Top Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors

Douglas Adams

Reasons: Influential, Popular; Best book(s): The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy; Genre: Science Fiction

Douglas Adams is one of my personal favorite authors; his Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is predominately a fun sprawling space adventure with a strong humorous tilt. Adams’s style is very free flowing, full of puns, but more importantly shows an amazing ability to create a believable story full of vivid characters and worlds. Part of the beauty of Adams is his ability to write absurd plots but make them logical and somehow real – sadly Adams passed away during the making of the movie and I for one will miss him.

Hitchhikers Guide to the galaxy is a huge commercial success – the interesting storyline featuring Arthur Dent a simple human who happens to see the end of the world and his buddy Ford Prefect, a journalist for the Guide. As they meander around the galaxy meeting (amongst others) the leader of the universe, a robot with a brain the size of a planet and many other colorful characters we are struck by the endearing nature of the characters and despite the trouble they often get into, you know they will always end up succeeding no matter how improbable (in joke here!).

It simply is one of the best ‘fun’ science fiction series I have read.

Piers Anthony

Reasons: Popular; Best Book(s): Xanth Series, Incarnations of Immortality; Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy

 Piers Anthony was one of the first authors I picked up as a teenager. His ability to write in many genres impressed me as did his ability to write serious novels or pun filled comedy novels. His books are penned in a friendly style, although his ability to bring in complex science and somehow explain them to us normal readers is incredible. He has a particular penchant in creating series that have a very serious underlying theme, and often these are based on popular myths or beliefs – some of his writing has great commentary on modern day society and beliefs.

I have read a lot of Piers Anthony books; the Incarnations of Immortality especially impressed me for their ability to bring in multiple religious theologies and also some quantum mechanics – the writing is always logical and fluent. Piers has the ability to describe situations very well and you always know what is happening in his books.

Isaac Asimov

Reasons: Classic, Influential, Popular; Best Book(s): Foundation Series; Genre: Science Fiction, Mysteries, Fantasy

Isaac Asimov is considered by many as the best science fiction writer of all time, and it’s hard to argue with that. His writing is masterful, filled with science and amazing stories; his ability to bring in hard science and futuristic science (sometimes prophetical) is incredible and somehow he manages to convey believability in every word.

His art speaks for itself and with the over 500 books he has written he is by far one of the most influential and important science fiction writers of all time, and should be considered a master of literature.

The Foundation Series, commonly known as the best science fiction of all time, covers 15 novels and shorts stories written byAsimov and six novels written by other authors. As the books unfold and we see Hari Seldon create two foundations to ensure his ‘predicted’ vision of a second great empire come to fruition, we become amazed by the attention to detail, the reality and the amazing writing that encompasses all of the novels.

Asimov is a master writer but more importantly a master story teller – his stories that encompass hundreds of years are all intertwined and linked in complex ways, but we never lose ourselves as we read. With an amazing foresight Asimov has predicted technologies that are now common place today, but in the 50s and 60s (when the original books were written) he managed to convey the fact that these technologies would exist – he was a visionary.

His influence on the world of Science Fiction (and science in general) is amazing, and as you read most modern science fiction you’ll see the ghost of Asimov lurking.

Ray Bradbury

Reasons: Influential, Popular, Classic; Best Book(s): The Martian Chronicles, Fahrenheit 451; Genre: fantasy, horror, mystery

Ray Bradbury is a prolific writer who was published in many genres. Most well know for science fiction he bought a reality to his writing that was incredible. His Martian Chronicles series tackles a possible future in which humans colonize mars and deals with humanity and its fear of the unknown, Xenophobia and terror very well – it is a very cleverly constructed chronicle.

Fahrenheit 451 still stands out today as one of the best utopian novels of all time – his ability to meld a real society full of dissent anger and fear but make it feel so real and so possible sets his writing aside, he truly is among the best.

Terry Brooks

Reasons: Popular; Best Book(s): Sword of Shannara series; Genre: Fantasy

Many will say that Terry Brooks simply copied Lord of the Rings, and there is no doubt that his Sword of Shannara does have similarities to Tolkien’s masterpiece. However, out of all the Lord of the Rings clones, Brooks’s Shannara series is the best.

