[Suzerain of Sheol]

Actually, Jurinjo, thinking on what you said above, I feel like I have to recommend the Malazan Book of the Fallen, despite it not being sci-fi.

Global Conflict? Check, the series spans five different continents all mired in war and intrigue, with a cataclysmic threat building behind the scenes.

Personal Conflict? Everywhere. This series has some of the best character interaction I've ever read. A few of the book-ending confrontations are nothing short of awe-inspiring.

Holding the fate of planets in ones hands? Well, we have a character whose warhammer can raise mountain ranges and set off volcano chains, and even crack the world in half if he swings it hard enough. Then we have circle magic that functions like tactical nuclear weapons, erasing cities from the face of the earth. And, just in general, there are all sorts of Ascendants and Gods and dragons who routinely wreck armies and cities. This series is bad ass.

Archaeology? Steven Erikson worked as an archaeologist and anthropologist for over twenty years, and it shows in these books. The cultures and civilizations, and the sheer sense of age to his world is like nothing I've ever encountered before.

Oh, and it has evolved dinosaurs with flying anti-gravity castles that shoot lasers. :cool: