List of science-fiction authors

Science fiction is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative, futuristic and scientific concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space exploration, time travel, parallel universes, and extraterrestrial life. The genre often explores human responses to the consequences of projected or imagined scientific advances.

Science fiction is related to fantasy, horror, and superhero fiction, and it contains many subgenres. The genre's precise definition has long been disputed among authors, critics, scholars, and readers. Major subgenres include hard science fiction, which emphasizes scientific accuracy, and soft science fiction, which focuses on social sciences. Other notable subgenres are cyberpunk, which explores the interface between technology and society, climate fiction, which addresses environmental issues, and space opera, which emphasizes pure adventure in a universe in which space travel is common.

A

Catherine Asaro, around 2009
Isaac Asimov, before 1959
Margaret Atwood, 2015

B

Elizabeth Bear, 2017
Gregory Benford, 2008
Cyrano de Bergerac, one of the earliest SF writers, ca. 1654
John Birmingham, 2009
Ray Bradbury, 1975
Lois McMaster Bujold, 2009
Edgar Rice Burroughs, c. 1920
Octavia Butler, 2005

C

C. J. Cherryh, 2006
Ted Chiang, 2011
Arthur C. Clarke, ca. 2005
Storm Constantine 2016
Michael Crichton, 2002
Julie Czerneda 2012
  • Pat Cadigan (born 1953)
  • Jack Cady (1932–2004)
  • Martin Caidin (1927–1997)
  • Italo Calvino (1923–1985)
  • Jack Campbell (born 1956)
  • John W. Campbell, Jr. (1910–1971) (also known as Don A. Stuart)
  • Karel Čapek (1890–1938)
  • Paul Capon (1912–1969)
  • Orson Scott Card (born 1951)
  • Joseph Carne-Ross (1846–1911)
  • Terry Carr (1937–1987)
  • Lin Carter (1930–1988)
  • Cleve Cartmill (1908–1964)
  • Jeffrey Carver (born 1949)
  • Jay Caselberg (born 1958)
  • Beth Cato (born 1980)
  • Hugh B. Cave (1910–2004)
  • Franci Cerar (fl. 1979)
  • Jack L. Chalker (1944–2005)
  • Becky Chambers (born 1985)
  • Joël Champetier (1957–2015)
  • A. Bertram Chandler (1912–1984)
  • Suzy McKee Charnas (1939–2023)
  • Daína Chaviano (born 1960)
  • J. Kathleen Cheney (born 1964)
  • C. J. Cherryh (born 1942)
  • Ted Chiang (born 1967)
  • Charles Chilton (1917–2013)
  • John Christopher (1922–2012) (pseudonym of Samuel Youd)
  • Richard Chwedyk (born 1955)
  • Massimo Citi (born 1955)
  • Charles Heber Clark (1841–1915) (also known as Max Adeler and John Quill)
  • Arthur C. Clarke (1917–2008)
  • Jo Clayton (1939–1998)
  • Hal Clement (1922–2003) (pseudonym of Harry Clement Stubbs)
  • John Cleve (1934–2013) (pseudonym of Andrew J. Offutt)
  • Mark Clifton (1906–1963)
  • Ernest Cline (born 1972)
  • Mildred Clingerman (1918–1997)
  • Brenda Clough (born 1955)
  • Martha deMey Clow (1932–2010)
  • John Clute (born 1940)
  • Stanton A. Coblentz (1896–1982)
  • Theodore Cogswell (1918–1987)
  • Frona Eunice Wait Colburn (1859–1946)
  • Allan Cole (1943–2019)
  • Robert William Cole (1869–1937)
  • Eoin Colfer (born 1965)
  • Erroll Collins (1906–1991) (pseudonym of Ellen Edith Hannah Redknap)
  • Suzanne Collins (born 1962)
  • D. G. Compton (1930–2023)
  • Michael Coney (1932–2005)
  • Groff Conklin (1904–1968)
  • Storm Constantine (1956–2021)
  • Glen Cook (born 1944)
  • Hugh Cook (1956–2008)
  • Paul Cook (born 1950)
  • Rick Cook (1944–2022)
  • Brenda Cooper (born 1960)
  • Edmund Cooper (1926–1982)
  • Alfred Coppel (1921–2004)
  • James S. A. Corey (joint pseudonym of Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck)
  • Larry Correia (born 1977)
  • Juanita Coulson (born 1933)
  • Richard Cowper (1926–2002) (pseudonym John Middleton Murry, Jr. used when writing science fiction)
  • Erle Cox (1873–1950)
  • John G. Cramer (born 1934)
  • Michael Crichton (1942–2008)
  • Robert Cromie (1855–1907)
  • John Crowley (born 1942)
  • Andrew Crumey (born 1961)
  • Ray Cummings (1887–1957)
  • Philippe Curval (1929–2023)
  • Julie E. Czerneda (born 1955)

