5 Sci-Fi Books You've Never Heard Of But Need To Read

Today, we’re diving into the world of science fiction novels you’ve never heard of but absolutely must read. These are hidden gems you don't want to miss!
Thanks for watching and don't forget to check out my sci-fi books below.
#scifi #scifibooks #hiddengems
0:00 - Intro
1:17 - To Say Nothing of the Dog
2:35 - Gun, With Occasional Music
4:15 - Vurt
5:56 - The Sparrow
7:35 - The Space Merchants
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MY STUFF
linktr.ee/scifiodyssey
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vvv MORE vvv
MY SCI-FI NOVELS
www.amazon.co.uk/Darrel-Willi...
DELPHINE DESCENDS
After her family is killed and her homeworld occupied, young Kathreen Martin is sent to the distant world of Furoris for re-education. She will live the rest of her life as a serf - to be bought and sold as a commodity of the Imperial Network.
When her only chance of escape is ruined, a chance mistaken identity offers her a new life as the orphaned daughter of a First-Citizen Senator and heiress to a vast fortune.
She vows to claw her way into power to sit among the worlds’ elite. Then, with her own hands, she will reap bloody vengeance on them all.
But to beat them, she must play their game. And she must play it better than them all.
BLACK MILK
Prometheus has the chance to bring his wife back from the dead, but doing so will mean the destruction of Earth.
Spanning time, planets and dimensions, Black Milk draws to a climactic point in a post-apocalyptic future, where humanity, stranded with no planet to call home, fights to survive against a post-human digital entity that pursues them through the depths of space.
Five lives separated by aeons are inextricably linked by Prometheus’s actions:
Ystil.3 is an AI unit sent back in time from the distant future to investigate Prometheus’s discovery...
The mysterious Lydia has devoted her life to finding a planet that the last remaining humans can call home…
Tom Jones (he’s a HUGE fan!) is an AI trapped inside a digital subspace, lost and desperate to find his way back to his beloved in real-time…
Dr Norma Stanwyck is a neuroscientist from 24th Century Earth whose personal choices ripple throughout time...
Prometheus must learn the necessity of death or the entire universe will be swallowed by his grief.
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GOODREADS
You can stalk me on Goodreads to see what I'm currently reading. bit.ly/3rrcByD
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IMAGE USE
The images in my videos are mostly licensed stock photos. However, occasionally I will use images found online. I always seek to properly credit artists and offer a link back to their amazing work but sometimes it's hard to find the original source of the work. If I've used an image you own and I haven't credited you, please feel free to get in touch as I am always more than happy to do so.

[@btbutler55]

A personal favourite of mine is Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny. It won the Hugo award in 1968 but I never see anyone mention it. A very underrated book, I think.

[@douglasdea637]

It's just such an odd book. The characters are like super heroes (or villains) and the parameters of their world is not well defined. Zelazny does like powerful and essentially immortal characters. (His Amber characters are similarly powerful and semi-immortal.)

[@joechip4822]

Actually 'Lord of Light' is a favorite book of many older, experienced S.F. readers. Roger Zelazny was extremely well read and educated and counts among the main intellectuals of classic S.F. authors. The 'problem' for modern readers with 'Lord of Light' is, that Zelazny leaves a great deal of the world building to the readers imagination and refuses to conveniently fill in every detail like he did in his more trivial works like 'Amber'. Triviality can almost always be detected by the mere fact that something has been expanded to a multitude of volumes to simply satisfy the hunger of the average reader for always-the-same instead of really new ideas and concepts. This is what makes the big francises like Star Wars and Star Trek and also shows like G.o.T. so successful - repeating the same formula over and over again without really challenging the audience - and let them fight over laughable details of lore and continuity instead. This is nothing that real valuable literature like 'Lord of Light' ever needed to create an often life-long lasting impression in open intelligent minds. And by the way: if you want to always re-use the same source material, and want to do it in a good and creative way, you have to do it the way it is done in the high culture arts like theater or opera or ballet - with interpretations and meta-level perspectives. Being an avid S.F. reader for more than 45 years now I always missed this wisdom in those responsible for bringing S.F. stuff to the small and big screens.

[@gaileverett]

@@douglasdea637 The characters are avatars of Hindu gods.

[@douglasdea637]

@@gaileverett Right. That's what they are pretending to be. In reality they are just futuristic space travelers with high tech computers and gear.

[@petertrudelljr]

@@joechip4822 As much as I loved Lord of Light, I enjoyed Creatures of Light and Darkness more. Zelazny really let himself have fun with that one.

[@KeyClavis]

Personal favorites: Little Fuzzy or Cosmic Computer by H. Beam Piper. Love Piper's writing. Piper's future history was incredibly detailed and spanned thousands of years, encompassing the rise of empires, their fall, and the rise of new ones to take their place. Little Fuzzy touches on what it means to be sapient and Cosmic Computer looks at how AI could help save humanity or cause it's fall. Piper is the writer that taught me the importance of having a proper timeline for your story's history. a good one says not only what happened and when, but _why_. Events of the past do effect the culture and dynamics that play out in the present... as Israel and Palestine are showing us today.

