Have you ever read a book and thought, "Man, that was great, that's got to be a great classic" and discover you're like, the only person in the universe who's read it? I have. I feel very alone in this situation. So if you know of great books that no one has read but everyone should, post about it here!

#1 The Riddle-Master of Hed by Patricia A. McKellip. And the sequels. Seriously, all of her books are awesome. Some of my favorite books ever. I've read them more times than I've ever read anything, and I'm not a big repeat reader. (I only read LotR twice.) But I've already started a thread ranting about that.

#2 - The Lost Art by Simon Morden
Science fiction but still! I picked this up at Big Lots of all places. It was so seriously cool, and for a modern science fiction book it was actually pretty much clean! The characters were very original and extremely likable and the technology was cool. As bonus points, it was set in a futuristic earth that very much resembled the middle ages. (A futuristic dark age so to speak.)

#3 - The Adventures of Lucky Starr by Isaac Asimov
Okay, okay, that's two science fiction books on a fantasy forum. Sorry.
I love Lucky Starr. Isaac Asimov wrote hundreds of books, only six of them were Lucky Starr books. Why??? Why couldn't there be a few dozen like most series'? Because this is a much better series than anything else like it! I like it so much I'm going to write the next three and call the "The New Adventures of the Lucky Starr." I've got plots for them already too. But I seem to be alone in my love for this particular series; although it's slightly more well known than my previous mentions, none of the reviews I've read seem to act like it's anything that great.

Okay, I'm done. For now. What about the rest of you? What obscure, unknown books have you picked up by chance and loved?

OK, I'll throw my favorites into the ring

1) All of Jules Vernes' stuff
Seriously, even his obscure works are really good. Like 'An Antarctic Mystery' 'The Hidden City' (I always forget this one's name), 'From the Earth to the Moon' and then of course his classics like '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' and all the other well-known ones.

2) G.A. Henty
I've only read one of his books, but he's written like fifty adventure books. The one I read was really good, and I've started several others but haven't finished them because of lack of time. Still, they're pretty good.

3) The Children of Hurin - J.R.R. Tolkien
I read this in a friend's personal collection, and it's really cool...more Middle Earth stuff! I can see why it's not as well known as LoTR (it's not as good XD) but still it's great book and I really enjoyed reading it. But no one has ever heard of it, it seems.


eruheran

I've read a great deal of Jules Verne, including From the Earth to the Moon. I've read less G.H. Henty, but I like what I've read. And I've heard of and even seen the Children of Hurin, but considering I've failed twice to read the Simarillion it didn't interest me.

Oh geez, I usually stay on the beaten path, I'm kinda pathetic like that
Eruheran, (it's so annoying how I can't just call you Eru, but that'd be really odd so I just have to type your whole name. Sigh.) I really want to read The Children of Hurin, I just can't find it anywhere! I suppose after your recommendation I'll seek it all the more vigorously.

I read a lovely book a little while ago called The Great Wide Sea by M.H. Herlong. It was kind of a classic "Stranded on a desert island" story, but there was some lovely family stuff in there. The mother had died and the father was slowly fading away from his children, so the oldest boy had to assume a parental position, but the dad basically decided that he's going to be the dad again. It had some really lovely and realistic emotion, and though I usually don't care for this genre I really enjoyed it.

While it's no way unknown (just unappreciated) I have to put in a recommendation for Much Ado About Nothing by...... (you might never have heard of him) Willy Shake. It's what made me truly start to appreciate Shakespeare, and is hilarious.

Erm, oh darn, I can't think of anything else. Ah yes (this guy is really obscure) The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. Perhaps you've heard of him? Those who are comfortable with LotR and are allowed to read it but haven't deserve to be soundly smacked.

And oh, this was really sweet, Bilbo's Last Song. It takes all of a minute to read, I read it spur of the moment while in the bookstore, but it's really sweet and heartwarming and so Bilbo.

Also, Banner in the Sky by James Ramsey Ullman. It is so good, about a young boy (actually a teenager) dreaming to be a mountain climber and living in a small mountain town. It's very good, it has family, adventure, tales of dreams fulfilled, and most of all a Not Perfect ending.

