Accelerando!

Read it at the site above. It's available for free.

Accelerando is a novel by Charlie Stross, a story which rips through you like a freight train, set in the world of pre- and post-technological singularity. Even though the novel is available for free, it is definitely not obscure or second rate; Charlie has been nominated for a Hugo for this work, a fact that was documented in a recent New York Times article on him (and he's not even American).

This book is *incredible*, it definitely goes in the list of my favorite Sci Fi, along with Greg Egan's Diaspora, and I am not sure what else (possibly Ringworld by Larry Niven, although that is partially for sentimental reasons).

Unlike Diaspora (an utterly mindblowing work, btw), Accelerando is packed with excellent, likable characters, and doesn't require a higher degree in physics and mathematics on the part of the reader. The story is *dense* with unexplained references to advanced modern concepts, so future shock is hard to avoid, but it's comprehensible enough, and the characters in the story are struggling as much as the reader, so at least you don't feel alone in your bewilderment :-)

Read it. It'll turn your optimism dial to 11.