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, 18:04:04 UTC 7 years ago
Pretty much anything by Sydney J. Van Scyoc.
P.K. McAllister/Paula King, The Cloudships of Orion trilogy
Sarah Zettel's _Fool's War_
C.S. Friedman's _This Alien Shore_.
eluki bes shahar _Hellflower_
May 22 2010, 18:05:18 UTC 7 years ago
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May 22 2010, 18:06:01 UTC 7 years ago
Teen
Mayra Lazara Dole "down to the bone" is the hands down best teen lesbian story I've ever read and my favorite book I read in 2009. - Excellent story about a Latina lesbian trying to deal with being a lesbian, a girlfriend whose family is trying to make her straight, and her own family’s reaction to it. Laura is a really interesting character – even when she’s snapping at the friends who stand by her or struggling to make herself something she’s not, she’s very sympathetic and still vibrant with personality. I love her, and her best friend Soli, and the way family isn’t just blood, it’s chosen. I really want to read more by this author.
Tanita S. Davis "A La Carte" - Great book threaded through with really interesting recipes. About a teen, Lainey, who wants to be a tv chef because there aren’t enough black chefs or vegetarian chefs. Her relationship with her mother is complicated and the boy she loves twists her up. She struggles with her weight and her hair and finding balance in her life and finding ways to achieve her goals and it is really, truly incredible, the family love and complications. Her relationship with her grandmother in particular is wonderful, and the way they share recipes really quite touching.
Kelly Parra "Invisible Touch" - I love this book so, so much. The main character, Kara, is fantastic, flawed and friendly and funny and absolutely amazing. I love the fantasy aspect of it, with her visions and the way she tries to solve them and help people, and the romance is amazing.
Adult
Alice Henderson "Voracious" - Creepy, delicious horror in the woods story with a kick ass female protagonist who isn’t just a victim or a villain but an awesome, layered women.
May 22 2010, 18:51:37 UTC 7 years ago
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May 22 2010, 19:59:11 UTC 7 years ago
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May 22 2010, 18:23:31 UTC 7 years ago
Summers at Castle Auburn by Sharon Shinn
Beauty by Robin McKinley
And some YA goodness that I loved but which is now mostly out of print:
Magic at Wychwood and The Hornet's Nest by Sally Watson
May 22 2010, 23:16:55 UTC 7 years ago
One of my favorite books ever!
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May 22 2010, 18:44:24 UTC 7 years ago
The Summer Country, by James Hetley. An interesting look at the myths of the British Isles, and what life might be like if the bloodlines continued into the present day. (Warning: rape and torture.)
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May 22 2010, 19:33:54 UTC 7 years ago
Also, apologies for possibly hijacking the topic a bit, but does anyone have recommendations for F/SF books for a 10 year old girl? One of my co-workers has a daughter who likes SF & Fantasy, but since her mother doesn't, the co-worker's at a loss for figuring out what to get her daughter to read next.
May 22 2010, 21:13:41 UTC 7 years ago
Lester Del Ray also wrote a bunch.
"Spacial Delivery" by Dickson.
"The Golden Compass" etc.
Stuff by Tamora Pierce.
Stuff by Dianna Wynn Jones.
"Keys To The Kingdom" by Garth Nix
Now... some of these have a little sex or violence, so you should advise parents who might care about exposure to such to read them first before turning their kids loose on them. Most of these are targeted at kids a few years older but I personally would have no issue handing any of these to my own daughter at 10. YYMV.
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The Red Magician by Lisa Goldstein
Wizard of the Pigeonsby Megan Lindholm
Changer by Jane Lindskold
Firelord by Parke Godwin
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May 22 2010, 20:07:25 UTC 7 years ago
Diane Duane’s stuffhas already been mentioned, along with Robin McKinley’s The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown.
Two re-tellings of Tam Lin are on my list: Tam Lin, by Pamela Dean (which convinced me to never be a Classics major and always be on the look-out for fae), and Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones.
Actually, pretty much anything by DWJ. Howl’s Moving Castle is pretty darn awesome.
For non-SF/F, Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels. Not too old, but not widely known either. The writing is some of the most beautiful I’ve ever read, and has influenced my own greatly (and I thank the English teacher who made us read it every time I read it).
If we’re allowed to pimp AWESOME non-fiction too? Casanova Was a Book Lover (which may be impossible to find), by John Maxwell Hamilton. Blue Like Jazz is mostly memoir, but I think it’s absolutely brilliant, and the writing style is beautiful and very, very Portland (a minus, in some people’s books, I know).
Um. I think I’ve tl;dr’d enough.
May 23 2010, 05:59:56 UTC 7 years ago
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May 22 2010, 20:23:08 UTC 7 years ago
Spellbound by Ru Emerson
The Genetic General by Gordon Dickson
Healer's War by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
The Human Ape by Jack Cohen (non fic)
A Thousand Miles up the Nile by Amelia Edwards (non fic)
anything about Ancient Egypt...
