Not unknown, but severely under-read.

 The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck. Also, her wonderful translation of All Men Are Brothers, by Luo Guanzhong.


----------



## T.Allen.Smith

Shockley said:
			
		

> Not unknown, but severely under-read.
> 
> The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck. Also, her wonderful translation of All Men Are Brothers, by Luo Guanzhong.



The Good Earth is a fine read. Not action packed by any means but a good story with meaning.


----------



## DaimenNightWalker

Personally, Brian Lumley's Necroscope series is Epic! But I am surprised by the amount of people that never heard of it?


----------



## Shockley

T.Allen.Smith said:


> The Good Earth is a fine read. Not action packed by any means but a good story with meaning.



 If you're more into action, then I'd strongly suggest her translation of All Men Are Brothers. It's the book they based the video-game series 'Suikoden' (as well as Bandit Kings of Ancient China) off of, and is epic in its own right. It's about a hundred and eight bandits (some of them having names as awesome as the Black Hurricane, Leopard-Face, etc.) who run around China wrestling tigers, burning down temples, forcing Buddhist monks to eat meat/drink alcohol, fighting a revolution and taking out barbarian encampments. Epic does not begin to describe it, and Buck does a fantastic translation.

 Also, Guanzhong's other work - the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, about a massive civil war that lasted just under a hundred years and killed a third of the Chinese population. Also action-packed, and one of the core foundations of Folk Daoism.


----------



## Neurosis

Hmm.. pretty much all my favourite books?

Viriconium (definitely the most obscure and the best book in this list), Light, The Book of the New Sun, The Heroes, The Cold Commands, Altered Carbon, The Emperor of Dreams, Anubis Gate, The Black Company: Books of the North.
To be fair The Book of the New Sun was voted 3rd best fantasy novel of all time (or something of the like), but no-one I talk to seems to have heard of it.


----------



## grimreaper

> Hmm.. pretty much all my favourite books?
> 
> Viriconium (definitely the most obscure and the best book in this list), Light, The Book of the New Sun, The Heroes, The Cold Commands, Altered Carbon, The Emperor of Dreams, Anubis Gate, .
> To be fair The Book of the New Sun was voted 3rd best fantasy novel of all time, but no-one I talk to seems to have heard of it.



I did read the beginning of altered carbon . I liked it but couldn't read any further as the book was from the school library and I had to return it.
Then somebody else issued it ........ and lost it.
How's the story like , though?


----------



## Neurosis

grimreaper said:


> I did read the beginning of altered carbon . I liked it but couldn't read any further as the book was from the school library and I had to return it.
> Then somebody else issued it ........ and lost it.
> How's the story like , though?



Well its written by Richard Morgan so you know its awesome. Its manages to blend the best of noir detective books with cyberpunk sci-fi all the way through. I loved it, has some great and memorable lines in it too, like that carving he finds on a park bench "Pull on the new flesh like borrowed gloves and burn your fingers once again." The story is great, full of twists and turns and nuance. I highly recommend tracking it down and finishing it, along with the rest of the books in that universe. His fantasy novels are even better (The Steel Remains and The Cold Commands).


----------



## grimreaper

Neurosis said:


> Well its written by Richard Morgan so you know its awesome. Its manages to blend the best of noir detective books with cyberpunk sci-fi all the way through. I loved it, has some great and memorable lines in it too, like that carving he finds on a park bench "Pull on the new flesh like borrowed gloves and burn your fingers once again." The story is great, full of twists and turns and nuance. I highly recommend tracking it down and finishing it, along with the rest of the books in that universe. His fantasy novels are even better (The Steel Remains and The Cold Commands).



Thanks a lot, I will certainly try


----------



## Aravelle

What of War for the Oaks by Emma Bull? It never gets enough love, instead all the faerie lovers drool over Tithe...

Another great book is The King of Elfland's Daughter. It influenced Tolkien, Gaiman, and H.P. Lovecraft.