[@JayMH409]

Little Fuzzy was the first Piper story I read, and still one of my favourites. My favourite Piper short story is Omnilingual. I am also a fan of Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen, and the sequels written by John F. Carr.

[@Dyabolykyll]

Here’s some future fodder for more little-loved but devastatingly beautiful science fiction narratives: A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter M. Miller Jr. Childhood’s End - Arthur C. Clark (no one actually reads it, even though they ‘know it’) All My Sins Remembered - Joe Haldeman The Berserker Sagas - Fred Saberhagen The Mote in God’s Eye - Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle The common thread here is that all these titles are recognized masterpieces but there are far more people who claim to have read them, then likely have actually read them. That would make a good subject for a future video.

[@sullyway51]

I have read all of these except for All My Sins Remembered. I still have the books including most of the Berserker series. Also David Drake's Hammers Slammers series.

[@daveingram1351]

All of those are very good, but a Canticle for Liebowitz is outstanding in my humble opinion

[@walterlyzohub8112]

Not read All My Sins Remembered and Mote in God’s Eye. But did read how they created the Moties and read the short introducing the book. Yeah, it is called earning a living.

[@jennifersetser9091]

I loved Childhoods end…thought provoking,and a great story!

[@teleriferchnyfain]

Read them all. We read A Canticle For Leibowitz in my senior HS lit class.

[@paulamorton6454]

The Sparrow has been on my top 5 favorites list ever since I since I read it in 2012. I don’t anticipate replacing it ever. By the way, I’m a retired Episcopal priest and Navy chaplain. Serving Marines and Sailors, I saw a fair amount of PTSD and crises of faith. This book addresses both masterfully. That’s not to discount the engaging science fiction plot line, though. Good story, well-drawn characters, suspense…this one has it all.

[@davidwilliams8405]

Thanks for your service to us squids. I retired from the Navy in 2014, five years active duty in the fleet, nineteen years as a Reservists, mobilized four times, twice in Iraq and once in Afghanistan. We had a dedicated group of "Chaps" with us from most all denominations. One of my favorite was the "C of E" chaplain attached to the British Royal Army, loved his dry and witty sense of humo(u)r, and never a word of profanity. Another was our Chinese/American Baptist chaplain, "Chaps Lee." Both were sci-fi afficionados.

[@grahamcrawford4897]

As Jesuit trained atheist..... The Sparrow still haunts me!

[@brunogrieco5146]

A Cantical for Leibowitz, is remarkable. I got very intrigued by your list. Thanks for the video.

[@StevenEverett7]

I recall reading A Canticle for Leibowitz back in the 60s. That is an excellent choice. I don't believe many people remember it.

[@davidwilliams8405]

Oh yes indeed! That was such a great book, especially being a truly history geek back then (and now)! Did you also read the other great classic of the same year, "Alas Babylon?"

[@StevenEverett7]

@@davidwilliams8405Yes, Pat Frank's novel was exceptional. I've read it multiple times as well as listened to the audio book.

[@davidwilliams8405]

Two other sci-fi classics from the 1950s, "Alas Babylon" and "On the Beach."

[@StevenEverett7]

@@davidwilliams8405Alas, Babylon is another of my favorites. I'm not sure, but I don't believe I've read On the Beach.

[@thorstambaugh1520]

Rendezvous with Rama. A first contact novel with essentially no first contact

[@pcnj50a]

But everyone has heard of it.

[@user-iv2iu2wf4w]

Its definitely not unheard of.

[@leonwilkinson8124]

Heartily second all the other recommendations, especially Lord of Light and This Immortal, two of my favorite books of all time. I'll take a little risk here, but before Robert A. Heinlein went around the bend mentally in the late 60s, he wrote some outstanding sci fi. A partial list: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Orphans of the Sky, Have Spacesuit Will Travel, Methuselah's Children, and the Green Hills of Earth. Even Starship Troopers, with its repellent philosophy, is a highly worthwhile read, especially paired with Joe Haldeman's rebuttal, Forever War. The movie of Starship Troopers did the book a great injustice. Stranger in a Strange Land received a lot of attention from the 60s counterculture, but it's a terrible book with a few shining bits in it. Anything he wrote before 1970, I would judge, is free of his later obsession with incest and well worth looking into.

[@noelleggett5368]

Ursula Le Guin is a very well-known sci-fi and fantasy writer - and one of the great masters of both genres. Among her many celebrated works are a couple of underrated gems. ‘The Word for World is Forest’ was the first of her novels I read, and I was hooked immediately. This eventually became one of the two novels that inspired the movie, Avatar. Another of Le Guin’s lesser known masterpieces is the sci-fi psychological drama touching on the nature of professional ethics and power: ‘The Lathe of Heaven’.

[@johnbrobston1334]

With two movie adaptations I think calling "The Lathe of Heaven" lesser-known somewhat overstates its obscurity.

