The God of modern space opera. Big books, epic in scale and technology and loads of intelligent space combat action. The first of the Nights Dawn series - read all his books !

If Hamilton is the God of space opera then Banks is his slightly more literary twin. The Culture series of books is excellent - read them all but dont miss Inversions for a slight change.

Extremely good sci fi - a bit like Reynolds perhaps with more intense characters. Another must read author if you like Reynolds/Hamilton/Banks ...

Memory Sorrow and Thorn is an excellent fantasy series - again a must read - also read War of the Flowers, the Otherland series is a scifi/fantasy mix and not the best.

More excellent hard space opera. The Hyperion/Endymion books are classics.

Fantasy horror better than King or Koontz. Essential rucksack reading.

OK so it's not sci-fi or fantasy but Brookmyre's books are seriosuly, dangerously funny (actually laugh out loud - honest) and very very clever. Even better if you're Scottish.

More hard action sci fi in the Reynolds vein. This first book is probably his best but they are all great especially Well of Stars.

The best cyberpunk and maybe better than William Gibson ? Also read Cobweb and Interface.

It's supercool horror at it's best. Also try his Bryant and May detective books.

Couldn't leave him out could I ? I picked this cyberpunk classic but I could really have chosen any - they are all excellent.

A new addition to my list - vast epic tale of fantastic voyaging and battling. Feels like it is drifting a bit sometimes but it's always building to something. Stick with this series - great fantasy.

Classic fantasy but fairly predictable standard stuff - a sort of Lord of the Rings tribute series. This isn't a criticism - this is good easy reading.