I had the good luck to be able to ask Terry Pratchett once which writer he most admired. He said "Elmore Leonard" immediately.
Every rule can be bent and broken, if you're good enough. And sometimes you do have to mention the green antennae protruding from your character's head. But you can find some of the best science fiction authors sticking to the general shape of these rules. Kurt Vonnegut springs first to mind. John Scalzi is another master of this style of writing. And while he's not a science fiction author per se, Terry Pratchett shows a lot of Leonard's influence.
Every rule can be bent and broken, if you're good enough. And sometimes you do have to mention the green antennae protruding from your character's head. But you can find some of the best science fiction authors sticking to the general shape of these rules. Kurt Vonnegut springs first to mind. John Scalzi is another master of this style of writing. And while he's not a science fiction author per se, Terry Pratchett shows a lot of Leonard's influence.