[@noelleggett5368]

@@johnbrobston1334 I didn’t know there were two. I know of one adaptation but haven’t been able to see it. It’s been a while; I’ll try to find them. There certainly has been no publicity that I’ve seen. ‘The World for World is Forest’ inspired one of the biggest blockbuster sci-fi hits of all time, but that doesn’t mean that many people knew about it, or that the book has become more popular than many of Ursula Le Guin’s other great multi-award winning novels and story collections.

[@noelleggett5368]

@@johnbrobston1334 I’ve just done a little research, and managed to find both adaptations (1980 and 2002) on YT. Thank you for your encouragement. I didn’t know that the 1980 version, not great but true to the novel, had been so popular in the USA through PBS. It is unknown here in Australia. The 2002 version, sadly, lacks a lot of the ‘mystery Vs clarity’ of the novel - not to mention grey people and Taoist aliens, but is well produced.

[@teleriferchnyfain]

My personal favorite SF writer.

[@noelleggett3727]

@@teleriferchnyfain There is Shakespeare, Tolstoy and Le Guin.

[@johnschlosser8472]

To Say Nothing of the Dog is one of the funniest books I've ever read in any genre. A time travel, science procedural, British romantic comedy. I laughed so hard, people thought I was in respiratory distress. Gun With Occasional Music is a must for everyone who loves Philip K. Dick. The Space Merchants is one of the great classics, you will never be able to look at the advertising industry without getting angry.

[@DaBIONICLEFan]

I really hated To Say Nothing of the Dog. It seemed to be really flippant in tone and the nonsense plot was wearisome; not least in a book as long as it is. But then I don't like or want SF for humour or whimsy, so I shouldn't be too surprised I didn't like it.

[@MioneBeast]

Don’t know how “hidden” this gem is, but I’ve always loved Thrice Upon a Time by James P Hogan, and I never hear anyone talking about it except my mom. She doesn’t even like sci-fi, but she loves that book.

[@joebrooks4448]

Hogan wrote some very good SF.

[@paulfelix5849]

Super vintage pick: the Lensman novels of E.E. 'Doc' Smith. Written mostly in the 1940s it is, of course, filled with stilted period dialogue, but the scope of 6 novels comprising less than 800 pages is astounding. Smith not only predicted many future technological advancements, he posited a military problem and provided a solution to it which was later used - very successfully - by the US Navy in the Pacific Theatre during WWII. Smith is considered the father of Space Opera. The Lensman novels are considered his most seminal work. Can't beat it.

[@paulfelix5849]

@angelspawn9138 Did you miss the part with the Valentians (Worsel), the Palanians (Nadrek), the Rigelians (Tregonsee), the Kalonians, the Eddeorians... All those aliens? Smith's Skylark books (4 volumes) might fit. The Fenechrone and the Chlorans are nasty beasties, though in the end 'psi stuff', still plays a part.

[@justinecooper9575]

A book that I've read multiple times but I never hear mentioned is "The Technicolor Time Machine" (1967) by Harry Harrison.

[@feral4813]

I liked his Stainless Steel Rat series.

[@justinecooper9575]

@@feral4813 That too.

[@tanjavandermeer3522]

I read this on a vacation, it was lying around there. It was brilliant, I devoured it but had to leave it there of course. Never found it again, alas. Now I can finally find it, thank you very much!!

[@davidwilliams8405]

I've read Andre Norton's two Time Traders books;"Time Traders" and "Galactic Derelect, " also written in the 1950s. I don't know how well known or read they are, but they're both real gems, and Andre Norton was one of the best Sci-fi authors of her time.

[@sullyway51]

I cut my scifi teeth on her books back in the 60s.

[@feral4813]

The Time Traders was the first Andre Norton book I read. I'm suprised it was even in our little jr. high library back in the mid 60s.

[@davidwilliams8405]

@@feral4813 It was in my junior high school library in the 70s...absolute love from page one!

[@purplelibraryguy8729]

Andre Norton's SF is fun. Probably my favourite of hers were "The Zero Stone" and "Uncharted Stars". But I really like her whole SF setting, which I think was probably more influential than any specific book--a lot of her SF happened in this sprawling setting, with countless settled worlds, lots of alien species, ancient relics and ruins of unknown and usually creepy past alien civilizations, mysterious psionic powers, tramp space freighters plying the star lanes, and no real space-spanning governments but some space-spanning institutions . . . the Guild, the Patrol, and really big corporations. And all the major characters generally lived kind of on the seamy side of all this, underdogs who feared the Patrol as much as the Guild. I feel like there's been a lot of SF that has taken elements of her setup.

[@leebronock887]

Norton's 'juvenile' science fiction books were very influential. I remember asking the librarian in one of my grade school libraries about their purchasing a copy of one of her books. The Librarian agreed and did buy the book! (Back when Public Service meant something.)

[@nolongeramused8135]

"To Say Nothing of the Dog" is hysterically funny.

[@heggedaal]

I've read Space Merchants. I was disappointed as a teenager, but the story remained in my memory so I had to admit that it's good.

[@elfujo6595]

Loved it when I read it. This was ages ago. Like you say, one of those books that stays with you

[@IamPapaShaw]

Turned out to be very prophetic.

