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THE SEVEN SCIENCE FICTION AUTHORS YOU MUST KNOW (AND WHY!)

Go to any science fiction convention, and there are names that get dropped the way sports fans drop "The Babe" or "Jordan." They're referred to by a single name, as famous in this circle as Madonna or Brittney (although in her case, thankfully not for the same reasons). Their influences usually spread vastly beyond just the realm of science fiction. They're famous for being groundbreakers, prolific, and simply masters of their art.

In no particular order:

H.G. WELLS
Widely considered one of the first true science fiction authors, Wells created some of the most widely used prototype storylines for the genre. With War of the Worlds he opened the way for stories of alien first contact, and interplanetary war. The Time Machine was the first true time-travel novel. If science fiction's history has a family tree, Wells is one of its most vital roots.

ISAAC ASIMOV
Asimov was perhaps the most prolific writer (in any genre) of the 20th century. No topic escaped his curiosity, and he wrote on every topic. In science fiction he's known for the 3 Laws of Robotics, put forth in his I, Robot stories, and the seminal Foundation novels. He also helped create (and wrote monthly articles for) one of the leading science fiction periodicals, Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine.

RAY BRADBURY
Ray Bradbury doesn't like to be called a science fiction writer. His works skirt in and out of the science fiction realm so easily, however, he can be forgiven this. With pieces like Fahrenheit 451 and his short story collections (R is for Rocket, S is for Space), he was one of the best known and best loved writers during Science Fiction's modern development, as a result, one of its creators, despite himself.

ROBERT A. HEINLEIN
Heinlein was one of the first writers of science fiction to help bring the genre into the mainstream. His works include Starship Troopers, Stranger in a Strange Land, and a popular juvenile science fiction series that includes Have Space Suit, Will Travel. Along with Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke, no three men combined did more to advance high-quality, fantastic science fiction in the 50s and 60s.

ARTHUR C. CLARKE
Clarke, the 3rd of the 3 giants of science fiction, became popular when noted director Stanley Kubrick went to him to collaborate on a science fiction movie, which became the book and film 2001: A Space Odyssey. In it, and in many of his other works (Childhood's End), the concept of a higher alien intelligence judging and manipulating humanity as it reaches the stars.

ORSON SCOTT CARD
Orson Scott Card skyrocketed into the science fiction landscape with his story Ender's Game. He represents the next generation of writers, who grew up reading Bradbury, and Asimov, and Heinlein. Ender's Game in many ways builds on Starship Troopers, with the modern addition of video- and computer gaming thrown in. Card has helped spread his influence by running an annual writing camp to help other up-and-coming science fiction authors hone their craft.

PHILIP K. DICK
Dick's works were much less known in the mainstream, but their concepts rang true and influenced many other writers. His works get discovered time and time again by new generations, often resulting in a new film release as well (Blade Runner, Total Recall, The Minority Report). His works first speculated what we now know as cyberpunk, and often dealt with the psychological impacts of living in a future that's increasingly machinated, and less and less human every day.

Learn more about this author, David Clary.
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