My top 3 BEST 'forgotten' sci fi books to try in 2023

Bristly Bear presents 3 book reviews of sci-fi books or series that have been "forgotten." I find that most top 10 lists or review videos highlight either older or more recent books, and the three presented here are, what I believe, are ones that get unfortunately overlooked.
0:00 Intro
01:27 Titan (Gaia Series) by John Varley
06:43 Tar Aiym Krang (Flinx and Pip series) by Alan Dean Foster
11:26 Masks of the Martyrs (Rings of the Master series) by Jack Chalker
17:46 Outro

[sciencefictionreads]

Great suggestions! Jack Chalker is someone who I haven't read, yet own many of his books. I'll have to get to him this year. I really enjoyed the Gaia books and while I have a copy of The Tar Aiym Krang, I haven't yet read it.

[Tetsujin-]

We All Died at Breakaway Station by Richard C. Meredith. No one in the community ever mentions this book. A great read.
I haven't heard of Jack Chalker. I'll have to check him out.

[TheMcMonster]

I'm certainly going to look for those books now.

[evasbuchereckchen]

Thank you for these recommendations! I am always looking for these kinds of forgotten books!

[PacificDark]

The Gaea Trilogy is the best sci-fi I've ever read, and I feel Demon is the best of the three. Gaea is a million years old, yet most of her recent constructs are based from the thousands of movies she loves to watch. I read the series in early high school and I absolutely love it. Cirocco Jones is one of my childhood heroes. 16 year old me devoured this series and 50 year old me still enjoys it.

[Scottlp]

1. John Varley had a large number of great works. I remember most short stories with eg sex changes as a given, people backing up their memories to computers, composing “symphonies” with the weather. I do remember enjoying the Gaia series (and wondering if he was pen name for a woman).

2. Foster wrote a number of lighthearted fun books, only one I can remember is cat-a-lyst.

3. Chalker wrote well of soul series which was great fun As well as GOD inc (don’t remember much but was enjoyable)

[Jplummer]

I just came across your video in my feed and decided to check it out. Amazing description, you make me want to read all of these series. I hope more subscribers soon follow, keep it up.

[willowallen]

Great video!
One sci-fi I would recommend is the Honor Harrington series! I picked up one of the books in a thrift store and after finding out it was the 7th in the series (and also finding out there was a lot more than just 7) I got the books on audible and started reading. Its a very wordy series and can be incredibly hard to follow at times, but the action in it is amazing and it puts up real stakes and risks that leave you on the edge of your seat!

I'm really glad to have found this book at the thrift store when I did. I tend to notice that sci-fi is super hard to come by in thrift stores. At least the ones I go to. So I always pick up any sci-fi I find at thrift shops.

[vilstef]

On reading some Chalker, I concluded if you like him, you will probably like Jack Vance.

[chrisconnors]

I’ll have to check out Varley’s books and the Chalker books. I think I may have read them way back in high school because I read every sci-fi book our school library had.

Back then I liked the McAffrey dragonriders of Pern books. I don’t see them mentioned too often now.

Subscribed now.

[jerryfiore]

Wow. Great video! You remind me of my old pal, Todd, whom I knew about 40 years ago when I worked at a store called "Coles, the Book People!" - we had talks like this from '83 - '87 often!

My big recommendations would be: (1) The Otherland series by Tad Williams; and (2) The Well of Echoes series by Ian Irvine.

[glockensig]

Jack Chalker's "And the Devil Will Drag You Under" is a book I read long ago and remember fondly!!

[qadgopthemercotan]

I read 'em all decades ago. And they still stand out in my memory, they were so good.

[davebrzeski]

Great idea for a video. I am familiar with all of them, but I have to admit that I'd almost forgotten about John Varley.
Might I add James White's Hospital Station series to the list? In this age of TV series with high quality special effects, based on classic SF, it amazes me that no one seems to have even considered adapting those books! SF adventure. special effects and medical drama. What more could they ask for?

[cathrussell]

Alan Dean Foster is the only one of those authors I've heard of but I haven't read much by him. I've made a note of all of these series as they sound like huge fun. Thanks for an excellent video... I've subscribed and hope to see more from you!

[lisaboban]

Great idea for a video! I've never heard of Chalker and I'd forgotten Varley. Time to seek these out!

[stephenlitten]

Ok, they've aged, but Edgar Rice Burrough's "Mars" series is a blast. Loads of buckles being swashed, death rays and maidens to be rescued.
And Gene Wolfe's "Shadow of the Torturer" series. Well written.

[tdd]

Yeah. No one talks about the Chronicles of Amber any more. Or Fafyrd and the Grey Mouser. Or Thieves World. Etc.

[Scottlp]

Suggested author: Eric Frank Russell zillion short stories as well as “Wasp”.

[Paromita_M]

Really interesting video. I didn't know about any of these. Look forward to your future videos!