One last one: anything by Jacqueline Carey. She's maaaarvelous, especially her Kushiel's Dart series.

Okay I lied. Another good series is Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon. I happen to know Cindy, she's such a sweetheart and has a very distinct writing style.


----------



## Guru Coyote

Aravelle said:


> What of War for the Oaks by Emma Bull? It never gets enough love, instead all the faerie lovers drool over Tithe...



I LOVE War for the Oaks!!! Yes, indeed I do. Never heard of "Tithe" though.


----------



## Weaver

I love _War for the Oaks_.  (I like Emma Bull's novel _Falcon_ even better, but that one is sci-fi.)  I think it's odd that so few people have even heard of War for the Oaks, since it was one of the first urban fantasy novels (from a time when urban fantasy just meant fantasy in a modern, urban setting instead of vampire-werewolf-zombie love triangles).  Libraries make it hard for people to find, though, since a lot of them place it with the YA fiction, and most adults don't look there.

...Which reminds me of another really good fantasy novel that doesn't get noticed:  _The Blue Sword_, by Robin McKinley.  It and its prequel, _The Hero and the Crown_, are both VERY good stories.  I'd recommend anything by Robin McKinley.  (She wrote a vampire novel not too long ago.  I read it.  I liked it.  I'm actually hoping for a sequel.)

Another good one - good series, actually:  _The Dark Is Rising_, by Susan Cooper.  There are 6 novels in the series, all of them good to one degree or another, and _please_ don't let that dreadful movie supposedly based on _The Dark Is Rising_ give you the wrong impression of the original.

I could probably list more, but my library is still packed away (I moved across the country a couple months ago), which makes brainstorming a bit harder.  *sigh*


----------



## Ireth

On the topic of Faerie novels, has anyone but me heard of O.R. Melling's _Chronicles of Faerie_? They were a major inspiration for my own Faerie duology.


----------



## Steerpike

Another thumbs up for _War for the Oaks_. Great book.


----------



## Feo Takahari

_The Battle Sylph_ is one of the few fantasy romances that does the fantasy as well as the romance. The plain, straightforward writing style takes a bit of getting used to, but the world-building and character development make up for it. (Just, do yourself a favor and get it on Kindle. It's painfully difficult and expensive to find the whole series in print.)


----------



## Aravelle

Guru Coyote said:


> I LOVE War for the Oaks!!! Yes, indeed I do. Never heard of "Tithe" though.



It's by Holly Black, one of the mainstream faerie writers.


----------



## Aravelle

Oh, another vastly underrated book/series: The Magicians by Lev Grossman. It pays tribute to Harry Potter and Narnia; it's the vodka to Rowling's bud lite. It answers questions and goes into such detail about the magic and its laws... it's a great series, I don't know why it doesn't have much love.


----------



## pskelding

Some other new writers - 

Mazarkis Williams - Emperor's Knife
Jonathan Wood - No Hero (it was good but not great)
Michael J Sullivan (fellow forum member) - Ririya Revelations (picked up by Orbit!) Great stuff!
KJ Parker - Sharps (great, no magic fantasy with a fencing team!)


----------



## Aravelle

Joanne Bertin's The Last Dragonlord. It needs more love..  the 3rd book in the series comes out November 27th!!


----------



## Steerpike

Aravelle said:


> Oh, another vastly underrated book/series: The Magicians by Lev Grossman. It pays tribute to Harry Potter and Narnia; it's the vodka to Rowling's bud lite. It answers questions and goes into such detail about the magic and its laws... it's a great series, I don't know why it doesn't have much love.



Yes, I read this on your recommendation. Very good.


----------



## Mindfire

Aravelle said:


> Joanne Bertin's The Last Dragonlord. It needs more love..  the 3rd book in the series comes out November 27th!!



YES! I read those books. They're pretty good. The second one (Dragon and Phoenix?) wasn't quite as good as the first one, but it was still good. Her books influenced my writing quite a bit and she's earned a place on my favorites list. It's a shame she hasn't become more widely known. The ten year gap between the 2nd and 3rd book isn't helping things, but I'm glad it's coming out. I remember being a little disappointed to reach the end of DaP only to find out it'd been 10 years and no sequels.


