Bora passes on (and supplements) a request for must read SF
here are some they missed
Axiomatic by Egan
Stories of Your Life ad Others by Chiang
Startide Rising by Brin
True Names by Vinge
Use of Weapons by Banks (actually anything by Banks, seriously)
Antibodies by Charlie Stross
Instrumentality of Mankind by Cordwainer Smith
War Hound and the World's Pain and the Cornelius Chronicles by Moorcock
Her Smoke Rose Up Forever by Tiptree - since 10,000 light years from home is unvailable
Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen by H. Beam Piper (oo, and Space Viking!)
Good Omens by Gaiman,
Russian Spring by Spinrad
American Empire series by Turtledove, and Road Not Taken (short)
something by Silverberg, not sure what, but 1970s novel is probably the best bet maybe Stochastic Man or Dying Inside
The Persistence of Vision by Varley
Benford's Timescape
Anything by Bujold - maybe Warrior's Apprentice to start with
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You most likely know this already, but the Lord Kalvan story takes place right here (or rather in the same place in the other universe), and by right here I mean Centre county.
Yup, gots to read the Battle of Altoona!
Big Yes to Bujold !
And what about David Weber's Honor Harrington Series, (with a conservative right-wing terrorist enemy) or David Weber's Heirs of Empire, where the heroes (and heroines) must mount a rebellion against a religious autocracy.
Zelazny should be included as well. Something like Creatures of Light and Darkness, Lord of Light or Isle of the Dead?
Sounds like a great list. Now, if I only had time, like I used to, to read one SF per day....
Iain Banks all the way!
Oh, and Ken McLeod - I say Star Fraction
Probably some China Mieville and Charlie Stross as well, but maybe not quite there yet.
Peter Hamilton: Night's Dawn Trilogy (Reality Dysfunction, Neitronium Alchemist and The Naked God. 1000+ pages each, but some very good, twisted stuff.
I like Hamilton, but the Night's Dawn trilogy was disappointing with the abrupt, and strongly telegraphed ending - I kept thinking "he can't do that, surely he's not going to finish the plot like that" and then he did.
But the new "Commonwealth" duology - Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained is excellent fun, good space opera, tight plot wound up nicely, almost everything tied together. Decent character development and surprises.
Heading for the "must read".
So is Alastair Reynold's stuff, though I can't pick out which of his novels should be on the list.