Hi frui !
The first one to pop in mind when I read your initial question was Michael Crichton, but I see he was already mentioned like others like Thomas Harris, J.K. Rowlings and Robert J. Sawyer.
I haven't read the entire thread so I'm not sure exactly about your taste, however if you're not against SF, I would recommend in no specific order and with very different styles :
- Connie Willis : To say nothing of the dog
- Connie Willis : Doomsday book
- Ken Follett : The pillars of earth (Right, not SF)
- Jack Vance : Planet of Adventure
- Vernor Vinge : Rainbows End
- Douglas Adams : The Hitchhicker's guide to the galaxy
- Orson Scott Card : Ender's Saga (Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow, Shadow of the Hegemon)
- Robin Hobb: Farseer: Assassin's apprentice
- Robert Charles Wilson : Spin
- Ben Bova : Moonrise (then moonwar)
I might not be as picky as some on the style as I'm French so as far as I can read seamlessly without having to open the dictionary every page, I'm happy
.
See, would I write 5 times the word "as" in a sentence if I was picky !
Cheers,
Vincent.