Space-bound science fiction novels

[mtbc]

I have certainly enjoyed science fiction novels that feature much spaceflight but I notice that, of the novels I have much liked over the past decade or so, they have tended to involve less happening in outer space than one might expect of the genre. For instance, a few years ago here I mentioned Neal Stephenson's Anathem and, half a year later, Iain Pears' Arcadia, both of which are great but also substantially planet-bound. Maybe it is just odd coincidence, it is very plausible that I am missing out on good novels, partly because I favor standalone plots, being loath to be suckered into an interminable revenue streamseries. For example, I tend to like Peter F. Hamilton's series but, goodness, they are rather a lot to get through in comparison with, say, Larry Niven's Destiny's Road.