Just finished most of the culture series by Iain Banks. I began with "Use of Weapons", which I didn't like that much, idk why. But thankfully I read the other books (except "Consider Phlebas"). I really loved "Excession". "The Hydrogen Sonata" was very interesting but kinda crazy for what happened. "Matter" I finished today, so I have to let it sink in a little more.
All in all I'm kinda jealous of the culture, even though it has its bad sides (as is also discussed in the books).

I also liked Alastair Reynolds, though his books are more dystopian imo. My favourite is probably "Century Rain", just because of the feeling of Paris, despite the gloominess :))

"The Ministry of Time" by Kaliane Bradley I liked for the thought experiment of it all. And it had cute moments.

"Ammonite" by Nicola Griffith was amazing, at some points I was so scared I practically devoured the chapters haha.

"The Hands of the Emperor" and "At the Feet of the Sun" by Victoria Goddard is long but so interestingly written. And a cool tale of friendship.

Adrian Tchaikovsky's book "Children of Time" is so good at showing a civilisation different to ours and how we could live together with them (Not good for people with arachnophobia probably).

Does anyone have any other recommendations? They don't have to be similar :))

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I always recommend this because I think it's fucking phenomenal.

The Gormenghast trilogy by Mervyn Peake . What I consider a perfect fantasy series.

There is no magic, no monsters, nothing otherworldly. How is it fantastic then, you ask?

The setting! It is set in a rotting, dying kingdom. An absolutely massive and ancient castle that used to house a bustling city of thousands now dwindled to a few hundred. Entire wings of the castle inaccessible due to dangerous wild animals having taken residence during human absence. Massive portions of the castle crumbling, Unmanaged trees growing through walls and ceilings. An intricate, massive, and fantastic world that has zero trappings of the standard fantasy novel fare.

ALSO: Spoilers:

The third book in the trilogy is actually a sci-fi where the main character runs away from his home in the castle and finds a world he doesn't understand with drones following him after he steals a automobile of sorts. His personal journey of self-discovery is sent into a tailspin when everyone tells him that his memories of where he is from must be false memories.

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