geekyBecause every group is essentially a sociological tide pool, shifting slightly whenever the tide comes in but still cross-contaminating itself at a remarkable rate, we also tend to have a somewhat distorted view of "everybody." I bet if you polled a sample size of, say, the readership of this journal, you'd discover that Rosemary and Rue was one of the best-known books of 2009. Why? Because I wrote it, and talk about it constantly, and you read this journal, hence exposing you to it on a constant basis. I'm a literary pathogen!
On a more localized scale, we loan books to our friends, talk books up to our friends, and constantly infect each other with our literary passions. In the last year, I have caused my friends to read I Am Not a Serial Killer, Mr. Shivers, A Madness of Angels, the complete works of Kelley Armstrong, The Mermaid's Madness, The Enchantment Emporium, and Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded. These aren't the only good books I've read in the last year; they're just the ones new enough to still be available, and to have excited me with their sudden existence.
So here is today's challenge: Infect us with books we may not have heard of, but which are so damn AWESOME that it verges on a crime that more people don't know about them. Go for out-of-print things (that's why libraries and used bookstores exist), or the first books in series that started eight years ago. Bring enlightenment to the heathen, in the form of literary smallpox.
I'll start with five of my favorites, books I honestly think everyone should read (whether you enjoy them is up to you):
Hellspark, by Janet Kagen.
Mermaid's Song, by Alida Van Gorres.
Emergence, by David Palmer.
The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl, by Tim Pratt.
Paper Moon, by Joe David Brown.
Authors, feel free to pimp your own work here; just get the word out, and let's see what we're not reading!
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May 22 2010, 16:09:04 UTC 7 years ago
Tamora Pierce: Anything, but especially the Alanna books.
Gael Baudino: Gossamer Axe
David Eddings: Belgariad and Mallorean
Mercedes Lackey: The Last Herald Mage
May 22 2010, 16:11:06 UTC 7 years ago
2) It seems weird to me that you'd jump to Butcher as "books nobody's heard of but everybody should read." I thought he was on the NYT list?
3) GOD YES, Gael Baudino.
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These are fantasy or science fiction books by "non-genre" writers that genre fans have often missed and I adore:
Winter's Tale, by Mark Helprin
Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro
Children of Men, by P.D. James
The Sparrow, by Mary Doria Russell
These are SF books that I adore that none of my friends seem to have heard of:
A Paradigm of Earth by Candas Jane Dorsey
The Engine's Child by Holly Phillips
This may not be Great Literature, but it is one of my comfort books and a lot of folks seem to have missed it:
Stealing the Elf King's Roses by Diane Duane
May 22 2010, 16:11:59 UTC 7 years ago
What are A Paradigm of Earth and The Engine's Child about?
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Hexwood by Diana Wynne Jones
The Benjamin January Books
The Abhorsen Chronicles by Garth Nix
Then this is what's on my to read list that I've heard great things about.
The White Cat by Holly Black
The Red Pyramid by Rick Riodran
May 22 2010, 16:13:12 UTC 7 years ago
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May 22 2010, 16:15:30 UTC 7 years ago
All of you, and I do mean all of you (or at the very least the subset of you who are into reading ebooks), should go read The Chocolatier's Wife by my fellow Drollerie author Cindy Lynn Speer. My review post is over here, and there's a long excerpt here, and if you are so inclined you can buy it right here.
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The Saga of Pliocene Exile by Julian May. Includes The Many Colored Land, The Golden Torc, The Nonborn King, and The Adversary. Grand, outsized adventure.
The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume 1 edited by Robert Silverberg. Hands down, the single best anthology I know of.
Quarantine by Greg Egan. Absolutely mind-blowing. His Permutation City is also right up there.
Davy by Edgar Pangborn. Will both break and uplift your heart.
Ingathering by Zenna Henderson. The complete book of The People, who you really need to meet.
Anything (seriously, anything) by Theodore Sturgeon.
May 22 2010, 16:23:24 UTC 7 years ago
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Emma Bull, War for the Oaks
Elizabeth Moon, The Deed Of Paksenarrion and Oath of Fealty (the new one in that universe)
War for the Oaks is my 'own three' book - I have three copies of it, because I've loaned it out a number of times, and the loaners keep getting 'lost' ("Oh, uh, I'll look for it. I really loved that book!") so I need to keep at least a few around for emergency reading.
(It also has the single best declaration of love I have read in any book anywhere ever.)
May 22 2010, 16:22:42 UTC 7 years ago
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Four and Twenty Black Birds
Wings to the Kingdom
Not Flesh Nor Feathers
They're a different style than Boneshaker, but still very good. And the series runs the gambit from ghosts to zombies.
