I’ll do my best to answer, but the wine is clouding my brain more than a bit:
I’m assuming you’ve read everything by Conn Iggulden? If not – do. – read a lot of this guy – fantastic writer maybe not everything, but i cant be far off.
Haven’t played video games since street fighter II – these came for free from a colleague and i thought they were brilliant. Am I wright in saying the books were commissioned by the video game manufacturer?
The Culture Series is what happens when a truly great author decides to write space opera – is that a yeah or nay? I loved Blakes 7 when i was a kid, Servilan was awesome.
Dune is still good – i didn’t enjoy it as much as i thought i would, maybe over-hyped (i haven’t seen the film)
Everything else – thanks for the recommendations, I know where i will be spending my Christmas money!