I wouldn't call Baru Cormorant series a sci-fi, it's more like a fantasy genre, admittedly less of magic and such. Nevertheless, it's unusual and certainly can recommend. For the sci-fi I would also add more modern writers like Greg Egan, Alastair Reynolds, Hannu Rajaniemi, Liu Cixin, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Aliette de Bodard, and many others, often overlooked. Every single one of those have their unique imagination, vastly different from another. Quite recommend all of them to get the broader set of points of view.

Axiomatic, Exhalation, and Stories of Your Life and Others.