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Lost Treasures
May 22 2010, 16:29:09 UTC 7 years ago Edited: May 22 2010, 16:29:48 UTC
Eldrie the Healer (Bastard Princess, Vol. 1) by Claudia J. Edwards (warning: there is no volume 2)
Barrow by John Deakins
A Year and a Day by Sara M. Harvey
Re: Lost Treasures
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May 22 2010, 16:29:37 UTC 7 years ago
You will need to hit a used bookstore for this one. One of the three best books in the Apocalyptic Buddhist Science Fiction genre, the other two being Nothing Sacred and Last Refuge by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough. (The first is more serious than the second.)
The Sun, The Moon and the Stars by Steven Brust is probably my favorite of his, because in addition to telling a Hungarian folk tale, he's also writing about the artistic process. Personally, I like the inward eye. You may be familiar with his Draegera books - or his work with Emma Bull - but this is still my favorite.
And, while the author may be familiar, the book probably isn't: The Armageddon Rag by George R.R. Martin. This is his first novel, and while it didn't go very far, it's still a favorite. It's about Rock and Roll and about the dissatisfaction of baby boomers in the 80s and, yeah, about the possible Armageddon. Personally, I think there should be a cover album of the songs mentioned in this book. "Elf Rock" could go over well in certain circles.
May 23 2010, 08:39:47 UTC 7 years ago
"And on certain Fridays now, I, who am not Jewish, go to temple just to hear that crazy horn."
-- Dexter Sinister, talent agent
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Not SF, but I read it in a graduate magical realism class and it was my favorite. While I'm at it, Green Grass, Running Water by Thomas King. This was the book that caused me to conclude that stories are better with Coyote in them. Both are Native American authors and smoothly incorporate "supernatural" elements without being precious or weird about it.
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The Book Thief, by Marcus Zusak.
The Egyptologist, by Arthur Phillips.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie.
Who Will Run the Frog Hospital? by Lorrie Moore.
Then there are various books I read when I was growing up. Season of Passage, by Christopher Pike (I was a HUGE Christopher Pike and could recommend dozens of his books). Half Magic, by Edward Eager. The Dark Green Tunnel, by Allan W. Eckert (which I look for in used bookstores ALL THE TIME and have never been able to find, nor the sequel, The Wand: The Return to Mesmeria. In retrospect, they're blatant Narnia rip-offs, but they're awesome, and I enjoyed them more). Experiment in Terror, by Bernal C. Payne, whose author I can never remember so I don't remember to look for it in used bookstores. I don't remember how awesome is it, but I sure loved it as a kid, such that I still remember it fondly now.
I'm sure there are books I'm not thinking of that I should spread.
Alibris.com has those Eckert books
May 23 2010, 02:10:33 UTC 7 years ago
Re: Alibris.com has those Eckert books
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May 22 2010, 16:43:19 UTC 7 years ago
I am also terribly fond of Abarat, by Clive Barker. Read a copy with the illustrations if you possibly can. I'm still trying to get a copy of the second book :(
Oh, and if graphic novels count, the Bizenghast series by M Alice LeGrow is amazing and GORGEOUS. Dark and creepy, with really beautiful intricate gothic lolita style art.
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Jack the Giant-Killer, Charles deLint
Starswarm, Jerry Pournelle
Alcestis, Katharine Beutner
The Chronicles of the Lensman, starting with Triplanetary, E.E. Doc Smith
A Princess of Mars, Edgar Rice Burroughs
The Gaslight Dogs, Karen Lowachee (Inuit steampunk, eeeeeeee)
Magician: Apprentice and Magician: Master by Raymond E. Feist
Sex for One, Betty Dodson
The Blue Sword, Robin McKinley
Star Wars: Republic Commando: Hard Contact, Karen Traviss
Lakota Woman, Mary Crow Dog
A Free Man of Color, Barbara Hambly
The Princes of the Golden Cage, Nathalie Mallet
The Ruby Dice, Catharine Asaro
May 22 2010, 19:09:46 UTC 7 years ago
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May 22 2010, 16:54:08 UTC 7 years ago Edited: May 22 2010, 16:59:19 UTC
(Edit: It's either a prequel to or succeeds, I'm not sure which, a book in the same universe called Shardik, but Maia stands alone just fine and I found Shardik to be really, really disappointing.)
And for the mystery lovers:
The Red House Mystery, by A. A. Milne. (Yes, that A. A. Milne.) Someone gave me this as a gift when I was 8 or 9; I'm pretty sure they didn't look at what the book actually *was*, and assumed that since Milne wrote it, it must be for kids. It's not; it's a classic country-house mystery, and was my gateway drug to Christie and Marsh and Sayers. With, actually, one of the more unique endings I've seen in many years of reading country-house mysteries.
To tie in with your icon...
May 22 2010, 17:13:06 UTC 7 years ago
Re: To tie in with your icon...
