I posted this on Reddit a while ago and it sparked some really good discussion and recommendations.
I really like The Expanse - as it doesn’t just discuss the attempted terraforming of Mars and the colonisation of the Main Asteroid Belt but also
spoiler
the way that these communities decline when abundant habitable planets are discovered, where life is much easier.
So yeah, what are your best examples?
Have you take a look at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbows_End_(novel) ? Dr Vinge does “thought bombs” a lot with most of his books where you read something and he has all kinds of implications that jump out with one of his concepts.
Another of his works - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cookie_Monster_(novella) about simulations reminded me a lot of Stross’ thought experiments - but from the other side.
But all of them tend to have something - “Reality Graphics” in A Fire Upon the Deep, the localizer net and the Focused in A Deepness, Rainbows End above considers why you might have an underground market in Bootleg processors… Interesting stuff to ponder.
I’ve read a deepness in the sky, I really liked it. I didn’t realise it was the second book!
The two books are slightly aligned, but yeah they could be read in any order without a problem. But both are very worth a read.