----------



## Aravelle

Ohhh I love them. I had been hunting down The Last Dragonlord after seeing it in a library once. I checked it out and never got to reading it.. but finally I have it. I have yet to read Dragon and Phoenix, but now I have motivation knowing Bard's Oath is coming out.


----------



## dangit

The shadow dance trilogy by David Dalglish and everything by David Eddings.


----------



## Rainbowbird

Anyone heard of Judith Tarr's Avaryan series? I think she has an unusual and amazing style... 
And then there is Kirith Kirin by Jim Grimsley. It is one of my most favourite books in the world and not at all easy to come by where I live. Still, it's one great book.

The Last Dragonlord and its sequel I have read and they're some of those I re-read on a regular basis. Thanks for the tip about the third book, I had already lost hope it would ever be written...


Rain


----------



## Graylorne

For the lovers of humoristic fantasy I would heartily suggest have a look at *The Struglend Tales*, by Jan Jacob Mekes. It's on Amazon, as book and e-book, with an excerpt from the first chapter. The author is Dutch and I never heard of him until recently. It's his first book in what must become a series, and it's quite dryly hilarious and absurt. It's a new book, but it got some good customer reviews already. So have a look, I'd value your opinion.


----------



## TWErvin2

I have a blog post on this topic today, where I list 6 novels (not all fantasy):

(YA/Fantasy) *The Zombie Driven Life*, *Hocus Focus*
(Fantasy) *Confessions of a D-List Supervillain, Equilibrium*
(Political Satyre) *Loose Cannons and Other Weapons of Mass Political Desctruction*
(Science Fiction) *Defenders of the Covenant*

Link: *Up Around the Corner: Underdog Books that You Probably Won't Find on the Bookstore Shelf*


----------



## BWFoster78

TWErvin2 said:


> I have a blog post on this topic today, where I list 6 novels (not all fantasy):
> 
> (YA/Fantasy) *The Zombie Driven Life*, *Hocus Focus*
> (Fantasy) *Confessions of a D-List Supervillain, Equilibrium*
> (Political Satyre) *Loose Cannons and Other Weapons of Mass Political Desctruction*
> (Science Fiction) *Defenders of the Covenant*
> 
> Link: *Up Around the Corner: Underdog Books that You Probably Won't Find on the Bookstore Shelf*



Some of those sounded interesting.  When I get a chance, I'm adding "Confessions" and "Defenders" to my to read list.


----------



## ThinkerX

Having read through the whole thread...

Jennifer Fallon...I did read one of her books recently, first in a series.  I liked it, but not enough to go tracking down the rest.

Gentiles 'Rats and Gargolyes' - what a complete trip!  That city is one of the few fantasy settings I've come across which comes close to being truly original.  Didn't care much for the sequel, much too...'victorian'...or maybe 'elizabethian'.

Rohans 'Winter of the World' - 'Hammer of the Sun', 'Anvil of Ice', 'Forge in the Forest'...pretty good, though I didn't care for the way the author kept trying to shoehorn everything into 'ice age earth'.  A straight fantasy world would have worked better.

Most of the others cited thus far I've either not read (Thanx!) or are/were of once immense popularity (not meeting the criteria for this thread).  With that in mind, my tenative list:

Cabel - 'Silver Stallion'.  Apparently Cabel had quite the following at one time, with a great many stories to his credit, some of novel length.  I've only this book and one other.  That said...what a wondrous convoluted world he created! Some of the stories are absolutely brilliant, and others are...hmmm...'NC-17' I believe the current term is.

Godwin - 'Beyond Another Sun' - good luck finding this one anywhere.  SF, very stark, a guy on what amounts to a one way mission of great importance.

