My top two are The Ghost of Opalina, which pretty much defined my childhood, and Greensleeves, my favorite book in the entire world ever. And I just never have met anyone who's read them, even though I have never recommended either of these books to anyone who didn't love them. And when I was a kid I was in love with this book Travel Far, Pay No Fare, and I know that I was the only one who ever checked it out of the library, because the librarian told me so.
Then also Mary Renault (I know people must read her very excellent books but nobody I know does) and P.C. Wren are both drastically under-appreciated authors. Beau Ideal? Hank and Buddy? Like the best characters in all of literature, and nobody knows.
Posted by NotMe (Member # 10470) on :
Sadly enough, among my close friends, it's Ender's Game. They spend too much time recommending fantasy books to me, and not enough time listening to (or even soliciting) my sci-fi recommendations. Which is really odd, given that they'll ask my advice on any other subject.
Posted by Pegasus (Member # 10464) on :
Just the other day I was thinking about a book series I read as a pre/early teen. It was a Christian allegorical series called Spirit Flyer beginning with the book The Magic Bicycle. I recall really enjoying it at the time, though it's been so long I can't remember some of the details of the story. Also, I've never heard anyone else mention these books.
I remember that series, Pegasus. Well, only one book of them, Bicycle Hills. I was really creeped out by it, and I remember being horrified that it was written for kids. It really soured me on the "Christian Literature" genre. Maybe the rest of the series was better, but I don't know.
Posted by Occasional (Member # 5860) on :
The one I wrote but can't find a publisher for.
Posted by hansenj (Member # 4034) on :
Mine is To Say Nothing of the Dog. I've introduced it to numerous people who had never heard of it.
Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
I love To Say Nothing of the Dog! I gave it away and now I miss it.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
That book was well-known enough to win the Hugo back in 1999.
Personally, when I read it, I kept thinking that if I were more of an Anglophile I might actually enjoy it.
Posted by erosomniac (Member # 6834) on :
All of the Stainless Steel Rat books.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
quote:Originally posted by Morbo: I love To Say Nothing of the Dog! I gave it away and now I miss it.
I love it, but you can have it back if you want.
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
quote:Originally posted by erosomniac: All of the Stainless Steel Rat books.
Impossible! How could this be unknown!
Posted by Kama (Member # 3022) on :
until recently Sapkowski but now all of my English speaking friends can buy it!
There will also be a game.
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by erosomniac: All of the Stainless Steel Rat books.
And The Technicolor Time Machine. And The Deathworld Trilogy.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
I thought that the novilization of the Hiatus pilot was top notch.
Posted by James Tiberius Kirk (Member # 2832) on :
The Miocene Arrow. Absolutely amazing book. Post-apoc scifi + fantasy storytelling + flying.
--j_k
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
James T. Kirk, my personal favourite from that series is Eyes of the Calculor, or Souls in the Great Machine- I forget which but I think the first. So *I've* heard of them, and I am a big fan of Sean McMullen.
Posted by Steve_G (Member # 10101) on :
Right now, the tripod trilogy by John Christopher. I read them when I was 13, and then recently discovered the first book 'The White Mountains' in a box. I read it through and enjoyed it just as much. It didn't feel dated at all, and I had forgotten so that much it felt almost like it was a fresh read. Then a month ago I discovered all 3 books in a used bookstore in near new condition. It cost me less than $10 for the set and read the next two 'The City of Gold and Lead' and 'The Pool of Fire'.
It was like becoming reacquainted with an old friend.
Posted by Olivet (Member # 1104) on :
I really loved At the Back of the North Wind and The Light Princess by George MacDonald. They do not seem to be very popular children's books these days, but I was briefly tempted to name my oldest "Diamond."*giggle*
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
quote:Originally posted by Steve_G: the tripod trilogy by John Christopher. I read them when I was 13...
Did you read them because of the Boy's Life comic like I did?
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
quote:Originally posted by Noemon: I thought that the novilization of the Hiatus pilot was top notch.
Oh come on, Noemon, I thought you had better taste than that. I found it quite insubstantial.
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
There was a book I remember from childhood called The Burning Ring. I googled it and learned it was by Katherine Burdekin, published 1927. It was about an emotionally disconnected man who finds a ring which transports him to three different eras where he experiences first hero worship, then friendship, then romantic love.
