I’ll check him out, thanks in kind! The name threw me at first, because the David Mitchell I’m familiar with is a British comedian who I’m already fond of. An

I’ll check him out, thanks in kind! The name threw me at first, because the David Mitchell I’m familiar with is a British comedian who I’m already fond of. And I’ve just learned that he wrote Cloud Atlas, a film that I started watching in the wrong headspace so didn’t get far, but I remember being intrigued by the synopsis I read beforehand. Ghostwritten is where to start, yes? Or are there short stories that I should seek out first? Your timing is perfect: I’m waiting for 3 (!) unfinished series to release their next volumes, so a writer who will keep me busy for a month or two is most welcome! — For (in)completeness’ sake, because I can’t help sharing my excitement about these, even though they are strictly off topic at this point and this post will be too damn long, the unfinished series I’m waiting for are: NK Jemisin (an author in OP’s list) - Great Cities series (One book complete). What if cities can become (once they grow complex enough) living beings? What if there are extra-dimensional forces arrayed against them, and the cities raise humans as avatars to help themselves? Only one book is finished, and it’s a good one. Self-aware Lovecraft for the modern world, focused on NYC. Her complete Broken Earth trilogy is also good. Robert Jackson Bennett - The Founders Trilogy (two books complete). In this world, “scribing” is a way to make physical objects behave as if their physical constants were altered, much like variables in programming. A thief who can “see” these scribings gets in touch with a “talking” key who has a much greater understanding of them. But what kind of graybeard made the key ages ago? What’s their long game? Why can the thief even see this stuff? Being a programmer probably adds a lot to this one, but it’s not a requirement. Reminds me some of Stephenson’s wit with a lot less of his expository narrative (no slight there—he’s easily in my top 5, and some narrative asides are some of his best bits.) Peter Newman - The Deathless (Two books complete). This one really surprised me. Royals with flying armor live in floating castles and cultivate “heirs” who will host their consciousnesses when they die, while commoners scrabble near The Wild that grows just outside the influence of the royals’ magical roads. I‘m sorry to say that I read a preview out of incredulity, with the intent of hating on the premise. Turns out it intrigued me enough to buy the first book, and then I was hooked because the world and its inhabitants are super interesting. “Don’t judge a book by its synopsis,” etc. Bonus, ‘cause why not: James A. Corey - The Expanse. Read your own summary for this one =)