[@erikramaekers63]

I hope Way Station (Simak) will finally be turned into a movie

[@haroldmorey1107]

That would make a great Movie.I really enjoyed the book.

[@steveknutzen2830]

Way station is one of my all timers, but then, anything by simak.

[@timclarkson2262]

Love that book.

[@sullyway51]

A shout out to H.Beam Piper. His future history of the human federation, all his books were loosely related including several that dealt with time but not forward or backwards but side ways. dealing with parallel timelines.

[@bojovic78]

Ive read Space Merchants some 25 years ago, I had no clue it was written in the 1950s Not a day goes by where I don't see how Space Merchants predicted the future... seeing it's much older than I thought, it's damn near prophetic. It's also an exciting read and something that stays with you.

[@ronhall9394]

James Blish - 'A case of conscience' has a similar setting to 'Sparrow', with a Jesuit investigating a first contact civilisation. I initially bought it (many many many years ago) because the cover art looked ace (Chris Foss) however whilst the story did not grip me as a teenager, it's become a better read as I've got considerably older.

[@neilhughes9310]

We probably all bought books because of the Chris Foss art (often more memorable than the novels behind).

[@ronnycook3569]

A Case of Conscience was part of a thematic trilogy (of 4 books) with Dr Mirabilis, Black Easter and The Day After Judgement. The premise of the other books is of a mass summoning of all demons and angels... ending with an attempted summoning of Elohim Adonai, who fails to turn up - according to Lucifer, because "God is Dead" - only for His throne to be taken by Lucifer in turn, essentially because the world needs there to be a God or evil has nothing against which to rebel. They're collected in "After Such Knowledge" which likely is no longer in print; my copy dates from 1991 (and the newest title in the set was written in 1981). They're all thought-provoking reads, but A Case of Conscience is notably more so than the others.

[@KristovMars]

They all sound very intriguing - thankyou for expanding my horizons!

[@leebronock887]

I'm an Olde Codger and remember the delight of first reading "The Space Merchants.' Kornbluth and Pohl were the cutting edge then. As Terran Human history has unfolded, they are still 'cutting edge.' Their "Gladiator at Law" and Mack Reynold's Joe Mauser books also fit neatly into the "future dystopia" category. To give you credit, I have just ordered the 'Dog' novel. Other time travel books from "back in the day" that come to mind are Ward Moore's "Bring the Jubilee," and Jack Finney's "Time and Again." There is so much good stuff back there. The trick is sifting the Space Operas, Franchise Universes, and the Polemical Screeds from the True Gold. Good to see that you write your self! Stay safe.

[@davidjuson5608]

Being a Septuagenarian I must be pretty much your your generation Leebronock, and I agree with your assessment of The Space Merchants: a marvellous read. And prophetic. At least we've been spared mass addiction to tobacco.

[@leebronock887]

@@davidjuson5608 Alas, have you taken a 'deep dive' into the twenty-something milieu lately? Tobacco is making a comeback. In times of stress, self medication is a common coping mechanism. As an acquaintance put it recently, "Tobacco, still one of the generally available, socially tolerated drugs." Be safe and, yes, growing old is both it's own reward and it's own punishment.

[@teleriferchnyfain]

I loved The Space Merchants 🤗. I now have to dig it out & re-read it.

[@doncasterrunner]

The Gap Cycle by Stephen Donaldson is amazing 😊

[@vilstef6988]

Pohl and Kornbluth wrote some powerful books!

[@steveknutzen2830]

Preferred Risk, about the future of the insurance industry.

[@karngray4340]

Lord of Light, one of my favorite books . I have read and enjoyed it3 or4 times.

[@gigchingo1999]

I read Pollen first, and then Vurt. I remember being absolutely flabbergasted by the insane world-building of these novels. I LOVED The Sparrow. The first page that tells how the Jesuits decided to go to Rakhat caught me immediately. I read the book on a two-week work assignment in Milan and cried my eyes out several times in public. I actually contacted Ms. Russell to tell her how much I Ioved her novel and had a nice interaction with her. The follow-up novel isn't quite as brilliant, but was a good sequel to find out happened on Rakhat after the first book.

[@SoundEngraver]

I trust Frederik Pohl's writing. His short stories are wonderfully written and thought provoking. I may try reading The Space Merchants.

[@drakonsrpski7970]

I read the book the first time in 1979, and a couple of times sine then. Great stuff!

[@drakonsrpski7970]

*since*🙄

[@bazoo513]

Do.

[@purplelibraryguy8729]

Frankly, in my opinion he did his best stuff when partnered with Kornbluth. Solo, I think he was just good; with Kornbluth, he was great.

[@SoundEngraver]

@@purplelibraryguy8729 Thanks for the recommendation!

[@delhatton]

Donaldson's Gap Cycle. OMG, 5 books. Way too many pages, but not a wasted word. Fascinating cast of characters. Scariest aliens ever. Space opera at its best.

[@hellohangfire]

Wow. I thought I was the only person that read Gun, With Occasional Music. Because this book made this list, I’m going to read the others on this list. Not sure I will get to them this year as I have others on the to read this year pile, but January is right around the corner. Thank you!

