I’d like a standalone novel with quality worldbuilding that takes me somewhere alien, exotic, and compelling for awhile.

Probably Sci Fi (alien and machine societies would be cool), but preferably not straight up fantasy (magic, dragon-analogs, elf-analogs, etc) unless you strongly believe in a particular one. Any suggestions?

I really liked *The Crucible of Time*, was ultimately disappointed by *Learning the World*, and haven’t finished *A Deepness in the Sky*. I enjoyed *The Quantum Thief* recently.

by PrimeTime-33