Hidden Gems


I often come across excellent fantasy books (and sometimes sci-fi) that seem to be unknown and definitely deserve to be more recognized. This page is a showcase of these books. Because it's a static page and not a blog or a contest there's no limit on how many books I'm willing to feature on here and once a book is on here it can stick around in hopes that it will, over time, be found by more and more people. 


The only limits to what gets on this list are my own preferences and my time/ability to find these books. I'm not the most prolific of readers these days and I tend to either read or write so my own writing projects might slow down the growth of this hoard - I mean list. I might come across a great book and decide not to include it yet if it's part of an unfinished series, but there are a couple of series books that I will include here anyway, because they're just that good (and they stand alone pretty well).

Also, if the book is trad published, discussed on the radio or written by a well-known fantasy author this is not the place for it and I won't put it here as you've probably heard of it already.

Without further ado I give you my personal list of:

Hidden Fantasy and Sci Fi Gems 

Epic/High Fantasy 


The Eagle's Flight by D. E. Olesen 
Chronicles of Adalmearc Book 1

High/Epic Fantasy
Rich Tolkien-like World-Building

Lots of detailed battles, political plotting and double-crossing, etc.

Confirmed Re-read value. I read it twice and loved it both times.
My First Review --- My Second Review



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The Raven's Cry by D. E. Olesen 
Chronicles of Adalmearc Book 2 


Excellent sequel, expands the excellent world-building and character work. 









An Elegy of Heroes: 
The Agartes Epilogues Trilogy by K. S. Villoso

High/Epic Fantasy
Deep characterizations, rich world-building, and a plot full of awesome reveals

Can't wait to re-read this!

Review of the Trilogy
Individual Book Reviews: Jaeth's Eye -- Aina's Breath -- Sapphire's Flight




Between the Shade and the Shadow by Coleman Alexander 

Epic Fantasy 

Unique non-human POV, excellent characterization, wonderful world-building, and action with personal stakes. 

My Review



Steampunk 



Currently by Sarah Mensinga 

Steampunk Fantasy
Excellent World-Building from the small scale of one city to the large scale of an entire world.

Great Magic System.
My Review





Askaro of the Falcon by Lady Li Andre

Steampunk Fantasy
Great World-Building on the steam-powered airship and the cities it docks in.

Fast-paced and difficult to put down.

My Review




Sci-Fi 



Grounded: A Dragon's Tale by Gloria Piper 

Science Fantasy
A planet of Dragons, real Ecology!, Spaceships, Interplanetary Politics, and Adventure

Excellent characterization and world-building

My Review




Godeena by Stjepan Varesevac Cobets 

Military Science Fiction
Criminals recruited for mission on creepy planet for a last chance at freedom

Great world-building and characterization, loved the exploration of the creepy power on the planet (& I still remember it years after reading!)

My Review




The Buried Few by M. J. Lau 

Near-Future Dystopian Science Fiction
Thought-provoking near-future exploration of family and what it means

Very interesting 3D development of diverse cast of characters

My Review






First Contact Science Fiction Novelette
Humans attempt to invade a planet with some interesting life-forms

Thought-provoking look at how humans interact with their environment, the nature of conflict, and some extremely creative alien species!



Collections & Anthologies 



Heroes Wanted 
A Fantasy Anthology 

Excellent way to sample the writing of many of the exciting new voices in the genre

So many strong, thought-provoking stories that explore the theme of Heroes and so many very fun stories of various sub-genres!

My Review



Series books I'll probably add once I've read book 2: 
- The First of Shadows by Deck Matthews
- Hand and Talon by Melonie Purcell


This small list will hopefully continue to grow. Meanwhile, if you're looking for more good books you can check out My Goodreads Reviews. There are quite a few books I've read and enjoyed and rated 4 or 5 stars that I have decided not to include here (yet - in a couple of cases I'm waiting to finish a series) and you may also come across something I hated, but it's your type of book!

There are many authors and bloggers who are trying to shed more light on hidden gems in different ways. Here are a few places you can go to find more great books:

  • The SPFBO contest hosted by Mark Lawrence where 300 Stand-alone Self-Published Books vie for the top spot. 
  • Author Rob. J. Hayes also posts excellent lists of upcoming self-published fantasy releases for each month so you can keep up with the newest releases in the genre. 
  • There are also numerous fantasy blogs you can follow to see some great reviews and lists. I love the content coming out of The Fantasy Inn and RockStarlit BookAsylum. 
  • The Protagonist Speaks is loads of fun because instead of author interviews you get the characters from books being interviewed. 

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