OOOOOH! I read Banner in the Sky and couldn't have hated it more! Sorry, but I just didn't like it. I've met other people who loved it, but it's just not the sort of book that I enjoy.

I read another mountain climbing book I really liked called Peak. The only concern of mine about that book is all the bad language. But it's a good book if you like to read about a kid who climbs mount Everest after going to juvenile court for climbing skyscrapers.

I didn't read Banner in the Sky but I watched the movie. (Which is called something else.)
I've read everything Shakespeare ever wrote twice. Same goes for LotR.

I love G.A. Henty's books, and I've read quite a few, as my grandpa has a whole bunch and lets me borrow them, and I own three or four. Beric the Briton is my favorite.

Other than that, I don't read many obscure books. Actually, I don't read many books. I wish I could read more, but good ones are hard to find.

InTheLion'sPaws, my local library, despite its lack of other classic books, has Children of Hurin! Though, I suppose that doesn't help you much in your search for it...

I love G.A. Henty's works! Beric the Briton is my favorite too. Does anyone else like to listen to them on tape?
I've also read CoH. It was a little depressing at times, but very good.
I can't think of any other obscure works I've read... I can sympathize with IntheLion'sPaws in pathetic-ness!

I really like The Children of Hurin, I also have read some of G.A. Henty's books and I liked them pretty well. Has anyone ever heard of the Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander? They are pretty good and they are written for a younger audience so they are a quick read, but still interesting and well-written.

Ooh, I forgot of some. I'm not sure how totally obscure these are but I've only ever met people who've read them online, never in real life. That either means they're obscure or only internet geeks read them. Anyways, they're called the Zion Chronicles by Bodie Theone. Actually, the sequel/semi-related series called the Zion Convenant is even better than the Chronicles. There's about seven books in each series, I think, and they're long (about four hundred fifty pages each) but Bodie Theone has the best plots and characters I've ever read.

I can't believe I forgot about those books. Where does my mind go? Anyways, I first read those when I was nine or ten and I still really like them. They're historical fiction, and about WWII and the Holocaust/Israeli independence. Seriously, if you can find them you should read them.

eruheran

The Prydain Chronicles are all right. I hated the ending.

I may possibly have read one book in the series you're talking about, Eruheran. I don't remember the name of it, but I thought it was in the middle of a trilogy, I'm pretty sure it had something to do with Zion and I know it involved Jerusalem. It was a while ago.

Has nobody mentioned Smith of Wooten Major? It's probably the greatest Faery tale ever told. Not fairy. Faery.

It's quirky, whimsical, and very much like Tolkien's other works.

Neil, I really like Smith of Wooten Major. I think I'm going to need to go re-read it.

What about The Princess and the Goblin and The Princess and Curdie by George MacDonald (a 19th century author who majorly inspired CS Lewis)?

Aha. Now we are getting into obscure. Obscure meaning no one else has mentioned it and no one knows what you're talking about. Old and obscure is even better because it means people like Eruheran can read them online for free because they're out of the public domain.

Is Robin Hood by Paul Creswick obscure? It's out of copyright.

Yes, it is definitely obscure. It's out of copyright???? This I did not know! That is my favorite version of Robin Hood, ever. But when I mention it everyone usually stares at me blankly...

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/28700/28 ... 8700-h.htm

I won't stare blankly at you! I just finished it today, and loved it! Robin o' th' Hood's adventures have now become one of my favorite.

Yay for obscure out of copyright books!

Sarah, what about the Princess and the Key...wasn't that the third one or am I getting mixed up again? George MacDonald is a great author but sometimes his theology can be off the mark. But I liked The Princess and the Key unfortunately that's the only one I've read by him. Are they available online?

eruheran

Oh, here we go: http://www.phantastes.net/. It has The Princess and the Goblin and The Lost Princess by George MacDonald available online. I think I actually read The Lost Princess. Is that the one about the two girls or something like that? (It was quite a while ago I read it. )

But wait, I thought Phantastes was a work of C.S. Lewis? No. It was MacDonald. Never mind.

eruheran

Free public domain books are great! You can get them so many places now (amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, gutenberg.org)...in pretty much any e-book format. It's nice, even when they're so old and obscure no one else knows them.



