I have a vivid and active imagination, but it pales to insignificance against that of Alistair Reynolds.
I'm not a rocket scientist, and don't know if much of the 'hard' science in this novel is real or even plausible, but it's delivered with such aplomb that I not only believe it, but have convinced myself that I even partially understand it.
The characters are complex and continuously evolving, making second guessing what they'll do next... or whether or not you like them or hate them from one chapter to the next... an exercise in futility.
A fantastically epic journey through the story telling genius, of a man who's imagination knows no bounds
... Onwards to Chasm City.