D

Jack Dann, 2007
Judy Lynn and Lester Del Rey, 1974
Samuel R. Delany, 2011
Cory Doctorow, 2007

E

Carol Emshwiller, 1998
Kelley Eskridge, 2002

F

Camille Flammarion, date unknown
Eric Flint, ca. 2007
John M Ford, 2001

G

Neil Gaiman, 2004
William Gibson, 2008
Nicola Griffith, 2007
James Gunn, ca. 2007

H

Peter F. Hamilton, 2006
Elizabeth Hand, 2007
Midshipman Robert A. Heinlein, 1929
Aldous Huxley, 1954
Muhammed Zafar Iqbal, 2013

I

J

N. K. Jemisin, 2015
Robert Jordan, 2005
  • Alexander Jablokov (born 1956)
  • Muriel Jaeger (1892–1969)
  • John Jakes (1932–2023)
  • Malcolm Jameson (1891–1945)
  • Phil Janes (fl. 1993–present)
  • Laurence Janifer (1933–2002)
  • N. K. Jemisin (born 1972)
  • P. C. Jersild (born 1935)
  • Wolfgang Jeschke (1936–2015)
  • K. W. Jeter (born 1950)
  • Michel Jeury (1934–2015)
  • Xia Jia (born 1984)
  • George Clayton Johnson (1929–2015)
  • D. F. Jones (1917–1981)
  • Gwyneth Jones (born 1952)
  • Neil R. Jones (1909–1988)
  • Raymond F. Jones (1915–1994)
  • Diana Wynne Jones (1934–2011)
  • Robert Jordan (1948–2007)
  • M. K. Joseph (1914–1981)
  • Emmanuel Jouanne (1960–2008)
  • Theodore Judson (born 1951)
  • Unno Juza (1897–1949)

K

James Patrick Kelly, 2008
Stephen King, 2007
Nancy Kress (center), with author Delia Sherman (left) and editor Ellen Datlow (right). 2007 photo.

L

Ursula K. Le Guin, 2009
Stanisław Lem, 1966
Shariann Lewitt, 2007
Jack London, 1900

M

A. Merritt, c. 1920
China Miéville, 2006
Naomi Mitchison, 1920s
Judith Moffett, 2008
Elizabeth Moon, 2005
Richard Morgan, 2008
James Morrow, 2007

N

Larry Niven, photo before 2005
  • Linda Nagata (born 1960)
  • Jayant Narlikar (1938–2025) (Marathi: जयंत विष्णू नारळीकर)
  • Grant Naylor (joint pseudonym of Rob Grant and Doug Naylor)
  • Ondrej Neff (born 1945)
  • Geoff Nelder (born 1947)
  • Ray Nelson (1931–2022)
  • István Nemere (1944–2024)
  • Josef Nesvadba (1926–2005)
  • Kris Neville (1925–1980)
  • Eirik Newth (born 1964)
  • Yuri Nikitin (in Russian Юрий Никитин) (1939–2025)
  • Larry Niven (born 1938)
  • William F. Nolan (1928–2021)
  • Jeff Noon (born 1957)
  • John Norman (born 1931)
  • Lisanne Norman (born 1951)
  • Eric North (1884–1968) (pseudonym of Bernard Cronin)
  • Andre Norton (1912–2005) (pseudonym of Alice Mary Norton)
  • Philip Francis Nowlan (1888–1940)
  • Alan E. Nourse (1928–1992)
  • Charles Nuetzel (born 1934)
  • Eric S. Nylund (born 1964)