Hambly - Quite a few titles, once widely read, most apparently falling into obscurity.  "Walls of Air', 'Ladies of Mandrigyn', 'Knight of the Demon Queen', and quite a few others.  Magicians generally activiely persecuted, genuinely evil demons, and characters ranging from good to coldly treacherous.  Never seen her works mentioned here, despite their one time popularity.

Jacoby - I read the first of her 'Elita' novels, and am contemplating picking up the rest.

Miller - What I think of as the 'Dragon' series - 'Wizard and the Witch', 'Goblin Plain War' and one or two others.  What intrigued me here was the 'newness' of the world - or at least this continent.  It has been settled only in the past couple hundred years, and most of the characters have 'animal' or 'nature' names.  The treatment of goblins is also very different from the usual fantasy fare.  The dragons differ enough from 'stock' to be of interest.  

Simak - 'Special Deliverance'...a 'quest' story of sorts.  He did a couple others in this vein.  Some of the constructs/locations are intriguing.

Watt-Evins - 'Cyborg and the Sorcerers'...an interesting take on the whole magic vs technology bit.  

Now, there are others I could have tossed in - Kerr's 'Deverry' series or Nortons 'Witch World' to name but two, but those still have substantial followings...I think.


----------



## wordwalker

It doesn't get better, or more obscure, than David Palmer: *Threshold*. --It's also totally cheating, since it's space opera deliberately set up to reproduce fantasy, but when the hero starts his planet-crossing journey by throwing lightning bolts at a T Rex and finishes by turning himself into a dragon (no wait, still a few stages of escalation left after that), who's complaining?


----------



## Graylorne

ThinkerX said:


> Hambly - Quite a few titles, once widely read, most apparently falling into obscurity.  "Walls of Air', 'Ladies of Mandrigyn', 'Knight of the Demon Queen', and quite a few others.  Magicians generally activiely persecuted, genuinely evil demons, and characters ranging from good to coldly treacherous.  Never seen her works mentioned here, despite their one time popularity.



I remember Hambly, I had Mandragyn and the Walls of Air books. I also remember her as pretty dull. I know Simak, but not the title you mention. I have at least 2 of Norton's Witchworld books. Always was a fan of her, but I don't really remember those two. Most of the rest I haven't even heard of. That's my problem with many American titles even now. Either they never crossed the Atlantic or they were promoted so marginally that no-one over here ever heard of them.


----------



## ThinkerX

> I remember Hambly, I had Mandragyn and the Walls of Air books. I also remember her as pretty dull. I know Simak, but not the title you mention. I have at least 2 of Norton's Witchworld books. Always was a fan of her, but I don't really remember those two. Most of the rest I haven't even heard of. That's my problem with many American titles even now. Either they never crossed the Atlantic or they were promoted so marginally that no-one over here ever heard of them.



Hmmm...Cabel died in the 1950's, if memory serves.  He was a contemporary of Tolkien, Lewis, Leiber, and Lovecraft.  His stories remained popular for decades afterwards, but havn't seen any reprints in a long, long time, which is a bit of a shame.

Godwins 'Beyond Another Sun' never got much in the way of promotion, and has been out of print since the 80's, if I remember right.  

Simak...kept telling different versions of the same tale. But it is an interesting one, though more...philosophical than the norm for fantasy.  

Millers series...its strength and its weakness was the 'newness of the world'.  Civilization, at least in this area was something very new.  I would have liked to have seen some of the rest of his world.

Gentiles 'Rats and Gargoyles'...real pity this one fell by the wayside.  The city the tale is set in has lots of story possibilities.  I suspect it might have influenced some of the authors of present day urban fiction.

I've been rereading some of the 'Witch World' stories as of late - most of them by authors who were playing around in the framework created by Norton, rather than Norton herself.  Some of these authors were 'names' thirty years ago (or more) and some were obscure then but are 'names' now.  Most of them are female, and while I find the stories interesting, I suspect female readers would find them much more appealing.


----------



## michael.harrel

"The Night Land" by William Hope Hodgeson. Published in 1912, it is a eerie, dreamlike dark fantasy in the dying world genre, and though it has some flaws, it's really spectacular and well worth reading.

Also, "Till We Have Faces".  Even though it was written by C. S. Lewis, I feel like very few people have read it, which is a shame.


----------



## Graylorne

Bron Fane / John E. Muller — two of the very many pseudonyms of the Rev. Lionel Fanthorpe (1935), published by Badger Books (UK). An interesting gentleman (see his Wikia page). He wrote over 180 novels (mostly sci-fi) for Badger, of which 89 in a 3 year period (a 158 page book every 12 days, small print). He’s still alive and kicking, too.


----------



## Jess A

Aravelle said:


> Joanne Bertin's The Last Dragonlord. It needs more love..  the 3rd book in the series comes out November 27th!!



I sold the first book in this series to a customer last week, based on reviews I found on this site. I don't have time to read every book I sell, so reviews are, of course, valuable - I normally get them from other customers but in this case, I remembered it had been discussed favourably here. I look forward to hearing what he thought of it.


----------



## Phietadix

The Door Within by Wayne Thomas Batson

As well as the rest of his books.


----------



## Xaysai

Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch, and the second book in the series Red Seas Under Red Skies - loved them both!


----------



## Aravelle

I've found a few other promising authors with a disappointingly small fanbase: Octavia E. Butler, Catherynne M Valente, and Hermann Hesse.

I've also recently found and fell in love with Tanith Lee and Angela Carter [rediscovered the former, that is].


----------



## Steerpike

Tanith Lee and Angela Carter are both excellent.

Octavia Butler - wonderful writer. I particularly like _Kindred_, _Fledgling_, and the series that begins with _Parable of the Sower_.


----------



## Fiarene

I don't know if they've been mentioned or not, but here are my contributions:

*Robert Holdstock*. He is my absolute_ favourite_ but people never know what I am talking about. I now know that *Steerpike *above me knows this author, which is amazing!! The Mythago Cycle is my favourite work of Holdstock's, but I also love his Merlin Codex. 

*Cecilia Dart-Thornton*. She's an Australian writer and her style is VERY Purple Prose, but I love it.

Also, I adore the *Trillium* books, Black Trillium being the first in the series. They were co-written by Marion Zimmer-Bradley, Julian May and Andre Norton. There's a LOT of continuity issues with the series because the authors sort of split up and each took the books their own way, but I really enjoyed the books nonetheless. They're charming.


----------



## Sheriff Woody

michael.harrel said:


> "The Night Land" by William Hope Hodgeson. Published in 1912, it is a eerie, dreamlike dark fantasy in the dying world genre, and though it has some flaws, it's really spectacular and well worth reading.



Grabbed myself a free epub download (I love old books!). Thanks for the recommendation!


----------



## psychotick

Hi,

Just going back over the threads, Andre Norton, great writer for YA. I read much of her work as a teenager, especially the witch world novels, but apparently she's fallen off the radar a little. Quite likely because she passed away seven or eight years well into her nineties.

As for Clifford Simak, great author. From the Golden Age of Science fiction (or a little bit after). Who said he just kept writing the same novel? His novels were very diverse, but his characters very similar. Best works would be Catface (aka Mastadonia), The Goblin Reservation (which is really funny), Project Pope (Catholics may not like this), and Cemetary World. He wrote most of his characters as a sort of easy going, southerner, which oddly enough translated into his robots. He also came up with some very clever ideas, like a sci fi idea for creating metapmorphs, - The Werewolf Principle, where a man had two distinct genetic codes within him and they could be activated independantly.

Robert Holdstock - yes, yes, yes. Mythago Wood counts as one of my favourites of all time.

As for some that I haven't seen mentioned so far, Michael Moorcock for his entire Champion Eternal Series (so what if they were written in ten days apiece!), John Lymmington for the Hole In The World,  A Merritt (yes, even older than the Golden Age of Science Fiction) for the Moon Pool, and the legendary H Rider Haggard - King Solomon's Mines, Quatermaine, She and The Return of She. (I really do recommend the two She novels.)

