The Chronoliths
by Robert Charles Wilson (2001)

An out-of-work American software developer living in Thailand is present for the appearance of the first of many chronoliths - sent from twenty years into the future to commemorate the military victories of a temporally adept Asian tyrant. A highly original take on the time travel theme and typically superb character development from one of the best going around.

Evolution
by Stephen Baxter (2002)

A the title suggests, this is Baxter's hard sci-fi treatment of the story of human evolution - from primate to a post-human future. A huge novel, it is broken into a roughly linked series of tales about future efforts to save the race through the "globalisation of empathy". Perhaps worth checking out Baxter's earlier work first, but this is certainly thought-provoking.

The Years Of Rice and Salt
by Kim Stanley Robinson (2002)

Fascinating alternate history about a world dominated by Islam and Buddhism. When plague wipes out Europe in the 14th century, Western culture dies with it. The book focuses on the experiences of certain individuals who live through important points in the centuries that follow. A remarkable examination of culture and society. Another winner from Robinson.

Pattern Recognition
by William Gibson (2003)

With a contemporary setting, some debate surrounds this book's sci-fi credentials. That aside, cyberpunk supremo Gibson has filled this book with enough techo-insight to please most genre fans. A woman is hired to track down the origins of mysterious internet videos that have obsessed some to search for patterns in their meaning.

The Time Traveler's Wife
by Audrey Niffenegger (2003)

Bestselling sci-fi romance in which a gentlemanly librarian has to cope with his 'chrono displacement disorder' - a time tripping disease with no respect for basic human dignity. Aside from running into himself a few times, he also unknowingly first encounters his future wife when she is only six. Absolutely beautiful and well worthy of the success it is enjoying.

Never Let Me Go
by Kazuo Ishiguro (2005)

A fascinating treatise on the ethics of human cloning told from the heart-rending perspective of one Kathy H - a clone specifically 'born' and raised to be an organ donor. Set in a parallel late-90s England, the story revolves around the 'special' children of the exclusive Hailsham school and their unusual lives. A modern sleeper worth a look.

Spin
by Robert Charles Wilson (2005)

Love, science, religion, ecology and the apocalypse… for those who thought 2001's The Chronoliths couldn't be topped, Wilson has quite simply gone one better. Tyler Dupree bounces between his childhood and years as a young man facing the impending end of the world. With his two closest friends pursuing decidedly different paths, the terraformation of Mars may be the only hope.

Rainbows End
by Vernor Vinge (2006)

In a near-future of high-tech 'silent messaging', a recovering Alzheimer's patient struggles with virtual non-reality issues while being drawn into some campus unrest. He becomes an innocent foil in a dark biological weaponry conspiracy. Vinge's mix of hard sci-fi and intelligent techno-social commentary may not suit everyone's tastes, but it ensures that his books stay the distance.