One of my favorite Science Fictionle tome is Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker Guide to the Galaxy. It is one of those must reads in the SF genre. In fact, if you claim to be an aficionado of the genre and have not read this masterpiece, I suggest you turn in your Fan Club card. Written in 1979, is there an author today that can touch Douglas Adams' writing talent? I believe there is, and his name is Dennis E Taylor. Taylor has that same sense of humor, referencing pop culture callbacks and thought-provoking dilemmas.
His main series is the Bobiverse. Yes, I know, the series name does not embolden confidence that this series will be really, really good. But it is. Bob sells his company and now had more money than he knows what to do with. So, he has his brain scanned, because that is what rich people do. And then, crossing a street in Las Vegas, Bob gets hit by a bus, He wakes up as the AI of a space probe, The series takes off from there. It is a blast to follow as Bob clones himself multiple times into other ships.
If you want to do a test run of Mr. Taylor, I suggest the standalone novel Roadkill. In this tale First Contact put the emphasis on contact. Or try his two book series Quantum Earth, The super volcano in Yellowstone begins erupting at the same time some University students accidently create a portal to a different dimension and an alternative earth timeline.
Another reason you should read Dennis E Taylor is that he is a self-published author whose book are very much on the inexpensive side of the ledger. Now the self-publishing sector has in the past 15 years have undergone a huge improvement in all aspects of the process. It is now possible to get professional editing, cover art and marketing strategies that rival anything a big publishing house can offer. Many authors now choose to go the Self-Publishing. I have been closely watching the Fantasy side of self-publishing thanks to the SPFBO contest ( Self-Publishing Fantasy Blog Off) which is in its 10th year. Each year each contest get stronger in regard to the quality of the books entered.
So if you are looking for a series which will remind you of Douglas Adams, take the dive into Dennis E Taylors books.
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