Replies

The majority of the works mentioned are all written in the period of 1950 - 1980s. - probably the heyday of classic science fiction - back when America believed anything was possible.

More recent science fiction works that are notable and hold their own or surpass older works include:

Gene Simmons Hyperion series: Hyperion, The Fall of Hyperion, Endymion, The Rise of Endymion;

Iain M. Banks Culture series (Earth date): Consider Phlebas (1331 AD), The State of the Art (1977 AD), Excession (2067 AD), The Player of Games (2083 AD), Matter (2087 AD), Use of Weapons (2092 AD), Look to Windward (2170 AD), The Hydrogen Sonata (2375–2567 AD), Surface Detail (2970 AD). Also non-Culture: The Algebraist;

Steven Baxter’s Xeelee series: Timelike Infinity, Vacuum Diagrams, Flux, Ring, Raft;

And;

Gene Wolf’s The Book of the New Sun series (which, for those unfamiliar, Wolf’s prose approaches that of Lawrence Durrell for the best use of the English language in any venue today): The Shadow of the Torturer, The Claw of the Conciliator - (collectively reprinted as Shadow and Citadel); The Sword of the Lictor, The Citadel of the Autarch - (collectively reprinted as Sword and Claw); The Urth of the New Sun.

Worthy mentions go to:

Gregory Benford’s Galactic Center Series: In the Ocean of Night, Across the Sea of Suns, Great Sky River, Tides of Light, Furious Gulf, Sailing Bright Eternity;
Vernor Vinge: A Fire Upon the Deep;
Neal Stephenson: Snow Crash;
David Zindell: Neverness;
James Hogan: Cradle of Saturn;
Peter F Hamilton: The Naked God.