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What's your favorite really obscure fantasy/sf novel?
(vanity) | Dec 13, 2013 | Me

Posted on 12/13/2013 8:49:04 PM PST by Kip Russell

Everybody (well, everybody who reads sf/fantasy) has their favorite novels in each genre...which are usually a bunch of other people's favorite novels as well. This only makes sense, since cream rises to the top.

But even so, there are plenty of obscure books that for whatever reason, never really caught on. They might well be great reads, but no one seems to have heard of them...so what's your favorite sf and fantasy novel that still lies in not-so-deserved obscurity?

With any luck, we'll all discover a bunch of great books that we've never heard of before!

I'll start off with mine: for sf, "The Killing Star" by Charles Pellegrino and George Zebrowski.

In the late 21st Century, our solar system is attacked by aliens using "relativity missiles"...boulder-sized hunks of metal accelerated to 90% of the speed of light. Thousands of them. 99.9999% of humanity is wiped out in a few hours. There's no need for a spoiler warning, this happens in the first 20 pages. The rest of the novel follows the desperate struggle of the few survivors spread throughout the solar system.

For fantasy, "A Personal Demon" by Richard Brown, David Bischoff, and Linda Richardson.

When Willis Baxter, a frustrated professor at a New England university with a penchant for drink and remarkable talent for failure in romantic relationships, got too drunk at his own party, unexpected results ensued. Instead of just impressing his guests with his knowledge of obscure magic rituals, he summoned an absolutely stunning female half-demon, Anathae. The demon, who looks like a naked sixteen year-old redhead with small horns, hooves and a tasteful tail, has been unhappy in Hell, and is extremely grateful to her "liberator". Luckily, most guests attribute the summoning to a party trick, with amusement value pretty much divided by gender.

Hilarity ensues. "I Dream of Jeannie" meets Faust...


TOPICS: Books/Literature
KEYWORDS: fantasy; pages; sciencefiction; scifi; sf
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To: DBrow

“A Canticle For Liebowicz”

Sigh, this book is not obscure, but it is to me. I have wanted to read this book ever since I read about it in “Seventeen” Magazine years ago.

I forget about it for years, then remember it (like now); I try and take it out from the library, all copies are taken; I try and buy it at the bookstore - sold out! Look for it on kindle - not available.

Will this book change my life if I ever get to read it?


61 posted on 12/13/2013 9:22:29 PM PST by jocon307
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To: DBrow; ZOOKER
Please do not forget Wyndham's The Midwich Cuckoos, which has been done and redone in so many ways. For my money, the best straight rendition of the book (though still far short of the novel) was the 1960 film, Village of the Damned.

John Carpenter had a late remake, which proved [yet again] that while he did some decent horror, he knew nothing about science fiction.

62 posted on 12/13/2013 9:23:00 PM PST by FredZarguna (Wink wink. Nudge nudge. Know what I mean? Know what I mean?)
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To: All
The moat in Gods eye, for science fiction. Same two writers Lucifer's hammer don't remember their names.
63 posted on 12/13/2013 9:23:37 PM PST by goat granny
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To: Kip Russell

They might not fit this category but I’ll suggest the ‘Doc Savage’ pulps from the 1930’s and 1940’s written by Lester Dent. Good stuff!!


64 posted on 12/13/2013 9:23:45 PM PST by bobby.223 (Retired up in the snowy mountains of the American Redoubt and it's a GREAT life!)
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To: DBrow

I read “The Iron Dream” in 7th grade. It absolutely blew my mind.


65 posted on 12/13/2013 9:24:05 PM PST by henkster (Communists never negotiate.)
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To: henkster

Man, Kelly Freas was a great artist!


66 posted on 12/13/2013 9:24:06 PM PST by Kip Russell (Be wary of strong drink. It can make you shoot at tax collectors -- and miss. ---Robert A. Heinlein)
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To: Kip Russell

The Outlaw of Torn, be Edgar Rice Burrows.


67 posted on 12/13/2013 9:25:06 PM PST by Freedom_Is_Not_Free (Free goodies for all -- Freedom for none.)
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To: Bon of Babble

Lovecraft was Stephen King’s muse/motivator.


68 posted on 12/13/2013 9:25:13 PM PST by txhurl
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To: Kip Russell
Dunno if you'd consider it obscure, but I loved Harry Harrison's Stainless Steel Rat series. Slan by Van Vogt, although that's more classic than obscure. Glen Cook has an outrageously good "Garrett, P.I." series that is a tough detective noir in a fantasy world. Great stuff.
69 posted on 12/13/2013 9:25:17 PM PST by Billthedrill
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To: jocon307

“Will this book change my life if I ever get to read it?”

Yes. There are many levels. Come on over and borrow mine!


70 posted on 12/13/2013 9:25:21 PM PST by DBrow
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To: Bon of Babble; Ruy Dias de Bivar

No, there’s a steady undercurrent of Lovecraft. I was surprised both of my sons discovered him through friends, with no encouragement from me. Considering how unspeakably awful film treatments of his works have been, his durability is remarkable.


71 posted on 12/13/2013 9:25:27 PM PST by FredZarguna (Wink wink. Nudge nudge. Know what I mean? Know what I mean?)
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To: goat granny
His writing of the old west ARE the best.

Love this book, my favorite L'amour, War Party


72 posted on 12/13/2013 9:25:27 PM PST by Bon of Babble (Don't want to brag...but I can still fit into the earrings I wore in high school!!)
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To: goat granny
The moat in Gods eye, for science fiction. Same two writers Lucifer's hammer don't remember their names.

Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle. Not obscure (it was nominated for a Hugo), but an excellent book!

73 posted on 12/13/2013 9:25:47 PM PST by Kip Russell (Be wary of strong drink. It can make you shoot at tax collectors -- and miss. ---Robert A. Heinlein)
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To: goat granny

Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle


74 posted on 12/13/2013 9:25:56 PM PST by henkster (Communists never negotiate.)
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To: goat granny

Niven and Pournelle


75 posted on 12/13/2013 9:26:09 PM PST by DBrow
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To: Kip Russell

Is “Hammer’s Slammers” obscure?


76 posted on 12/13/2013 9:26:11 PM PST by Freedom_Is_Not_Free (Free goodies for all -- Freedom for none.)
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To: Kip Russell
I don't really have favorites, I'm not soo sure how obscure this is either

Can anyone else see that?

77 posted on 12/13/2013 9:26:23 PM PST by GeronL (Extra Large Cheesy Over-Stuffed Hobbit)
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To: Kip Russell

Just now reading “If at Faust You Don’t Succeed” by
by Roger Zelazny and Robert Sheckley. It definitely fits all of your criteria (obscure, fantasy and SF). Good, too.


78 posted on 12/13/2013 9:28:23 PM PST by bigbob (The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly. Abraham Lincoln)
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To: Kip Russell

I don’t know if this counts as obscure since I’m not a big sci-fi person but one book I really liked was “No Blade of Grass” by John Christopher. (You can buy it used on Amazon where I just went to look up the author’s name.)

My first boyfriend, a huge sci-fi fan bought it for me as an “easy” example of the genre years ago. I don’t remember the story, but I do remember I enjoyed it very much.

More recently hubby got me “The White Plague” by Herbert, which he always said was one of his faves.

Still like No Blade of Grass better, as of now.


79 posted on 12/13/2013 9:29:01 PM PST by jocon307
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To: Kip Russell

The “Ace Doubles” were great sci-fi books.


80 posted on 12/13/2013 9:31:15 PM PST by henkster (Communists never negotiate.)
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