My obscure recommendation is
Curt Benjamin (author of the Seven Brothers series). I would say he is obscure because there isn't much out there on the internet about his stuff. I wouldn't say it was excellent fantasy or anything, but I did find it interesting to read some fantasy that wasn't set in a quasi-medieval Europe setting (and the fact the guy is presumably a westerner makes it all the more interesting he wrote in a very Asiatic setting).
madking, on 28 February 2011 - 04:18 PM, said:
Riverworld by phillip jose farmer which comprises four books: To Your Scattered Bodies Go, The Fabulous Riverboat, The Dark Design, and The Magic Labrynth. Anyone else read these?
I enjoyed those, but preferred Dayworld to be honest.
Crates of Thebes, on 21 March 2011 - 12:50 AM, said:
Since it has no real web presence and hardly gets mentiond in discussions, and no one I know IRL has heard of it/read it except my uncle who reads tons of boks, I'll toss in The Deed of Paksenarrion atrilgy, I think probably only availabe online as a single volume, but probably at libraries (possibly in YA, though I never understood why it was, at least at mine) , sinle volumes: Sheepfarmer's Daughter, Divided Allegiance, and Oath of Gold. I've read t at least twice.
There is a pair of prequel novels, but I haven't read them. I also discoveredjust now that a sequel was released in 2010, and another this year I can't wait to read the new ones. After a re-read of course!
I've read all the Paks related books. Love them! (Although these two new ones do not compare to the original trilogy or to the prequel books).
Bartman, on 28 March 2011 - 09:11 AM, said:
It really is crazy what books you find there. I recently got the Thomas Covenant first trilogy HB all first edition, for less than 2 dollars.
Also, more books.
Orson Scott Card is well known, but one of his under the radar books was Enchantment. It's a rethinking of the classic sleeping beauty tale, with a present day/ fantasy setting.
The Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco (before they knew the name of the Wind, there was the rose...)
Nice find with the Donaldson stuff. Won't touch Orson Scott Card anymore (got tired of his homophobia), and um, isn't The Name of the Rose an historical fiction novel?
Larry., on 17 April 2011 - 12:18 AM, said:
I've been hesitant to respond, but looking through the comments and seeing mostly non-obscure authors/books being listed, perhaps some of these books will fit the criteria a bit better. I'll list works, that while they might be praised by some, are mostly out-of-print or PoD:
Steve Erickson,
Arc d'X;
Zeroville
Brian Evenson,
Altmann's Tongue
Ferenc Karinthy,
Metropole
Michael Cisco,
The Traitor;
The Narrator
Salvador Plascencia,
The People of Paper
Stepan Chapman,
The Troika
Charles Finney,
The Unholy City
Thomas Ligotti,
The Nightmare Factory;
Teatro Grottesco;
Songs of a Dead Dreamer
Edward Whittemore,
Quin's Shanghai Circus; the Jerusalem Quartet novels
I hope those are obscure enough for those wanting more than just 2007 midlisters being mentioned here
Yeah, if you ever need an obscure book recommendation, just ask the Squirrel Freak
Larry has read every single book ever published by now I think, so he knows them all!
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