Here is a better Brin site. He has some strong opinions, but he defines and defends them well. He also answers e-mail. I dig Brin.
Michael Stackpole is one of my favorite authors. As I was just getting old enough to recognize that almost all of the franchise fiction I was reading was crap that only sold because of the Large Font name emblazoned across the top, just as I was getting tired of Tom Clancy's formula, I found Stackpole's
Battletech novels. Excellent stuff. Very epic, very operatic.
Armor is one of my favorite books of all time. It's kind of like two separate books, and the first one is better than the second. But it's good.
For a good time, read
How Much for Just the Planet. A must-read if you dig Star Trek, used to dig Star Trek, or have put up with people who dig Star Trek. And it's funny even if you don't. The only Star Trek book I have ever reread. The only Star Trek book I can speak about without holding my tongue.