Hmmm, I haven't read The Lost Princess. I'll have to check that one out. I wonder if there is also a third book (after The Princess and Curdie), I'd like to read it, if so!

I see you found several of MacDonald's books online already, but Amazon has all of them (I'm pretty sure) available for free as Kindle e-books. You don't have to have the Kindle, you can just download the software and read to your heart's content. And I agree with you about the theology...for sure, you always want to use discernment regarding theology, even if the author was a minister (like MacDonald).

I've read all of the Prydain Chronicles (more than once I think...not sure) and enjoyed them. I thought the ending went rather well in my opinion. I think I first heard about them when Disney made an animated movie very loosely based on the Black Cauldron (it had elements from several books tossed in and mangled).
As a young kid, I watched an animated movie called The Princess and The Goblins, which I loved dearly. Not sure if it's connected to MacDonald's book or not. Never read anything by him, I'll have to check out some of the ebooks when I get time (aka Christmas). My family got Flag Across the Sky from somewhere, but I never read it.

Anyone ever read Savage Sam? It's the sequel to Old Yeller. My mom read it to us as kids and we liked it. Also, are there any Hank the Cowdog fans in the group? I know these aren't fantasy, but a good book is a good book. I've read a lot, some obscure, some not but most of the obscure books I can think of were good, but not awesome. Oh! I just thought of some! Has anyone ever heard of The Winds of Light series by Sigmund Brouwer? I loved those books when I was a kid, and they're sorta in the fantasy family. His Accidental Detectives were pretty good too. Oh then there's just about anything by Lee Roddy (not sure if it's two d's or one). And I've read almost everything by a guy named Terry Brooks, though most of his stuff can be kinda heavy when it comes to his characters' internal struggles, which can give the books a dark vibe. Oh! And I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Tolkien's "Leaf by Niggle". I just read it online a few weeks ago and enjoyed it immensely. And there's a book called the Goblin Wood by Hilari Bell which portrays Goblins in a very unique light, but the main character is a hedgewitch, which might bother some people.

Looks like I'll have to do some more obscure reading in order to catch up. :P
In Christ,
Jordan

*gasp* I'm going to love this thread.

I eagerly second the recommendations for Smith of Wooton Major and Leaf By Niggle. Another Tolkien short story which isn't so obviously beautiful but charming nonetheless is Farmer Giles of Ham.

Enemy Brothers by Constance Savery is one of my top ten favorites, but I can count on my hand the number of people I know who recognize it.

The Man Who Was Thursday by G. K. Chesterton. It's surreal but rich, in both a spiritual and literary sense.

Watch Fires to the North by George Finkel (which I just mentioned in another thread). It's a historically accurate Arthurian retelling that gives me goosebumps from the first sentence.

(Oh! Paul Creswick's Robin Hood is my favorite version too! I was lucky enough to find a copy with gorgeous illustrations by N. C. Wyeth.)

::jealous:: The e-book I linked to has the illustrations by N. C. Wyeth, but they look a whole lot better when one can see the whole thing at once... I know from the various Henty books I've read. :: wanders off to pout::





(j/k about the pouting.)

The illustrations were one of the really cool things about that book. They were beautiful.

Some really good books here! I should look these up!

Oh, what about that other G.K. Chesterton book...hmm...I forget the title. :P It was about imagination and joy and someone who was crazy and yet perfectly sane. I forgot the title.

Hey, someone who actually recognizes the Winds of Light books! I have six of them - Amazon says that there once were eight but neither these books nor the compilations (Magnus or Wings of Dawn) are still in print.

I'm also very familiar with Lee Roddy's books, particularly the Hawaii ones. Used to have a lot of them.

