... is prolific SF author John Scalzi, recently rewarded with a $3.4 million contract and whose catalog of SF novels is one of the more inventive and enjoyable that I've experienced.
The first one I read (and just finished rereading 5 minutes ago) is one of my favorites of all time:
Any plot synopsis fails to capture it, but it consists of Washington power politics in an era of interstellar inter-species diplomacy and trade ... and sometimes war. One of the veterans of one of the wars is the protagonist Harry Creek ... the dialogue is sparkling, the characters vivid.
Don't hesitate!
Almost as good and set in the same sort of era where Earth is known by several different alien species:
... in this series the technology exists to make 75-year-olds into 22-year-olds with enhanced bodies (staying in top shape with no exercise) and blood (carrying more oxygen than normal blood) and even a BrainPal, an integrated computer in the brain that has all sorts of advantages ....
The series so far:
- Old Man's War (2005)
- The Ghost Brigades (2006)
- The Last Colony (2007)
- Zoe's Tale (2008)
- The Human Division (serial then collected into a novel 2013)
It's particularly important to read the first book in this series first, as I started with The Ghost Brigades and missed some things until I went back and restarted with Old Man's War.
Others of his:
- Agent to the Stars (1997 shareware, 2005 published "for real")
- Fuzzy Nation (2011 "reboot" of H. Beam Piper's 1962 Little Fuzzy)
- Lock In (2014)
I've "read" (mostly via audiobook) almost all of these and enjoyed all, some fervently.
Try any of these but be prepared: Scalzi got the $3.4 million contract because many readers went back to collect the entire list after reading one!
Scalzi also has a blog ...
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