OBSCURE books or authors you love

[Argent]

This is inspired by the "books or authors you love" thread. There are a lot of authors and novels that get mentioned over and over there -- and for good reason. But what about the obscure books and authors you love, that nobody seems to have heard of other than you? The ones where you mention their names and people **** their heads in puzzlement. It's time these people get their due, people!

I nominate House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Leaves). Never heard of it before a few years ago, picked it up at a discount bookstore for next to nothing, and WOW. Horror without the booga-booga, intricately interwoven storylines and a sense of creeping doom. The kind of book you truly should be reading under the covers with a flashlight.

Also Michael Moorcock's Prince with the Silver Hand series. Moorcock is well-known, but mostly for his Elric series. This series focuses on Corum of the Silver Hand, another incarnation of the Eternal Champion, and his struggles against the Mabden who threaten to take over his beloved homeland. Bargains with mad gods, epic battles, wisecracking sidekicks... awesome stuff.

What other authors and novels do you love that nobody else ever seems to have heard of?

[El Jaspero, the Pirate King]

I am a big fan of Russel Hoban's Riddley Walker. It's set in a post-apocalyptic world, but that's just the setting. It's a brilliant thought experiment about a society and a language being rebuilt. I've read it three times and now, thinking about it makes me want to reread it again.

[Mr Croup]

One, hooray for metafiction and House of Leaves.

Two, an extra big hooray for Riddley Walker. It's definitely an underappreciated novel. It's such an interesting tale, and the style of writing is fantastic. Defintely an interesting look at language.

Right, had to get that out of the way.

In the world of non-fiction, I'm a huge fan of Speed Tribes, by Karl Taro Greenfeld. It's a collection of essays about various different youth subcultures in modern Japan, from bike gangs to ultra nationalist youth movements. It really explores a side of Japan that most people have no knowledge of, and is a fantastic read.

For fiction, I really have enjoyed the books of Arturo Perez Reverte that I've read, those being The Flanders Panel and The Club Dumas. Interesting mysteries, indepth and well researched and worth picking up.

I'm also a continual proponent of Johnathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, by Susanna Clarke. I'm surprised that I haven't run into more people that have read it. A wonderful period piece set during the Napoleanic War, and a different take on fantasy than the normal pulp. Probably one of my top ten books.

The Tales of the Otori series, by Lian Hearn are amazing. Set in a culture based on feudal Japan, they are a wonderful trilogy of extremely low fantasy books.

[Alarra]

House of Leaves is great fun.

As for obscure? I don't really know what I'd classify as 'obscure' .... but in any case, most books I read aren't really very obscure.

I'm going to head away from fantasy/sci-fi into my current genre of choice....memoirs.

Anyone read 'Running with Scissors' or 'Dry' by Augusten Burroughs? He is one of the most fun and witty writers I've come across and his life is absolutely fascinating. I mean, it takes a pretty darn good author to make you laugh out loud every page or so, while telling a story of his recovery from nearly fatal alcoholism.

A Girl Named Zippy, by Haven Kimmel is a very good book as well, very funny, sarcastic, and cute.

Devil in the Details, by Jennifer Traig is what I'm currently reading and is an amusing story of extreme scrupolosity and ocd. She's an excellent writer.

Goat, by oh who was that by? I can't recall....is a very interestng memoir.

Of course everyone loves David Sedaris, but he's by no means obscure.

And hmm.....that's enough I suppose. Go pack you! *skuttles off*

[The Prince of Cats]

I'm also a continual proponent of Johnathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, by Susanna Clarke. I'm surprised that I haven't run into more people that have read it. A wonderful period piece set during the Napoleanic War, and a different take on fantasy than the normal pulp. Probably one of my top ten books.

I second that. I am halfway through and I just cannot believe how unique it is. Truly, I have never read a book like it. No single element is unique but the way she combines them...

Art...

[The_Logic_Ninja]

Jonathan Strane & Mister Norrell is *wonderfully* British.


