Obscure Classics of Science Fiction

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

Stainless Steel Rat

I LOVED the Stainless Steel Rat books when I was in middle school. I know he published a couple more a few years ago which I didn't read, but I devouered the first 5 or 6 novels as fast as I could find them in the mid-80s.

 

[Umbran]

My own obscure favorites would probably be...

Stand On Zanzibar by John Brunner
The "Marid Audran" books (When Gravity Fails, A Fire in the Sun and,The Exile Kiss) by George Alec Effinger

The Lensmen books by EE "Doc" Smith. Reason I say they are obscure is I think they have been out of print for awhile.

The were out of print for a while. But they've been in print again since about 1997.

 

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

Last and First Men by Olof Stapledon
UBIK by Philip K. Dick

 

[Kesh]

I've not run into too many people who've read The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester.

 

[Tonguez]

Starquake - Robert L. Forward (sequal to Dragon's Egg about a minute lifeform that evolves on a Neutron Star in response to human contact - the Cheela fascinating)

oh and yeah Stainless Steel Rat is hardly 'obscure'

 

[Simplicity]

Well known author, but hard to find really good book:
Isaac Asimov's "The Gods Themselves"

 

[buzzard]

The war against the Chtorr series by David Gerrold. A very good series that would be even better if he ever wrote for it. Grrr.

The Devil Will Drag You Under by Jack Chalker. My favorite book of his and I've read almost all of them.

Empire of the East by Fred Saberhagen. He is quite well known for his Books of Swords, but this is the book which set it all up. I think it's better than most of the words books at that.

buzzard

 

[Ghostwind]

On a Pale Horse - Piers Anthony
Tunnel in the Sky - Robert Heinlein

I'm sure I'll think of more later...

 

[Sir Whiskers]

What's interesting is how many of the books mentioned I've read...

My choice: Man in the Maze by Robert Silverberg. The ending was a bit weak (IMO), but the maze was fantastic.

 

[BryonD]

A Canticle for Leibowitz (1959)

Ha, I was going to call out this one as soon as I saw the thread title.