Two weeks ago I re-read Collapsium, by Wil McCarthy.
The first book of McCarthy’s that I read was Bloom, which was absolutely mind-blowing – exactly the experience you get from top-notch science fiction.
Collapsium is very, very good as well. Imagine a scientist – a shy and awkward scientist, to boot – as the star of an action movie that is scrupulously accurate to current science, while stretching it to the absolute limits. Add in a pinch of a detective story, and you’ve got Collapsium.
Well worth adding to your library – hard science fiction no longer suffers from a lack of believable characterization, protagonists with depth, while still retaining the best characteristics of sci-fi.
And if you’re interested in Bloom as well: