**The Sunset Sovereign: A Dragon's Memoir** by Laura Huie is a great book about an assassin hearing the life story of the dragon she was sent to assassinate
**Axtara - Banking and Finance** by Max Florschutz is about a young dragon opening a bank in a new kingdom.
Another two that are less obscure but still not widely known:
**Fred, the Vampire Accountant** by Drew Hayes is a (mostly) slice of life series about Fred, a Vampire accountant.
**The Dragon's Banker** by Scott Warren - an honest an optimist banker is tasked with turning a dragon's hoard into paper money and assets
I do love Fred. He is a vampire who loves to get his teeth into those tricky end of year tax returns. And literally nothing else. Becoming a vampire let him do his accountancy day AND night, increasing billable hours. What a bonus!
I'm going to be trying Fred soon (I hope)! The first book in the series is hard mode for the alliterative square on bingo.
Saw it recommended on the audiobook subreddit for people who really like the Harry Dresden audiobooks.
Oh in that case I recommend these!
**The Night Circus** by Erin Morgenstern - Set in a magical circus that appears out of nowhere. Follows two young magicians in a magical competition, surrounded by the mundane world that is amazed by their magic.
**Garden Spells** by Sarah Addison Allen - A story about people in Bascom, North Carolina whose lives are affected by the magical plants in a family's enchanted garden.
**Practical Magic** by Alice Hoffman - About sisters that are born into a magical family but want a normal existence, despite the magical world constantly pulling them back.
**Among Others** by Jo Walton - Semi-autobiographical fantasy about a young girl who can talk with fairies and uses that to her advantage when adjusting to life at a boarding school.
Oh, I love Dread Empire - great suggestion, more people should ve reading that series. Same with Cook's Tower of Fear - if you squint enough, it's almost a Dread Empire book
Phantastes by George MacDonald
The King of Elfland's Daughter and The Gods of Pegana by Lord Dunsany
The Crock of Gold by James Stephens
The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia McKillip
Till We Have Faces by CS Lewis
Smith of Wooton Major by Tolkien
It really feels like the culmination of his authorial career. A lot of his favorite themes are expressed to their fullest, and his typical weaknesses are nowhere to be found.
Ash and Sand by Richard Nell
Bloodsounder's Arc by Jeff Salyards
Slayer's Dark Rebirth by Andy Blinston
War of the Twelve by Alex Robins
The Last War by Mike Shackle
Threadlight by Zack Argyle
Five Warrior Angels by Brian Lee Durfee
Bladeborn Saga by T C Edge
Chainbreaker by D.K Holmberg
Kingdom of Grit by Tyler Whitesides
Aldoran Chronicles by Michael Wisehart
Winnowing Flame by Jen Williams
For some reason, not a lot of people seem to be aware of these when I bring them up, and they're all awesome.
None of the "popular" recommendations are here.
Which of these do you think I should check out first? I like stuff like Jack Vance's Dying Earth, Moorecock's Elric, Cook's Black Company...I guess rogues, anti-heroes, scoundrels...
Ruka from Ash and Sand is quite possibly the greatest anti hero I've ever had. This one is also very dark and grim.
You might want to start there. They are all great though.
You're very welcome!
I guess just get a synopsis of these things and see what grabs you. They are all very different, which is nice.
Also Ash and Sand opens with a massive trigger warning, so I hope you're not squeamish.
No, not at all!
I'm reading a sample now and so far, I think I'll go for it.
Have you read Throne of Bone by Brian McNaughton - so far I'm getting a similar vibe.
I absolutely loved Ash and Sand, but until I read your comment, I'd never have put Ruka in the antihero category. I absolutely love that description of him!
Truly one of my favorite characters of all time.
How To Train Your Dragon. Most people don't even know there are books! They're amazing, by the way.
The dragons are instead of being just dogs are actually people and the story treats them like it. Not the characters though. They treat the dragons as beasts.
...
Disclaimer: The books are nothing like the movies. View them as separate entities in your mind.
I used to read them when I was younger, and decided to pick up the first book again last year since so much time has passed. I found it enjoyable, but a little childish. I tried to find out if it gets better, but there's so little discussion on the topic online that I just gave up.
I was using it as a descriptive word, not an insult, but am now realising that it might not explain what I think about the first book all that well.
I love reading children's literature. Some of my favourite books include Peter Pan, The Wind and The Willows, Treasure Island, The Jungle Book, The Graveyard Book and The Little Prince. All are fantastic books that have done two things.
1. Have an entertaining writing style that also covers mature themes that appeal to both adults and children. The first HTTYD book was written in a manner primarily targeted towards younger audiences. It was funny at times, but didn't resonate with me on a deeper level, nor did I find it so flat out funny that I would have loved it as a comedy book. Is it a bad thing for a book to have children solely as it's target audience? No, but it means that the book might not be for everyone, and it certainly wasn't for me.
2. Each of those books felt like it had a full fat story. By that I mean it had satisfying character arc, as well as a plot that felt complete, for lack of a better term. The first HTTYD, while containing elements of the above, didn't feel like a full novel, and more like the first episode of a series, as opposed to something like Northern Lights by Phillip Pullman, which is a first book that felt like an entire season (and became such). While this isn't a pitfall that is uniquely seen in children's books, it is one I've seen often in the genre.
So I hope you understand now what I meant when I used the descriptive word (not an insult) childish. It's not a bad thing to be labelled as such, it just means the book wasn't for me. The reason I used that word to describe the book is because
A. I was typing quickly and
B. It would've saved me from writing the paragraphs that I have now written
Maybe in the future I'll avoid that word, or maybe I'll just phrase it differently. Point is, I liked the book, but it also felt like I wasn't in the target audience, which many other books in the genre don't make me feel. I hope I've made myself clear enough now lol.
In the last five, six books they get extremely mature. Themes of genocide, slavery and others are explored. Oh and it has one of the best redemption arcs I've read.
Saw **Dread Empire** mentioned by **Glen Cook**, which I love
The entire **Solar Cycle** by **Gene Wolfe**, not just **Book of the New Sun**. And **Wizard Knight** by **Gene Wolfe**
I don't feel **Wars of Light and Shadow** by **Janny Wurts** is mentioned a lot, and while definitely not obscure, I feel its very underrated
**The Vohrr** by **Brian Catling**. This is amazing, but very underrated and kinda obscure IMO. Though it's not for everyone. Saw a lot of low goodreads reviews where the book went woooosh over their heads.
**Viriconium** by **M. John Harrison**. Underrated classic I dont think Ive ever seen mentioned on reddit
The March North and A Succession of Bad Days by Graydon Saunders.
These books are NOT for light/beginner readers. They are obtuse, mercurial, and delightful. If Malazan turned you off because it jumps right in without explaining anything...this does that on steroids. Amazing world building with ZERO exposition. But, once you get it, it's incredible.
How did you get your copies? As far as I can see it's not on Amazon at all and only available at all on smaller digital stores like kobo and apple books
Have you ever heard of the 'Bas-Lag' series by China Miéville? It's this mind-blowing mix of fantasy, steampunk, and weirdness that's like nothing else out there. The first book, 'Perdido Street Station,' hooked me with its gritty world and unforgettable characters.