My favorite author, Guy Gavriel Kay, seems to be remarkably obscure.
Which is sad, because he writes incredibly beautiful, bittersweet things.

[Closet_Skeleton]

I don't read enough books. Last two books I read where Fahrenhiet 451 (not really obscure, I've read it twice at least) and Foucault's Pendulum (which I don't know how obscure it is).

I read the Illuminatus! Trillogy once, that might be considered obscure.

The problem with me trying to post in an obscure books thread is that you have to talk to people who read books to learn which are obscure. I may of heard about tons of books at lot of people don't know about and not know it myself.

[Monkeypaws]

Most books I read these days are technical manuals or modern sci-fi/fantasy that everyone else is reading.

I did read Jennifer Government by Max Berry a few years back. Not a bad read.

[waspsmakejam]

One of my favourite books is

"And To My Nephew Albert I Leave The Island What I Won Off Fatty Hagan In a Poker Game" by David Forrest.

Very, very funny.

[Starla]

My favorite author, Guy Gavriel Kay, seems to be remarkably obscure.
Which is sad, because he writes incredibly beautiful, bittersweet things.

My aunt refered a book to me by him...what was it? Dangerous Island or ...(google)...it was The Summer Tree. cool

I got into Terry Pratchett recently thanks to everyone's recommendations but as a child I really ejoyed reading Babysitters' Club, Midnight in the Dollhouse, Jane of Lantern Hill (same authoress that wrote Anne of Green Gables series), Work and the Glory series, and as a young adult I have really enjoyed the Pern Series, Acorna Series, and Pegasus Series by Anne McCapphrey.

In school my favorites were East of Eden, Our Town and Franny and Zoey

[The_Logic_Ninja]

My aunt refered a book to me by him...what was it? Dangerous Island or ...(google)...it was The Summer Tree.

Read it. And the other two in that series. They're his first and not his best, but still amazing, and with some utterly incredible moments. The start, when they transition to Fionavar, is the weakest point, but the whole thing is incredibly beautiful.

Then read Tigana, which is considered his best.

[Genome]

The Giggler Treatment, by Roddy Doyle. Sure, it's a kid's book, but I was a kid when I read it. Very random comedy. :)

[Zeful]

My favorite obscure author (at least I think he's obcsure...) is John Peel. He has two great series, Diadem Worlds of Magic, and 2099. The first has a great cosmology/interdimesntional thingy. And the second is in the future (Dun dun duuuun!)

[Spuddly]

Harry Potter was pretty good.

[The_Logic_Ninja]

Harry Potter was pretty good.

1) Not really.

2) Harry Potter is obscure?

[Thray]

My favorite obscure author (at least I think he's obcsure...) is John Peel. He has two great series, Diadem Worlds of Magic, and 2099. The first has a great cosmology/interdimesntional thingy. And the second is in the future (Dun dun duuuun!)

Dude! I don't know anyone else who's read Diadem! I've read the first six, do you know if that's the whole series?

[LordOfNarf]

My favorite obscure books are The Septimus Heap series (currently Magyk and Flyte) by Angie Sage, I'm not sure how obscure these actully are, but I'm going to assume they count since I never have met anyone else who's read them.

i also completely loved The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks, Its his first book, and Athe first in the fourth realm trilogy, and i really loved it.

[The Prince of Cats]

I know she is not a particularly obscure writer but I find an alarming number of people have never heard of Diana Wynne-Jones and that makes me sad.

I mean, how many other children's writers can write a book about a shameless womaniser and still not seem inappropriate for younger readers. (Howl's Moving Castle, the book rather than the Anime which shares its name and a few elements of the plot)

[Beleriphon]

1) Not really.

2) Harry Potter is obscure?

For those of living under rocks certainly. Good, they get progressivly better, but I'd never call them literature.

For obscure, I enjoyed House of Leave. Very strange. I really liked Tad Williams Otherland series. Not alot of people seem to have heard of that one.

