Ian McDonald is another favorite of mine as well.

Please no. You know this will only lead to the rest of us becoming Eloi.

The idea is interesting, but it feels a little claustrophobia inducing. Perhaps we could combine the two and build a moon base under the […]

I completely agree with Ring by Stephen Baxter. He is in my top ten favorite authors. I would also recommend both of these from Baxter:

*The Time Ships (a sequel to The Time Machine by H.G. Wells.)

*Anti-Ice

For an interest in Science I recommend the older Tom Swift series. Issac Asimov is another fantastic author with The Caves of Steel and Foundation. I would also recommend Arthur C. Clarke and Jules Verne.