Want author recomendations

[thomasowenm]

I am going to a library sale Sunday, and I would appreciate any suggestions of authors that are not necessarily mainstream, that I should be on the look out for.  I am not a genre snob, so any sugesstions are appreciated.  Any suggestion of classic Sci Fi essentials I should have in my library is also welcome.  Thanks in advance.

[Zathras]

Kelly McCullough is a new author that I enjoy.  He wrote Web Mage and a sequel, but I'm too lazy to look that up right now.

[Alasdair5000]

I am going to a library sale Sunday, and I would appreciate any suggestions of authors that are not necessarily mainstream, that I should be on the look out for.  I am not a genre snob, so any sugesstions are appreciated.  Any suggestion of classic Sci Fi essentials I should have in my library is also welcome.  Thanks in advance.

Any Jack McDevitt or Allen Steele.  Steele does great near future, character driven SF and McDevitt does far future stuff populated by normal people.  Engines of God and the three sequels are not only uniformly strong but great fun, kind of Indiana Jones but in the far future.

[thomasowenm]

Kelly McCullough is a new author that I enjoy.  He wrote Web Mage and a sequel, but I'm too lazy to look that up right now.

I will certainly add him on my watch list... thanks.  The cyber magic concept looks interesting.

Any Jack McDevitt or Allen Steele.  Steele does great near future, character driven SF and McDevitt does far future stuff populated by normal people.  Engines of God and the three sequels are not only uniformly strong but great fun, kind of Indiana Jones but in the far future.

I've read Polaris by McDevitt and it was an enjoyable read, so I would have no problem giving The Acadamy novels a try.  Steele looks worth a try at least his Near Space series,  the Coyote trilogy not so much.  Thanks so much.

[Zathras]

The Web Mage series is my favorite new series.  I hope there are more.

[Listener]

For post-apocalyptic worldbuilding you can't beat* Sean McMullen's "Souls in the Great Machine" -- first book in a trilogy, though you really don't need to read the other two. They're good, but not as good as the first.

McMullen's first three Moonworlds books are also great; I didn't like the fourth one quite as much.

* Your mileage may vary, of course.