Another vote for Iain M Banks - other sci-fi seems tawdry by comparison once you've read his stuff. I was very sad when he passed away earlier this year.
I'm a big fan of Dan Abnett's sci-fi output, specifically the stuff he's written for the Black Library set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, much of which is military sf. He does great action, memorable characters and epic scale battles.
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