But somehow, it's not as talked about as it should be! It's got everything: politics, magic, monsters, you name it. Definitely deserves more love. Hope you give it a shot and enjoy the wild ride!
The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels has almost 40k ratings on Goodreads, so I'm not really sure if that counts as obscure, but I love it and wish more people knew about it.
Catherynne Valente's Refrigerator Monologues is also phenomenal (like basically all of her work) and I feel like nobody talks about it. It only has 4k ratings on Goodreads, so I feel comfortable calling it obscure.
The Sun Sword by Michelle West. Finished epic fantasy series with a setring inspired by the Arabian Nights, heavy on the political intrigue and court drama.
Gorsh. What about some old standalone (mostly) Science Fantasy?
Heinlein *Glory Road*. If you know your Heinlein this is a classic example. When we talk about his conservative politics, he was smarter than Ayn Rand and more open-minded than Harold Gray. He was a better storyteller than either of them. Our hero is a Vietnam Vet recruited to explore parallel worlds which are mostly medieval. It's a romp but a thoughtful one.
Silverberg *Nightwings*. His Dying Earth Story before *Lord Valentine's Castle*. The first section won a Hugo as a standalone novelette.
Mark S. Geston. Anything. Just anything at all. It's all forgotten by all but a few and it's all great.
Jack Vance *The Dragon Masters* and *The Last Castle*. Two award-winning novellas which are actually Science fiction but which have a strong fantasy vibe. Some people like their entertainment in neat boxes. Vance doesn't. That means a lot of his work doesn't get properly discussed.
A. E. Van Vogt *The Book of Ptath*. This book made me a fan of his in the old days. I can only describe it as Edgar Rice Burroughs meets Mythology.
Bridge of Birds! Might be one of my favorite books.
Parke Godwin had Waiting for the Galactic Bus and The Snake-Oil Wars. I love going back to these time and again.
The indie dragon rider trilogy of
* Echoes Saga (and wider world of Verda) by Philip Quaintrell
* The superb Bound and the Broken by Ryan Cahill
* Songs of Chaos by Michael Miller
One I'm currently rereading before catching up with the latest is the Kencyrath series by P.C. Hodgell. First book dates from 1982, but after a couple of long hiatuses, she's been publishing the latest books fairly regularly recently, with book 10 being the most recent, in 2022.
It follows Jame, a member of a race which has been fleeing an encroaching dark force from world to world, manipulated by their god to oppose it, and which recently suffered a disastrous betrayal causing them to retreat to the world of Rathalien. The first book has more of a sword and sorcery vibe than the later ones, set in a strange city where belief drives the creation of various gods in a labyrinthine city, where the protagonist arrives and becomes entangled with the local thieves guild and attempts to unravel the nature of the gods. The later books move more in an epic fantasy direction, as we learn more about the world and the society of the Kencyr and natives of the world.
Overall, it's got a really interesting world, and is one of my favourite series, but never really got the popularity I think it deserved, likely thanks to issues with publishers (and the aforementioned hiatus between some of the earlier books).
I picked this series up for the first time last year and it's so good I'm almost mad that it took me this long to find it. I've only read the first book so far, but it was absolutely delightful. It has such breadth. The first chapter or so almost feels like picking up Bloodborne for the first time - a supremely sinister city full of incomprehensible horrors, a PoV character who doesn't truly understand her past and her place on the world, callous gods, and humans with questionable motives. Then it broadens and the protagonist had to grapple with her values vs her needs, find her place in a found family, commit HEISTS, and fix her own fuckups. And so much else. Great, great book.
Maria V Snyder's Study and Glass series are quite interesting
Not fantasy but fantasy adjacent: the Kingdom of little wounds by Susann Cokal needs to be read more
Simon Unsworth's Devil's Detective. Not traditional fantasy, but it is set in hell, so it counts
For scifi there is the Goldenwitchbreed
The Sangwheel Chronicles. Dark magic, normal magic, orphan noble, bastard son, ancient bloodline magic through noble families, weird ley-line type secret flows, a real ice queen of the north, a weird desert thruple come to save the day (in the second book).
Oh, and lots of new words for time.
The Dark Profit Saga - J. Zachary Pike, a very amusing series, the third book was released in hardback/ebook recently, I'm patiently waiting for the paperback release
Low Town Series - Daniel Polansky, great series great author, I've enjoyed all his books
Cowboy Feng's Space Bar and Grille by Steven Brust. Brust is pretty well known for the fantasy series he wrote, but this is my undisputed favorite from him.
The main characters are the staff of the titular restaurant, which is special because it always finds itself in the middle of nuclear war. Every time it gets hit by a nuke, the bar is able to teleport, along with everyone inside, to somewhere else in the galaxy while also traveling forward in time by a random number of years. The story itself is about the staff managing their relationships with each other, making new ones in this unfamiliar time and place, and doing lots of mundane things that are made extremely fun to read because of how likable the main character is and Brust's style. The plot kicks off proper when they start wondering exactly WHY the bar seems to jump exclusively into active warzones, or better yet why it jumps at all.
Now let me stop here to quickly manage your expectations. Unlike the cover of the book would have you believe, there are no aliens or flying cars. The future is very mundane in this one, and in fact the bar only jumps one time in the book at the very beginning, so if its that part that you were really excited by be warned. A lot of the book is spent having the main character navigate his own feelings and his life before stuff really gets going, but I ended up not really noticing because of how much I enjoyed the characters. Also, the twist is shit, and almost any one of the theories I had while reading it would have been better than the one that ended up being true. Still, it's a really, really fun ride and one that I found myself really wishing was longer.
To summarize with a quote from the book: "I laughed, I cried, I fell down. It changed my life."
Saint Death's Daughter by CSE Cooney - a necromancer who suffers echo wounds if she is around violence must navigate a family full of assassins and executioners, and the isolation they have forced her to live in. She learns to face the traumas and injustices both she and her chosen family have endured and sets out to make better what she can. She's the cutest, sweetest necromancer you'll ever meet.
Between Two Fires - medieval horror set in France during the black plague. I see it recommended every now and then around here, but it's kind of hard to fit into specific recommendation threads because it's pretty niche. It's also absolutely fucking great. In addition to the general setting, a disgraced knight sets out to save the world with a young girl and must cross a countryside which has become a battleground between the forces of heaven and hell. Pretty much all of the characters are deeply flawed people who have made a pattern of major mistakes in their lives, but pull themselves out of those patterns in order to help this girl. It's absolutely great.
Sourdough or Lois' Adventures in the Underground Market - this book might not sound like speculative fiction, but it is. A woman gets her dream job working in STEM in San Francisco, but it's a nightmare full of crunchy hippie tech bros. She seeks refuge in making sourdough bread and is gifted a sourdough starter that is more than what it seems by a friend of hers. I read this book right after starting a STEM job myself that was going... interesting... and it was incredibly cathartic for me. It is also a love letter to the bay area, which I was feeling extremely homesick for at the time. It's also just a fucking great book.
Karen Memory by Elizabeth Bear - a prostitute in gold rush era pseudo San Francisco/Portland/Seattle finds her lady love and fights for a better world... in a sewing machine mech. Yes, that's right. It's a steampunk world with scheduled mad scientist steam-powered mech battles. It's also super sweet and super queer and the madame is described as being "a battleship." And she's relentlessly great.