I have no idea what I'd think of it now, but it made enough of an impression on me as a pre-teen/teenager that I still remember it.
Posted by kmbboots (Member # 8576) on :
The Way to the Lantern by Audry Erskine Lindop
Posted by James Tiberius Kirk (Member # 2832) on :
quote:Originally posted by Teshi: James T. Kirk, my personal favourite from that series is Eyes of the Calculor, or Souls in the Great Machine- I forget which but I think the first. So *I've* heard of them, and I am a big fan of Sean McMullen.
*high5s* I started the first one, couldn't finish it (classwork interfered), picked up the second a few years later and loved it. I'm going to restart the series, soon as I can find them.
quote:Right now, the tripod trilogy by John Christopher.
We read The White Mountains in-class, 6th grade. After that I had to read the others. Good summer reading material.
--j_k
Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
What Entropy Means to Me by George Alec Effinger.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
quote:Originally posted by Uprooted:
quote:Originally posted by Noemon: I thought that the novilization of the Hiatus pilot was top notch.
Oh come on, Noemon, I thought you had better taste than that. I found it quite insubstantial.
O_o You're kidding me! Insubstantial? I usually dislike novelizations, but this one is right up there with Card's novelization of The Abyss; I look at Johannason in a whole new light now that I understand how his childhood shaped him into the man he is in the show. And his relationship with Erskin finally makes sense.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
Two books I read as a kid: Interstellar Pig, which was really bizarre and centered around an RPG/board game called Interstellar Pig possibly was more real than it seemed.
The House of Stairs (I think that's what it was called), about some kids that get put into a seemingly infinite labyrinth of stairs and platforms and who have to do all sorts of weird things to get The Machine to dispense food pellets.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
When I was a kid, I just loved Jane's Adventures In and Out of the Book, but no one I know seems to ever have heard of it.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Although I'll admit that that thing with the tubas was a bit much. It was like "okay already, I get the symbolism! You don't need to beat me over the head with it". Plus, technically, shouldn't they have been sousaphones?
[ October 15, 2007, 12:19 PM: Message edited by: Noemon ]
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
My very first sci-fi book: "Invitation to the Game." It was definitely a kids' book but I still love it.
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
The Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace. Yes I'm on another YA kick.
Posted by Wonder Dog (Member # 5691) on :
I'm also a huge fan of "Invitation to the Game". Monica Hughes wrote some awesome YA sci-fi. Anybody read her Isis series?
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
I don't remember what my first SF book was, but I remember my first Heinlein. "Have Space Suit, Will Travel".
I read the Stainless Steel Rat books early on as well. My dad had them in hardcover.
And my first real fantasy book had to have been "No Flying in the House".
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by mr_porteiro_head: The House of Stairs (I think that's what it was called), about some kids that get put into a seemingly infinite labyrinth of stairs and platforms and who have to do all sorts of weird things to get The Machine to dispense food pellets.
William Sleator. Fantastic book. I read that in like 5th grade, and I never forgot it.
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by Steve_G: Right now, the tripod trilogy by John Christopher. I read them when I was 13, and then recently discovered the first book 'The White Mountains' in a box. I read it through and enjoyed it just as much. It didn't feel dated at all, and I had forgotten so that much it felt almost like it was a fresh read. Then a month ago I discovered all 3 books in a used bookstore in near new condition. It cost me less than $10 for the set and read the next two 'The City of Gold and Lead' and 'The Pool of Fire'.
It was like becoming reacquainted with an old friend.
Have you read "When the Tripods Came"? It's the prequel.
Posted by Reshpeckobiggle (Member # 8947) on :
Grace Chetwin: Gom on Windy Mountain, The Riddle and the Rune, The Crystal Stair, and The Starstone. I can't recommend these enough.
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
"Creator" by Jeremy Levin.
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
quote: I'm also a huge fan of "Invitation to the Game". Monica Hughes wrote some awesome YA sci-fi. Anybody read her Isis series?
I didn't know she had written anything else! That's it. I'm overdue for some used book shopping on Amazon.
Posted by Zalmoxis (Member # 2327) on :
The Seven Madmen, Roberto Arlt. Although adore isn't quite the correct term.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
The first science fiction I ever read was My Robot Buddy, which enjoyed a spot as my favorite book briefly when I was in kindergarten. The first fantasy ever read to me was Lord of the Rings, but I'm not utterly sure what the first one I ever read myself was. Possibly Sir MacHinry? It was kind of a SF/Fantasy fusion book, involving the titular robot, the reincarnation of Arthur, and brownies. I'd be curious to reread that one and see if it's any good from an adult's perspective.
