Hugo Award winner for best Novel, 1996.
I decided to go with something fairly new, wondering if there were other people like me who were more familiar with modern stuff.
Because so few people seem to have read this book, I'd like to take this opportunity to do a little PR. I hope nobody minds.
Exotic, majestic, so TOTALLY start, fun, heartwarming... *Sigh* So much for easy PR, I just can't find words to do the book justice.
Anyhow, it contains a fantasy world made possible by advances in nano-technology, richly envisioned, totally emersive. I think the characters and plot should appeal to both SF and Fantasy fans alike; there's real characters and adventure but it's also down to earth. Not heavy reading, but it actually has something to say. Please somebody read it, and PR the book better than I can.