10 Obscure Sci-Fi/Fantasy Novels That You Need To Read

Considerably a much less ‘genre-heavy’ title than the other entries on this list, this one might get lost among the droves of general fiction. But despite this injustice of a categorisation, The Humans serves up a comedic and poignant narrative that dresses up as a simple science fiction romp.

After a race of highly advanced, mathematically conceptual aliens discover that a human professor has almost discovered the solution to a hypothesis that would change the course of human history – something they deem humanity is not yet prepared for – they send one of their own down into the body of this professor in an attempt to destroy all evidence of his work.

Now living as Andrew Martin, our protagonist must navigate the pitfalls of the mundanity of human life; from the professor's collapsing marriage to his neglected wife and their emotionally unavailable teenage son, to pretending to like dogs and music, the alien soon begins to piece together those little details that makes humanity so… human. Still as relevant today as it was in 2013, this outstanding novel touches on the delicate themes of affairs, mid-life crisis and even suicide, all while under the banner of what is technically a science fiction novel. Think My Parents Are Aliens but for grown ups. It's a bit of a tearjerker.