books to look for

Robert Sheckley - anything, especially from the 60's and 70's and heck, the 80's and 90's and 50's...

he is the S.J. Perelman of science fiction.

Neal Stephenson - Snowcrash: takes the concept of MindVirus on an entertaining ride. Even though Diamond Age got the Hugo, this is a funner read.

Cryptonomicon: at the top of his form now, this book is so good that mainstream is trying to claim him as one of their own

Richard Calder - Dead Girls: new life in the cyberpunk field, I haven't gotten to the Other Stories (Dead Boys, Dead Things) but if this one is any indication, they're going to be a bizarre and fun ride

Mark Leyner - Et Tu, Babe: this is a most hilarious study in manic and steroid writing