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Underrated/Unhyped Books

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout' started by James Gabriel, Apr 4, 2012.

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  1. James Gabriel

    James Gabriel Member

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    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?
     
  2. Burko

    Burko Member

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    1984 is awesome, but obviously pretty mainstream. Don't hear much about it these days though.
     
  3. atomicanderz

    atomicanderz Member

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    Anything by Sam Lipsyte, especially The Ask.
     
  4. LCII

    LCII Member

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    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.
     
  5. mylilpony

    mylilpony Member

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    i think some classic lit is becoming underrated. i enjoyed les miserables and any goosebumps.
     
  6. Xerobull

    Xerobull ...and I'm all out of bubblegum
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    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.
     
    #6 Xerobull, Apr 4, 2012
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2012
  7. Invisible Fan

    Invisible Fan Member

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    The Hipsters Guide to Hipsterism by Z

    Never heard of it?

    Figures.
     
  8. davo

    davo Member

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    I'll give you some underhyped Authors.

    Alan Furst
    Robert Harris (borderline underhyped - he did write Fatherland)
    Henry Porter
    Olen Steinhauer
    Joseph Kanon
     
  9. studogg

    studogg Member

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    am i the only one who read underrated/unhyped boobs?

    needless to say, i'm a bit let down by this thread
     
  10. bladeage

    bladeage Member

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  11. droopy421

    droopy421 Member

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    Brave New World
     
  12. Rocket River

    Rocket River Member

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    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
     
  13. CCorn

    CCorn Member

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  14. thadeus

    thadeus Member

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  15. TheresTheDagger

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  16. tallanvor

    tallanvor Member

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  17. mclawson

    mclawson Member

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    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.
     
  18. Kyakko

    Kyakko Member

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    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.
     
  19. SuperBeeKay

    SuperBeeKay Member

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    the fountainhead
     
  20. IVFL

    IVFL Member

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    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.
     

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