The one author I've enjoyed quite a bit lately, who's not on that list is Richard K. Morgen. His Takeshi Kovacs series is shocking in the way that all great science fiction is, plus being a fast moving action adventure.
The politics of it is plausable, the technology much more of a stretch.
Extremely gory and violent, but that's because that's the sort of person the main character is. You're not supposed to just like the main character, he's someone who's broken in some pretty severe ways. I like that about the books, if only because of the tension between wanting to like him because his is the point of view through which we experience the story, therefore he's my proxy, and in the interests of self-liking, I want to like him; and between hating him and hating him as my proxy.
I tried Morgen's other book. Hated it. Too close to things I've actually expereienced, and therefore no opportunity for the ironic distance necessary to enjoy reading.
And, if you're not tired of me yet..
The politics of it is plausable, the technology much more of a stretch.
Extremely gory and violent, but that's because that's the sort of person the main character is. You're not supposed to just like the main character, he's someone who's broken in some pretty severe ways. I like that about the books, if only because of the tension between wanting to like him because his is the point of view through which we experience the story, therefore he's my proxy, and in the interests of self-liking, I want to like him; and between hating him and hating him as my proxy.
I tried Morgen's other book. Hated it. Too close to things I've actually expereienced, and therefore no opportunity for the ironic distance necessary to enjoy reading.