It is very well written and conceived, and with the related series has more details than any other fantasy series aside from Lord of the Rings (and perhaps R E Feist’s work). Brooks has the ability to bring a world and its characters to life entwining stories that link together at the deepest level even though they span generations.

As the books develop you get a sense that there is far more than a simple clone of Lord of the Rings especially with the ‘pre’ series which tackles the devastation to humanity and the beginnings of magic and the magical races in the world of Shannara. Brooks has the rare talent of being able to create a logical detail that doesn’t contain many flaws and for that alone he should be considered a great fantasy writer.

Arthur C Clarke

Reasons:Influential, Classic, Popular; Best Book(s): 2001 A Space Odyssey, Childhood's End; Genre:Science Fiction

Clarke is perhaps one of the most influential science fiction writers of all times. His description of AI and alien encounters have influenced most modern science fiction novels; his ability to write accurate and convincing literature has made him one of the true masters of Science Fiction.

Eoin Colfer

Reasons: Popular; Best Book(s): Artemis Fowl; Genre: Fantasy

Eoin Colfer is an interesting writer who has a very similar style to Douglas Adams (he completed the final book in the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series after Adams died). His ability to twist common fairy tales and create a whole believable world based on them is incredible – this combined with the real world links make his writing new and invigorating.

The Artemis Fowl series, perhaps aimed at a teenage audience, tells the story of Artemis Fowl – a teenage criminal, who has happened to discover the reality of a fairy world full of mystical creatures – aiming to benefit from this, he somehow is embroiled in some of the dastardly plans of the ‘evil’ from fairy land.

The books are written with a humorous style; some of the situations Artemis finds himself in are hilarious, but somehow the intelligence Colfer uses to create complex situations and complex solutions is incredible and you come away fully satisfied.

Philip K Dick

Reasons:Classic, Influential, Popular; Best Book(s):Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, The Man in the High Castle; Genre:Science Fiction

If you look at some of the classic science fiction movies of recent years such as Blade Runner, Minority Report, Paycheck you should be familiar with Dick's work. Many top Science Fiction movies were based on novels or short stories written by Dick. His ability to create an amazing story infused with brilliant characters and amazing atmospheres make his writing not only very readable and intense, but also free flowing!

His ability to bring out unfamiliar themes, such as the alternate history within The Man in the High Castle makes him influential as authors know how to achieve new ideas and new methods.

Frank Herbert

Reasons:Popular, Influential; Best Book(s):Dune; Genre: Science Fiction

Frank Herbert could be seen as the Tolkien of Science Fiction. His Dune series has the same scope of Lord of the Rings, and pays more attention on building characters, political structures, intriguing and a great story rather than a scientific novel.

While Herbert is often overlooked as an author, and didn't win many awards during his writing career, Dune still stands out as one of the top Science Fiction series of all time – it stands the test of time, with its complexities and sheer epicness and will remain on the top science fiction book list for eternity!

Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis

Reasons: Influential, Popular; Best Book(s): Dragonlance Series; Genre: Fantasy

Weis and Hickman are the masters of good old 'AD&D' fantasy. Perhaps not the greatest writers, they have the ability to create brilliant characters set in a fantastic world. For all AD&D players they simply took the essence of roleplaying and transferred it to book form.

Their dragonlance series inspired dozens of writers to produce similar books based on the AD&D game. Writers like Salvatore would not have created their amazing series without the work that Weis and Hickman did – while their writing is very straight forward fantasy, it is vivid and some of the characters are memorable.

Robert Howard

Reasons: Influential; Best Book(s):Conan; Genre: Fantasy

Robert Howard was one of the authors that really set the standard for Fantasy novels. With the creation of Conan he brought the 'true hero' to the realm and gave us a true Sword and Sorcery saga that is still classic today.

His writing was no nonsense, straight to the point writing; it was very descriptive and gave the reader the feeling that they were deeply involved with the plot; they were page turners that combined suspense, passion and action to provide great entertainment.

