I like SciFi, but I'm usually disappointed with it. Recently I've read a bunch of Alastair Reynolds' stuff and really enjoyed it. The science seems pretty solid (he works for the ESA). He adds some interesting technical developments which lead society to make interesting decisions and explores the potential outcomes without a noticeable political bias one way or the other.
I recommend Chasm City as an introduction. It's a good representation of his style, and my favorite so far. You may find it listed as part of the Revelation Space "series", but it's really not, IMO, it's fine as a standalone work as it doesn't depend on earlier works, it just exists in the same "universe".