[@waltwestbrook6651]

Sparrow is one of my favorites, along with the sequel, Children of God.

[@sabsab9126]

John Brunner's "Stand on Zanzibar" is a hard read but one of my favorites.

[@Lesley22]

The Sparrow and its sequel are in my top ten since reading when first published. Thank you for the other tips.

[@fjuran1]

Great choices, I have read four of these, only Vurt missing. Connie Willis is a major talent, although she had not released much these days, she is vastly underrated. I read Latham's when it was released and can't remember too much from it. The Sparrow was a wonderful book, and the Space Merchants as well. Ah the Golden Age had so many excellent Sci-Fi writers bringing out such original stories.

[@christineb7838]

Book 1 being my highest recommended scifi book (And a top 3 fave book of all time) that no one else has read. This is my first video of your's and immediately this is a voice I will trust from here on out.

[@paulcooper3611]

Oddly enough, I have read The Space Merchants and To Say Nothing Of The Dog. I have enjoyed them both for very different reasons. I enjoyed To Say Nothing Of The Dog so much that I immediately read Three Men In A Boat by Jerome K. Jerome, another great book that nobody seems to know of.

[@susansprague7304]

I recommend her 'Bellwether' as well! A very funny send-up of academia, chaos theory, fads and cancel culture (before it was fashionable).

[@charlesbduke7947]

Any Zelazny book is worth reading.Norton is the unsung female writer of the 50's. Harrison 's Death World series is great.Ive read all of Foster's work, love Flinx and all the rest.

[@darrellee8194]

One title that I still remember 40 years later, that I don't hear mentioned often is "Nor Crystal Tears" by Alan Dean Foster (1982). I read it the as a freshmen in college in 1983. It's a first contact story told from the perspective of the aliens (an insect-like race). I remember almost nothing of the story, except that I was very moved by it at the time. It's probably overly sentimental and not that well written. But after 40 years, I still remember an impression it made.

[@neilhughes9310]

I remember reading that then. My favourite ADF book was Ice Rigger from 1974. His books were short-ish, easy reads.

[@MioneBeast]

Nor Crystal Tears is amazing! I had read all the Pip and Flinx books before reading it and was excited to realize the main character is an ancestor of one of the Pop and Flinx characters. The prolog is one of my favorite depections of alien life.

[@purplelibraryguy8729]

Alan Dean Foster is a weirdly good writer, at least some of the time. I mean, some of his stuff is mediocre, some is even flat out bad, but a lot of it . . . seems like it ought to be pedestrian and unmemorable, but it works, mate! Various elements come together and the whole ends up greater than the sum of its parts, or something.

[@sullyway51]

I remember Foster wrote one of the first Star Wars spinoff novels.

[@johnaustin9808]

I love "To Say Nothing of the Dog" and "The Sparrow"

[@susancorbett8155]

Me too!

[@lukebanks9007]

Space merchants was amazing Vurt has been on my tbr for a time now. Got to get to it. Ill add the Sparrow aswell. JS Dewes exiled fleet and Eric Browns Helix are both really good.

[@John_259]

A few more if you're interested: * Davy, by Edgar Pangborn. A coming of age story in a post-apocalyptic northeastern USA. The two parallel timelines allow the author to highlight the ephemeral nature of true happiness. * The Gameplayers of Zan, by M.A. Foster. A detailed description of the very unusual society and family structure of the Ler, an artificially created next stage of human evolution. * Inverted World, by Christopher Priest. Initially a standard but very nicely done "the world isn't what you think it is" story, and later an exploration of very strange environment with non-Euclidean geometry. The book's first sentence "I had reached the age of six hundred and fifty miles" appears to be a misprint, but it isn't.

[@abqnurse5760]

I love 'The Sparrow'! I love Connie Willis' book 'Lincoln's Dreams', it's a great book. Having said that my hidden gems are the books by Kage Baker especially her series about The Company.

[@paultapner2769]

Space Merchants has a sequel called 'Merchant's War.' Written a few decades later and thus just by Frederik Pohl. It's just as good as the original and needs to be read. The Sparrow has one called Children of God. Which doesn't really stick in my mind as much as the first book. I recall think it was good but didn't feel necessary. I do like to say nothing of the dog but Doomsday Book also by Connie Willis just had a bit more impact. Mind you the scene in to say nothing where they land in the middle of a certain bit of British history from world war two has a huge punch to it and stays with me to this day.

[@cyclecamp1]

Asimov's "The Gods Themselves" would rate high up on my list.

