Good suggestion, Austin. Neal Stephenson is DH's current favorite author.
I really like his works. His Baroque Cycle has several hidden messages encoded in the text. His writing is often hilarious!
Some of his circumstantial history and historical figure characterization is wrong so the sketches must be taken with a grain of salt. OTOH he gets many, many things right. ( I feel sorry for the parent whose pre-school child searches maps for Qwghlm as I once looked for "New England" )
His "The Diamond Age" is very accessible for kids due to Nell and the Mouse Army. If they can read "A Wrinkle in Time," then TDA will be a good next step.
Another good book is "The Mote in God's Eye" by Niven and Pournelle.
