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The other day I was reading a story and wondering how I had never heard of it, and there's been more talk than usual lately about stories not getting enough reads and such. Just this morning I saw an old post where someone mention the idea of making a "Hidden Gem" thread.
Therefore I made one.

So here is where you all can post links to stories you have read that deserve more recognition and what you thought of them.
Maybe someone could set up a story-game club like a book club or something too, but I don't have nearly enough faith that enough site members will care enough for something like that to be worthwhile.

While it would probably be best to consider something a hidden gem only if it is at least six months old and unfeatured, choose what to post at your own discretion.

The Bard's Tale is a very fun story I read recently that can be read in maybe a half hour. The following is my review of it.

The Bard’s Tale was a pretty sweet story that I am really sorry to say I had not heard of until I found it on my own. Of the poetry-type stories I have seen on this site, this is the best. The poetry did not feel forced and was all in plain language, as if it was actually being sung for entertainment. I read through the whole story without forced rhyme schemes and overly metaphorical language interrupting my enjoyment of the story, as so often happens. The way The Bard’s Tale was framed was quite unique, and I adored it. On the first page, the reader is shown a traveler inside of a tavern. Then the bard begins playing, and the story literally becomes a bard’s tale, under the direction of the reader. The song sung reflects the history of the country the story takes place in, as is revealed in the endings. In each ending, the song is ended, and the story comes back around to the inn. The reactions of those who listened are not only entertaining, but they often were a reaction I could see happening in real life. My favorite ending was The Spider. The writing of the prose was very good. The first page drew me in right away in a way that most stories don’t, and I felt excited to read the next page. There is no re-branching either. The branches are pretty short, but there are a few of them—all worth reading. There was an instance of pronoun confusion it seems in the minotaur scene. The bard briefly switched to second person. Other than that, there were no mechanical errors that really stuck out to me. The pictures were nice. Pictures are not important nor necessary, but these helped add to an already interesting setting. Additionally, this story is one that could be pretty safely recommended to children of any age that should be even allowed onto the Internet. So here’s something to recommend all the chillins. Even if you don’t like poetry, you faggot reading reviews before story-games should check out this underrated story.

http://chooseyourstory.com/story/from-a-great-height 

From a great height, is based on a wonderful and unique concept and those story was very intriguing. The endings are masterfully crafted and the world building is superb and immersive. There’s a good amount of branching and it really feels like you decide your fate with each choice. Definitely worth a read.

Yeah this was a good read

I think a CYS book club would be a brilliant idea! If anybody decided to make one, I'd definitely be up for joining... And if nobody does make one, I might just make one myself.

As for hidden gems, the only one that comes to mind is:

http://chooseyourstory.com/story/hastings,-1066~3a-aftermath

And that doesn't really qualify by Cricket's standards, since it's featured. Still, I do think that a game of this quality deserves more recognition than it's had so far. The writing is fantastic, the story is intriguing and the characters are all pretty fleshed out and unique. One of my personal faves. ^_^