I've read a lot of the SF Masterworks series (probably about 100 of them, and now the series has almost 200 books in it) – I've enjoyed reading authors I woudn't have considered before, and only read them because they were on the SF Masterworks list. I'd love some more ideas of lesser-known books by lesser-known authors, and here are a few of mine – with apologies in advance if they are not-so-lesser-known. All I can say in my defence is, they were lesser-known to me!
- The Godwhale by TJ Bass (1974) – Set on a far-future, overpopulated and polluted Earth, where genetic engineering of humans has led us to a sorry state, a ragtag band including a genetically engineered super warrior who is deliberately engineered to only be able to eat special amino-acid bread or he'll die, a paraplegic cryogenically-preserved man (from our near future), some sea people and an ancient mechanical sentient whale go up against an evil AI. The characterisation is pretty two-dimensional, but it's got a ton of fantastic ideas. Great fun!
- Native Tongue by Suzette Haden Elgin (1984) – Core to this book is that the people who define the language get to define reality, in a patriarchal future society where women are extremely oppressed (think Handmaid's Tale). Humanity is in contact with several alien species, although that's basically a background to the real story, which is a group of linguist women secretly creating their own language to help them break free. I enjoyed the author's love for and deep knowledge of language and it's relationship to thought.
- Rogue Moon by Algis Budrys (1960) – A 'forbidden zone' book, like Roadside Picnic or Annhiliation. There is an alien artefact on the moon that kills explorers unless approached in a very specific way (learned through the deaths of many, many explorers). Quite old-fashioned, culturally, so that aspect isn't so interesting, but fascinating ideas at the core of this one.
Let me know your lesser-known picks!
by CLBUK