Post requesting introductory-SF suggestions got deleted

TRX on 2014-06-02 at 09:12:05 said:

TRX's "10 Books for New SF Readers"

1) "The Nagasaki Vector" by L. Neil Smith
2) "Voice of the Whirlwind" by Walter Jon Williams
3) "The Witches of Karres" by James Schmitz
4) "Peeps" by Scott Westerfeld
5) "The Atrocity Archives" by Charles Stross
6) "In the Courts of the Crimson Kings" by S.M. Stirling
7) "Necrom" by Mick Farren
8) "The Eyre Affair" by Jasper Fforde
9) "Retief of the CDT" by Keith Laumer
10) "Century Rain" by Alastair Reynolds

Several are parts of a series, but complete of themselves. There were a few I passed over that are parts of series that either aren't complete or not worth much without the others.

"Witches of Karres" and "Peeps" are YA genre, but well-written and enjoyable. "Retief of the CDT", "The Eyre Affair", and "The Nagasaki Vector" are ROFL funny. "The Atrocity Archives", "In the Courts of the Crimson Kings", and "Necrom" are good workmanlike SF. "Century Rain" and "Voice of the Whirlwind" are pretty hardcore. I debated including them, but they are novels you'll either like a whole lot or just say "WTF?!"