Jerusalem Fire by R. M. Meluch.
A deft blend of action/theology in an alien universe.
House of Zeor by Jacqueline Lichtenberg (which begat the Sime/Gen series)
Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper.
Piper himself was a pretty interesting guy, too. I seem to recall he put his gun collection to ill use, inadvertantly saving the Fuzzy series from the total disaster upon which it was teetering…
Anyone remember The Nagasaki Vector and Tom Paine Maru, by L. Neil Smith? I loved those.
The Girl, the Gold Watch, and Everything, by John D. MacDonald.
Yep, the Travis McGee dude does Sci-fi. And it’s pretty funny, too.
Hammer’s Comet
The Black Jewel Trilogy by Anne Bishop.
I’ve also always loved the Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander.
Would it be inappropriate to ask if anyone here can recall the title/author of an obscure pulp S/F book I really loved as a kid? The plot centered on the idea that the newly invented teleportation technology unwittingly created quasi-“ghosts” in some kind of “subspace” when people used the device, and the “ghosts” were striving to somehow inform their “normal” twins.
No, it wasn’t great literature, but I want to re-read it anyway! Thanks.
Remembered fondly…
Along with his The Venus Belt and the wonderful romp Their Majesty’s Bucketeers. As Smith’s website says “On an alien world whose furry, nine-legged crablike inhabitiants are just entering their own “Age of Invention”, a royal “fireman” must create the art of criminal detection from scratch, in order to solve the murder of his favorite teacher.” Oh, and did I mention that these aliens have three sexes?
" A Canticle for Lieberwitze " (not sure about the spelling) which was one of the first SC-FI novels I read back in the 50’s. When the book opens you think you are reading about monks in the Dark Ages , but… , anymore would be a spoiler. Just give it a read if you can find it.
MacDonald wrote another SciFi novel, also. ‘Ballroom in the Sky’ I believe.
Hiero’s Journey and The Reluctant Hiero by Stephen Lanier. The end of the second book was a setup for a third which I don’t believe was ever published.
I wonder if Lanier died before he could write it. There were many years between the publication of the first and second books. Maybe he is just a slow writer.
I have just checked Google and the correct spelling is " A Canticle For Leibowitz " Written by Walter M Miller, published in 1959.
Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller,jr… definately one of my all time favorites.
Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart
Brisingamen by Diana L Paxson
I second the Peple series by Zenna Henderson although she inadverently kick of the first religious crisis in my life.
Her short story collection The Anything Box is fantastic and VERY creepy
The Destruction of the Temple by Barry N. Malzberg. A whacked out telling of a society in some post disaster Earth in which a movie director is obsessed with the assassination of JFK and how the assassination is linked with whatever horrible disaster happened. (Doesn’t make much sense, I admit, but then, neither does the book. I still love it though.)
The Ivanhoe Gambit by Simon Hawke. A mad man decides that he’s going to change history by traveling back in time and become the King of England. Awesome book that has a knight in armor holding a smoking tommy gun on the cover. First of a series that rapidly went down hill. I believe that Simon Hawke was actually a pen name of L. Sprague de Camp, but I’m not sure.
The Weirdstone of Brisingamen was by Alan Garner - did Paxson write one about similar themes?
I like Garner’s kidslit but geez Strandloper was hard work and not much pleasure.
Weirdstone of Brisingamen** was Garner about kids from England (?) who went to a fantasy world.
Brisingamen was Paxton about a woman in the real world who gets mixed up with Norse Gods. Very good and very…DeLint/Gainman-esque.
Very different, but excellent, books!
Fenris
I think you’re thinking of Hiero’s Journey and The Unforsaken Hiero by Sterling E. Lanier. I agree that there should have been a third book, but I’ve never found one.
While I was digging those two out of my rare and valuable book repository (upstairs closet), I came across a few more that I thought were good enough to recommend.
The Chanur series by C. J. Cherryh. The Pride of Chanur, Chanur’s Venture, The Kif Strike Back, Chanur’s Homecoming, and Chanur’s Legacy. The series starts when a spaceship owned and operated by the Chanur family, a family of Hani, or proto-lions, picks up a human who has escaped from another alien race, the Kif. The Kif want him back. Lots of action and intrigue in a very logical universe with excellent characters.
The Gaean trilogy by John Varley; Titan, Wizard, and Demon. Titan, the moon of Saturn, is a living space station(?) environment(?) something, full of improbable creatures. People either love Varley, or they hate him. Look for Titan in your favorite used book store if you can find it and try it out.
The Grainger series by Brian Stableford. (early '70s)
The Halcyon Drift, Rhapsody in Black, Promised Land, The Paradise Game, The Fenris Device, and Swan Song. Grainger is a spaceship pilot with a sort of disembodied alien mind sharing his brain. I just like this series because Grainger is even more anti-social than I am.
I realize these are all old books and I apologize for that. Let me recommend a new book that I’m reading right now, The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman. Supposedly a children’s book, this is a compelling story full of good characters and delightfully different ideas. I’m likeing it a lot.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Primaflora *
**The Weirdstone of Brisingamen was by Alan Garner - did Paxson write one about similar themes?
If I had meant THe Wierdstone of Brinsingamen I would have said it. I meant Brinsingamen BY DIANA L. PAXSON
:rolleyes:
So nobody nowhere in your little world ever makes mistakes with names and titles of books? It’s totally forbidden to ask questions? toshirodragon, I predict a long and pleasant sojourn on the SDMB with that attitude.
Thanks Fenris! I was curious about the connection between The Weirdstone and Brisingamen.
Bumbazine, just you wait! 
Although… I wouldn’t refer to his trilogy as obscure; it’s carried in almost every major book store in the young adult section.