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
Okay, I have to be honest with myself. I said that "Invitation to the Game" was my first SF, but in reality it was "My Teacher Fried My Brains."
Posted by Avatar300 (Member # 5108) on :
quote:Originally posted by PSI Teleport: My very first sci-fi book: "Invitation to the Game." It was definitely a kids' book but I still love it.
I still re-read this book every few years. I found it either at a school book fair, or one of those Scholastic Readers newsletters(or whatever they're called)where you could order books through your school.
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
I bought mine at a book fair, as well. It's a great book for an adult because you can get a good quality SF story read in a short time. Usually a "short time" is all I have!
Posted by Liz B (Member # 8238) on :
quote: Two books I read as a kid: Interstellar Pig, which was really bizarre and centered around an RPG/board game called Interstellar Pig possibly was more real than it seemed.
I have Interstellar Pig in my classroom library. Isn't that also by William Sleator?
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
quote:Originally posted by Liz B:
quote: Two books I read as a kid: Interstellar Pig, which was really bizarre and centered around an RPG/board game called Interstellar Pig possibly was more real than it seemed.
I have Interstellar Pig in my classroom library. Isn't that also by William Sleator?
Yep.
Posted by Adelas (Member # 11084) on :
The Shamer Series by Lene Kaaberbol. The worst part is that these are the only books of hers that are available in English!
I think that anyone who enjoyed Speaker will enjoy this series.
Posted by Steve_G (Member # 10101) on :
quote:Originally posted by mr_porteiro_head:
quote:Originally posted by Steve_G: the tripod trilogy by John Christopher. I read them when I was 13...
Did you read them because of the Boy's Life comic like I did?
sort of.
When I was a scout the city of Gold and Lead was featured in Boy's Life. I thought it was interesting, but hadn't seen it from the start and didn't really realize it was taken from a novel. I stumbled across my dad's copy of The White Mountains while helping my mom sort stuff out after their divorce. It was supposed to go in a box that was being sent to him with a bunch of his other stuff, but I decided to read the first chapter to see what it was about. Suffice to say the book never made it into the box. I made the connection between that book and City of Gold and Lead after that and checked out the next 2 books from the library.
I hadn't read it since until I came across the same worn out copy that once belonged to my dad a couple of months ago. Even though I bought the fresh copies from the used bookstore I couldn't bring myself to throw away the old one.
--edit--
just wikipedia'd it and discover John Christopher was a pen name. I also discovered he wrote a prequel called "When the Tripods Came".
--edit again-- just saw your post Lisa. Now that I know its there I will be reading it as soon as I can get my hands on it. Did you like it?
[ October 15, 2007, 07:55 PM: Message edited by: Steve_G ]
Posted by Nathan2006 (Member # 9387) on :
The Secret Country has been one of my favorites for a while now. Whoever mentioned that, you get a dozen cool points.
I always, always recommend these books, but nobody has ever heard of them: Jane Lindskold's Firekeeper saga (Through Wolf's Eyes, Wolf's Head Wolf's Heart, The Dragon of Despair, Wolf Captured, Wolf Hunting, and Wolf's Blood)
Changet that... Actually, there is somebody who has heard of them... But I can't remember their name.
Posted by Tara (Member # 10030) on :
Go and Come Back by Joan Abelove. Read it.
Also The Kite Runner, which I thought no one had heard of, but now apparently there's going to be a movie of it. Woah.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
No way. Everyone has heard of The Kite Runner.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
quote:Originally posted by Tante Shvester: No way. Everyone has heard of The Kite Runner.
Not I.
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
Saraswattee is a fantastic book set in India. It has everything, incest, bigamy, whipping children to drive out devils, manadatory pedophilia, reincarnated goddesses, and demon kings as well as modern India. What's not to love.
And then there is:
The Death and Life of Miguel Cervantes but what's not to love about a fictionalization of the worlds greatest and earliest fictionalists.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
I've heard of Invitation to the Game (I love it and reread it regularly) and I actually wrote a book report in grade seven or eight on the Tripods Trilogy.