Aldous Huxley

Reasons: Classic, Influential, Popular; Best Book(s):Brave New World; Genre: Science Fiction

Aldous Huxley is a truly classic writer; his writing compares with any of the greats, and not just those in Science Fiction. He was a visionary and with his novel Brave New World showed how exceptional writing and story-telling could be combined with a vision of a totalitarian utopia to bring a thrilling and scary vision of the future to life.

Huxley is one of the writers who has influenced me most; while I do not consider myself a very good writer, studying his work has given me a great insight into grammar and the construction of a sentence – he knows how to write correctly, but more importanly knows how to frame a story perfectly.

Ursula K. LeGuin

Reasons:Classic; Best Book(s):Earthsea; Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy

Le Guin is by far the best female fantasy author and is up there with the best of the men. She has an amazing ability to create worlds with sweeping stories that span the ages. Her Earthsea series is one of the best mystical fantasies I have read; the attention to detail she pays to the settings and characters really bring the worlds to life.

Le Guin has the ability to create romance and intrigue in a way that is so real.

Fritz Lieber

Reasons:influential; Best Book(s): Ill Met in Lankhmar; Genre: fantasy

Lieber, alongside Howard, is the grandfather of the Sword and Sorcery novel. His work is among the most influential in the fantasy genre, mainly due to the fantastic and diverse characters he builds with his writing. He is a master at creating atmosphere and some of the situations his characters find themselves in are often tinged with humor but there is always an underlying terror as well.

His ability to add excitement and adventure to his writing makes his novels among the most invigorating to read.

George R.R. Martin

Reasons: Classic, Influential, Popular; Best Book(s): A song of ice and fire; Genre: Fantasy

George R R Martin has been called the USAs equivalent of J R R Toliken, and most fantasy readers would agree with this assessment. Martin’s writing is a no holds barred, brutal rendition of literature at its best – he simply refuses to leave any stone unturned, giving the reader 100% on every page. He writes with a flow and poetry that is akin to Tolkien, and while some would call him verbose, his command of the language is superb and the visions he conjures are simply incredible.

In A song of Ice and Fire we have a series that is both epic and stunning; with a medieval European feel, with a dash of zombie and dragon thrown in we have a realistic saga with real characters and events. Martin doesn’t have heroes, he has heroic characters who are neither good or evil, they are simply living their lives based on their own honor – no hero is safe, and many of the so-called ‘good guys’ find themselves out of the book very quickly. The plot is a very complex and detailed one, and it is often difficult to follow, but the resulting story is very well defined and rewarding. It’s simply one of the best fantasy series available and sits aside Lord of the Rings as a true literature classic.

Larry Niven

Reasons:classic, influential, popular; Best Book(s):Ringworld; Genre: Science Fiction

Larry Niven was one of the first writers that I read that managed to give aliens their own particular personalities and make this important for the book. Niven is another writer who concentrates on bringing in real science to his writing and this is very evident with Ringworld.

His explanations of the origin of this fantastic world are sound and logical and it's this convincing writing that makes the series so good. I love his ability to create flawed characters, that seem to be able to come together when it's most important and there really are not many books that have this (perhaps some of Ender's game series share this!).

Ringworld is one of the most satisfying series I have read.

George Orwell

Reasons: Classic, Influential, Popular; Best Book(s): Nineteen Eighty Four, Animal Farm; Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy

George Orwell is one of the best authors I have read. With novels that are shrewd and have so many underlying meanings and commentaries he is perhaps the most complex author in the science fiction realm. With subtle writing he manages to capture the political mood and make dark predictions about the sordid futures we face.

Animal Farm, which isn't a classic fantasy, is the sort of literature that has so many hidden meanings; I have read it several times, and the older I get the more I find within the pages. As a teenager I saw it as a political novel, but as I get older I see so many different meanings ranging from political, to social that really don't hit you the first time you read it – for me this is brilliance incarnate.

