I didn't see him in here, so I am adding Scott Westerfeld to the list.

For sure read the Uglies series, and the Leviathan series. They are AMAZING!

Leviathan is Steampunk alternate history of WWI. And Uglies is dystopian about the dangers of self modification (such as plastic surgery).

I could use a nice portable palette with all the essentials. This thread has been saved. I plan to SPONGE from it later. ;)