One book nobody has heard of is a children's sci fi book- perhaps the first sci fi book I read aged about six or seven and fell in love with- by HM Hoover called This Time of Darkness. It's the mother of all post apocalyptic underground city books (imo) and is probably one of my favourites ever.
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
Nevil Shute's books
Round the Bend Trustee from the Toolroom Pied Piper No Highway The Legacy
Nevil Shute is one of my favorite writers of all time. His characters are often the sort of people you wouldn't notice if you worked with them or went to school with them, but they sort of quietly do extraordinary things. He's just wonderful. I hope someone else discovers him from this.
Posted by Eaquae Legit (Member # 3063) on :
I might. I like those sorts of heroes, Tatiana.
Posted by kmbboots (Member # 8576) on :
quote:Originally posted by Tara: Go and Come Back by Joan Abelove. Read it.
Also The Kite Runner, which I thought no one had heard of, but now apparently there's going to be a movie of it. Woah.
From what I understand, the movie is pretty great. And the book is pretty front and center in bookstores now. Along with his second book, A Thousand Splendid Suns. (I think that's the name.)
Posted by Samuel Bush (Member # 460) on :
Two of the authors who I hardly ever hear mentioned but who I have read and loved most of their stuff are: Alan Dean Foster and James P. Hogan. And then there is Harry Turtledove. I’ve read some of his stuff but I hardly ever hear him mentioned either.
[ November 20, 2007, 10:51 PM: Message edited by: Samuel Bush ]
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Because he writes so many novelizations of movies, I've always just kind of assumed that Alan Dean Foster was a hack. I haven't read any of his work as an adult, though, so I can't really judge.
Harry Turtledove, though, is a fairly big name in the alternate history subgenre. I think that he's a pretty limited writer, and unlikely at this point to get any better, but I love his ideas enough that I'm generally (though there are exceptions) willing to overlook the often clumsy, wooden writing in order to explore them. His books are often a lot of fun.
Posted by Eduardo St. Elmo (Member # 9566) on :
Though I only recently picked up the Spellsinger series by Alan Dean Foster, any man who can come up with a homosexual unicorn as a plot device, is worthy of some praise.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
I've never read any of his novelizations, but I've read a bunch of Foster's other stuff. The Spellsinger series was entertaining, if not great literature. In other words, liked, but didn't love it.
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by Steve_G: --edit again-- just saw your post Lisa. Now that I know its there I will be reading it as soon as I can get my hands on it. Did you like it?
I did. It wasn't as good as the trilogy, but then I would have been surprised had it been.
I also liked his Prince in Waiting trilogy (though I haven't read it for like 20 years, so I don't remember much about it). Have you tried it?
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
quote:Hey Lisa, I have always loved Heinlein’s YA books - “Have Spacesuit, Will Travel” included.
I read HS,WT in Junior High and loved it (and laughed at the anachronisms such as using slide rules to calculate tourist trips to the moon), but unfortunately didn't read any more of Heinlein until I was an adult. I've read some more of his YA fic since then, and have enjoyed all that I've read.
Posted by twinky (Member # 693) on :
Blindsight, by Peter Watts.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Ooh, anything by Peter Watts. I think that he and Harry Waldrop tie for Best Author Almost No One Has Ever Heard Of.
Posted by Wonder Dog (Member # 5691) on :
Someone ties with Peter Watts as Best Author Almost No One Has Ever Heard Of?! I must find this "Harry Waldrop" and read his books...
I have grown from being a huge Monica Hughes fanboy as a child to becoming a huge Peter Watts fanboy as an adult. Long live Canadian Sci-fi!
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Man, I always get Waldrop's name wrong. It's Howard, not Harry. I don't know why I always do that with him.
In any case, Waldrop and Watts write very, very different stuff. Honestly, the only thing they have in common is that relatively few people have heard of either of them. Waldrop's body of work is composed almost entirely of qirky, meticulously researched, slightly off-balance short stories, though he has written 1 novel, Them Bones, and co-written another, The Texas Israeli War (which is very, very early and very, very rough. Not a good book).
If you're interested, a short story that he wrote in collaboration with Leigh Kennedy, "One Horse Town" is available in its entirity at that link. Note that it's two pages, by the way. The first page brings the story to what could be mistaken for a conclusion, so it's easy to miss.
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
I bought mine at a book fair, as well. It's a great book for an adult because you can get a good quality SF story read in a short time. Usually a "short time" is all I have!