Skip to Main Content (Press Enter)
JOIN OUR EMAIL PROGRAM FOR EXPERT PICKS
Toggle side nav
  • Books

    Fill 1
  • Kids

    Fill 1
  • Popular

    Fill 1
  • Authors & Events

    Fill 1
  • Recommendations

    Fill 1
  • Audio

    Fill 1
  • Join Our Authors for Virtual Events
    Join Our Authors for Virtual Events
    Learn More >

  • Historical Fiction if You Love Old Hollywood
    Historical Fiction if You Love Old Hollywood
    Read More >

  • Books to Support Mental Health, Learning, and More
    Books to Support Mental Health, Learning, and More
    Learn More >
  • <
    Books>
  • Popular
  • New & Noteworthy
  • Bestsellers
  • Popular Series
  • Anticipated Nonfiction
  • Libros en español
  • Coming Soon
  • Fiction
  • Classics
  • Romance
  • Literary Fiction
  • Mystery
  • Science Fiction & Fantasy
  • Nonfiction
  • Biographies & Memoirs
  • Wellness
  • Politics
  • Cooking
  • History
  • Series
  • Gray Man
  • Dark Star Trilogy
  • Ramses the Damned
  • Outlander
  • Penguin Classics
  • <
    View All>
  • <
    Kids>
  • Popular
  • New & Noteworthy
  • Bestsellers
  • Award Winners
  • The Parenting Book Guide
  • Books to Read Before Bed
  • Books for Middle Graders
  • Trending Series
  • Who Was?
  • Magic Tree House
  • The Last Kids on Earth
  • Mad Libs
  • Planet Omar
  • Beloved Characters
  • The World of Eric Carle
  • Bluey
  • Llama Llama
  • Dr. Seuss
  • Junie B. Jones
  • Peter Rabbit
  • Categories
  • Board Books
  • Picture Books
  • Guided Reading Levels
  • Middle Grade
  • Activity Books
  • <
    View All>
  • <

    Popular

  • Trending
  • Trending This Week
  • Barbecue and Grilling Books
  • Anticipated Historical Fiction
  • Books for K-Drama Fans
  • Novels About Black Families
  • Anti-Racist Resources
  • Expert Picks
  • Editor's Picks: Fiction
  • Editor's Picks: Science Fiction & Fantasy
  • Editor's Picks: Romance
  • Staff Picks: Mystery
  • Features & Interviews
  • Emma Brodie Interview
  • Gabriella Burnham Interview
  • Nicola Yoon Interview
  • Qian Julie Wang Interview
  • Deepak Chopra Essay
  • How Can I Get Published?
  • For Book Clubs
  • Reese's Book Club
  • Oprah’s Book Club
  • Guide: Trust
  • Guide: Book Lovers
  • <
  • <
    Authors & Events>
  • Our Authors
  • Michelle Obama
  • Emily St. John Mandel
  • Ocean Vuong
  • Bill Gates
  • Emily Henry
  • In Their Own Words
  • Qian Julie Wang
  • Patrick Radden Keefe
  • Phoebe Robinson
  • Emma Brodie
  • Ta-Nehisi Coates
  • Laura Hankin
  • <
    View All>
  • <
    Recommendations>
  • Book Lists
  • Feel-Good Books
  • For Stranger Things Fans
  • Your Astrological Sign Book Match
  • Books to Inspire Wanderlust
  • Fiction for Food Lovers
  • Manga and Graphic Novels
  • Articles
  • Between the World and Me Oral History
  • Meet the Bookseller: Yu and Me Books
  • Patrick Radden Keefe Interview
  • Nightcrawling Excerpt
  • Love on the Brain Excerpt
  • <
    View All>
  • <
    Audio>
  • Popular
  • New Releases
  • Award Winners
  • Coming Soon
  • Featured
  • Memoirs Read by the Author
  • Our Most Soothing Narrators
  • Press Play for Inspiration
  • Audiobooks You Just Can't Pause
  • Listen With the Whole Family
  • <
    View All>
cart
Penguin Random House
  • Books

    • Popular

    • New & Noteworthy
    • Bestsellers
    • Popular Series
    • Anticipated Nonfiction
    • Libros en español
    • Coming Soon
    • Fiction

    • Classics
    • Romance
    • Literary Fiction
    • Mystery
    • Science Fiction & Fantasy
    • View All >
    • Nonfiction

