A Fire Upon the Deep

This is an impressive work of hard science fiction. The idea of the zones of thought where civilizations and technology reach a higher level of development the further you get from the galactic core is an intriguing idea. And who wouldn't want to meet a race of pack-minded puppy people?

I also found the book a little prophetic when mentioning how the galactic net is full of lies and misinformation and you have to weed through copious information to get to the truth. The "Blight" even touches on the fears many currently have about artificial intelligences (AI).