Although he's technically Finnish, Hannu Rajaniemi might also count as being part of that "Scottish clique", I suppose, since he's based in Edinburgh. I thought his "The Quantum Thief", which came out earlier this year in the UK, was a terrific sci-fi novel, especially when you consider that it's his first. The bloke's got a PhD in string theory so one assumes he knows his stuff, too.
Re:Is science fiction dying?
by stupidsignup on Friday December 17, 2010 @03:39PM
(#2017683)
Thanks for the list, I will check it out. I think I read something by Reynolds, but it didn't stick. Will look at it again.
Greg Egan should be on this list.
He's certainly good, I really loved Distress, but I guess I don't think of him as new. Which is sort of silly I guess, given that he's still putting out stuff. If we're including him might as well do Bruce Sterling as well. I'm rereading "Distraction" at the moment and it hold up pretty darn well - except for failures of understanding about the economics of software development.
Vernor Vinge
Other new good hard SF writers might be Cory Doctorow, Michael Chabon, Rachel Swirsky, Sara Genge, Geoffrey Landis, Elizabeth Bear, Ted Chiang, Paolo Bacigalupi, Aliette de Bodard, Mary Robinette Kowal, Charlie Jane Anders, Felicity Shoulders, and Ian Tregillis. I haven't read them all, but they're all at least on my reading list for good hard SF due to recommendations from friends I trust.
And I'll second the Alistair Reynolds recommendation too.