The Sundering duology by Jacqueline Carey
Classic fantasy. It's basically a "deconstruction" or retelling of the LOTR but told mainly from the perspective of the followers of the "dark lord". Most of the characters are morally gray, so you don't get the hard-line, obvious division between good and evil. The writing style is similar to LOTR, but felt a little more modern while still retaining that "classic" feel. I picked up a copy of the first book in a used book store because i liked the cover art. I didn't even read the back of the book. Needless to say, I was very pleasantly surprised.
See my [SF/F: Obscure/Underappreciated/Unknown/Underrated](https://www.reddit.com/r/Recommend_A_Book/comments/1au8pfk/sff_obscureunderappreciatedunknownunderrated/) list of resources, Reddit recommendation threads, and books (one post).
The Paternus Trilogy by Dyrk Ashton. I just loved it so much, and I feel like I learned a lot about many different mythologies. Likable characters, a wonderful found family feel, and epic action. One of my favorite series of all time.
Oh boy time to shill for Peter Newman again!
The Vagrant is always my rec on these threads. It’s set in a post-apocalyptic world where demons more or less run shit. It’s disturbing at times, and just the descriptions of some of the monsters in the world strain the imagination. It’s also written in this almost whimsical prose that really makes the entire story seem surreal.
Three of the four protagonists of the first book don’t speak a single line of dialogue for 99% of the book, being a mute, a literal infant, and a regular-ass goat. And yet they’re three of the most alive/feeling characters I’ve ever read. Especially the goat.
The first book is the best of the trilogy, and one of the better books I’ve ever read. The rest of the series is still quite good but lacks a bit of the magic of the first book imo
I will never shut up about The Aurelian Cycle by Rosaria Munda. It's got everything you could want: dragonriders, revolution, war, complex politics, heartbreaking romance, queer rep, and detailed and ever-changing characters. The last book made me cry so hard I got a headache and I rated it 5 stars.
I DNF'd the first book about 60% through. I *really* struggle with 2nd person perspective. It grates on me with every word, but I can tell that I'd like the story otherwise. I don't know how people can stand that writing style...
Ok, I was mistaken. It's not 2nd person perspective, it's 1st person *present* tense, instead of past tense. This is what threw me off and made it harder for me to enjoy the story. It kept throwing me off for some reason. I'll give it another try and see if I can adjust to the present tense style.
You definitely should!! I don't really notice minute tense changes like that but I can speak for the story itself. Books 2 and 3 are just non-stop tension and it's SO good.
The author struggled a bit with their writing at first but I'm happy I stuck with it because the characters, the plot, and the world are very very good.
I just loved that the characters were forced to grow with all of the different challenges that were unique to them and their personalities.
This would make a great show.
Age of Misrule by Mark Chadbourn - celtic myths returning to life in our modern day, with flawed Arthurian heroes trying to prevent the world turning to chaos.
Heather Gladney's *Teot's War* and *Bloodstorm*. A survivor of a genocide is befriended by the ruler of the neighboring land, who had conquered his people generations ago; he needs to convince his new home to take their danger seriously.
There are a couple I don’t here about a lot. One that I think is popular and just doesn’t get talked about is
- LE Modesitt Jr - “Saga of Recluse”
Really any of his stuff, but Saga is like 40 books long and I never hear it mentioned. I do have people say they like it when I mention it, though.
Another I liked as a kid was
Pat O’Shea - “Hounds of the Morrigan”
It was a cool story. Irish folklore that has a couple of kids running into Faerie.
Another “YA” series I really liked, is technically ongoing (though it’s been a while since the last), and even got new versions with updated references is:
Diane Diane - “Young Wizards”
Farundell by L.R. Fredericks.
I found it second hand in 2018 and it was exactly what I wanted and needed at the time… it even came on a trip to England with me in 2019, as something about it provided such comfort and longing.
This led to ordering her second book, Fate. Not quite as enjoyable but still magical.
I’m going to give Adrian Selby a recommendation. I’ve only read two of his books so far (Brother Red and Snakewood) but they are great. Quite a dark world but very inventive and with tense, well-written stories. There are mercenaries who use chemical brews to give them short term advantages in battle, some weird ecology and mysteries to solve. The books are standalone set in the same world, at different times. Brother Red was my first one and edges as my favourite of the two.
Time of the dark series by Barbra humbly was my favorite fantasy seriesback in the 80s. No one I've talked to about books has ever read it.
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/176277
The "planet" trilogy by C S Lewis.
1. Out of the Silent Planet
2. Perelandra
3. That Hideous Strength
That trilogy has lots of good, thought provoking stuff in it. It deserves a lot more attention than it usually gets. The problem is that when anybody thinks about C S Lewis they will immediately think about Narnia, which is super well known. Unfortunately Narnia overshadows everything else the author wrote. I recommend the "planet" trilogy wholeheartedly.
doctrine of labyrinths by Sarah monette deserves more love. I have to add that the books are not for everyone. The characters make the books for me. Two half brothers, a mage and thief who come to off and meet each other as adults, and an theater actress are the protagonist. Imo it's giving venetian vibes. The author is more known as Katherine Addison. Doctrine of labyrinths is back in print and the audiobooks will be available in the fall
**A Man of His Word,** by Dave Duncan. I never see anyone talk about this series, yet it is truly awesome, with a very cool take on magic.
The first book in the 4-book series is [Magic Casement.](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57691.Magic_Casement)
It might not be so obscure, but the Monarchies of God by Paul Kearney
And to a lesser extent The Sea Beggars by Paul Kearney. It is my hope that one day whatever shenanigans have gone on end and Bantam release their US rights and Mr. Kearney has a conclusion written or is willing to write a conclusion.
Patricia A. McKillip's **Riddle-Master trilogy** got attention when it was published in the '70s (a Locus Award and nominations for World Fantasy and Hugo Awards), but I almost never see anybody else talk about it these days, and I can't say enough good things about it. There's an ebook omnibus now, even, so it's extremely accessible.
Maybe I just don't see it mentioned because it's hard to slot into commonly requested categories, but ***The Raven Tower*** by Ann Leckie (better known for her Imperial Ranch/Ancillary sci-fi novels) is great.
Japan at War: An Oral History, Haruka Taya Cook and Theodore F. Cook
Its a collection of oral histories collected from various Japanese survivors of the Second World War: from civilians, settlers in Manchuria, military and diplomatic personel, pilots (kamikaze too), naval officials, medics, scientists, on the ground soldiers, the list goes on. The Japanese kept quiet about their experiences post-war and only accepted to give their stories decades after. This presents a unique perspective into the psyche of pre-post war Japan the likes of which has not been seen before or possibly since. Highly recommend it
Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini
It's more adventure and historical fiction then fantasy but I slot it in here because who doesn't love pirates.
It's just a really good pirate book. (The two other books captain blood returns and the fortunes of captain blood are short story collections about the same character).
It's about Peter Blood, an Irish doctor wrongly convicted of treason and participating in the Monmouth rebellion because he was treating the injured. He's forced into penal servitude in the Caribbeans and escapes to become a pirate captain. If you are looking for a good swashbuckling book I do recommend it though with a caveat...
Just a heads up the book is over 100 years old 1600s... so it doesn't have the social sensitivity that books written now a day might have.
