I’m a lapsed fan of sci-fi novels. It has been a while since I last read one which caused as much thought as Neuromancer or The Foundation series or the early Culture books. The last sci-fi book I read, the Algebraist, just didn’t cut it. I’ve also found myself outside circles where recommendations are readily available, so reading Marc Andreessen’s modern top 10 sci-fi authors blog post piqued my interest and I think I may be trying a few of them out soon.
The description of some of the books as post-Singularity caught my attention. It is a very interesting idea and reminded my of the first time I heard of the concept while reading Diaspora by Greg Egan (from my home town of Perth). The book was lent to me by a workmate, Dale (I can’t remember his surname). At the time it made little impression on me at all - I think I told Dale I found it cold. However, memories of the story have stayed with me for many years now and I often think about the ideas I first encountered reading it.
Sorry Dale, you are right, Diaspora is a good book.