Cheers, Greg.


----------



## Steerpike

I didn't mention Moorcock because I thought he was too well know. A great addition.

If we're going with "golden age" works, check out Jack Williamson's novel "Darker Than You Think." Great book.


----------



## wordwalker

Steerpike said:


> I didn't mention Moorcock because I thought he was too well know. A great addition.
> 
> If we're going with "golden age" works, check out Jack Williamson's novel "Darker Than You Think." Great book.



Agreed; Darker is great fun. And before those, Lord Dunsany, Tolkien's inspiration.


----------



## Graylorne

psychotick said:


> As for some that I haven't seen mentioned so far, Michael Moorcock for his entire Champion Eternal Series (so what if they were written in ten days apiece!), John Lymmington for the Hole In The World,  A Merritt (yes, even older than the Golden Age of Science Fiction) for the Moon Pool, and the legendary H Rider Haggard - King Solomon's Mines, Quatermaine, She and The Return of She. (I really do recommend the two She novels.)




Lymington's _Green Drift_ Made it into a Dutch edition (under a rather psychedelic title, translated backwards as: The Green Spiders Came Tomorrow [came, yes ])

Rider Haggard is one of the writers I name when asked who influenced me. They were adventure stories more than fantasy, but very impressive.

---

Does anyone ever read _Where were you last Pluterday?_ by the Belgian author Paul van Herck. It was published in 1973 by DAW Books (and in several other languages). I've some personal memories about how that book came to the USA, so I wondered.


----------



## Sheriff Woody

psychotick said:


> Michael Moorcock for his entire Champion Eternal Series (so what if they were written in ten days apiece!)



Is there truth to this? I'm not familiar with the background on the Eternal Champion series. The most I know is that Blind Guardian wrote a few awesome songs based on the books.


----------



## Aravelle

Steerpike said:


> Tanith Lee and Angela Carter are both excellent.
> 
> Octavia Butler - wonderful writer. I particularly like _Kindred_, _Fledgling_, and the series that begins with _Parable of the Sower_.



I can't help but feel so much more admiration for you knowing you like all 3 of those authors.

Which is your favourite Angela Carter book?


----------



## Aravelle

Kelise said:


> I have this all the times, since I live in Australia so most of you would never have heard of Jennifer Fallon, Glenda Larke, Juliet Marrillier...



I've heard of Ms. Marillier. A book or two of hers is on my Amazon wishlist :3


----------



## psychotick

Hi Sheriff,

Yes it's true. In fact he devised a way to write a book in three days. (Plus a couple of others for various bits and pieces.)

How to Write a Novel in Three Days.

Cheers, Greg.


----------



## Steerpike

Aravelle said:


> I can't help but feel so much more admiration for you knowing you like all 3 of those authors.
> 
> Which is your favourite Angela Carter book?



I like her short story collection _The Bloody Chamber_. Although it is best to get _Burning Your Boats_, which has all of her short stories in it! She was a wonderful writer.


----------



## Reaver

Sheriff Woody said:


> Is there truth to this? I'm not familiar with the background on the Eternal Champion series.



Eternal Champion is too close to the crappy Mortal Kombat ripoff, Eternal Champion*s*, circa 1993. 







Ugh..I still can't believe that I actually bought this game.

*EDIT* I'm automatically biased against this series of books due to the traumatic experience of playing the video game.


----------



## Sheriff Woody

Reaver said:


> Sorry to nitpick but it's Champion Eternal not Eternal Champion.



Sorry, but I believe you are at fault on this one. The series by Michael Moorcock is called the Eternal Champion series. The first book in the series is titled The Eternal Champion.


----------



## psychotick

Hi,

I've heard it both ways guys, and I don't think either one is either right or wrong. Moorcocks Champion Eternal series is actually a super series (for want of a better word), and there's probably fifty or sixty books and I don't know how many variations of the eternal champion in it. So Elric of Melniborne, Dorian Hawkmoon, Corum of the Silver Hand, Jerry Cornelius and so forth are all manifestations of the eternal champion. But there is also within the super series a six book series which features the eternal champion, the only one of all the champions who actually has memories / knowledge of all the other incarnations of himself. I read that there's now a Doctor Who tie in in the form of a Captain Cornelius.

