David Weber's "Honorverse" series of novels - which starts with On Basilisk Station - has the most believable science fiction "false science" approach I've yet seen in fiction.
There's a catch - you have to be OK with long-winded exposition - but the stories are really good, with a fascinating look at technology and culture of a not-too-distant future.
> There's a catch - you have to be OK with long-winded exposition
Saying Weber has long-winded exposition is a little like saying “Blade Runner” has the occasional sweeping visual. In his later Honorverse novels, especially the most recent, it really feels like our author is getting paid by the word. He has...a lot of story background he feels the need to fill in. If you’ve ever made it to the end of a “Star Trek: The Next Generation” episode and thought “wow, I wonder how that civilization came to be and what happened after our heroes left,” this is the series for you.
They’re good stories and I like the middle of the arc in particular but, yes, I hope future readers like very detailed backgrounds on the technology or in-universe history of the societies in question.
There's a catch - you have to be OK with long-winded exposition - but the stories are really good, with a fascinating look at technology and culture of a not-too-distant future.