Recommendations for Obscure(ish) authors.

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So, I was looking around in Barnes and Nobles the other day for Robin Hobb's stuff, and I realized that there are a ton of unknown authors that have written fantasy books. I mean, the shelves were packed with things that looked interesting but I had no idea who the authors were and didn't want to risk investing time and money on what could be a bad book. So I am asking you guys if there are any obscure or new authors that are not well known (like Salvatore or Erickson or Weiss) and are just as brilliant.

For my recommendation to you guys who might be looking for the similar type of author, I suggest Brandon Sanderson. He has written two brilliant novels entitled Elantris and Mistborn, which are well worth the money.

But yes, any recommendations for me? (Thank you )

 

He's not new but he's certainly underappreciated: Eric S Nylund. A Game of Universe is one of my favorite books of all time. His other fantasy novels include Dry Water which is not really conventional fantasy and Pawn's Dream which bears similarities to Zelazny's Amber series. I've also read his Halo novel, Halo: Fall of Reach. I don't play the game but it was good stuff, the Spartan training program reminded me a lot of Ender's Game.

I was just able to find a copy of Elantris, I'll start on it soon.

 

The Prince of Nothing Trilogy - R. Scott Bakker *
Midshipman's Hope - David Feintuch
The Iron Dragon's Daughter - Michael Swanwick *(actually, anything by this guy)
The Black Company - Glen Cook
Old Man's War - John Scalzi
Perdido Street Station - China Mieville *
Altered Carbon - Richard K. Morgan *
City of Saints and Madmen - Jeff Vandermeer
Light - M. John Harrison
The Book of the New Sun - Gene Wolfe +
Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell - Susanna Clarke +
Slant, Moving Mars - Greg Bear
Magic for Beginners - Kelly Link
Vellum - Hal Duncan +
Excession - Ian M. Banks *
The Lies of Locke Lamorra - Scott Lynch
The Dying Earth - Jack Vance
Blindsight - Peter Watts (available for free online; google it) +
The Real Story - Stephen R. Donaldson + (more brutality than you can shake a stick at)
The Golden Globe - John Varley

I could go on, but somehow I think that's enough.

* = the Lord your God commands you to read this at your earliest convenience.
+ = very good, but not for everyone

[ July 02, 2007, 13:22: Message edited by: AMaster ]

 

I would like to add John Gardner's Grendel and Hope Mirrlees's Lud in the Mist to the above list. Be sure to heed AMaster's wisdom and pick up Perdido Street Station since it is one of the most original examples of contemporary fantasy.

 

Bridge of Birds - Barry Hughart

 

I've tried to find Lud-in-mist and Bridge of Birds, they're REALLY hard to find.

Perdido Stret Station is really that good? I think that one's readily available around here. My friend's been pushing for Jonathon Strange for quite some time too..

 

Great book, without a doubt and very well-written. It is a good cut above most genre fiction. Still it seems an odd thing to think of John as an "obscure" writer. I had a Medieval Literature prof in college who was one of Gardner's graduate students at Northwestern. Her lectures on Beowulf and Chaucer were nothing short of astounding. She turned me on to everything John Gardner wrote, including his books on the craft of fiction.

 

Best to head to a used book store, pick a dozen books which seem interesting (it should cost you about a third what you'd pay at Barnes & Noble), and see if you like any author.

Also, if you like military fantasy, you might want to check the Baen free library (http://www.baen.com/library/). I like David Weber's books a lot. The nonmilitary stuff might be good too, for all I know.