Cheers, Greg.


----------



## Reaver

Sheriff Woody said:


> Sorry, but I believe you are at fault on this one. The series by Michael Moorcock is called the Eternal Champion series. The first book in the series is titled The Eternal Champion.



Apologies. I stand corrected and will fix this error in my previous post.


----------



## Sheriff Woody

Reaver said:


> Apologies. I stand corrected and will fix this error in my previous post.



No harm, no foul. 

So...did he really write the books in 10 days? Can someone provide some clarification on that previous remark? I'm very intrigued to know the details.


----------



## Steerpike

Sheriff Woody said:


> No harm, no foul.
> 
> So...did he really write the books in 10 days? Can someone provide some clarification on that previous remark? I'm very intrigued to know the details.



Three to ten days.

How to Write a Book in Three Days: Lessons from Michael Moorcock | Wet Asphalt


----------



## Aravelle

...including ALL of the ones in The Bloody Tower? :'D


----------



## ThinkerX

While Moorcock may have done the actual writing in three to ten days each, it also looks like he had at least the same amount of prep time put in beforehand - worldbuilding, such as it is, outlining, making up lots of lists.

This rushed writing does account for the 'superficial over the top' feel of the 'Elric' books, though.

Worth noting: in 1st Edition AD&D, the original 'Deities and Demigods' described the various gods of Elrics universe.


----------



## BWFoster78

TWErvin2 said:


> I have a blog post on this topic today, where I list 6 novels (not all fantasy):
> 
> (YA/Fantasy) *The Zombie Driven Life*, *Hocus Focus*
> (Fantasy) *Confessions of a D-List Supervillain, Equilibrium*
> (Political Satyre) *Loose Cannons and Other Weapons of Mass Political Desctruction*
> (Science Fiction) *Defenders of the Covenant*
> 
> Link: *Up Around the Corner: Underdog Books that You Probably Won't Find on the Bookstore Shelf*



Just finished Confessions of a D-List Supervillain.  AWESOME!

I highly recommend it.  An entertaining read that kept me engaged from start to finish.


----------



## TWErvin2

BWFoster78 said:


> Just finished Confessions of a D-List Supervillain.  AWESOME!
> 
> I highly recommend it.  An entertaining read that kept me engaged from start to finish.



Brian, saw your comment on my blog too. Glad you enjoyed Jim Bernheimer's novel.


----------



## ThinkerX

Not truly a novel (uniform short story collection) and something you'd *really* have to do some digging to find, but

Gary Myers 'House of the Worm' - a collection of short stories set in Lovecrafts 'Dreamlands'.  Some of the things he's mentioned more or less in passing in these tales have been a source of inspiration for me.


----------



## BWFoster78

TWErvin2 said:


> Brian, saw your comment on my blog too. Glad you enjoyed Jim Bernheimer's novel.



I paid him the highest compliment possible; I immediately bought another book of his (this despite the fact that it features unicorns!).


----------



## Jamber

The Anvil of the World by Kage Baker is superb — witty, humane, funny, inventive and sexy.

Juliet Marillier is another writer to watch. Lovely prose and really nice sense of character in anything she writes.


----------



## Steerpike

Jamber said:


> The Anvil of the World by Kage Baker is superb — witty, humane, funny, inventive and sexy.



Everything she did was very good, as far as I can tell. I stole a name from _Anvil of the World_ for my RPG world.


----------



## Nebuchadnezzar

Love the nod earlier to Andre Norton -- a great writer with the Witch World series but wrote dozens (maybe hundreds) of stand-alone novels in her lifetime.  My favorites were her YA books: Octagon Magic, Fur Magic, Red Hart Magic, etc.  

