Could you guys suggest good reads that have not yet been hyped/marketed too much? Like works that doesn't necessarily need to be exposed to the mainstream to be classified as a quality work of writing?
Agreed. Great read, even tho it made you depressed at the end. Also, have you heard of the Twilight novels? Modern masterpieces, if I do say so myself.
The Runelords series by David Farland. Here's a blurb from www.runelords.com which articulates the gist much better than I could: Screams of agony rend the air as sorcerers called facilitators use magical branding irons to draw the attributes from one person and grant them to another. By this method, a lord may take various strengths from hundreds or even thousands of his vassals and bestow them upon himself—or his warriors. These strengths include the mighty powers of wit, brawn, and speed… Even such basic sensory powers like sight, hearing and smell can be given or taken. Thus, a wise man who surrenders his wit will become a drooling idiot while his lord draws closer to having a flawless memory. A man who grants his sight will go blind, while his lord gains hawklike vision. A woman who bestows her beauty will become a hag, while the lord becomes more and more irresistible to those around him. But there is an even more terrible price: the attributes only remain with the lord so long as both he and the vassal live. If a vassal dies, the lord loses the attribute and thus can become vulnerable. If the lord dies, the attribute returns the person who gave it. Thus, the Runelords must be ever vigilant in protecting their vassals, even to the point of shutting them away in the dungeons of their castles. David Farland is super creative and his stuff is a fun read. Nowhere as heavy as George Martin or Erikson. Probably my favorite author after Martin and Abercrombie. There's also supposedly a movie based on the books coming out.
I'll give you some underhyped Authors. Alan Furst Robert Harris (borderline underhyped - he did write Fatherland) Henry Porter Olen Steinhauer Joseph Kanon
am i the only one who read underrated/unhyped boobs? needless to say, i'm a bit let down by this thread
Should be read with 1984 and Animal Farm Three books that are scary and real all at once Lord of the Flies as well. Check out Ismeal Reed Reckless Eyeballing (1986) The Terrible Twos (1982) The Terrible Threes (1989) Books are hard to talk about because some have been well received but only in certain circles or something Octavia Butler - The PatternMasters Series XenoGenesis Series Kindred Exceptionally good books Rocket River
Not sure what counts as underrated. Palahniuk's Survivor is my favorite book of all time. He's the guy who wrote fight club. Very dark pessimistic novel about the last survivor of a death cult who people believe is the second coming of Jesus. http://www.amazon.com/Survivor-A-No...807X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333582308&sr=8-1
George Saunders! Read The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil and his short story collection In Persuasion Nation. Hell, read all of it. http://www.amazon.com/George-Saunders/e/B000APEZ74/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
We by Yevgeny Zamyatin. It probably inspired all other dystopian novels in one way or another. I think the Ginsburg translation is the preferred one. The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. Probably one of my favorite books of all time and I rarely hear about it. The Fermata by Nicholson Baker is a fun read as well. He's a bit perverse, but nothing over the top, and he can certainly craft a narrative. Joseph Heller's masterwork Catch-22 seems to have fallen out of the public eye as well, but I can't think of a funnier book. John Kennedy Toole's book, A Confederacy of Dunces, is amazingly written. I need to read his other book, The Neon Bible, as I've heard good things about it. It's a shame these are the only two books he gave us.
Do androids dream of electric sheep? It's what Blade Runner was based on. No one seems to know this. I thought it was much better than the movie, with some deep overtones, especially "Mercerism". Go read it, you won't regret it.
I know they made a movie about it, but One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest, by Ken Kesey is a favorite of mine. I just have not run into too many people who have read it. I also found Jailbird by Kurt Vonnegut to be funny. These may be mainstream but it seems like time has moved them away from that.