So far this year, I've discovered:
Hope Mirrlees - "Lud-in-the-Mist". Very good but apparently she didn't write much else in the genre so that'll probably be it with her.
Jean Ray - "Malpertuis". Excellent insanely weird novel. Definitely look forward to reading more of this author.
Geoff Ryman - "Was". Generally quite disappointed with this but will probably revisit this author at some point.
John M. Ford - "The Dragon Waiting". I hated this so much I couldn't finish it. Probably won't revisit this author.
Ian Whates - "City of Dreams & Nightmare". Okay, I had read a short story of his before but this was my first novel by him. Enjoyable enough and will likely read something else by him soon.
William Morris - "Wood beyond the world". Good but variable. I will try more of his work at some point though.
Franz Kafka - "The Metamorphosis and Other Stories". Interesting stuff and I know there's some more classic stories out there that I should read by him.
You've certainly discovered some good 'uns there F.E.
Lud-in-the-Mist I consider to be a great work of the genre but I know nothing about any other work Mirlees wrote. According to wiki
The Collected Poems of Hope Mirrlees was published last year including her critically acclaimed Paris: A Poem, described as a masterpiece in modernism. I wouldn't mind accquiring a copy of that.
Jean Ray's classic of the macabre I have never read but I noticed it/he seems to be classed as being on a par with authors including Gustav Meyrink, Georges Rodenbach, Stefan Grabinski, Jan Potocki and Thomas Ligotti, which means that book as you are saying must be pretty darn good! I will definitely want to pick up a copy of that this year. Thanks for the heads up. Did you know there was a 1971 film made of the book staring Orson Welles? I've not seen it but I'm sure J.D. and others here have. It's supposed to be very good.
Geoff Ryman I like but I admit Was I enjoyed but could not regard as a 'great' work. His novel The King's Last Song is a beautifully constructed work layering Cambodian life of the present with the past, focusing partly on the story of 'King Jayavarman VII, the Buddhist ruler who united a war-torn Cambodia in the twelfth century, making it a haven for peace and learning'. Air is his other well known novel along with The Children's Garden, part of the SF masterwork series but not one I recall having pulled off the shelf yet to read.
John M. Ford's The Dragon Waiting I too found to be a problematic read. I would not have read it other than the fact that it was part of the Fantasy Masterwork series. I've not read anything else by him.
Ian Whates I confess to only having read a couple of his short stories. I should probably embark on his current series though, especially as Brian has recently posted that excellent thread featuring several of our resident authors.
William Morris is good not to mention a key influence on the genre. I particularly liked his novel 'The Well at the World's End'. For a change of pace perhaps you should check out the lovely penguin black classic edition 'News form Nowhere and other writings', it's excellent. Morris was one gifted individual, being proficient in many different areas of creativity especially his still highly influential and regarded work in textiles, accomplishing what many folk might only hope to achieve in 10 lifetimes! A real genius by any measure. I would love to read his biography actually.
Franz Kafka as you already know I'm a fan of. I think I might like his short fiction generally more than his 3 novels. J-Sun is right, 'The Trial' is regarded as his best work in the longer format and I think my favourite of the 3 novels.
Cheers.
P.S. *Frederik Pohl, C.M. Kornbluth - "The Space Merchants" I recently saw a copy of in the revamped unnumbered and ongoing Sf Masterwork series. It was previously published in the numbered series as you probably know. It's not one I have read yet. I should give it a go.