[@purplelibraryguy8729]

I've been cheated! That's only three SF books I've never heard of. I already know To Say Nothing of the Dog and The Space Merchants are awesome. :) Seriously, he's absolutely right that they need reading. I went back to re-read The Space Merchants and it was hard to believe it was written in 1952--the book doesn't revolve around the details of technology much, so most of the time you don't even get that "the way the future was" vibe; meanwhile, the satire is savage and bloody funny and still totally relevant, while the plot is pretty fast-moving and twisty. To Say Nothing of the Dog is wonderful. I think one aspect the video underplays is how hilarious it is. Half the time it's like you're reading a really great P.G. Wodehouse "Jeeves and Wooster" story, or maybe two or three of them tangled together. Plus there's a nice little romance, plus there's this tension, you know, like "Can they get Lady Shrapnell the Bishop's Bird Stump without disrupting the space-time continuum? Has something gone wrong with time travel itself that could strand our heroes in the past? Will the history department be able to keep its budget?" All this and somewhere in there it still manages to find time to be thoughtful and touching. It may be Connie Willis' best book.

[@joyceronquillo8730]

To Say Nothing of the Dog is one of my absolute favorite books, ever.

[@GKahla]

I'm so happy you put Vurt on the list! I still re-read this one occasionally, and enjoy it for its insight into its era.

[@sofadhana1289]

I read Vurt and its sequels. Absolutely loved them, with all their flaws.

[@daveingram1351]

Excellent collection. Just a suggestion - pretty nearly everyone is famillar with Frank Herbert's Dune, but there are a bunch of his novels that get almost no recognition and are really good. The ones I have in mind are The Godmakers, Dragon in the Sea, and The Dosadi Experiment - possibly also Whipping Star. These only appear in the Wikipedia bibliography and do not appear in Frank Herbert's main page which is obsessed with Dune !!

[@Morf3000]

Glad you gave Vurt a shout-out. When you mentioned the intelligent animals in "Gun.." I immediately thought of the Dogmen in Vurt. I guess Fecundity 10 and all that entails is an added bonus for any reader.

[@ShawnMM]

Janitors of the Post-Apocalypse series by Jim C. Hines is a fun trilogy. The janitorial staff of the ship most save the day and deal with a conspiracy along the way. Its one of the best comedy series I have ever read and very creative.

[@Scottlp2]

To say Nothing Of the Dog was amazingly great fun.

[@sterlinglewis5700]

Another Connie Willis treasure is "Bellwether". There are several episodes that left me breathless with laughter. You will never see 'influencers' the same way again.

[@cotidiemorior]

To say nothing of the dog is amazing, one of the best I've read

[@alfreddumas4611]

Sentenced to Prism by Alan Dean Foster would be a worthy addition to this list...great video!

[@damouze]

The novel "A canticle for Leibowitz" by Walter M. Miller Jr.vhas always stood out to me as being very much underrated, as has "Earth Abides" by George R. Stewart. Both deal with a post-apocalyptical world, but in different ways. The former also very much inspired the Season 4 finale of Babylon 5, "De Deconstruction Of Falling Stars".

[@sullyway51]

Earth Abides was a good read.

[@newkkl]

To Say Nothing of the Dog is a great book. I also recommend it, sheer enjoyment. I’d also like to suggest A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge. A complex and satisfying novel with great unexpected plot turns, tension between an authoritarian regime and those it has captured, interwoven with a first contact story unlike any other.

[@danielkibira4064]

Hey Thanx Darrell Moore for the honorary mention on Cyberpunk gems. Glad you could appreciate my recommendation of DR.ADDER by K.W. Jeter👍🏾 Now one sci-fi gem that is not talked about enough, actually is criminally underrated is PERMUTATION CITY by Greg Egan. Anyone who loves Speculative fiction or Good old cyberpunk should look out for this one. It strikes a wonderful note on both chords.

[@markbeck8384]

My favorite one, sort of not remembered all that often, is Olaf Stapledon's Star Maker. it isn't so much a novel as sort of an extended idea; but it packs a punch towards the end.

[@howardgreenwich490]

Great list! Here here! I've gotten into watching booktube recently, which is mostly younger reviewers, and they seem to miss the literary stuff from the 1990s. GLAD YOU ARE ON IT. Even the older tubers are missing these in their channels. Willis does get accolades for the Doomsday Book, and arguably its in the same universe as To Say Nothing. But Vurt has truly been forgotten - I would put it up there with some of the cyberpunk classics, albeit with a unique take, and very drug laden. Gun is a real sleeper - Johanthan Letham is a top notch literary fiction author who dabbles in sci-fi - lucky us! And when I read the Sparrow back in the day, I was absolutely devastated and both loved and hated the book. The end! Oh the end of that book! To its credit, I still think about it, however ambivalent I feel. MY RECOMMENDATION for your next list - pretty much anything by Michael Swanwick, but especially Stations of the Tide. Swanwick has won so many awards, but few booktubers appear to have picked his catalog. Stations of the Tide is superlative, thinky, mash-up science fiction. HONORABLE MENTION: Perdido Street Station by China Mieville. He gets some attention for recent novels, like Railsea, Embassytown, and City and the City, but Perdido Street Station was groundbreaking and mindblowing when it came out in 2000. And still a great read. THANKS FOR DOING THIS LIST! (And one more author - Kage Baker and her 10 book Company series is elegant prose telling a complex and political story of time travel with fun characters I still can't forget.)