O

George Orwell, 1943

P

Edgar Allan Poe, 1849
Frederik Pohl (center) with Donald A. Wollheim (left) and John Michel (right, circa 1938
Jerry Pournelle, 2005
Fletcher Pratt (left) with Christopher Morley and Rex Stout, 1944
  • Lewis Padgett (joint pseudonym of Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore)
  • Michel Pagel (born 1961)
  • George Pal (1908–1980)
  • Ada Palmer (born 1981)
  • David R. Palmer (born 1941)
  • Jane Palmer (born 1946)
  • Philip Palmer (born 1960)
  • Raymond A. Palmer (1910–1977)
  • Edgar Pangborn (1909–1976)
  • Alexei Panshin (1940–2022)
  • Cory Panshin (born 1947)
  • Christopher Paolini (born 1980)
  • Richard Parks (born 1955)
  • James Patterson (born 1947)
  • Stel Pavlou (born 1970)
  • Donald G. Payne (1924–2018) (also known as James Vance Marshall, Ian Cameron, and Donald Gordon)
  • Hayford Peirce (1942–2020)
  • Charles Pellegrino (born 1953)
  • Dalibor Perković (born 1974)
  • Leslie Perri (1920–1970)
  • Steve Perry (born 1947)
  • Lawrence Person (born 1965)
  • Emil Petaja (1915–2000)
  • Wildy Petoud (born 1957)
  • John T. Phillifent (1916–1976)
  • Mark Phillips (joint pseudonym used by Laurence Janifer (1933–2002) and Randall Garrett (1927–1987))
  • Peter Phillips (1920–2012)
  • Rog Phillips (1909–1965) (pseudonym of Roger P. Graham)
  • Eden Phillpotts (1862–1960)
  • Bal Phondke (born 1939) (Marathi: डॉ. बाळ फोंडके)
  • John R. Pierce (1910–2002) (also known as J.J. Coupling)
  • Marge Piercy (born 1936)
  • H. Beam Piper (1904–1964)
  • Doris Piserchia (1928–2021)
  • Brian Plante (born 1956)
  • Charles Platt (born 1945)
  • P. J. Plauger (born 1944)
  • Van Allen Plexico (born 1968)
  • Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849)
  • Frederik Pohl (1919–2013)
  • Arthur Porges (1915–2006)
  • Jerry Pournelle (1933–2017)
  • Gareth L. Powell (born 1970)
  • Tim Powers (born 1952)
  • Terry Pratchett (1948–2015)
  • Fletcher Pratt (1897–1956)
  • Robert Presslie (1920–2002)
  • Paul Preuss (born 1942)
  • Cherie Priest (born 1975)
  • Christopher Priest (1943–2024)
  • Philip Pullman (born 1946)

Q

  • Roberto Quaglia (born 1962)
  • William Thomas Quick (born 1946)
  • Daniel Quinn (1935–2018)

R

Mike Resnick, 2008
Adam Roberts, 2008
Kim Stanley Robinson, 2005
Rudy Rucker, 2006

S

Robert J. Sawyer, 2005
Mary Shelley, ca. 1840
Cordwainer Smith (Paul Linebarger), 1953
Allen Steele, ca. 2007
Charles Stross, 2019
Somtow Sucharitkul, 2005
Michael Swanwick, 2005
Tricia Sullivan, 2012

T

Lavie Tidhar, 2006
Wilson Tucker, ca. 1988
Harry Turtledove, 2005

U

  • Steven Utley (1948–2013)

V

Jack Vance at the helm of his boat, early 1980s

W

Stanley G. Weinbaum
H. G. Wells, 1920
Walter Jon Williams, 2006
Connie Willis, 1998
Jack Womack at the KGB Bar, NYC, 2008

Y

Charles Yu, 2011
  • Neon Yang
  • Nir Yaniv (born 1972)
  • Tetsu Yano (1923–2004)
  • Chelsea Quinn Yarbro (born 1942)
  • Yi Kŭmch'ŏl
  • Jun'ya Yokota (1945–2019)
  • Jane Yolen (born 1939)
  • Robert Franklin Young (1915–1986)
  • Charles Yu (born 1976)

Z

Timothy Zahn, 2012

See also


References

  1. ^ Individually, their names are Аркадий Стругацкий and Борис Стругацкий.

Resources

  • A useful book for looking up authors is A Reader's Guide to Science Fiction, by Baird Searles, Martin Last, Beth Meacham, and Michael Franklin (1979). It also tells you whom else you might like if you like one author.
  • Other invaluable works include The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, edited by John Clute and Peter Nicholls (2nd. Ed. 1991), The Mammoth Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, edited by George Mann (1999) (ISBN 0-7867-0887-5 or ISBN 1-84119-177-9), and Twentieth-Century Science-Fiction Writers, edited by Curtis C. Smith (1981) (ISBN 0-312-82420-3).