I am running a website called www.scifihunter.com, and I am trying to find the best science fiction books and films regardless of their popularity. Let me know what you think is the best science fiction book, short story, or film, if it is well known or not, or in print or not.
The books of China Mieville. Highly underrated by most people.
Michael Crichton is the only Sci Fi author I know, and having read only one of his books…"Prey" I can vouvh for it being very obscure.
About Michael Crichton
Michael Crichton is the author of The Andromeda Strain, Congo, Jurassic Park, Rising Sun, The Terminal Man, The Lost World, Airframe and Timeline. He is the winner of an Edgar Award (1980; The Great Train Robbery) as well as an Emmy, a Peabody, and a Writer’s Guild of America Award for the television series ER.
Novels
A Case of Need (1968) (writing as Jeffrey Hudson)
The Andromeda Strain (1969)
Dealing: Or the Berkeley to Boston Forty-brick Lost-bag Blues (1971) (writing as Michael Douglas)
The Terminal Man (1972)
The Great Train Robbery (1973)
Westworld (1974)
Eaters of the Dead (1976)
aka The 13th Warrior
Congo (1980)
Sphere (1987)
Rising Sun (1991)
Disclosure (1993)
Airframe (1996)
Twister (1996) (with Anne-Marie Martin)
Timeline (1998)
Prey (2002)
State of Fear (2004)
Next (2006)
Pirate Latitudes (2009)
Similar authors:
Clive Cussler
Michael Connelly
John Grisham
James Patterson
Robin Cook
Patricia Cornwell
Stephen King
Tom Clancy
Dan Brown
Jeffery Deaver
Lee Child
Dean Koontz
Harlan Coben
David Baldacci
Stephen Coonts
H. Beam Piper
Although this author won awards, a lot of his fiction has fallen out of print since the 80s. Which is a bit surprising since a number of the present hot authors owe a direct debt to him.
Poul Anderson
The guy wrote roughly a hundred books, yet you don’t see a lot of reprints of his classics anymore. i’m glad I snapped these up over the years used
Fritz Leiber
Oddly enough his sci-fi is all but forgotten these days and even his more popular fantasy works rarely seem to get mentioned by the under 30 set.
A Matter for Men by David Gerrold
http://www.amazon.com/Matter-Men-Against-Chtorr-Book/dp/0553277820/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255531561&sr=1-1
Her Smoke Rose Up Forever by James Tiptree
http://www.amazon.com/Her-Smoke-Rose-Up-Forever/dp/1892391201/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255531608&sr=1-1
Grass by Sherri Tepper (most of her books are good)
http://www.amazon.com/Grass-S-F-Masterworks-Sheri-S-Tepper/dp/1857987985/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255531656&sr=1-1
Cyteen by C.J. Cherryh (most of her books are good)
http://www.amazon.com/Cyteen-C-J-Cherryh/dp/0446671274/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255531700&sr=1-1
40,000 in Gehenna by C.J. Cherryh
http://www.amazon.com/Alliance-Space-C-J-Cherryh/dp/0756404940/ref=pd_sim_b_2