Buzz
Authors can easily find themselves trapped in a single genre. They often write based on what works for them and stick to their comfort zones. However, there’s a limit to how much an author can convey within those constraints. Even literary giants like Tom Clancy and Chinua Achebe revisited the same themes time and time again.
Yet, this isn’t always the case. J.K. Rowling’s name will forever be linked to the Harry Potter books, but that hasn’t stopped her from branching out into political dramas and crime novels. In fact, many famous authors have unexpected works tucked away in their collections.
10. Roald Dahl - My Uncle Oswald
Chances are, you’ve come across a few of Roald Dahl's books in your younger years. A renowned British author, Dahl wrote many beloved children’s stories, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, and Matilda, all of which have been adapted into well-known films.
Dahl’s children’s novels often featured a mix of absurdity, dark humor, and a touch of the supernatural. His debut adult novel, Some Time Never, followed suit, with a storyline about a gremlin-led world takeover after World War IV.
His second adult novel, penned about 30 years later, takes a surprising turn for a writer known for children’s books. My Uncle Oswald tells the story of Yasmin Howcomely, a woman who seduces accomplished men to collect their semen. Her accomplice, the clever Uncle Oswald, then sells the stolen semen to women eager to be impregnated by those men.
9. Mark Twain - Personal Recollections Of Joan Of Arc
Mark Twain is celebrated as one of the finest satirists in American history. Through characters like Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, he humorously critiqued the United States, with a particular focus on rural life.
Twain was also known for his skepticism and critique of religion. He wrote many letters and commentaries about the Bible, which were later compiled into the book The Bible According to Mark Twain. There has been much scholarly discussion about how to classify Twain’s religious views, though he was likely either a deist or an atheist.
What’s particularly fascinating is Twain’s deep fascination with Joan of Arc. He devoted 12 years to researching her life, even spending several months in France as part of his research. The result was Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc, a fictional yet historically accurate novel told from the perspective of her page. Twain considered it not only his most beloved work but also his finest.
8. C.S. Lewis - The Space Trilogy
C.S. Lewis is best known to many as the author of the Chronicles of Narnia. For a large number of Christians, however, Lewis is also recognized as one of the 20th century's most significant theologians. His Christian works, such as Mere Christianity and The Problem of Pain, continue to be widely read today.
Before he ventured into fantasy with Narnia, Lewis was actually a science fiction writer. Between 1938 and 1945, he penned a series called The Space Trilogy, which consists of Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength.
The Space Trilogy primarily follows the journeys of Elwin Ransom, a philologist and Cambridge professor. Much like Narnia, the trilogy is steeped in religious themes: it contrasts Biblical Christianity with secular humanism, incorporating elements like divine intervention.
7. J.R.R. Tolkien - Mr. Bliss
J.R.R. Tolkien, a close friend of C.S. Lewis, dedicated much of his life to writing about language and mythology. Tolkien’s most recent posthumous release is a prose translation of Beowulf. His work in Middle-earth was, in part, an effort to create a mythology for the British people, something he felt was lacking in their culture.
In addition to his epic tales, Tolkien also wrote short stories and children’s books like Roverandom, Smith of Wotton Major, “Farmer Giles of Ham,” and “Leaf by Niggle.” These works, too, often contained magical or “medieval” elements.
Mr. Bliss, however, stands apart. It tells the story of a man with an absurdly tall hat driving a new car (and doing a terrible job of it). Initially written as a bedtime story for his children, the book gained attention after the success of The Hobbit, leading publishers to request more. Though Tolkien finished the first draft in the 1930s, the book wasn’t a priority for him. It was published posthumously in 1982.
6. Stephen King - Faithful
Most of Stephen King's works feature elements of the supernatural, but the novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption from the 1982 anthology Different Seasons stands as an exception.
Another exception is Faithful, which isn't a fictional tale at all, but a nonfiction book co-written with Stewart O'Nan. And no, it's not a religious work; rather, it delves into the 2004 season of the Boston Red Sox. It's one of the last subjects you'd expect from King, though he's a devoted Red Sox supporter.
The 2004 season is particularly significant as the Red Sox clinched the World Series after an 86-year drought. This lengthy absence from championship glory led some fans to call it 'the Curse of the Bambino,' a superstition originating from the sale of Babe Ruth (aka 'the Bambino') to the New York Yankees.
5. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - The Coming of the Fairies
Arthur Conan Doyle is renowned for his adventure and detective stories, particularly those featuring Sherlock Holmes. We've previously discussed that Doyle had little affection for Sherlock Holmes, but what we didn't mention was his deep fascination with seances, far outweighing his interest in logic and reason.
Doyle was an ardent spiritualist. His belief in the supernatural was so strong that it caused him to fall out with his close friend Harry Houdini. As part of his spiritualist interests, Doyle also became fascinated with fairies and was thoroughly convinced of their existence. He authored a book titled The Coming of the Fairies, a nonfiction work that claimed to offer evidence of their existence. Much of the book centers around photographs of fairies that were later revealed to be fakes, staged by two young British girls. Although Doyle believed the photos to be genuine, it's painfully clear to any modern observer that they were fraudulent.
The Coming of the Fairies feels especially strange when compared to Holmes’ skepticism toward the supposed supernatural murderer in The Hound of the Baskervilles. We doubt Holmes would have been on board with this.
4. Ayn Rand - Love Letters
Very few of Ayn Rand's works don't advocate for individualism or her personal philosophy of objectivism. There's *Anthem*, which tells the story of a man and woman defying conformity in a dystopian future, and *The Fountainhead*, about a starving architect who refuses to compromise on his principles. Then, there's *Love Letters*.
Love Letters is a 1945 romantic drama set during World War II, written by Rand. It's based on *Pity My Simplicity*, a novel by Christopher Massie. The plot follows Roger, a soldier stationed in Italy, who struggles with writing letters to his girlfriend, Victoria, back home—so his friend Allen takes over for him. Naturally, Victoria ends up falling for Allen instead of Roger. Even more predictably, Roger is revealed to be quite the jerk.
Love Letters was Rand's first screenplay, although one of her earliest works was a stage play titled Night of January 16th. She also wrote another screenplay set during the war called You Came Along.
3. H.G. Wells - Little Wars
H.G. Wells, the creator of *War of the Worlds* and *The Time Machine*, is widely regarded as the father of science fiction. However, in his lifetime, Wells was a man with diverse interests. Besides his sci-fi works, he authored several books on history, politics, and... gaming.
One of Wells's greatest passions was miniature wargaming, which has since become a global hobby. Wargaming is the act of recreating or simulating military battles using model soldiers. Today, games like *Black Powder* and *Warhammer 40,000* are popular examples. Most miniature wargames require rulebooks to guide gameplay, and Wells was behind one of the earliest: Little Wars.
When compared to contemporary wargaming literature, Little Wars may seem modest in scope. However, this early attempt to create consistency within the world of miniature wargames helped the hobby gather real traction. H.G. Wells is now celebrated not only as a pioneer of science fiction but also as the father of miniature wargaming.
It’s a bit ironic, but Wells was actually a pacifist at heart.
2. John Steinbeck's *The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights*
Few authors captured the essence of the American spirit in the early 20th century as powerfully as John Steinbeck. Known for his works like *Grapes of Wrath* and *Of Mice and Men*, Steinbeck was a master storyteller of Americana. Although he occasionally ventured into narratives set in other countries, such as in *A Russian Journal* or *The Log from the Sea of Cortez*, these works still resonated with themes central to the American experience.
Steinbeck also penned The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights, a reimagining of the Arthurian legend. He developed a deep affection for Thomas Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur, a masterpiece from the 15th century. Interestingly, before immersing himself in Malory’s work, Steinbeck wasn’t particularly fond of reading—he actually had a bit of an aversion to it.
Although it stands apart from the rest of Steinbeck’s literary works, The Acts of Arthur serves as a fitting homage to his earliest passion for literature. Unfortunately, the work was unfinished at the time of Steinbeck’s death.
1. Dan Brown187 Men To Avoid
In 2003, Dan Brown struck it big with *The Da Vinci Code*. The second installment in a series featuring Harvard professor Robert Langdon, the novel delves into conspiracy theories surrounding the sexuality of Christ. The book became a massive success, propelling Brown into the ranks of the most successful authors, even though he had only published six books in his career.
That is, unless you count the two books Brown co-authored with his wife. One of these is *The Bald Book*, published under the pseudonym Blythe Brown, a quirky collection of illustrated captions. The other is *187 Men to Avoid*, written under the pen name Danielle Brown.
*187 Men to Avoid* (with the subtitle “A survival guide for the romantically frustrated woman”) is a light-hearted humor book focused on women’s dating. Originally published in 1995, attempts to capitalize on the success of *The Da Vinci Code* by boosting its sales seem to have been unsuccessful.