May 24 2010, 18:25:24 UTC 7 years ago
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May 22 2010, 20:32:32 UTC 7 years ago
"Armor" by John Steakley. Strip the romanticism out of "Starship Trooper" and add a liberal dollop of "Ender's Game" and you get this... Damn.
"Nift The Lean: Raiders Of The Infernal Domains" by Michael Shea. Back before Moorcock wrecked it, there was this stuff called 'Barbarian Fantasy' and it had good and bad examples (Conan, Gor respectively.) This book is Shea picking up the pieces and building a great set of stories to go with it.
"The Well At The World's End" by William Morris. This book is in the public domain and available from the people at Project Gutenberg. It's really awesome and important because it represents one of the first works of modern fantasy (where the world in which the story takes place is represented as being a fully real and actualized world.)
I also thing we've forgotten a lot of the old masters like Dunsany and Bierce. Thankfully these folks are old enough that you can get public-domain etexts of their stuff.
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May 22 2010, 20:52:56 UTC 7 years ago
The Girl With the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts
The Ogre Downstairs by Diana Wymme Jones despite my fondness for the Chrestomanci books I think this is actually my favourite of hers.
Replay by Ken Grimwood. I overheard a bookdealer at a con recommending it to another shopper so bought it and was totally not disappointed.
Lifter by Crawford Killian. I loved the execution of the idea so much, and his consideration of the impact of everyone learning to fly.
My hottest recommendation however is definitely Wrapt in Crystal by Sharon Shinn, a book that I enjoyed so much that as soon as I finished it I packaged it up and posted it to a friend to read because I had to have someone to share it with.
May 22 2010, 21:51:10 UTC 7 years ago
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May 22 2010, 20:57:46 UTC 7 years ago
"Armor" by John Steakley. "Starship Troopers" - romanticism + "Ender's Game" = this...
"Nift The Lean: Raiders Of The Infernal Domains" by Michael Shea. Picking up the pieces left after Moorcock blew up the Barbarian Fantasy genre and making something wonderful from them.
"The Well At The World's End" by William Morris. Possibly the first modern fantasy novel. Get etexts of it from Project Gutenberg.
Anything you can get your paws on by Lord Dunsany. The last pre-modern fantasy fiction master. Again, lots of his stuff is public domain, and available fromt he wonderful folks at Project Gutenberg.
May 25 2010, 15:19:06 UTC 7 years ago
May 22 2010, 21:24:31 UTC 7 years ago
(Currently out of print, but a reprinting is coming soon.)
Elantris - Brandon Sanderson
(A different type of Zombie story.)
Telzey Amberdon - James H Schmidt
(available for free download from Baen free library at http://www.webscription.net/p-411-telze
The scarlet Pimpernel - Baroness Orczy
(on project gutenberg or librivox.org I always start a reading of the series with 'a tale of 2 cities' (Dickens) first. )
May 22 2010, 21:51:06 UTC 7 years ago
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May 22 2010, 23:31:53 UTC 7 years ago
Hm, if I had to make a short list of "I bet not many people have read these and they're so damn good" books:
Sylvia Louise Engdahl, Enchantress From the Stars
Ron Miller, Palaces and Prisons
Teresa Denys, The Silver Devil
Eva Ibbotson, Which Witch?
Katie Waitman, The Merro Tree
May 24 2010, 16:08:35 UTC 7 years ago
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May 22 2010, 23:33:37 UTC 7 years ago
Current... Eyes of Crow. I cried reading this book.
May 23 2010, 12:49:44 UTC 7 years ago
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May 23 2010, 00:21:45 UTC 7 years ago
Rangergirl I picked up based on probably interest before reading you talk about it, but reading you talk about it encouraged me to bump it up in the queue, and I enjoyed it very much.
Thanks to your talking them up, I won used copies of Mermaid's Song and Paper Moon, although I haven't yet read them.
So yes, it works!
The books I buy for people, because I think everyone should read them:
Tam Lin, by Pamela Dean
Expendable, by James Alan Gardner
Halfway Human, by Carolyn Ives Gilman
Godstalk, by PC Hodgell
Emergence would be bought and given to everyone, except I haven't even found a replacement for my split-in-two copy. *grump*
This works in more than one way -- all four of my books are available and in print, currently. For years, that was NOT true of three of them.
May 25 2010, 19:42:21 UTC 7 years ago
May 23 2010, 00:22:07 UTC 7 years ago
English actor Ian James follows the vicar and a local estate agent into the woods near his village one night, finds himself in a faerie court right out of Shakespeare, and in return for trespassing is recruited to save the faerie folk from diminishing into nonexistence. This is an utterly charming and severely overlooked fantasy with elements of Gilbert & Sullivan, Peter Pan, Arthurian magic, English-village mystery, and the lightest touch of low-key romance. If you like Esther Friesner and/or Patricia Wrede, you'll likely fall in love with Haldeman; this is one of three book-length fantasies she published in the 1980s (if memory serves, she subsequently lost a battle with cancer). Haldeman also penned one of my all-time favorite Dickens-riffs, a lovely short story called "The Marley Case", in which we learn just what happened to Scrooge's partner.
