Many favorites.
Sometimes I'm in the mood for silly fun, but usually it boils down to the worlds in the stories and the characters that populate them. (On occasion the ideas behind the stories might be intriguing and compelling to ponder, but mostly is the worlds.)
Doesn't mean I like *everything* the author does, but the favorites go to the top of the TBR list as soon as the new book comes out.
Off the top of my head:
- Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga - The characters are fun but what makes the stories compelling is the ramifications she finds in biotech. She explores the science, the sociology, and the ethics. And she can spin a tale with style.
- Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle (Oath of Fealty, Mote in Gods Eye, Inferno, etc)
- Isaac Asimov (End of eternity, The Gods Themselves, etc)
- Robert Heinlein (The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Starship Troopers, Beyond this Horizon)
- David Weber (Empire from the Ashes Trilogy) - Modern Space Opera
- David Drake (RCN Saga) - The Librarian from heck.
- Ryk Spoor (Boundary, Threshold) - Hard SF + Paleontology
- John Moore - (Heroics for Beginners, Bad Prince Charlie) - Fractured Fairy Tales!
- Gordon Dickson - (Time Storm, Dragon Knight, Dorsai)
- Poul Anderson - (Tau Zero, There will be Time) Hard SF, compelling characters
- Julie Kenner - (Protectors saga) - fluffy superhero rom-coms
- Geoff Johns - (Green Lantern, Aquaman) - Comics; he's making Aquaman cool, Entourage or not.