[@jimgilbert9984]

Books that are probably not on any modern SF reader's list, but still great: Andre Norton's Solar Queen books and her other SF novels. She had a whole galaxy that she'd built: hyperspace capable spaceships, Forerunners, the wild, wild west on an alien planet, psi powers, alien races and cultures, and more. One of her books was coopted and turned into a fantasy movie (Beastmaster), and an episode of Star Trek TNG stole from another of her books (when Geordi and others from an away mission were drawn back to an alien world and transformed into natives of that world). Alien by Raymond F. Jones. It explored what it meant to be human, even after the introduction of alien biology, what it means to communicate, etc. He also wrote another book with an interesting premise for space travel: time travel. As the universe is constantly in motion, if you traveled back or forward in time to the right spot, you can end up anywhere, on any planet in space, if you choose the right time frame. Start here on Earth, travel to the right temporal reference specs, and another planet will be occupying that space. I can't remember the name of the book. I kept it in storage, and thieves stole everything in my storage unit. The Dream Park novels by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle (especially the first one, Dream Park). The Bureau 13 books by Nick Pollata. They combine SF, fantasy, investigation, and mythic horror. The Lensmen Saga by E. E. Doc Smith, books that were probably the inspiration for the Green Lantern Corps. There are more that I can't bring to mind at the moment.

[@grahamodwyer4746]

Thanks for another great show! I'll add, "Gun with occasional music", "Vurt" and "The Sparrow" to my TBR. I agree that "The Space Merchants" and "To say nothing of the dog" are well worth a read. Connie Willis who wrote "To say nothing of the dog" also has two other great books: "Doomsday Book" and "Blackout". I would add to your, 'books you have never heard of but should read' would be "This Immortal" by Roger Zelazny and "Mockingbird" by Walter Tevis.

[@teleriferchnyfain]

I’ve read This Immortal.

[@jasong9207]

City by Clifford Simak rarely gets a mention but is an amazing journey through eons and evolution of species.

[@SuperChangcho]

Thanks; Pohl I've read of course but not Space Merchants; need to look it up. The Sparrow seems intriguing thanks. One seemingly overlooked book is Einstein's Bridge.

[@joebrooks4448]

Good to know about lesser known SF. I read The Space Merchants in the late 1960s and probably should reread. I thought Gun, With Occasional Music started out very interesting. But, I was hoping for more of a Keith Laumer Retief style sarcastic, pointed humor, and politically educational commentary detective story. Which, it came kinda close to. I have it around here, and should take another look. I have not yet read the others.

[@jor-el1298]

I actually have the two titles in the SF Masterworks collection. They are on my TBR list. I didn't know about the others. Thanks!

[@tomswift3482]

I have read the first 3. Excellent books. To Say Nothing of the Dog, whilst different than her others, is a great entry to her time travel books, and just her novels in general. I particularly like Lincoln's Dreams.

[@susancorbett8155]

I read The Sparrow when it was first published and it has been one of my favourite books in any genre ever since. Also love the sequel.

[@EvansNigel]

My favourite is We Are Bob, we are legion. Read it four times now. If you like time travel then Extraction is a brilliant series. I’ll be looking up the dog one.

[@julietwochholz9755]

HAH! I read To Say Nothing of the Dog. And love Willis as an author so much that I have read five other books of hers.

[@involunteer]

My picks for overlooked or forgotten books would be: Bridge of Birds, by Barry Hughart Initiate Brother Duology, by Sean Russell Riddlemaster of Hed trilogy, by Patricia McKillip

[@neilhughes9310]

There are so many hidden gems, but I can understand why some would not appeal to a younger audience: Bob Shaw - The Land And Overland Trilogy (Ragged Astronauts, Wooden Spaceships, Fugitive Worlds). I bought the first for the Ian Miller covers, but have re-read them time and again. Joan D Vinge - The Snow Queen (Hugo Award winning) and to a lesser extent its main sequel The Summer Queen. A tinge of fantasy within surefire sci-fi and some beautiful narrative. Her earlier shorter work, especially Tin Soldier, is also notable for the same reasons. Mary Gentle - Golden Witchbreed and sequel Ancient Light. Almost contemporary with Joan Vinge and not dissimilar but with an English author's wry humour. Again quite a diverse collection of other speculative fiction titles by her. David Wingrove - Chung Kuo series. The rewritten series is superior, partly because it is done in smaller chunks.

[@AnonymousUser1776]

Poul Anderson’s The Rebel Wolds.

[@DanielSolis]

Another little-known recommendation: "A Door into Ocean" by Joan Slonczewski Linguistic scifi, biotech, and solarpunk, all decades ahead of their time.

[@beauthestdane]

Loved To Say Nothing Of The Dog, ditto for The Space Merchants. Been a fan of Pohl for decades.

[@macgyvershe]

Looking forward to reading these.

[@barryvercueil2346]

Five new recommendations!!!!!! Thanks

[@StillPlaysWithModelTrains1956]

Autopsy of a Cosmonaut by Jacob Hay, David Poyer's The Shiloh Project, Lee Correy's Space Doctor, and John Haldeman's The Forever War.