    • Biographies & Memoirs
    • Wellness
    • Politics
    • Cooking
    • History
    • View All >
    • Series

    • Gray Man
    • Dark Star Trilogy
    • Ramses the Damned
    • Outlander
    • Penguin Classics
    • View All >
    New Releases
    New Releases
    Learn More >
  • Kids

    • Popular

    • New & Noteworthy
    • Bestsellers
    • Award Winners
    • The Parenting Book Guide
    • Books to Read Before Bed
    • Books for Middle Graders
    • Trending Series

    • Who Was?
    • Magic Tree House
    • The Last Kids on Earth
    • Mad Libs
    • Planet Omar
    • View All >
    • Beloved Characters

    • The World of Eric Carle
    • Bluey
    • Llama Llama
    • Dr. Seuss
    • Junie B. Jones
    • Peter Rabbit
    • Categories

    • Board Books
    • Picture Books
    • Guided Reading Levels
    • Middle Grade
    • Activity Books
    • View All >
    Books to Support Mental Health, Learning, and More
    Books to Support Mental Health, Learning, and More
    Learn More >
  • Popular

    • Trending

    • Trending This Week
    • Barbecue and Grilling Books
    • Anticipated Historical Fiction
    • Books for K-Drama Fans
    • Novels About Black Families
    • Anti-Racist Resources
    • Expert Picks

    • Editor's Picks: Fiction
    • Editor's Picks: Science Fiction & Fantasy
    • Editor's Picks: Romance
    • Staff Picks: Mystery
    • Features & Interviews

    • Emma Brodie Interview
    • Gabriella Burnham Interview
    • Nicola Yoon Interview
    • Qian Julie Wang Interview
    • Deepak Chopra Essay
    • How Can I Get Published?
    • For Book Clubs

    • Reese's Book Club
    • Oprah’s Book Club
    • Guide: Trust
    • Guide: Book Lovers
    Staff Picks: Emilia Pisani Shares What She's Loving Right Now
    Staff Picks: Emilia Pisani Shares What She's Loving Right Now
    Learn More >
  • Authors & Events

    • Our Authors

    • Michelle Obama
    • Emily St. John Mandel
    • Ocean Vuong
    • Bill Gates
    • Emily Henry
    • View All >
    • In Their Own Words

    • Qian Julie Wang
    • Patrick Radden Keefe
    • Phoebe Robinson
    • Emma Brodie
    • Ta-Nehisi Coates
    • Laura Hankin
    The Health Benefits of Reading
    The Health Benefits of Reading
    Learn More >
    Join Our Authors for Virtual Events
    Join Our Authors for Virtual Events
    Learn More >
  • Recommendations

    • Book Lists

    • Feel-Good Books
    • For Stranger Things Fans
    • Your Astrological Sign Book Match
    • Books to Inspire Wanderlust
    • Fiction for Food Lovers
    • Manga and Graphic Novels
    • Articles

    • Between the World and Me Oral History
    • Meet the Bookseller: Yu and Me Books
    • Patrick Radden Keefe Interview
    • Nightcrawling Excerpt
    • Love on the Brain Excerpt
    Browse All Our Lists, Essays, and Interviews
    Browse All Our Lists, Essays, and Interviews
    See What We’re Reading >
    Historical Fiction if You Love Old Hollywood
    Historical Fiction if You Love Old Hollywood
    Read More >
  • Audio

    • Popular

    • New Releases
    • Award Winners
    • Coming Soon
    • View All >
    • Featured

    • Memoirs Read by the Author
    • Our Most Soothing Narrators
    • Press Play for Inspiration
    • Audiobooks You Just Can't Pause
    • Listen With the Whole Family
    • View All >
    New Stories to Listen to
    New Stories to Listen to
    Learn More >
    Short Audiobooks to Listen to in a Day
    Short Audiobooks to Listen to in a Day
    Learn More >
search
Penguin Random House Penguin Random House
cart
search
Penguin RandomHouse
close search
close search
Penguin Random House
The ReadDown

Lesser-Known Works by Authors You Love

When it comes to famous authors, there are the classics that everyone reads, and then there are the deep cuts from the back catalogs — the stuff that only the hardcore fans get to. Ready to try a few for yourself? Here are eight lesser-known books by eight writers you already know and love.
This list was originally written by Matt Staggs for Unbound Worlds.