And I third the recommendations for Leaf by Niggle. Lady Meriwen, I loved Farmer Giles of Ham...it makes me smile every time I think of the farmer and his blunderbuss. Pretty much anything by Tolkien is good. What about Roverandum, his story of the little dog?

In the spirit of keeping up my obscure reading skills, I'm going to have to look up some of the other books on this thread, like Robin Hood and Watch Fires to the North. So many books!

I have been wanting to read the Restorer trilogy for a while now, but I haven't been able to get my hands on a copy. :P Maybe I'll get it for Christmas.

Hmm... Has anyone heard of the Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Pewterson, or The Fiddler's Gun by A.S. Peterson? I actually haven't read The Fiddler's Gun but I want to. I can't think of any more at the moment... Tolkien's "short" stories are really good.

I’ve read all the Henty books (love them!). The Zion Chronicles and their sequels are good, but I figured they were more widely read. I don’t know. I loved the Princess and the Goblin as a little girl! I even saw the movie (multiple times!).

Okay anyone read the Wilder King Trilogy? Amazing!!! Completely funny throughout its entirety.

Viking Quest! Love Bree, even as a slave she has an independent, feisty spirit but a gentle hand. I love how the saga ends!

I’m not sure how many Lamplighter fans we have, but the Hidden Hand, Ishmael, and Ishmael’s sequel Self Raised are some of my all time favorites! They’ve been out of print since the 1800’s but have been reprinted by Lamplighter. If you haven't read them then you've got too. You're missing out big time!

I keep telling you all, I’m an avid reader! I’ve got tones of book I could pull out of the dust for you!

I've read the Wilderking Trilogy! I LOVE it! Feechies are neat. There's another book about them coming out in October, I think.

No way! I haven't heard that yet. I need to do some checking in, I'm out of the loop!

The first chapter is on the author's blog. I've read it, but it was a link from my sister, I don't know the url of the blog, sorry. :P

::Pouting::

I've tried to get a hold of the Wilder King series, but our library doesn't have them.

Um...obscure, awesome books that no one else has heard of...Well, I have no doubt I've read some, but many aren't fantasy. Most are historical fiction. Here's some:

-Crown Duel & Court Duel by Sherwood Smith
Genre: fantasy
Note: I really like Sherwood Smith's writing style. I've read a few of her other books as well.

-Mara: Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
Genre: historical fiction (Egypt)
Note: I loved this book because of its many twists and turns making it a sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat to know what's going to happen next!

-The Legend of Lady Illena & Lady Illena: Way of the Warrior by Patricia Malone
Genre: historical fiction

-The Bonemender, The Bonemender's Oath, and The Bonemender's Choice by Holly Bennett
Genre: fantasy

-Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
Genre: fantasy
Note: I also like Shannon Hale's writing style and have read a few of her other books as well.

-I Am The Great Horse by Katherine Roberts
Genre: historical fiction (written from a horse's point of view)
Note: I loved this book more than I thought I was going to! It's about Alexander the Great and his horse, Bucephalus. Bucephlus narrates the story. It's really awesome!

-Sister to the Wolf by Maxime Trottier
Genre: historical fiction

-Rowan Hood: Outlaw Girl of Sherwood Forest, Lionclaw:A Tale of Rowan Hood, Wild Boy: A Tale of Rowan Hood, and Rowan Hood Returns: The final chapter by Nancy Springer
Genre: historic/fantasy
Note: I've listed all the books in order. It's a fun Robin Hood "what if he had a daughter" story.

-The Glass Harmonica by Louise Marly
Genre: science fiction
Note: This book was incredibly interesting along with expertly weaving in the history of the glass armonica/harmonica within the story!

-Annie, Between the States
Genre: historical fiction

That's about all I've got for now.

I enjoyed The Prydain Chronicles and The Princess and the Goblin. It's also nice to see a mention of The Man Who Was Thursday, which is quite a unique reading experience.

Has anyone read the Forbidden Doors series by Bill Myers, which uses horror to illustrate spiritual warfare in an entertaining way? It's good fun, if you like Christian horror.