[Charity]

Jonathan Strane & Mister Norrell is *wonderfully* British.

Hmm if you liked that then try The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

On the obscure front

Anything by Dave Gorman is good, but an all time old favorite is Milk, Sulphate and Alby Starvation by Martin Millar it's a great read.

Edited for greater clarity and thread relevance

[Closet_Skeleton]

Funny, I wouldn't consider Anne McCathrey (can't spell), The Curious incident of the dog in the night time or Diana Wynne Jones as obscure at all.

The only people I know who've read Otherland are my parents, my brother and his girlfriend.

[AmbrMerlinus]

I think The Blue Girl by Charles deLint is pretty obscure, but that might be just because I hang around with a lot of illiterate people IRL.

[Charity]

I find Charles DeLints work tends to get a bit... samey after a while. Don't get me wrong I have enjoyed his novels it is just that after the first three or four you read the pattern forms in your mind and you can no longer approach it with the same ... enthusiasm.
I feel the same about quite a few authors in fact, most notably the afore mentioned Anne McCathrey and Terry Pratchett. Their work is rather depressingly formulaic IMHO.

[Alarra]

For obscure, I enjoyed House of Leave. Very strange. I really liked Tad Williams Otherland series. Not alot of people seem to have heard of that one.

With as many of us as have now mentioned house of leaves.....i can't see that it can be considered obscure ;)

But yes, the Otherland series.....liked that too.

[waspsmakejam]

I know she is not a particularly obscure writer but I find an alarming number of people have never heard of Diana Wynne-Jones and that makes me sad.

I mean, how many other children's writers can write a book about a shameless womaniser and still not seem inappropriate for younger readers. (Howl's Moving Castle, the book rather than the Anime which shares its name and a few elements of the plot)

My favourite Diana Wynne-Jones book is "Power of Three", although I'm also very fond of the Chrestomanci books.

[Were-Sandwich]

H.P. Lovecraft is pretty obscure outside Nerddom. Those are some of the best books ever written.

[Sedated_Freak]

I really love Lovecraft's works as well. A lot of the time there is a little description, but I think it is more the feel, imagination and atmosphere that make his books so enjoyable.

I also really enjoy Bill tha Galactic Hero (and sequals). They are very long books, but are so very easy to read, and funny as anything (dare I say it...more funny than THHGTTG?)

[Muffin_Mage]

John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces is pretty good. IT won a Pulitzer prize, but not only will I not hold that against it, but I'd never heard of it until I came across it in Barnes and Noble.

The only other obscure authors I can think of are obscure only in the sense that I don't know anyone else who's heard of them, namely:

Roger Zelazny- the Chronicles of Amber
Julian May- Intervention and Galactic Milleu trilogy, and something about the Pliocene Epoch.

Also, the Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse was good. I can't think of the author offhand.

And Robert/Roger Aspirin (Can't think of the name offhand, and I confuse the two first names anyway.) He writes a pretty neat series of light comic fantasy- lots of puns and potshots. I only picked up one of his books because Phil Foglio did the illustrations, and as anyone who's played Magic when it was actually Magic and not utter crap knows, Phil Foglio = win.

[Bookman]

John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces is pretty good. IT won a Pulitzer prize, but not only will I not hold that against it, but I'd never heard of it until I came across it in Barnes and Noble.
.

AGHhhhhhhhhhhhhhh BURN THAT BOOK!!! It's HORRIBLE. I HATED every MOMENT of it

[Thray]

John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces is pretty good. IT won a Pulitzer prize, but not only will I not hold that against it, but I'd never heard of it until I came across it in Barnes and Noble.

The only other obscure authors I can think of are obscure only in the sense that I don't know anyone else who's heard of them, namely:

Roger Zelazny- the Chronicles of Amber

I'm reading through the series now. I wasn't under the impression that it was obscure; a few of my friends have read it too. It is fun, though.