[@jacquelinegibson7420]

Four more onto my list, thanks. I have read To say Nothing of The Dog.

[@StevenEverett7]

Another book that really should be mentioned is Hiero's Journey by Sterling Lanier. A story of a young priest, yes, going on a journey in an apocalyptic world.

[@sullyway51]

is this the one where explorers find a Pluto sized world circling far out from a burned out star that has been made into a giant historical time capsule by an extinct race that had interplanetary capability but not interstellar. The explorers send for a Jesuit priest/astronomer from Earth to help solve a problem. Turns out that he figures out the math and finds that these people's star went Nova and it was the bright star that the 3 wise men followed to find Jesus.........

[@StevenEverett7]

@@sullyway51 No, this story takes place on a post apocalyptic earth. Mankind has reverted back to more primitive, although not barbaric living style. There are many mutated animals.

[@ericpierce3660]

@@StevenEverett7 I first read it as a teen and it was so interesting and thrilling, I immediately re-read it.

[@Calcprof]

I've read Gun with ocasional music and The Space Merchants.

[@FlosBlog]

Definitely will look into space merchants

[@giorgioc6765]

I don't know how popular it is, but the Helliconia trilogy by Brian W. Aldiss is very good (could be better, admittedly, but the underlying concepts are extremely interesting)

[@adrianbeckmann3778]

thank you, I will probably read "The Sparrow" because of this.

[@goldenghostinc]

With regards to other lesser know gems, I nominate "Revelation Space" by Alastair Reynolds. I love everything from him, but if I have to nominate one, this is it (together with it's two sequals for the trilogy 😅). I have read the Space Merchants and it was fine. I'm very hapoy that you included the Sparrow on the list. It's very good and I have reread it a couple times now, together with it's sequal (although that is less good imo). Vurt and Gun, with occasional music both sound just up my street. I'll need to check them out.

[@jasperdoornbos8989]

Thanks Darrel, indeed books I had never heard of. The Sparrow sparked my interest. I will read it and let you know How I liked it! Kind regards, Jasper

[@mickdarcy3063]

I have not read Vurt, I will look for it! Thanks!

[@Wertsir]

To throw my hat in the ring of ‘little known Sci Fi novels you should totally read’, i cannot recommend “All of an Instant” by Richard Garfinkle enough. It takes the obtuse complexities of Time Travel and turns it into an elegant metaphor, turning a story that would have been impenetrably complex and making it so simple that anyone could understand it, without losing the substance and nuance of the idea.

[@franklinhadick2866]

My top non-known SCI-Fi books, Butterfly and Hellflower read carefully, a paragraph cahnges the whole book if you miss it., Redliners, speaks to me about used up troopers in a future conflict.

[@mainstreet3023]

I still remember the cover of Vurt. It was some post-industrial housing estate with flowers poking through the cracks. With J G Ballard and a handful of other British writers, books like Vurt are hailed as groundbreaking (because they’re English). Apart from Banks I like my sci-fi to be as far from English as possible.

[@metalrules5005]

You need to add Ariya Kai the Secret of Colony L.I.F.E. by F. Z. Zach to your list

[@LaurenceHuntKenora_Ontario]

I'm with you on Lethem. He has written in many genres, and does scifi well, but not only scifi. I consider Girl in Landscape his best scifi book, pretty well a classic scifi novel in the tradition of Heinlein, and equal to the task. Lethem's work is competently literary.

[@YT2024Hayward]

So many hidden gems in a scI-fi genre.

[@thekeywitness]

Love Gun with Occasional Music

[@grahamcrawford4897]

Great video! I'd read 3 ...but you sparked a paper chase for me in the comments section

[@lorensims4846]

I think I might have heard of Sparrow, but no, I haven't read any of these and now I really must. A lot of these aren't really my usual fare which may be why I missed them, but it's all the more reason for me to check them out. Thanks!

[@ralphmiddaugh6400]

I read Gun With Occasional Music when it was first released. It remains one of my favorites on my list of Must Reread books.

[@WordsinTime]

Of these I’ve only read Gun, With Occasional Music, which I enjoyed. The other books are on my TBR so I’m looking forward to them!

[@Raiment57]

Intriguing list, thank you. I did read Vurt but so long ago that I can't remember anything about it - will have to revisit. One book that's still fresh in my mind and which I found hugely impressive is The Gone Away World by Nick Harkness. It manages to be both laugh-out-loud funny and thought provoking plus the writing and use of language are an absolute delight.

[@Robakehurst]

slight correction the gone away world is by Nick Harkaway

[@Raiment57]

@@RobakehurstThank you. Not sure how I managed that. A senior moment it seems.

[@MirrorReaper1]

Going to add The Genocides, by Thomas Disch, to the list.

[@censorshipsucks9493]

Old Man's War by John Scalzi. Also Agent to the Stars by the same author.

[@JaMEFMEB]

Great video. I would've chosen Amnesia Moon by Jonathan Lethem. A superb challenge to read. By the way, if you're from Manchester, Vurt was passed around everyone who's everyone that was reading sci fi. Definitely wasn't under the radar up here in the North West :)