  1. 1
    Nightflyers: The Illustrated Edition Book Cover Picture
    Nightflyers: The Illustrated Edition Book Cover Picture
    Add Nightflyers: The Illustrated Edition to bookshelf
    Add to Bookshelf

    Nightflyers: The Illustrated Edition

    by George R. R. Martin

    A Song of Ice and Fire and its subsequent HBO adaptation may have brought George R. R. Martin a level of fame that few writers of fantasy and science fiction ever attain, but there’s a lot more to Martin than the scheming royal families of Westeros. Nightflyers is among the best of his pre-ASOIAF works: a psychological thriller set in outer space. Newly released in an illustrated special edition, this 1980 novella is set to premiere as a SyFy television series this fall.
    Nightflyers: The Illustrated Edition Book Cover Picture
    Nightflyers: The Illustrated Edition Book Cover Picture
    Add Nightflyers: The Illustrated Edition to bookshelf
    Add to Bookshelf

    Paperback
    $9.99

    Buy from Other Retailers:

    Buy
  2. 2
    Player Piano Book Cover Picture
    Player Piano Book Cover Picture
    Add Player Piano to bookshelf
    Add to Bookshelf

    Player Piano

    by Kurt Vonnegut

    Kurt Vonnegut wrote more than his fair share of classics. As a reader, it’s easy to lose yourself exploring well-known novels like Slaughterhouse-Five, Cat’s Cradle, and Mother Night, so much so that you might run the risk of missing out on his first novel, Player Piano. Written in 1959, Player Piano is set in a society where machine automation has eliminated the need for human labor, leaving many feeling robbed of a sense of purpose in their lives.
    Player Piano Book Cover Picture
    Player Piano Book Cover Picture
    Add Player Piano to bookshelf
    Add to Bookshelf

    Paperback
    $17.00

    Buy from Other Retailers:

    Buy
  3. 3
    The Edible Woman Book Cover Picture
    The Edible Woman Book Cover Picture
    Add The Edible Woman to bookshelf
    Add to Bookshelf

    The Edible Woman

    by Margaret Atwood

    Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale is as popular now as ever, maybe even more so thanks to its adaptation on Hulu and viral images of political protesters dressed as the novel’s handmaids. If you haven’t read it, you certainly should. If you have, then you might want to give Atwood’s early novel The Edible Woman a read. A symbolically dense story exploring gender roles through acts of metaphorical cannibalism, The Edible Woman established Atwood’s reputation as a writer of significance.
    The Edible Woman Book Cover Picture
    The Edible Woman Book Cover Picture
    Add The Edible Woman to bookshelf
    Add to Bookshelf

    Paperback
    $16.95

    Buy from Other Retailers:

    Buy
  4. 4
    Carrie Book Cover Picture
    Carrie Book Cover Picture
    Add Carrie to bookshelf
    Add to Bookshelf

    Carrie

    by Stephen King

    At this point, it’s hard to call anything of Stephen King’s books “lesser-known,” but I’m constantly surprised by the number of people — even people who identify themselves as King fans — who haven’t read Carrie, his first published novel. Adolescence is a scary time. King makes it even scarier with this tale of a shunned girl with powerful psychic abilities.
    Carrie Book Cover Picture
    Carrie Book Cover Picture
    Add Carrie to bookshelf
    Add to Bookshelf

    Paperback
    $17.00

    Buy from Other Retailers:

    Buy
  5. 5
    The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights Book Cover Picture
    The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights Book Cover Picture
    Add The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights to bookshelf
    Add to Bookshelf

    The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights

    by John Steinbeck

    How about a fantasy novel from a guy who didn’t normally write fantasy? You may know John Steinbeck for The Grapes of Wrath and Cannery Row, but you might not be aware that he also wrote an adaptation of Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur. The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights. Steinbeck wrote his version of the stories in modern English, which may come as a relief to those who have found the original to be difficult reading.
    The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights Book Cover Picture
    The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights Book Cover Picture
    Add The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights to bookshelf
    Add to Bookshelf

    Paperback
    $20.00

    Buy from Other Retailers:

    Buy
  6. 6
    A Wild Sheep Chase Book Cover Picture
    A Wild Sheep Chase Book Cover Picture
    Add A Wild Sheep Chase to bookshelf
    Add to Bookshelf