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May 22 2010, 16:56:45 UTC 7 years ago
Such is the case of The Mixed Men (aka "Mission to the Stars") by A. E. van Vogt.
My ex's best friend got me hooked on John DeChancie's "Skyway"series about interstellar truck drivers 'driving' on roads between planets.
There are some other titles and/or authors that this old memory core is not coughing up at this time. I really would like to remember them because I know the stories made an impact on me and I am sure others would enjoy them.
May 26 2010, 17:43:41 UTC 7 years ago
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House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski remains the only book that's ever given my nightmares
Bimbos of the Death Sun by Sharyn McCrumb - murder at a science fiction convention; very funny
The Innkeeper's Song by Peter S. Beagle - he's better-known for Last Unicorn, but this is his personal favorite, and for good reason. Currently out of print :(
Bloodsucking Fiends by Christopher Moore is an awesome antidote to the vampire overload
The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moer is so good, I wish Goodreads would let me give it extra credit
Jennifer Government by Max Barry is just plain fun to read
May 22 2010, 17:20:54 UTC 7 years ago
Yep, I considered adding that one. You should enjoy my review.
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May 22 2010, 17:07:50 UTC 7 years ago Edited: May 22 2010, 17:13:40 UTC
Madouc by Jack Vance - OMG I love so much of this man's writing!! This one's got faeries, too
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis - a time-travel love story with WONDERFUL descriptions and just fantastic writing.
The Stardust Voyages by Stephen Tall - SUPERB science fiction
The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley - an old time favorite I probably read at least once very year.
OK, yeah, people may have heard of these authors, but OMG I love them! I' also digging the feedback on your post and plan on utilizing peoples' suggestions on the next half price books run! THANKS ALL! :D <3!
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I know this book won a Printz honor last year, and I'm glad that it did, but I don't know anybody else who has read it, save Biker Mama Rose, my AV lady superstar. So please, people, find John Barnes's Tales of the Madman Underground: A Historical Romance 1973 and read it. It's YA, but it is very much YA geared to ages 16 and up due to subject matter and complexity, and could very easily have made the crossover flip to adult literature. Read it because: 1) It's funnier than almost any book I've ever read -- it made me have to stop reading and put my head on my desk because the tears of laughter were blurring my eyes; 2) it deals with heartbreaking, realistic situations with optimism and heart; 3) its hero, Karl 'Psycho' Shoemaker, has edged Junior Spirit from Part-Time Indian AND Gen from the Queen's Thief books as my all-time favorite YA hero, and his friends in the Madman Underground as my favorite YA fictional friends above even My Most Excellent Year; and 4) Have I mentioned that it seems nobody has read this thing and it's genius?
Speaking of funny books, everybody should go read My Family And Other Animals by Gerald Durrell, particularly Seanan, because Gerry Durrell was a Steve Irwin before there was a Steve Irwin, and that's his memoir of growing up obsessed with poking the natural world while living on a Greek island in the 1940s with his madcap family. It's two parts 'and then the centipedes leapt out on the dinner table, isn't that GREAT!' to one part 'my family is lovably certifiable'.
...I know there are more, too. Those two, though! They come first and foremost.
May 23 2010, 12:56:56 UTC 7 years ago
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Lois McMaster Bujold - Cordelia's Honor
Also second the Helprin Winter's Tale and the Garth Nix Abhorsen recommendations.
Oh, and
Jack McDevitt - A Talent for War
And I have a definite soft spot for Sharon Lee and Steve Miller - Local Custom. (It's kinda like Barrayar, only ... fluffier?)
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The ones I've raved about the most since I started keeping bookposts, and that some of you might not know, include:
Christopher Moore, Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff and Fluke, or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings
Peter Ackroyd, London, the Biography
Alfred Bester, The Demolished Man
Michael Dibdin, Ratking
John Green, Paper Towns
Max Blumenthal, Republican Gomorrah
James Branch Cabell, Jurgen, a Comedy of Justice
re: Demolished Man
May 23 2010, 00:31:21 UTC 7 years ago
This was the first SF novel I ever read, thrown at me by my mother when it was rainy and I was bored when I was young. Excellent recommendation.
In it, there is a society of telepaths who prevent crime by detecting it in the minds of the criminals before crimes can be enacted. Until -
Our protagonist gets a song to run through his head, blocking anyone from reading his thoughts as he plots a murder.
Al Bester, the psi corp villian from the TV series Babylon 5 is named in honor of this book's author.
Re: Demolished Man
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Hart's Hope by Orson Scott Card. Obscure-ish book by famous author.
Daggerspell by Katherine Kerr
The Books of Great Alta by Jane Yolen (Which is a TPB omnibus of Sister Light, Sister Dark and White Jenna)
Oath of Swords by David Weber (I keep praying he'll write more of these)
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin.
May 22 2010, 18:14:13 UTC 7 years ago
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