Christopher Paolini

Reasons: Popular; Best Book(s): Eragon series; Genre: Fantasy

Paolini is a very young writer who many say has simply taken the best fantasy and melded them into his own stories; and to a point this is accurate. However, for a young writer, Paolini has shown quite a lot of story-telling talent and over time as he branches out into less traditional fantasy we’ll probably see a master emerge. What Paolini has done is to reinvigorate the genre – Eragon is a great stepping stone for new fantasy readers who want a good book in the genre that is overly complex or dark.

The Eragon series is a vastly popular one that is predictable at times and follows (yet another) Orphan’s quest to discover his destiny in a land thwart with danger and political intrigue. The link between the young man and Eragon is intriguing, and while the story isn’t overly complex it is well written and you end up with a very good story over the course of the four books.

Terry Pratchett

Reasons: Classic, Popular, Influential; Best Book(s): The Disc World series; Genre: Fantasy

Ask anyone what Fantasy writing is all about and they’ll tell you it’s a bunch of orcs, dragons and magical mumbo jumbo. As them who Terry Pratchett and they’ll say he’s the guy who writes hilarious novels based on a flat world on the back of a turtle – it’s amazing how one man’s humor has transcended literature and catapulted his work into the mainstream. Pratchett is a true master as he’s managed to hobble together a decent set of fantasy novels and infused them with delightful humor and characters – more than that, if you actually take a look at the plots, they are often very ingenious and subtle. This ability to bring a lightness to the genre, make it easy to read and understand and still retain the complexity is nothing short of brilliant.

The Disc World series is simply hard to describe – as I rack my brain thinking about all the Disc World books I’ve read, it’s amazing how many themes are tackled and trying to write about them in a paragraph is simply impossible – suffice to say the Disc World novels are all self contained novels in a world full of magic, danger, scary creatures and….. well go out and read them yourself!

J K Rowling

Reasons: Popular; Best Book(s): Harry Potter Series; Genre: Fantasy

I know, the fantasy community has just heaved a collective sigh as I listed J K Rowling here. So why would a hardened fantasy fan list J K Rowling among the greats of science fiction and fantasy? Simply because of the popularity of her books and the fact that she’s managed to spark interest in reading and the fantasy genre in general. Just ask Stephen King, he’s a huge fan of her writing and he for one feels she is very under-rated as a writer. She is a great story teller, and in fantasy that is important – her writing may be infused with too many adjectives, but her flow and her ability to wind a complex plot but still keep it together are amazing.

Brandon Sanderson

Reasons: Classic; Best Book(s): Way of Kings series; Genre: Fantasy

Brandon Sanderson is destined for greatness in my opinion. First of all he is a prolific writer – he is writing a ten book series, each book is almost a thousand pages. He is an amazing writer who has the ability to slowly tell a story, bringing in key elements subtle and letting the reader discover the characters and plots as he goes along.

Like Tolkien his worlds are epic; there is heroism, sadness, fear, danger all inherent in his lands – but like Tolkien he writes so well and so convincingly that the lands, characters and plots jump out of the pages and become real.

He is a relative newcomer to the fantasy genre, but his name will be in lights for years to come.

J.R.R. Tolkien

Reasons: Classic, Influential, Popular; Best Book(s): Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit; Genre: Fantasy

What can I say about Tolkien that hasn't already been said? He is simply the master of fantasy. Without Tolkien fantasy would probably not be around today and certainly wouldn't be as popular. His writing is world class and he is considered a master by all his peers, and most literature experts.

His ability to meld prose and poetry is incredible and his attention to detail is second to none. His worlds, creatures, fauna and characters are vivid, complex and real and there is no better story teller out there.

Jules Verne

Reasons: Classic, Influential, Popular; Best Book(s): Around the World in 80 days; Journey to the Center of the Earth; Genre: Science Fiction

Verne is a true pioneer of science fiction. The variety of his ideas and the way in which he wrote mark him as one of the founders of the science fiction genre. His stories are classic and unique, and more importantly were very vivid and detailed – he helped create a genre that told of an unknown future – one that is coming to fruition today – he was truly a visionary.

Verne's work was always fantastic – both in the way it was written and the subject – whether he was exploring space or the depths of the Earth he managed to convey the excitement of discovery (and fear) in a very profound way.