Increasingly I find that lists of sci-fi books aren't even what I call sci-fi at all. They may have some near-future or science-fantasy angle, but they seem to

Increasingly I find that lists of sci-fi books aren't even what I call sci-fi at all. They may have some near-future or science-fantasy angle, but they seem to be more like classic literature, primarily about relationships. The science, such as it is, is frequently laughably bad, which completely turns me off. There's nothing else quite like The Culture as far as I know. Maybe some of the following would scratch your itch, although you probably know most of them already. * Xeelee Sequence, by Stephen Baxter. * Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds. * The Mote in God's Eye, by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. * Children of Time, by Adrian Tchaikovsky * Eon, by Greg Bear * A Fire Upon The Deep, by Vernor Vinge * The Golden Age, by John C. Wright.