Science fiction recommendations? (1 Viewer)

[John Harrison]

Try this on for size:
The Hard SF Renaissance
These authors:
Larry Niven
Greg Benford
Greg Bear
Poul Anderson
Arthur C. Clarke
Frederik Pohl
Alastair Reynolds
Robert Heinlein
Joe Haldeman (Mindbridge is hard to find but interesting)
Stephen Baxter

 

[Walter Kittel]

Brad,
I would not hesitate to recommend the works of Rudy Rucker. Your interest in artificial intelligence seemingly makes you tailor-made for Rucker's work. ( Personally I'd recommend the 'ware novels. ) Rucker has an oddly humorous sensibility that populates his fiction, and always seems to have interesting concepts at the center of his work. While I haven't read all of his works, I've never failed to enjoy any of them ( fiction or non-fiction ) that I have read. You can find out more about him on Rudy Rucker's Home Page
Some of these may violate your rule, but here are some other suggestions centered around space travel, or technology.
Mission of Gravity by Hal Clement ( I believe. ??)
The Flight of the Dragonfly by Robert L. Forward
The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke
The Galactic Center novels by Greg Benford that partially deal with man's journey to the galactic core:
In the Ocean of Night
Across the Sea of Suns
Great Sky River
Tides of Light
Furious Gulf
Sailing Bright Eternity
For novels dealing with A.I. certainly the cyberpunk authors have some interesting thoughts on the matter... In addition to the aforementioned Gibson and Stephenson I'd add the names of authors such as Pat Cadigan, and Bruce Sterling. Also, in a loose sense, the Berserker novels by Fred Saberhagen.
These novels don't fit the confines of the initial criteria specified, but I believe they are too good not to metion when discussing SF recommendations ( some of these have already been listed )...
Startide Rising by David Brin.
The Gap series ( 5 novels ) by Stephen R. Donaldson.
The Book of the New Sun series by Gene Wolfe.
The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester
A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.
Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny
The Man In The High Castle by Phillip K. Dick
- Walter.

 

[Neil Joseph]

Nightfall - Isaac Asimov