ScipioSmith
Sage
Shadows of the Apt needs more love for sure.
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 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.
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 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.
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.
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?
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).