    A Wild Sheep Chase

    by Haruki Murakami

    Haruki Murakami’s well-known novels The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Norwegian Wood, and 1Q84, are famous for their genre-slipping surrealism, and fans who read those will undoubtedly love A Wild Sheep Chase: a lesser known work about an advertising executive who sets out on a quest to find a magical sheep on the lam.
    A Wild Sheep Chase Book Cover Picture
    A Wild Sheep Chase Book Cover Picture
    Add A Wild Sheep Chase to bookshelf
    Add to Bookshelf

    Paperback
    $17.00

    Buy from Other Retailers:

    Buy
  7. 7
    Market Forces Book Cover Picture
    Market Forces Book Cover Picture
    Add Market Forces to bookshelf
    Add to Bookshelf

    Market Forces

    by Richard K. Morgan

    Netflix’s “Altered Carbon” has made Richard K. Morgan and his hero Takeshi Kovacs household names, but there’s plenty of other books in his catalogue worth reading. Market Forces is a near-future dystopian story where the power of multi-national megacorporations has eclipsed that of the traditional nation-state, and high-tech corporate mercenaries settle disputes with firearms and high-speed road duels.
    Market Forces Book Cover Picture
    Market Forces Book Cover Picture
    Add Market Forces to bookshelf
    Add to Bookshelf

    Paperback
    $17.00

    Buy from Other Retailers:

    Buy
  8. 8
    Ursula K. Le Guin: Hainish Novels and Stories Vol. 1 (LOA #296) Book Cover Picture
    Ursula K. Le Guin: Hainish Novels and Stories Vol. 1 (LOA #296) Book Cover Picture
    Add Ursula K. Le Guin: Hainish Novels and Stories Vol. 1 (LOA #296) to bookshelf
    Add to Bookshelf

    Ursula K. Le Guin: Hainish Novels and Stories

    by Ursula K. Le Guin

    Rocannon’s World is Ursula K. Le Guin’s debut novel, and the first in the Hainish Cycle. This sophisticated take on the sword and planet genre finds space travelers amid a world of high science and fantasy. Dwarves, elves, and horrifying monsters mix with telepathy and space ships. You can find Rocannon’s World and additional volumes of the Cycle packaged together in this Library of America compilation.
    Ursula K. Le Guin: Hainish Novels and Stories Vol. 1 (LOA #296) Book Cover Picture
    Ursula K. Le Guin: Hainish Novels and Stories Vol. 1 (LOA #296) Book Cover Picture
    Add Ursula K. Le Guin: Hainish Novels and Stories Vol. 1 (LOA #296) to bookshelf
    Add to Bookshelf

    Hardcover
    $40.00

    Buy from Other Retailers:

    Buy
  • Share:
  • Share on Facebook
  • Tweet
  • Pin it
  • Share on Tumblr
  • SMS
  • Email
More to Explore
Back to Top
JOIN OUR EMAIL PROGRAM FOR EXPERT PICKS
  • Connect
  • Sign up for news about books, authors, and more from Penguin Random House

  • global.penguinrandomhouse.com
  • © 2022 Penguin Random House
  • Quick Links
  • Partnerships
  • Media Queries
  • Influencers
  • Company Reads
  • PenguinRandomHouse.biz
  • Email Preferences
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • CA Privacy Policy
  • Do Not Sell My Personal Info
  • Affiliate Program Disclosure
  • Fraud Alert
  • Help
  • Publishing Process
  • FAQ
  • Shopping & Shipping FAQ
  • For Educators
  • Subrights
  • Permissions
  • About Us
  • Our Story
  • Our People
  • Our Contributors
  • Locations
  • Management
  • Social Impact
  • Careers
  • Imprints

Visit other sites in the Penguin Random House Network

Raise kids who love to read

Brightly

Raise kids who love to read
Today's Top Books

Today's Top Books

Want to know what people are actually reading right now?
An online magazine for today’s home cook

TASTE

An online magazine for today’s home cook

Stay in Touch

Please enter a valid email address
We are experiencing technical difficulties. Please try again later.

By clicking Sign Up, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Penguin Random House's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

×

Become a Member

Start earning points for buying books! Just for joining you’ll get personalized recommendations on your dashboard daily and features only for members.

Find Out More Join Now Sign In
Hi,
Member Since

Account Overview Rewards Recommendations Orders Account Details Bookshelf

Point Status
This is where you’ll see your current point status and your earned rewards. To redeem, copy and paste the code during the checkout process.See Account Overview

until your next FREE book!
0 120
You currently do not have any rewards.

Success!

Your account has been created. Upload book purchases, access your personalized book recommendations, and more from here.