Amazon.com is well known for stocking hard-to-find items from around the world. Their listing for one of Sci Fi/Fantasy author Tad Williams’ books, however, brings new meaning to the word ‘unique’. Check out Amazon’s sales page for Bin Otherland Empty, a book the retail giant says was released on February 7, 2005. The book languished in obscurity until recently, and even many die-hard fans of the genre say they were unaware of the book’s existence. Classified as a hardcover, Bin Otherland Empty sports a unique front cover:

What to some people may look like a vacuum cleaner hose attachment is the cover of what will certainly be Williams’ next best-selling novel. In fact, demand for copies of Bin Otherland Empty has already exceeded the publisher’s expectations, and copies of the book are now selling for over $350.00 each on Amazon:

Reviews for Bin Otherland Empty on Amazon.com unanimously declare the book one of Williams’ best, and the volume has received five-star ratings from readers. One reviewer writes: “I’m giving the book five stars […] because I like the fact that the author is willing to try new things. I really respect an author who’s willing to stretch his limits, exploring hard-to-reach areas, and start with a clean slate.” Another calls the book, “The ESSENTIAL companion to the Otherland quartet”.

Tragically, the book went unnoticed for many years, neglected by fans and critics alike. Tad Williams himself recently stated on his Facebook page, “Nobody understood what I was trying to do with this one and I never got much feedback. I might as well have been writing in a vacuum.” Now, however, there are fresh eyes and new readers enjoying Bin Otherland Empty, and Amazon has already sold out on the copies they’d had in stock.

Williams is no longer writing in a vacuum.