For the most part, science fiction and fantasy go through a series of trends every few years, with one or two authors leading the way in the field as they experiment with new approaches to the genre. William Gibson, Connie Willis, David Brin, and Ursula K. Le Guin are noteworthy in this regard. Part of the problem is that authors come and go in the science fiction field, moreso than the fantasy field, I believe, simply because science fiction is much more difficult to write. But then one gets an author of extraordinary talent, who also has a completel new vision, and well...
Peter F. Hamilton is a relatively new writer, at least to American audiences. His first novel, Mindstar Rising, came out in the UK in 1993, but didn't see print in North America until mid-1996. I came across this book and was very much impressed with Hamilton's writing style and his characterisations - and he has lived up to my expectations with his future works. Born in Rutland, England - the smallest county in England - Hamilton only began writing in 1987. His short story, "Death Day," sold to Fear magazine, and then began writing novels as a means of continuing with his writing career.
Hamilton is a writer whose work deserves a second look, even if one is daunted by the size of the books at first. He has the knack of creating background and history for his different settings, coming up with characters who fit those settings, and then bring to life the characters in these settings in ways that one might not have expected. Hamilton's descriptive prose are quite sly in style at times, not giving away a lot of the important plot elements, but there's enough there that one can see/imagine what the setting is, how characters look, and the way in which technology functions. While some would argue that he is wordy in the same fashion that Robert Jordan tends to be, Hamilton's prose are refined to a much greater degree and there is no word that is wasted.
The following is the listing of Peter F. Hamilton's fiction to this point:
Peter F. Hamilton has an official website out there, and a good site it is. You can learn about the author's various works, get some insight into the universes he's created, and read some short fiction.