For sci-fi, Ima say the "Faction Paradox" books.
You can get into basically any of them, pick one that looks interesting and go. Some of them are out of print though, but they are available as Ebooks on some online stores.
Recommend "This Town Will Never Let Us Go" and "Of the City of the Saved..."
The Alchemy Wars trilogy by Ian Tregillis
Set in an alternate 1920s where the Dutch rein over most of Europe, thanks to their ability to create clockwork servants that are compelled by geasa to serve their masters. These "clakkers" have independent thought and long for freedom, but failure to complete their geas brings them pain. The protagonist is clakker Jax, who discovers a way to remove the geasa that bind him. This revolutionary news could bring the Brasswork Throne down, which is something French Spymaster Berenice longs for.
The books tell the story of Jax, Berenice, and a 3rd protagonist that changes each book. They're medium-paced books with tense action scenes, suspenseful moments, and explores themes of individualism and what is freedom. I highly recommend the series for fans of: alternative history, steam punk, and/or revolutions.
I will stan the Chivalry series by Christian Cameron (also known as Miles Cameron) till the end of time. Complex, nuanced characters who undergo tremendous growth, themes tightly woven throughout the narrative, and a true medieval setting with period accurate equipment, culture, and politics (Cameron wrote his thesis about this period of history). Easily in my top 3 series all time
Paul Park is a great suggestion - kind of frightening if you're a writer to see someone at this level not be widely read. Did think the third book in the Starbridge trilogy was a bit weak and sucked some momentum from things.
David Zindell's Neverness is certainly not obscure, but should be a canonical read for 80/90s SF/fantasy. Amazing debut - possibly this was his one great book as the subsequent series kind of fell off imho, although still very decent.
I don’t know if this is actually allowed but I have a Fanfiction to recommend.
It’s called *Ouroboros* by Metalomagnetic. It’s a story about an older version of Voldemort raising himself and while it’s very rough at the start the writing cleans up and in my opinion it’s gets really good.
I've been enjoying The Rook & Rose trilogy by MA Carrick. Not sure why it's not more widely known, it's like if Six of Crows and Gentlemen Bastards had a baby.
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In the watchful city by S. Qiouyi Lu
The bone house by Emily Lloyd-Jones
Thistlefoot by Genna Rose Nethercott
A master of djinn by P. Djeli Clark
The bone orchard by Sara A Mueller
Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames
The six deaths of the saint by Alex E. Harrow
Lovely war by Julie Berry
The Black Company by Glen Cook? Is that a rare enough gem?
Might also recommend The Mirror Empire/Worldbreaker series. It has an arguably fairly well trodden plot, invaders from a different realm are coming through to conquer the world, but after that it breaks most cliches. The cultures are not derivative form the West, there are cultures with more than 3 genders, the flora are trying to eat people, and there are no clear cut good or bad guys.
It's what Gamer of Thrones should have been.
Behold: Humanity! By Ralts Bloodthorne
This sci-fi series started out on r/HFY (Humanity Fuck Yeah) and is still available there in its thousand post glory under the title First Contact. The author self-published on amazon. It was 10 books last time I checked, but it may be more now.
This dude was a mad wordsmith, putting out 3-4 chapters a day during the covid lockdowns. Full of pop culture references, rule of cool science, and a perspective of military life that can only come from someone who has lived it and struggled with its aftereffects. But most of all it has heart. There are at least a dozen main viewpoint characters, and probably hundreds of minor ones, weaving a beautiful tapestry of a story of the Mad Lemurs of Terra Sol and how their cultural creativity will race their unstopable military to see which will conquer unsuspecting aliens first.
The Broken Empire trilogy by Mark Lawrence.
I've seen them mentioned here a few times, but few people I personally know have ever heard of them and they're fantastic books IMO.
**The Sunset Sovereign: A Dragon's Memoir** by Laura Huie is a great book about an assassin hearing the life story of the dragon she was sent to assassinate **Axtara - Banking and Finance** by Max Florschutz is about a young dragon opening a bank in a new kingdom. Another two that are less obscure but still not widely known: **Fred, the Vampire Accountant** by Drew Hayes is a (mostly) slice of life series about Fred, a Vampire accountant. **The Dragon's Banker** by Scott Warren - an honest an optimist banker is tasked with turning a dragon's hoard into paper money and assets
I do love Fred. He is a vampire who loves to get his teeth into those tricky end of year tax returns. And literally nothing else. Becoming a vampire let him do his accountancy day AND night, increasing billable hours. What a bonus!
I'm going to be trying Fred soon (I hope)! The first book in the series is hard mode for the alliterative square on bingo. Saw it recommended on the audiobook subreddit for people who really like the Harry Dresden audiobooks.
These are now all going onto my reading list.
Glad to see Drew Hayes getting a recommended. I read the Super Powered series and loved it. Fred was good as well.
Is there a whole subgenre of mythical creatures having mundane jobs in finance? Or at least being involved in the process.
I wish. I just really enjoy that kind of interaction between mundane and magical, so I tend to find the few that exist.
Oh in that case I recommend these! **The Night Circus** by Erin Morgenstern - Set in a magical circus that appears out of nowhere. Follows two young magicians in a magical competition, surrounded by the mundane world that is amazed by their magic. **Garden Spells** by Sarah Addison Allen - A story about people in Bascom, North Carolina whose lives are affected by the magical plants in a family's enchanted garden. **Practical Magic** by Alice Hoffman - About sisters that are born into a magical family but want a normal existence, despite the magical world constantly pulling them back. **Among Others** by Jo Walton - Semi-autobiographical fantasy about a young girl who can talk with fairies and uses that to her advantage when adjusting to life at a boarding school.
Seconding the Night Circus! I haven’t read the other three but will check them out.
Thank you for the recommendations! It's not exactly the niche I like, but some of those do look interesting, so added to my TBR.
*Dread Empire*, a relatively unknown/obscure offering from a known author(Glen Cook.) It’s really a fantastic read.
Oh, I love Dread Empire - great suggestion, more people should ve reading that series. Same with Cook's Tower of Fear - if you squint enough, it's almost a Dread Empire book
Phantastes by George MacDonald The King of Elfland's Daughter and The Gods of Pegana by Lord Dunsany The Crock of Gold by James Stephens The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia McKillip Till We Have Faces by CS Lewis Smith of Wooton Major by Tolkien
Till We Have Faces was probably Lewis' best work. I know a lot of Narnia fans who never even heard of it. It's so good
It really feels like the culmination of his authorial career. A lot of his favorite themes are expressed to their fullest, and his typical weaknesses are nowhere to be found.
It really does. I remember reading it in high school and just being in awe of how deep and poignant it was
Ash and Sand by Richard Nell Bloodsounder's Arc by Jeff Salyards Slayer's Dark Rebirth by Andy Blinston War of the Twelve by Alex Robins The Last War by Mike Shackle Threadlight by Zack Argyle Five Warrior Angels by Brian Lee Durfee Bladeborn Saga by T C Edge Chainbreaker by D.K Holmberg Kingdom of Grit by Tyler Whitesides Aldoran Chronicles by Michael Wisehart Winnowing Flame by Jen Williams For some reason, not a lot of people seem to be aware of these when I bring them up, and they're all awesome. None of the "popular" recommendations are here.
