NPR's Top 100 SF/Fantasy Books

After looking at the description for Sea of Glass I'm certain that this is not the type of story that I would like. Even though it's probably written well, the subject material is far from what I normally like in my SciFi. But thanks for the recommendation anyway.

As a fan of Arthur C. You must have read his line about magic and the science of advanced civilizations.

Have you tried Greg Egan or Greg Bear?

Well, you can lead a horse to water, right

Maybe someone else will read it as a result.

I like Egan, Bear a little less but still worth the effort.

I like hard sf (baxter got a mention) but what I think I really like is the ideas - regardless of how 'possible' they are. I loved Niven's idea of Teela Brown having a gene for luck from being 8th generation of two birth lottery parents. It's ridiculous, but still brilliant. And the idea of old age being a failed transition to 'Protector' because of the paucity of thalium(?) in our soil. And that's where Egan shines. Every writer has ideas, but it's when the ideas come as intriguing surprises that I get a buzz. I liked Brin's Uplift saga - though the big ideas wrestled with the character soap operas for centre stage.

I don't read anywhere near as much SF as I once did - pretty much limit myself to years best collections of short fiction (if I can get to it).

Who's read an SF novel they'd recommend that has been published in the last five years?

The Algebraist. Ian M. Banks.

Hard SF all the way. (ok, 6 years ago, but close?)

There's always Bad Dog, admittedly it's more crime/horror/fantasy, but SF in a William Burroughs style.

I had read 3/4 of those books that you had listed, and i still had those books at my private library, and i still read whenever i am bored, they never fail to amuse me,,

I must read Bad Dog. Does Amazon.com have it, I wonder?

Yes they do, it's very fast paced.