Themes And Issues

If someone has enjoyed reading Poul Anderson's works, what should he read next? The question becomes: which relevant predecessors, contemporaries and successors have you already read? When I thought about this, I began listing titles and authors that have already been discussed many times on the blog. However, it is worth listing Anderson's themes and issues. This shows the range of his works and each blog reader will be able to think of other relevant writers.

Would it be right to use scientific knowledge to create life?
Will AI supersede humanity?
How might it be possible to travel faster than light?
The experience of time traveling.
Circular causality.
Changing the past.
Alternative histories.
Historical fiction.
Heroic fantasy.
Norse mythology.
Detective fiction.
Juvenile sf.
Humor in sf.
How easy would it be to colonize other planets?
The reasons for the rise and fall of civilizations.
Military sf.
Cosmological sf.
How should society be organized?
Alien physiology and psychology.
The theological status of aliens.
Hard fantasy, i.e., magic as technology.
Future histories.
Interstellar empires.
Historical sf.
Longevity or immortality.
Elder Races.

Right now, I say:

for alternative histories, read SM Stirling;
for military sf, read Jerry Pournelle;
for cosmological sf, check out John C Wright.

I have to say "check out" because I have not yet read Wright. However, I am reliably advised that he is worth checking out. This means that he is worth checking out.

Contemporary Fantasy And Science Fiction

On this blog, I discuss the works of Poul Anderson and of a few other authors, usually relating the latter to the former. While blogging, I have, on the recommendation of correspondent Sean M Brooks, also begun to read the alternative history novels of SM Stirling. However, there remain many current works of fantasy and sf with which I am still unfamiliar. For example, Sean has also mentioned the novels of John C Wright.

I would welcome any comments or contributions along the lines of:

if you like Anderson, you might like X;
X, like Anderson, writes in the tradition of Wells, Stapledon and Heinlein;
X is completely unlike Anderson but worth reading in any case.

Thus, Anderson's comprehensive canon functions as a lens through which to view the entire range of fantasy and sf. Possible lines of inquiry are:

Are any other space operas as substantial as the Dominic Flandry series?
How does Michael Moorcock's Multiverse compare with Anderson's Old Phoenix sequence?
Apart from Audrey Niffeneger's superb The Time Traveler's Wife, do any recent time travel novels match the contributions of Anderson or of Tim Powers?
How many authors write convincing accounts of remote futures of artificial intelligence and abundant wealth?
Who else writes good military sf?
What other trends is Shackley completely unaware of?