Anyway ... I'm going to quickly name a few authors of this genre, who have got to be read
No, really ...
There's Cordwainer Smith, Jack Vance and Roger Zelazny.
While the top three SF writers have traditionally been Robert A. Heinlein, Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke, I must confess to finding the formerly mentioned three far more to my personal tastes. Not that I don't enjoy the latter; it's just that the prior three have a sense of wonder and magnificence that more closely parallels my own.
More later ... when I find the time ... and no, that doesn't necessarily mean never ! Sheesh ... some people have just no faith ...
In the interim, why don'tcha head over to Scifan and learn more about all these guys I've mentioned above, hmm ?