What's your favorite really obscure fantasy/sf novel?

(vanity) | Dec 13, 2013 | Me

[Marak]

I’d get banned for answering ;)

[FredZarguna]

Gully Foyle is my name,
Terra is my nation.
Deep space is my dwelling place,
The Stars My Destination.

[Alfred Bester, 1956]

[Bon of Babble]

Short story: "The Portable Phonograph by Walter Van Tilburg Clark Difficult to find, It is included in this anthology: I have an old ripped up copy that I literally guard with my life.

I had the Encyclopedia Britannica short film at one time to that has (alas) been lost over the years. Wonderful, wonderful short story. Ones by Ray Bradbury aren't bad either (my very favorite SciFi author).

[henkster]

[Kip Russell]

This is my main one: (John DeChancie's "Starrigger")

Excellent choice! I've read that series at least 4 times, and it's very obscure!

[sauron]

Hiero's Journey and its sequel, The Unforsaken Hiero by the late Sterling Lanier.

A post-apocalyptic Earth, set 5,000 years in the future. Civilization is just starting to reform, each in its own isolated area, but humans (and some animals, like bear, beaver, etc.) have developed psionics. Mental attacks and defenses are frequent in the book. There is Evil in the form of a branch of humanity that revels in mental techniques that are not used by Good.

Anyway, a small civilized enclave up in north central Kanda (Canada) sends an explorer-warrior/telepath-priest to the distant south (former USA) to locate a "computer," to find out if it can help them. Civilization, you see, is under siege, and might become stillborn, as there seems to be a coordinated assault on civilizational enclaves.

A rollicking good read if you like action. My wife loved it. My son loves it, so it crosses generational boundaries.

Also, most any of the short stories by Lord Dunsany.

[DBrow]

So here is a puzzle. I don’t remember the title or author, but it had a parrot-like creature that lived on diamonds, and unitron field pistols, a planet that was city to the core (completely artificial planet) and an assassination plot. Anyone remember?

[goat granny]

Frenchmans Creek, by Daphne Demoura (spelled wrong) written the the last 30, or early 40’s. Don't remember. Mom gave it to me to read, I gave it to my daughter, she gave it to her daughter, (my granddaughter) We all loved it and read it more than one time.. Its falling apart.

[gitmo]

[Bon of Babble]

Great to see a shout out to Lovecraft. He was very popular when I was in college back in the 70s and a lot of us read (and loved) his work. Pretty obscure today, I don’t know anyone who has read his books.

[DBrow]

Here’s a non-obscure Godwin: “The Cold Equations”.

I liked The Survivors a lot.

[Stonewall Jackson]

This was one of the first David Weber novels that I ever read. I found it at Fort Knox's Barr Library and read it in less than a day. Since then I've gotten my own copy and have read it at least two more times.

I also recommend "Path of the Fury" and/or its expanded version, "In Fury Born".

[DBrow]

I read that!

[50sDad]

Heinlein’s “Farnam’s Freehold”. Truer every day.

[DBrow]

The Witches of Karres

[henkster]

[Kip Russell]

Hiero's Journey

First real science fiction novel I ever read (I think I was eight)!

[Bon of Babble]

Will look it up. My favorite Ray Bradbury short story is The Emissary I believe it is in October Country:

[eyedigress]

I bought that book for my brother in 1980. I never saw it again.

[Stonewall Jackson]

Is this the same Keith Laumer who wrote the “Bolo” books?