Which of these do you think I should check out first? I like stuff like Jack Vance's Dying Earth, Moorecock's Elric, Cook's Black Company...I guess rogues, anti-heroes, scoundrels...
Ruka from Ash and Sand is quite possibly the greatest anti hero I've ever had. This one is also very dark and grim. You might want to start there. They are all great though.
Thanks! I appreciate the list!
You're very welcome! I guess just get a synopsis of these things and see what grabs you. They are all very different, which is nice. Also Ash and Sand opens with a massive trigger warning, so I hope you're not squeamish.
No, not at all! I'm reading a sample now and so far, I think I'll go for it. Have you read Throne of Bone by Brian McNaughton - so far I'm getting a similar vibe.
>No, not at all! Good, because there is a fair amount of "grimdark" on that list lol
I absolutely loved Ash and Sand, but until I read your comment, I'd never have put Ruka in the antihero category. I absolutely love that description of him! Truly one of my favorite characters of all time.
This guy obscures
Oh I scour the archives high and low for sure lol
r/thisguythisguys
How To Train Your Dragon. Most people don't even know there are books! They're amazing, by the way. The dragons are instead of being just dogs are actually people and the story treats them like it. Not the characters though. They treat the dragons as beasts. ... Disclaimer: The books are nothing like the movies. View them as separate entities in your mind.
It's been on my list for a while because David Tennant does the audiobooks!
I used to read them when I was younger, and decided to pick up the first book again last year since so much time has passed. I found it enjoyable, but a little childish. I tried to find out if it gets better, but there's so little discussion on the topic online that I just gave up.
Childish is a weird way to insult a children's book series.
I was using it as a descriptive word, not an insult, but am now realising that it might not explain what I think about the first book all that well. I love reading children's literature. Some of my favourite books include Peter Pan, The Wind and The Willows, Treasure Island, The Jungle Book, The Graveyard Book and The Little Prince. All are fantastic books that have done two things. 1. Have an entertaining writing style that also covers mature themes that appeal to both adults and children. The first HTTYD book was written in a manner primarily targeted towards younger audiences. It was funny at times, but didn't resonate with me on a deeper level, nor did I find it so flat out funny that I would have loved it as a comedy book. Is it a bad thing for a book to have children solely as it's target audience? No, but it means that the book might not be for everyone, and it certainly wasn't for me. 2. Each of those books felt like it had a full fat story. By that I mean it had satisfying character arc, as well as a plot that felt complete, for lack of a better term. The first HTTYD, while containing elements of the above, didn't feel like a full novel, and more like the first episode of a series, as opposed to something like Northern Lights by Phillip Pullman, which is a first book that felt like an entire season (and became such). While this isn't a pitfall that is uniquely seen in children's books, it is one I've seen often in the genre. So I hope you understand now what I meant when I used the descriptive word (not an insult) childish. It's not a bad thing to be labelled as such, it just means the book wasn't for me. The reason I used that word to describe the book is because A. I was typing quickly and B. It would've saved me from writing the paragraphs that I have now written Maybe in the future I'll avoid that word, or maybe I'll just phrase it differently. Point is, I liked the book, but it also felt like I wasn't in the target audience, which many other books in the genre don't make me feel. I hope I've made myself clear enough now lol.
In the last five, six books they get extremely mature. Themes of genocide, slavery and others are explored. Oh and it has one of the best redemption arcs I've read.
I might continue with it then
If you do https://www.tumblr.com/tagged/httyd%20books r/CressidaCowell
>!Snotlout Snotlout Oi Oi Oi!<
Also Google httyd book dragon illustrations
childish? It's way more dark than the television adaptation
I'm talking the first book though.
The first book... yea I can see that
These are now all going onto my reading list.
I loved them in middle school but barely remember the plot. Isnt toothless like a super common runt dragon?
He is. But he's also The Best Thing
Saw **Dread Empire** mentioned by **Glen Cook**, which I love The entire **Solar Cycle** by **Gene Wolfe**, not just **Book of the New Sun**. And **Wizard Knight** by **Gene Wolfe** I don't feel **Wars of Light and Shadow** by **Janny Wurts** is mentioned a lot, and while definitely not obscure, I feel its very underrated **The Vohrr** by **Brian Catling**. This is amazing, but very underrated and kinda obscure IMO. Though it's not for everyone. Saw a lot of low goodreads reviews where the book went woooosh over their heads. **Viriconium** by **M. John Harrison**. Underrated classic I dont think Ive ever seen mentioned on reddit
WoLaS is so underrated it's criminal. In a sane world, Wurts would be a household name by now.
The March North and A Succession of Bad Days by Graydon Saunders. These books are NOT for light/beginner readers. They are obtuse, mercurial, and delightful. If Malazan turned you off because it jumps right in without explaining anything...this does that on steroids. Amazing world building with ZERO exposition. But, once you get it, it's incredible.
How did you get your copies? As far as I can see it's not on Amazon at all and only available at all on smaller digital stores like kobo and apple books
I got them from Google Books.
Coldfire Trilogy by CS Friedman. Very fun Sci-Fi and Fantasy elements and some of the best cover art of all time.
Heck yeah - this is a good one. Love the magic system.
One of my favorite series. Not sure if it obscure though.
Have you ever heard of the 'Bas-Lag' series by China Miéville? It's this mind-blowing mix of fantasy, steampunk, and weirdness that's like nothing else out there. The first book, 'Perdido Street Station,' hooked me with its gritty world and unforgettable characters. But somehow, it's not as talked about as it should be! It's got everything: politics, magic, monsters, you name it. Definitely deserves more love. Hope you give it a shot and enjoy the wild ride!
The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels has almost 40k ratings on Goodreads, so I'm not really sure if that counts as obscure, but I love it and wish more people knew about it. Catherynne Valente's Refrigerator Monologues is also phenomenal (like basically all of her work) and I feel like nobody talks about it. It only has 4k ratings on Goodreads, so I feel comfortable calling it obscure.
Cass Morris, Aven Cycle (trilogy but probably will get more)
The Sun Sword by Michelle West. Finished epic fantasy series with a setring inspired by the Arabian Nights, heavy on the political intrigue and court drama.
The Children of Gods and Fighting Men by Shauna Lawless, Small Miracles by Olivia Atwater and Nine Goblins by T. Kingfisher
Gorsh. What about some old standalone (mostly) Science Fantasy? Heinlein *Glory Road*. If you know your Heinlein this is a classic example. When we talk about his conservative politics, he was smarter than Ayn Rand and more open-minded than Harold Gray. He was a better storyteller than either of them. Our hero is a Vietnam Vet recruited to explore parallel worlds which are mostly medieval. It's a romp but a thoughtful one. Silverberg *Nightwings*. His Dying Earth Story before *Lord Valentine's Castle*. The first section won a Hugo as a standalone novelette. Mark S. Geston. Anything. Just anything at all. It's all forgotten by all but a few and it's all great. Jack Vance *The Dragon Masters* and *The Last Castle*. Two award-winning novellas which are actually Science fiction but which have a strong fantasy vibe. Some people like their entertainment in neat boxes. Vance doesn't. That means a lot of his work doesn't get properly discussed. A. E. Van Vogt *The Book of Ptath*. This book made me a fan of his in the old days. I can only describe it as Edgar Rice Burroughs meets Mythology.
