<90% of Science Fiction is crap - but 90% of everything is crap.

Theodore Sturgeon

Hi, R.L....

To Tom's list posted below, definitely add Vernor Vinge, David Brin, John Varley, and Ursula K. LeGuin. For something completely different, try Michael Swanwick. If your taste precludes everything except old-fashioned Hard SF, David Hartwell has edited a couple of outstanding anthologies on those themes. Also see The Good Old Stuff and The Good New Stuff, edited by Gardner Dozois, who is also editor of Asimov's SF Magazine and an annual "Best Of" anthology that is approaching (or may have already celebrated) its 20th year. IMHO, Dozois is the best thing to happen to SF editing since John W. Campbell, and I'm not alone in my estimation, judging from the number of Hugos he's been granted in that capacity.

I too have trouble with Bova's writing style (I also read the Mars books and Jupiter): his science is eminently believable but his characters are single-ply cardboard.

I also liked Darwin's Radio, including the ending, but I'm a romantic. Have you read Slant?

Happy reading!

Fox