Solid science - In fiction

[APanda]

As a reader of plenty of science books and fiction books, I've found myself wanting to read something that bridges the two. The problem is, I'm not keen a lot of the sci-fi genre, most are set in the future and not entirely believable. As much as I love Sagan, Contact was pushing it a bit for me. Are there any Fiction books any of you know of with pretty solid science, set in the present? I'd be OK with most of the more complicated theories etc. One book I did enjoy was Flashforward by Robert J Sawyer, which comes quite close to what I'm looking for.

Cheers

[APanda]

Thanks for that, I'll take a look.

[APanda]

rxtx said:

Some Stephen Baxter is like that, some, like the Manifold Series, definitely isn't Perhaps try Behemoth and/or the Destiny's Children series. Ben Bova is another option but again some of it is in the future.

Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars series might be ok but again it's in the future, his Antarctica is a lot closer to the present day and I quite enjoyed that. What else is there ... The Last Theorem by Clarke/Pohl and The Ghost from the Grand Banks by Clarke spring to mind.

Anyone else got any more?

That's a pretty good list for me to have a go at, cheers.

I've been recommended Michael Crichton before but never read one. Anyone have any thoughts on those? Even things along the lines of Dan Brown's Angels & Demons being loosely about anti-matter would be okay suggestions.

[APanda]

Jaykaybi said:

How did you know?

[APanda]

Einion Yrth said:

Well that's comprehensively buggered both science and believable, right there.

That's kind of what I was getting at. Angels & Demons may have been too extreme an example, sorry. I just meant that it doesn't have to be entirely believable a plot as long as the science is conceivable. E.g. they could create antimatter at CERN, just not create that amount or possibly hold it for that long.

[APanda]

hairykrishna said:

But the science in Angels and Demons is nonsense?

Like I said, probably too extreme an example...

[APanda]

Looks like there's some decent suggestions here, it'll keep me busy for a while.

[APanda]

Cheers for the suggestions. After reading up on a few, I went for Distress by Greg Egan. Anyone read it?