The Butterfly Kid by Chester Anderson
Hippie SF in which the author, being naturally suspicious of first-person SF novels wherein the narrator's name isn't the author's name, presents a novel starring hippie writer Chester Anderson (and his real-life friend and fellow writer, Michael Kurland). Giant blue crustaceans are invading from outer space (and showing up in Greenwich Village), and the solution involves Reality Pills and a boy who makes butterflies. Source of one of my all-time favorite signature lines: "My mind very carefully boggled." Mary-Sue gimmick notwithstanding, this is funny and fun -- and, impressively, well thought out besides.
Windmaster's Bane, Tom Deitz
This also dates from back in the 1980s, and begins a series set in rural Georgia -- and in the lands of the Daoine Sidhe of Irish legend, for the barriers between worlds are growing frail, and at times the two realms bleed together. Our hero is David "Mad Davy" Sullivan, who's been interested in Irish folklore long since, and leaps in with both feet when he accidentally invokes the Sight. Deitz writes his Sidhe characters with equal measures of authenticity and common sense, and the countryside settings are vividly detailed. This is closer to high fantasy than to today's "paranormal" genre, and I count it among the very best modern spins on Irish folklore.
May 24 2010, 18:24:42 UTC 7 years ago
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May 23 2010, 00:53:55 UTC 7 years ago
I think Steph Swainston's The Year of Our War is/was pretty popular, since I know it won an award or two, but I haven't seen it on shelves anywhere since I picked it up, so I'm going to include it. It's fantasy novel meets Starship Troopers meets deist philosophy meets an acid trip. It's amazing.
John Parker's Once a Runner was out of print for a long time, but someone reissued it to the masses. In my trackie world, it's the Bible, but I don't think it's quite so widely read in the rest of the world. You should read it, though, if you've ever wondered about those crazy guys doing interval workers and striders on your community track. Nothing explains 'em better than this book.
My massive guilty pleasure: the DMC novels by Rick Shelley. They're military sci-fi, and they can get a little predictable, but I find a certain authenticity in their... Army-ness. Shelley, who I'm pretty sure was in the service, has a very good grasp on the culture and the lingo.
May 24 2010, 18:23:29 UTC 7 years ago
May 23 2010, 05:45:11 UTC 7 years ago
These are just coming back into print but they are just awesome. My hubby infected me with these.
Bureau 13
Doomsday Exam
Full Moonster.
They are all written by Nick Pollota(sp) and he revised them and are re-publishing them. You can find them on Amazon. But he's also added some new ones.
Damn Nation(in the Bureau 13 universe)
That Darn Squid God (Steampunk-esque)
I haven't finished either of them yet, but I'm liking them so far.
May 23 2010, 05:56:10 UTC 7 years ago
The Perilous Gard by Elizabeth Marie Pope
Octagon Magic by Andre Norton
Steel Magic by Andre Norton
Fur Magic by Andre Norton
The Perilous Gard is one of my favorites.
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May 23 2010, 08:22:03 UTC 7 years ago
The Amazing Vacation, Dan Wickenden
Children's fantasy, post-Eager but pre-Norton, involving a brother and sister who find another world on the other side of a window in the house they're visiting one summer. Lots of clever wordplay and high adventure, a Fretful Porpentine, a friendly witch, and a rhyming spell that's stuck in my mind ever since:
Entry, kentry, cutry, corn
Apple seed and apple thorn,
Wire, briar, limber lock,
A witch and griffins in a flock....
Terror Wears a Feathered Cloak, Thelmar Wyche Crawford
This one's mystery/suspense rather than fantasy; it would be called YA nowadays, being a thriller in a mode halfway between Nancy Drew and Madeleine L'Engle. A young woman and her friends are on a tour of Yucatan when they get tangled up in a conspiracy whereby denizens of a lost Mayan city hope to secure a place in the modern world. This sounds way over-the-top, but the execution is remarkably convincing both as thriller and as lost-city yarn. I didn't learn till long afterward that the author wrote several other books featuring the same core characters, but I've never seen copies of any of the others.
May 24 2010, 16:03:27 UTC 7 years ago
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May 23 2010, 10:56:06 UTC 7 years ago
Think the three musketeers with ghosts and strange magic. I'm on the same list at DAW with Seanan, and I to write dark fantasy, set in a city not unlike 17th century Paris, with swordfights and spies and politics and star-crossed love. And rain.
Kari
May 24 2010, 22:49:35 UTC 7 years ago
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