h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I defied him on the issue of whether beautiful plates can be considered art, but the friction between us has left me feeling tired. What does the therapist know about art? Or literature, for that matter? He told me about the kinds of science fiction he reads, and it's all ancient and ho-hum. I like the cutting-edge stuff like "Station 11," "Snow crash," "Ancillary justice," "Wind-up girl," "Accelerando" (fasten your seatbelts for this one), and "Spin."

Honorable mention goes to "Darwin's Radio," which sees the beginning of a change from our type of human to a very different one. What's new can be very scary.

In the fantasy genre, here are some good choices:

The "Shades of magic" series" is superb. Written by V. E. Schwab, it starts with "A darker shade of magic," about a world where London exists as a place in four different realms known by the different colors of magic in them. Only one or two people are able to go from one iteration of London to another, and it's a dangerous business.
Give it a try. It's a major accomplishment.

Lev Grossman has written a trilogy about Magicians. Here's a link to discussion of the first book in the series:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Magicians_(Grossman_novel)

There's also "Chasm city" by Alastair Reynolds.

"Altered Carbon" (Takeshi Kovacs) was made into a TV series

Here are some fantasy novels that have won awards:

"The bone clocks," by David Mitchell
"The chimes" by Anna Smaili
"Alif the unseen" by G Willow Wilson

Why go back to Asimov and Heinlein, when exciting new writers are pushing the edge of the envelope as to what science fiction and fantasy can be?

Another fantastic fantasy about a young man form the countryside who wangles his way to the nearest big city, and wiles his way into a college where magicians are trained. He makes some powerful enemies, but rpevails.

"The Name of the Wind," by Patrick Rothfuss

At the beginning of the book, we meet him as a middle-aged man hiding form his past. "In the rural town of Newarre, the Waystone Inn is managed by an innkeeper named Kote and his assistant Bast. It is revealed that Kote is actually the renowned Kvothe: an unequaled sword fighter, magician, and musician, rumored to have killed a king - earning the title Kingkiller - and caused the present war in which the civilized world is embroiled."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Name_of_the_Wind

He has good reason to keep his identity secret, as there are many who would like to slit his throat. In his youth, though, an evil group called the Chandrian killed his family, and he had to flee and find some way of getitng the magic to protect himself if they ever come for him again....

Why go back to Asimov and Heinlein, when you can go back to Niels E. Nielsen?

Seriously though, I get what you are saying but I believe the old ones still have a lot to tell us. Bradbury and Orwell are as actual as ever. Sadly

I've read Bradbury and Orwell, too.

I'm a terrible person for feeling that way about my therapist. See, guilt? Obviously a sign that I need a therapist.