[Grandpa Kim]

How our tastes vary.

My list: Heinlein, Niven, Pournelle, Asimov, Clark, Forward,... These I'll read just about anytime, but I also love time travel/alternate universe storys.

A new guy and a Canadian to boot is my current favorite. James Allen Gardner. AFAIK he has written 5 books, Expendable, Commitment Hour, Vigilant, Hunted and Ascending, all set in the same universe. His premise is that the Universe is run by super advanced being. They are benevolent but don't give away too much tech. They have but one law. No non-sentient may leave its home system. A non-sentient is defined as a being that murders a sentient. Oh, accidents and self defense are okay, but war isn't! If a non-sentient trys to warp out, it will find itself quite dead! In fact entire civilizations have been cut off from the universe because their government has been declared non-sentient. Its a cool premise and makes for some fascinating stories-- Ascending is absolutely hilarious without sacrificing the SF story.

Give him a read, you won't be disappointed.

Kim