She also wrote the first (to my knowledge) novel featuring a role-playing game coming to life: Quag Keep.  The game was D&D, the setting was Greyhawk, and the year was 1978.

Another great and as far as I can tell mostly forgotten author is Alan Garner: The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, The Moon of Gomrath, The Owl Service, etc.


----------



## Darkblade

It took me an hour to get through this thread so forgive me if these books have already been brought up.

*Spice and Wolf* series by Isuna Hasekura: Rather well known by people familiar with anime and manga but overlooked by those who don't because the translations are often shelved besides the manga adaptations in book stores and also because it's covers are infamously bad. Behind the naked anime wolf girl on the covers lies an on-going story of a merchant who befriends a pagan goddess and their journey across Medieval Germany. Noted for it's realistic handling of medieval economics, it's clever use of the Goddess's limited powers to exploit said economics and it's very realistic handling of the heavily avoided violence, something far too rare in genre fiction.

*Anything by Nancy Kilpatrick:* Seriously, she is more than the "Anne Rice of the North". I hate that title for her, for one thing her understanding of monsters and what they would be doing now and in the future is matched by no one that I have ever read.


----------



## Steerpike

Darkblade said:


> *Anything by Nancy Kilpatrick:* Seriously, she is more than the "Anne Rice of the North". I hate that title for her, for one thing her understanding of monsters and what they would be doing now and in the future is matched by no one that I have ever read.



I've almost purchased books by her a few times, but was put off by the idea that she might be an Anne Rice or even a Laurell K. Hamilton. Which book should I start with?


----------



## Darkblade

Her short stories are her best so if you can find one of her anthologies (Danse Macabe and the Evolve anthologies that she edited but didn't write for are also good) but if you can't find them any of her stand alone novels are good. Her Power of the Blood series is a bit Anne Rice-ish so you may want to avoid it.


----------



## Steerpike

I downloaded a short book called Eternal City from the Kobo store. I didn't like the prologue (no surprise there), but the first three chapters are very well done. She has a facility with establishing characters quickly that reminds me of Stephen King. If the rest of this book is as good as the first three chapters I'm sure I'll buy more.


----------



## WyrdMystic

Not exactly unheard of but neither the kind people tend to go looking for - if you want something insane and funny, I would recommend Tom Holt or Robert Rankin.

If you want something to think about I'd say The Traveller by John Twelve Hawkes.


----------



## Lawisendro

I'd like to make a shout-out to the Swedish masterpiece "Svavelvinter," Brimstone Winter, and its successor "Slaktare SmÃ¥," Butchers Young, by Erik GranstrÃ¶m. They are masterpieces, true masterpieces. The author is the greatest inspiration I have ever had, and he takes the time to, you know, just chat on facebook, meet up and have a coffee at the literary convention with me, a guy whose relationship with him could be branded 'facebook stalking'... you know, he's that level of awesome! And is just as awesome as an author. I cannot praise the books enough. He even helped me out with an assignment for school, for which I needed quotes representative of the book as a whole...

Oh, enough fanboying, I know. Anyway, the books are about the machiavellian politics of a 16th century nation akin to a fantasy Italy, as well as the fresh, non clichÃ© metaphysical and magical reality of the world. For example, a recurring theme is language. Yes, language. He's thought up stuff like the "High Language," the language spoken by gods to create the universe and the --ideas-- and principles and metaphysical facts of the universe. He is a genius, and alas, his books are not translated from Swedish. Oh, woeful truth.


----------



## Fae

umm its a fanfic but its awesome. HARRY POTTER AND THE METHODS OF RATIONALITY. trust me, this you were_ not_ expecting.


----------



## Filk

John Marco is worth checking out - good militaristic fantasy. The Jackal of Nar series is the better of his works if memory serves me.


----------



## PlotHolio

I must second A Madness of Angels, which was mentioned on the first page. It's terribly underrated, especially in the USA. I sent the author some fanmail a while ago and she was amazed that an American had enjoyed her book so much.


----------

