Stross +1
Charles Stross. excellent writer of many and varied styles. I know he's mentioned above but very worth the re-mention here. The Laundry books are lovely and there's a new one due shortly ( Apocalypse Codex) .. Halting State and Rule 34 are near-ish future stories with lots of good ideas tested to distruction.. the hard/mundane SF is clever and has lots of good world-building and doesn't patronise.
aside from that, and in the same mental company: Pratchet (yeh, i know discworld ain't sf.. but anyone with a brain will enjoy the City Watch stories..) Banks's Culture and other SF, Hamilton is a bit brain-on-the-shelf plot-wise.. but lovely graphics, William Gibson, Neil Stephenson, The Gap series by Stephen Donaldson ( not for the faint-of-mind, some adult topics.) ,
Steven Errikson's Malazan stuff.. again, couched in Fantasy terms.. but hella good and some clearly cyber-punky things via 'magic' and the best characterisation and word-smithery of the lot. and there's lots of it too.. :)
Biting the hand that feeds IT
