Egan is good because nothing in his books is "whiz-bang". He's not writing about turboencabulators or laser guns; he's writing about worlds in which nature itself is fundamentally different, and in a much more fulfilling way than you would find in a fantasy book (because you know Egan's worlds are at least as mathematically viable as our own).
I disagree that SF exists to say something about people. Authors like Egan use it to say something about the universe itself, which is a much more vast and beautiful topic than the everyday goings-on of humans. Perhaps your focus is too anthropocentric to enjoy it.
Egan is good because nothing in his books is "whiz-bang". He's not writing about turboencabulators or laser guns; he's writing about worlds in which nature itself is fundamentally different, and in a much more fulfilling way than you would find in a fantasy book (because you know Egan's worlds are at least as mathematically viable as our own).
I disagree that SF exists to say something about people. Authors like Egan use it to say something about the universe itself, which is a much more vast and beautiful topic than the everyday goings-on of humans. Perhaps your focus is too anthropocentric to enjoy it.