Top Ten Underrated Authors

Hosted by The Broke and Bookish

In my search to find underrated authors, I discovered that most of the people who popped into my mind were not of the same genre...so I decided, well, let's not do one genre then!  So here goes - top ten underrated authors from 5 genres!

Susan Vreeland

Probably best known for her book, Girl in Hyacinth Blue, Susan Vreeland writes historical fiction about art and artists.  Girl in Hyacinth Blue traces a famous missing painting across centuries, tying together generations of people.  For those of you who prefer focus on one person, both The Forest Lover (Emily Carr, a late Victorian Canadian artist) and The Passion of Artemisia (possibly the only female artist of the Renaissance) follow the lives of arguably two of the most influential female artists ever.  All of her books are beautifully written and extremely interesting, even if you know nothing about art or the time periods these are set in and she remains one of my all time favourite authors (and is on my auto-buy list!) 

Karleen Koen

Karleen Koen is a new discovery for me - Through a Glass Darkly was a spontaneous find, and I immediately devoured it, its sequel, and the prequel, all set around the beginning of the 18th century.  These are big books, but they are rampant with everything I love in my historical fiction books - complex characters, plots, intrigue, treachery, heartbreak, humour, and best of all - they're clearly well researched.  As of this moment I've read all but one of Koen's books, and I'm hoping to remedy that soon!  (Goodreads lists Through a Glass Darkly as book 2, but that's because for some reason they put the prequel as book 1, and it's really not necessary to read the prequel for understanding of the rest of the series)

Jem Vanston

If you're a cat lover, you need to read this book.  I'm going to keep this one short since I've already gone gaga over this book, but seriously.  It's funny in all the right ways.

Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo

Ok this one is a pretty old series, and some of my European readers might recognize them, but I was feeling nostalgic and decided to put them on the list (especially since I ended up not choosing a manga selection this week). If you like old school comics at all, the Asterix and Obelix series will be up your alley.  An added bonus?  How many (funny) comics do you know set in ancient times? (Or maybe I'm wrong and there's loads - in which case hook me up!)

Deb Caletti 

I've already put Deb Caletti on a list like this one from last year, but you know what? I don't care, she deserves the attention!  If you are a Sarah Dessen fan, you should check out Deb Caletti's books.  I personally resonate more with some of her subject matters (my favourite book, pictured above, is about a girl with anxiety), and I think her prose is among some of the most beautiful I've ever read, so if you're a sucker for pretty prose the way I am, she should definitely be on your TBR list.

Aidan Chambers

Admittedly, This Is All is the only book I've read by Aidan Chambers, but woah is it a fantastic experience!  I will give the disclaimer that it is giant, but in my opinion well worth it.  As with John Green, I think some readers will be really moved by the writing, and others will just find it pretentious, so I leave it up to you whether you think it is well suited for you.

Clare B. Dunkle



I wouldn't tote The Hollow Kingdom Trilogy an all time favourite, but it's definitely had a few rereads! It twists a lot of traditional tales and expectations as far as beauty is concerned. I'd recommend it for readers who enjoyed Shannon Hale's Books of Bayern or Keturah and Lord Death.



 Jacquelin Carey



I have never been as surprisingly impressed with a series as I have been with Jacqueline's Kushiel Saga.  It's broken up into two trilogies, and while I have enjoyed the first trilogy more, the second trilogy so far has not disappointed with the wide scope this series has set up.  Hands down, this has the best world building I've encountered in a series, and its marriage between fluid sexuality, power, and religion has completely turmed everything you would expect in a standard fantasy series on its head.  The relationships are complicated, particularly between the main villain and heroine, as well as the romantic, platonic, and filial relationships.  It's intricate and is playing the long game, and while this is not a book I'd recommend for everyone - I'd definitely give this to serious fantasy readers who don't mind (or perhaps want) some rated M material.

Isabel Allende

Isabel Allende is a world renowned author - her works have been translated into over 30 languages, and she is known as the most read author who writes in Spanish .  Despite both literary and reader acclaim as an author, few people are aware of her young adult series.  I've talked before about how few books are set outside of the US/UK or are written by non US/UK authors, as well as non-Western fantasy settings (although this book is more magic realism than fantasy - it's set in the South American Jungle!), and this series has both.  

Clive Barker

Some of you may have heard of Clive Barker before - he's a popular author in the horror genre, and is the creator of Hellraiser (for those of you who are unfamiliar with his work, he has a similar style to Neil Gaiman's).  Most people don't know he has a YA series as well, and it's by far one of my favourite series of all time.  I've fangirled over this series in about a good half of these TTT posts. So I'll try and keep it short and to key words: the most creative setting I've ever come across, stunning art, complex characters, flips expected tropes.  I've already talked ad nauseum as to why more people should be reading this series, so click the link and  feast your eyes on some of the most amazing artwork I've ever had the pleasure of viewing.