Revenger by Alastair Reynolds (the first book started off quite well, but the other two became a boring slog)
Rise of the Jain by Neal Asher. This one is just so egregiously bad, I don't know how I managed to finish. If I ever have to read another "erstwhile ship" I'll barf.
etc. etc.
Since I'm reading a lot of sci fi, I've ran out of top 1% or so of books an authors pretty quickly. Now I feel like I'm running out of middle-of-the-road authors, too.
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Edit. I'll add that most sci fi is incapable of even writing characters that have more distinction than "she's a woman, he's a man". They all talk and behave the same.
I liked reading "this is how you lose the time war" recently if you want something that is essentially sci-fi themed poetry. If you haven't already read it, maybe that'll be a fun break.
In recent years I've also enjoyed Too Like The Lightning. It's not sci-fi, but it's complex, and twisted, and the language is used in delightful and brain-breaking ways.
I do like the sound of "language used in delightful ways". Too late in life I realized I didn't hate poetry at all ...just the Emily Dickinson kind I was exposed to in highschool. I guess I should've known as I loved Shel Silverstein as a kid.