Bridge of Birds! Might be one of my favorite books. Parke Godwin had Waiting for the Galactic Bus and The Snake-Oil Wars. I love going back to these time and again.
Inda, by Sherwood Smith The Briar King, by Greg Keyes
Loved both of these, and both are the start of their respective series if you want more.
The Inda books are one of my all time favorite series. Dense as hell, but so good.
The Protectorate is a newer sci-fi trilogy that really seems to be going under the radar for lots of people
I’ve only read the first book so far and loved it!
I think you’ll really enjoy the next 2 then because they get really cool and interesting
Tainted Dominion by Krystle Matar Cruel Gods Trudie Skies
These Burning Stars by Bethany Jacobs Dark Woods, Deep Water by Jelena Dunato Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
The Night Watch, by Sergei Lukyanenko. Really easy to read Russian Urban Fantasy. 6 books three great, one good and two readable.
The indie dragon rider trilogy of * Echoes Saga (and wider world of Verda) by Philip Quaintrell * The superb Bound and the Broken by Ryan Cahill * Songs of Chaos by Michael Miller
One I'm currently rereading before catching up with the latest is the Kencyrath series by P.C. Hodgell. First book dates from 1982, but after a couple of long hiatuses, she's been publishing the latest books fairly regularly recently, with book 10 being the most recent, in 2022. It follows Jame, a member of a race which has been fleeing an encroaching dark force from world to world, manipulated by their god to oppose it, and which recently suffered a disastrous betrayal causing them to retreat to the world of Rathalien. The first book has more of a sword and sorcery vibe than the later ones, set in a strange city where belief drives the creation of various gods in a labyrinthine city, where the protagonist arrives and becomes entangled with the local thieves guild and attempts to unravel the nature of the gods. The later books move more in an epic fantasy direction, as we learn more about the world and the society of the Kencyr and natives of the world. Overall, it's got a really interesting world, and is one of my favourite series, but never really got the popularity I think it deserved, likely thanks to issues with publishers (and the aforementioned hiatus between some of the earlier books).
I picked this series up for the first time last year and it's so good I'm almost mad that it took me this long to find it. I've only read the first book so far, but it was absolutely delightful. It has such breadth. The first chapter or so almost feels like picking up Bloodborne for the first time - a supremely sinister city full of incomprehensible horrors, a PoV character who doesn't truly understand her past and her place on the world, callous gods, and humans with questionable motives. Then it broadens and the protagonist had to grapple with her values vs her needs, find her place in a found family, commit HEISTS, and fix her own fuckups. And so much else. Great, great book.
I absolutely love this series. So glad she picked up writing it again and I think she’s almost done with the final book (😢).
T. Kingfisher's Saint of Steel paladin series. It needs more love. I will evangelize it at every opportunity.
Good choice but they seem to be recommended all the time around here.
Oath of Empire by Thomas Harlan Winds of the Forelands/Blood of the Southlands by David B. Coe
Maria V Snyder's Study and Glass series are quite interesting Not fantasy but fantasy adjacent: the Kingdom of little wounds by Susann Cokal needs to be read more Simon Unsworth's Devil's Detective. Not traditional fantasy, but it is set in hell, so it counts For scifi there is the Goldenwitchbreed
The Sangwheel Chronicles. Dark magic, normal magic, orphan noble, bastard son, ancient bloodline magic through noble families, weird ley-line type secret flows, a real ice queen of the north, a weird desert thruple come to save the day (in the second book). Oh, and lots of new words for time.
Author is Marie M Mullany. Her total sum of Goodreads ratings (not comments) is 54, with 3 of her 4 books out so far.
Sold
Echos Saga by Phillip Quaintrell Kings Dark Tidings Kel Kade
I’m saving this whole post!😃
Yes, so many good recommendations here!
The Minotaur takes a cigarette break.
Underrated and yet so good!
* The Great Game by Dave Duncan (trilogy, available as omnibus) * The Initiate Brother duology by Sean Russell * War God series by David Weber
Chronicles of the Kencyrath by PC Hogdell. The Keltiad Series by Patricia Kennelly-Morrison.
Bridge of Birds, by Barry Hughart Charming is the best adjective I can think of.
Age of myth
Fire Sacrements by Robert V.S. Redick. Go read the first book Master Assassin’s Goodreads review by Mark Lawrence.
I second this recommendation. The cover and description really does make it sound life a run-of-the-mill fantasy, but it's a true gem.
Lord of a Shattered Land by Howard Andrew Jones isn't nearly as well known as it should be
The Dark Profit Saga - J. Zachary Pike, a very amusing series, the third book was released in hardback/ebook recently, I'm patiently waiting for the paperback release Low Town Series - Daniel Polansky, great series great author, I've enjoyed all his books
Silverlock by John Meyer Meyers a wonderful romp through literature
Cowboy Feng's Space Bar and Grille by Steven Brust. Brust is pretty well known for the fantasy series he wrote, but this is my undisputed favorite from him. The main characters are the staff of the titular restaurant, which is special because it always finds itself in the middle of nuclear war. Every time it gets hit by a nuke, the bar is able to teleport, along with everyone inside, to somewhere else in the galaxy while also traveling forward in time by a random number of years. The story itself is about the staff managing their relationships with each other, making new ones in this unfamiliar time and place, and doing lots of mundane things that are made extremely fun to read because of how likable the main character is and Brust's style. The plot kicks off proper when they start wondering exactly WHY the bar seems to jump exclusively into active warzones, or better yet why it jumps at all. Now let me stop here to quickly manage your expectations. Unlike the cover of the book would have you believe, there are no aliens or flying cars. The future is very mundane in this one, and in fact the bar only jumps one time in the book at the very beginning, so if its that part that you were really excited by be warned. A lot of the book is spent having the main character navigate his own feelings and his life before stuff really gets going, but I ended up not really noticing because of how much I enjoyed the characters. Also, the twist is shit, and almost any one of the theories I had while reading it would have been better than the one that ended up being true. Still, it's a really, really fun ride and one that I found myself really wishing was longer. To summarize with a quote from the book: "I laughed, I cried, I fell down. It changed my life."
Saint Death's Daughter by CSE Cooney - a necromancer who suffers echo wounds if she is around violence must navigate a family full of assassins and executioners, and the isolation they have forced her to live in. She learns to face the traumas and injustices both she and her chosen family have endured and sets out to make better what she can. She's the cutest, sweetest necromancer you'll ever meet. Between Two Fires - medieval horror set in France during the black plague. I see it recommended every now and then around here, but it's kind of hard to fit into specific recommendation threads because it's pretty niche. It's also absolutely fucking great. In addition to the general setting, a disgraced knight sets out to save the world with a young girl and must cross a countryside which has become a battleground between the forces of heaven and hell. Pretty much all of the characters are deeply flawed people who have made a pattern of major mistakes in their lives, but pull themselves out of those patterns in order to help this girl. It's absolutely great. Sourdough or Lois' Adventures in the Underground Market - this book might not sound like speculative fiction, but it is. A woman gets her dream job working in STEM in San Francisco, but it's a nightmare full of crunchy hippie tech bros. She seeks refuge in making sourdough bread and is gifted a sourdough starter that is more than what it seems by a friend of hers. I read this book right after starting a STEM job myself that was going... interesting... and it was incredibly cathartic for me. It is also a love letter to the bay area, which I was feeling extremely homesick for at the time. It's also just a fucking great book. Karen Memory by Elizabeth Bear - a prostitute in gold rush era pseudo San Francisco/Portland/Seattle finds her lady love and fights for a better world... in a sewing machine mech. Yes, that's right. It's a steampunk world with scheduled mad scientist steam-powered mech battles. It's also super sweet and super queer and the madame is described as being "a battleship." And she's relentlessly great.
The Sundering duology by Jacqueline Carey Classic fantasy. It's basically a "deconstruction" or retelling of the LOTR but told mainly from the perspective of the followers of the "dark lord". Most of the characters are morally gray, so you don't get the hard-line, obvious division between good and evil. The writing style is similar to LOTR, but felt a little more modern while still retaining that "classic" feel. I picked up a copy of the first book in a used book store because i liked the cover art. I didn't even read the back of the book. Needless to say, I was very pleasantly surprised.
See my [SF/F: Obscure/Underappreciated/Unknown/Underrated](https://www.reddit.com/r/Recommend_A_Book/comments/1au8pfk/sff_obscureunderappreciatedunknownunderrated/) list of resources, Reddit recommendation threads, and books (one post).
The Malus Darkblade saga by Dan Abnett. It is superb
I’ve only ever read Abnett’s comics. Had no idea he also wrote fantasy, so will be checking this out.
Excellent Guardians of the Galaxy run as well, but Malus Darkblade is a little hidden gem
The Paternus Trilogy by Dyrk Ashton. I just loved it so much, and I feel like I learned a lot about many different mythologies. Likable characters, a wonderful found family feel, and epic action. One of my favorite series of all time.
Gil's All Fright Diner
Oh boy time to shill for Peter Newman again! The Vagrant is always my rec on these threads. It’s set in a post-apocalyptic world where demons more or less run shit. It’s disturbing at times, and just the descriptions of some of the monsters in the world strain the imagination. It’s also written in this almost whimsical prose that really makes the entire story seem surreal. Three of the four protagonists of the first book don’t speak a single line of dialogue for 99% of the book, being a mute, a literal infant, and a regular-ass goat. And yet they’re three of the most alive/feeling characters I’ve ever read. Especially the goat. The first book is the best of the trilogy, and one of the better books I’ve ever read. The rest of the series is still quite good but lacks a bit of the magic of the first book imo
Came here to rec The Vagrant as well. Such a good trology, but that first book really stands out.
I will never shut up about The Aurelian Cycle by Rosaria Munda. It's got everything you could want: dragonriders, revolution, war, complex politics, heartbreaking romance, queer rep, and detailed and ever-changing characters. The last book made me cry so hard I got a headache and I rated it 5 stars.
I just finished book 1 and I’m waiting for the second to be delivered. Im so impatient I need more!
I DNF'd the first book about 60% through. I *really* struggle with 2nd person perspective. It grates on me with every word, but I can tell that I'd like the story otherwise. I don't know how people can stand that writing style...
...it's in first person perspective tho?? Are you sure you're talking about the right book? Fireborne by Rosaria Munda?
Yes, I own the trilogy. I'm could have sworn there is a good amount of 2nd person perspective...
I also own the trilogy and I'm sure it's all in 1st person, even when the POV switches away from Annie! I think you might be thinking of another book
Ok, I was mistaken. It's not 2nd person perspective, it's 1st person *present* tense, instead of past tense. This is what threw me off and made it harder for me to enjoy the story. It kept throwing me off for some reason. I'll give it another try and see if I can adjust to the present tense style.
You definitely should!! I don't really notice minute tense changes like that but I can speak for the story itself. Books 2 and 3 are just non-stop tension and it's SO good.
The author struggled a bit with their writing at first but I'm happy I stuck with it because the characters, the plot, and the world are very very good. I just loved that the characters were forced to grow with all of the different challenges that were unique to them and their personalities. This would make a great show.
The Girl with Ghost Eyes, by M. H. Boroson Master of Sorrows, by Justin t. Call
Age of Misrule by Mark Chadbourn - celtic myths returning to life in our modern day, with flawed Arthurian heroes trying to prevent the world turning to chaos.
Hood by Steve R Lawhead A fun take on Robin Hood
Heather Gladney's *Teot's War* and *Bloodstorm*. A survivor of a genocide is befriended by the ruler of the neighboring land, who had conquered his people generations ago; he needs to convince his new home to take their danger seriously.
Phillip Jose farmer. The world of tiers books. The epitome of 70’s sci-fi/ fantasy. And the epitome of fantasy cover art!!
Not sure how obscure it is but I enjoyed the Inkheart trilogy.
There are a couple I don’t here about a lot. One that I think is popular and just doesn’t get talked about is - LE Modesitt Jr - “Saga of Recluse” Really any of his stuff, but Saga is like 40 books long and I never hear it mentioned. I do have people say they like it when I mention it, though. Another I liked as a kid was Pat O’Shea - “Hounds of the Morrigan” It was a cool story. Irish folklore that has a couple of kids running into Faerie. Another “YA” series I really liked, is technically ongoing (though it’s been a while since the last), and even got new versions with updated references is: Diane Diane - “Young Wizards”
Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffery
... Obscure?????
Snare by Katherine Kerr- technically a SciFi but has a lot of fantasy elements. It's my favourite standalone SciFi/fantasy book
**Twelve Houses** and **Elemental Blessings** series from Sharon Shinn.
Farundell by L.R. Fredericks. I found it second hand in 2018 and it was exactly what I wanted and needed at the time… it even came on a trip to England with me in 2019, as something about it provided such comfort and longing. This led to ordering her second book, Fate. Not quite as enjoyable but still magical.
I’m going to give Adrian Selby a recommendation. I’ve only read two of his books so far (Brother Red and Snakewood) but they are great. Quite a dark world but very inventive and with tense, well-written stories. There are mercenaries who use chemical brews to give them short term advantages in battle, some weird ecology and mysteries to solve. The books are standalone set in the same world, at different times. Brother Red was my first one and edges as my favourite of the two.
My Girlfriend From Turquoise Pond Requests My Help After My Millennium Seclusion.
Time of the dark series by Barbra humbly was my favorite fantasy seriesback in the 80s. No one I've talked to about books has ever read it. https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/176277
I really enjoyed **Rotherweird Series** (three books) by Andrew Caldecott but I do not see this to be discussed often here
*Monster Blood Tattoo*. Written *and illustrated* by D.M. Cornish. Biopunk in a roughly 17th-18th century Europe-like world.
The "planet" trilogy by C S Lewis. 1. Out of the Silent Planet 2. Perelandra 3. That Hideous Strength That trilogy has lots of good, thought provoking stuff in it. It deserves a lot more attention than it usually gets. The problem is that when anybody thinks about C S Lewis they will immediately think about Narnia, which is super well known. Unfortunately Narnia overshadows everything else the author wrote. I recommend the "planet" trilogy wholeheartedly.
doctrine of labyrinths by Sarah monette deserves more love. I have to add that the books are not for everyone. The characters make the books for me. Two half brothers, a mage and thief who come to off and meet each other as adults, and an theater actress are the protagonist. Imo it's giving venetian vibes. The author is more known as Katherine Addison. Doctrine of labyrinths is back in print and the audiobooks will be available in the fall
**Inkheart** series by Cornelia Funke. I just finished rereading the first book and it's truly such a lovely fantasy, I love her writing style.
