Peter Watts is the wildly imaginative dystopian science fiction writer whose novels Starfish, Maelstrom, and Behemoth B-Max/Behemoth Seppuku track the progress of a work-gang of sociopaths who are relegated to a geothermal work-station on the ocean's floor, their bodies and minds heavily modified to survive the intese pressures
(see my post about Maelstrom for more).
Peter's a PhD Marine Biologist, and his scientific background and dark sensibility combine in unexpected ways — for example, a credible account of the co-evolution of human and computer viruses.
Now Peter's put his first two novels online under a Creative Commons license allowing for unlimited noncommercial redistribution and the creation of derivative works (fan art, music, translations, films, audiobooks, etc). I'd love to get a podcast of these books being read aloud by someone who loves them as much as I do.
Peter's pledged to put Behemoth online shortly, and in the meantime, fans of his work are already converting them to formats well-suited to PDAs.
