As a Hard SF fan
I've become quite infatuated with the works of Alastair Reynolds.

He's one of few writers who can mostly obey physical laws yet still create a story spanning deep time and space that is fascinating and thoroughly entertaining.

He also maintains his own site and blog, responds to questions posted therein, has good musical tastes and seems like a truly nice fellow.

/man crush
(The Bloody Awful Warsaw Concerto, Fri 6 Jan 2012, 4:29, 5 replies)

I got an Alistair Reynolds book free with SFX Magazine.
I read three pages and decided that I absolutely loved it. It was the perfect size to stop my patio table wobbling.
( scarpe We Stole Bikes, Fri 6 Jan 2012, 8:50, closed)

Me too
And in addition to the above, joy oh joy, he writes proper female characters, rather than the tired old tropes a lot of hard SF authors go for, when they bother at all.
(Turangalila, Sat 7 Jan 2012, 18:13, closed)

I noticed this as well
Purslane, Khouri, and Volyova especially.
(The Bloody Awful Warsaw Concerto, Mon 9 Jan 2012, 1:33, closed)

House of Suns and Pushing Ice are great
But Terminal World wasn't very good. Starts off with a great premise, then pisses it all away messing about with airships for far too long, before a disappointing ending. Avoid.
(square go, Sun 8 Jan 2012, 10:11, closed)

Still have to read it
as that is the one remaining book of his that I've not yet read, but perhaps I'll just get it from the library then...
(The Bloody Awful Warsaw Concerto, Mon 9 Jan 2012, 1:27, closed)