There are vast numbers of books in the world, and I'm sure a large portion of absolutely unknown titles are fantastic. Here, some notable authors advocate for personal favorites.
Michael Chabon's choice looked interesting enough for me to track down:
The Long Ships (1941-45)
Frans Gunnar Bengtsson
I personally guarantee that, however infinitesimally, the world would be a happier place if this wonderful novel, in its excellent English translation by Michael Meyer, were restored to print. A tale of Viking adventure set in the 10th century, what makes The Long Ships such a delicious book is not its thrilling escapes, battles and rescues, nor its lifelike, morally ambiguous heroes and villains, but the droll, astringent, sly tone taken by the narrator toward the characters, particularly with regard to their relations to God, gold and sex. It's a world classic of the literature of adventure, on a par with The Three Musketeers and The Odyssey, its avowed models.
The only one off the first page I've even seen is Amanda and the Million Mile High Dancer by Carol De Chellis Hill. Few things on earth sound less appealing than overtly feminist SF, so I passed.
I'll add a recommendation from the wife to this list- Street of Crocodiles by Bruno Schultz.
I found a copy of his complete fiction at a thrift store once. This is my recommended edition, decorated as it is with his spectacularly atmospheric illustrations.
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