C.J. Cherryh is not an easy read, but she is a good read. I confess to owning most of her books, but to still having unread volumes in my shelf. Very few of her works are for lazy readers(of which I can be one). Cherryh creates universes that are truly different from the one we live in. In her books you can take nothing for granted.
To quote from fantasticfiction.com
"C.J. Cherryth is a four-time winner of the coveted Hugo Award and is one of today's best-selling and most critically acclaimed writers of fantasy and science fiction. She is the author of more than forty novels."
Author's Website: http://www.cherryh.com/