Series/Trilogy Fatigue - need a recommendation

[Smudge]

Hi Everyone,
NOTE - I posted the same post at another sff site but figured I would cast my net wide!

I am just finishing up "The Void Trilogy" by Peter Hamilton. While I have been enjoying it I must say that I am suffering from series/trilogy fatigue. Of course the size of typical Hamilton book is big as it is but the trilogy has taken me many months. Don't get me wrong, it is great story and I have loved it even though I was less excited by the fantasy parts.
Anyway, I will soon be ready to read something new and I am looking for a couple of ideas for some books that are stand alone and not the beginning of another series. I feel in the mood for some science fiction based in the future ( not the near future), that takes place out in space, maybe with aliens or even a BDO (if the BDO gets resolved by the end of the book). Epic/Space Opera is ok as well although many of those seem to be stung together into series.
I have enjoyed Hamilton, Reynolds (pushing ice, etc), Card, Niven, Clarke, etc. although I am not very familiar with newer authors (other than Hamilton/Reynolds) who write similar type of science fiction. I thought I would ask here and see what comes up.
thank

 

[tinkerdan]

Two books; relatively new authors and are probably parts of series but could stand alone quite easily.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ONA7G9Q/?tag=brite-21
Endeavour by our own Ralph Kern- you can't go wrong with this.


http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L3U9OCG/?tag=brite-21
Fluency by Jennifer Wells

Both are good reads and read well as standalone; but regrettably argue for further parts to the series.

If you want something a bit on the strange side you could try.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FC1KIY/?tag=brite-21
Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HXZZXSO/?tag=brite-21
Full Fathom Five by Max Gladstone is a fantasy and part of series but each book stands well alone because his world building is done in a strange but good way.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005LJETYI/?tag=brite-21
All You Need is Kill (Edge of Tomorrow) Hiroshi Sakurazaka
Not much like the movie but better in many ways.

 

[J-Sun]

Stand-alone recent space-based not-too-near-future SF? Some of the below that I've enjoyed might do. (I list them in goodreads ranking order, not that I really agree with the rankings.)

The Compleat McAndrew, Charles Sheffield
Tomorrow and Tomorrow, Charles Sheffield
Sister Alice, Robert Reed
Cowl, Neal Asher
Guardian of Night, Tony Daniel
Half Life, Hal Clement

The McAndrew and Alice may be cheating in that they are series - but series of stories confined to a single book. Cowl is a lot of time travel but feels more space operatic than just temporal, somehow. And Clement is for really hard SF fans only and may be too near future for you. It's a strange book but I liked it.

Also, until Greg Egan wrote a trilogy with his latest works, everything he wrote was stand-alone and some fit your parameters, such as the will-be-all-time-classic Diaspora.

And I'm not a big fan and there are a zillion books in the "universe" but each plot and most characters are basically stand-alone, and I did like Consider Phlebas by Banks (except one horrible chapter). Many will tell you it's not good and will advise Player of Games. Ignore them, for they lead you to the dark side!