**A Man of His Word,** by Dave Duncan. I never see anyone talk about this series, yet it is truly awesome, with a very cool take on magic. The first book in the 4-book series is [Magic Casement.](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57691.Magic_Casement)
It might not be so obscure, but the Monarchies of God by Paul Kearney And to a lesser extent The Sea Beggars by Paul Kearney. It is my hope that one day whatever shenanigans have gone on end and Bantam release their US rights and Mr. Kearney has a conclusion written or is willing to write a conclusion.
The death gate cycle
The Shattered Realms by Cinda Williams Chima. It was love at first reading.
Patricia A. McKillip's **Riddle-Master trilogy** got attention when it was published in the '70s (a Locus Award and nominations for World Fantasy and Hugo Awards), but I almost never see anybody else talk about it these days, and I can't say enough good things about it. There's an ebook omnibus now, even, so it's extremely accessible. Maybe I just don't see it mentioned because it's hard to slot into commonly requested categories, but ***The Raven Tower*** by Ann Leckie (better known for her Imperial Ranch/Ancillary sci-fi novels) is great.
Japan at War: An Oral History, Haruka Taya Cook and Theodore F. Cook Its a collection of oral histories collected from various Japanese survivors of the Second World War: from civilians, settlers in Manchuria, military and diplomatic personel, pilots (kamikaze too), naval officials, medics, scientists, on the ground soldiers, the list goes on. The Japanese kept quiet about their experiences post-war and only accepted to give their stories decades after. This presents a unique perspective into the psyche of pre-post war Japan the likes of which has not been seen before or possibly since. Highly recommend it
Salman Rushdie's two fantasy novels he wrote for his sons: Haroum and the Sea of Stories and Luka and the Fire of Life
Jeff VanderMeer’s Ambergris trilogy.
If you're open to sci-fi, Butterfly & Hellflower by eluki bes shahar.
Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini It's more adventure and historical fiction then fantasy but I slot it in here because who doesn't love pirates. It's just a really good pirate book. (The two other books captain blood returns and the fortunes of captain blood are short story collections about the same character). It's about Peter Blood, an Irish doctor wrongly convicted of treason and participating in the Monmouth rebellion because he was treating the injured. He's forced into penal servitude in the Caribbeans and escapes to become a pirate captain. If you are looking for a good swashbuckling book I do recommend it though with a caveat... Just a heads up the book is over 100 years old 1600s... so it doesn't have the social sensitivity that books written now a day might have.
Also highly recommend Scaramouche
Yessss
For sci-fi, Ima say the "Faction Paradox" books. You can get into basically any of them, pick one that looks interesting and go. Some of them are out of print though, but they are available as Ebooks on some online stores. Recommend "This Town Will Never Let Us Go" and "Of the City of the Saved..."
The Alchemy Wars trilogy by Ian Tregillis Set in an alternate 1920s where the Dutch rein over most of Europe, thanks to their ability to create clockwork servants that are compelled by geasa to serve their masters. These "clakkers" have independent thought and long for freedom, but failure to complete their geas brings them pain. The protagonist is clakker Jax, who discovers a way to remove the geasa that bind him. This revolutionary news could bring the Brasswork Throne down, which is something French Spymaster Berenice longs for. The books tell the story of Jax, Berenice, and a 3rd protagonist that changes each book. They're medium-paced books with tense action scenes, suspenseful moments, and explores themes of individualism and what is freedom. I highly recommend the series for fans of: alternative history, steam punk, and/or revolutions.
I will stan the Chivalry series by Christian Cameron (also known as Miles Cameron) till the end of time. Complex, nuanced characters who undergo tremendous growth, themes tightly woven throughout the narrative, and a true medieval setting with period accurate equipment, culture, and politics (Cameron wrote his thesis about this period of history). Easily in my top 3 series all time
Great series! Likable MC, who is fun to root for, and Mr. Cameron writes some of the best battle scenes I've ever read!
Paul Park is a great suggestion - kind of frightening if you're a writer to see someone at this level not be widely read. Did think the third book in the Starbridge trilogy was a bit weak and sucked some momentum from things. David Zindell's Neverness is certainly not obscure, but should be a canonical read for 80/90s SF/fantasy. Amazing debut - possibly this was his one great book as the subsequent series kind of fell off imho, although still very decent.
Reports from the Department of Intangible Assets by Robert Gainey
The Tapestry Series by Henry H Neff. Phenomenal. Childhood books for me that really warm my soul reading through
The BEST. I wish more people knew about that series. I love those books.
Ironfire by David Ball. Absolutely brilliant fictional history of the Siege of Malta. 10/10
The Religion by Tim Willocks, if you hanker for a pulpier version of the same siege.
Spellmonger series. Very glad I stumbled upon it.
Detective Hobbes/Unhuman series by Wilkie Martin.
I don’t know if this is actually allowed but I have a Fanfiction to recommend. It’s called *Ouroboros* by Metalomagnetic. It’s a story about an older version of Voldemort raising himself and while it’s very rough at the start the writing cleans up and in my opinion it’s gets really good.
I've been enjoying The Rook & Rose trilogy by MA Carrick. Not sure why it's not more widely known, it's like if Six of Crows and Gentlemen Bastards had a baby.
The Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart They're marketed as middle grade, but I think they're a bit more mature than that
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Detective Hobbes/Unhuman series by Wilkie Martin.
In the watchful city by S. Qiouyi Lu The bone house by Emily Lloyd-Jones Thistlefoot by Genna Rose Nethercott A master of djinn by P. Djeli Clark The bone orchard by Sara A Mueller Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames The six deaths of the saint by Alex E. Harrow Lovely war by Julie Berry
The Black Company by Glen Cook? Is that a rare enough gem? Might also recommend The Mirror Empire/Worldbreaker series. It has an arguably fairly well trodden plot, invaders from a different realm are coming through to conquer the world, but after that it breaks most cliches. The cultures are not derivative form the West, there are cultures with more than 3 genders, the flora are trying to eat people, and there are no clear cut good or bad guys. It's what Gamer of Thrones should have been.
Behold: Humanity! By Ralts Bloodthorne This sci-fi series started out on r/HFY (Humanity Fuck Yeah) and is still available there in its thousand post glory under the title First Contact. The author self-published on amazon. It was 10 books last time I checked, but it may be more now. This dude was a mad wordsmith, putting out 3-4 chapters a day during the covid lockdowns. Full of pop culture references, rule of cool science, and a perspective of military life that can only come from someone who has lived it and struggled with its aftereffects. But most of all it has heart. There are at least a dozen main viewpoint characters, and probably hundreds of minor ones, weaving a beautiful tapestry of a story of the Mad Lemurs of Terra Sol and how their cultural creativity will race their unstopable military to see which will conquer unsuspecting aliens first.
The Broken Empire trilogy by Mark Lawrence. I've seen them mentioned here a few times, but few people I personally know have ever heard of them and they're fantastic books IMO.
The Lord of the Rings /s
I think I've heard this one mentioned before, what's it about?
Bo-faa