Ursula

Of course I said that I had a list, when what I meant was that I spent a couple of days thinking about the problem a few months ago, and have now forgotten what I came up with. Nancy Kress, definitely-- her science is sometimes doubtful, but scientific innovation seems to drive her plots in a characteristically hard-science way. Vonda McIntyre's Nautilus series also has a science-driven feel. Cherryh has the grit that I associate with a lot of hard sf, but when you get down to it her characters are dominating . . .