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The best way to start your journey into science fiction literature is by perusing what's most famous. While the popularity of its authors doesn't necessary reflect the best a genre has to offer, you can trust a famous author's work, above all, to be intellectually and thematically accessible. Once you start reading the famous authors, you'll most likely find yourself drawn to the sub-niche that fits you the best.

Here are the ten most widely famous science fiction authors, names that you most likely have heard before, no matter what you're used to reading. You may not even have realized their work falls under the science fiction category!

1) Mary Shelley

Born in London, England in 1797 to a pair of well-known and innovative philosophers (sadly, her mother died just after she was born), Shelley entered a world that provided her with a great deal more education than most women received at the time, preparing her to write a great masterpiece.

Her classic novel, "Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus" (later shortened to just "Frankenstein"), was inspired by a nightmare and published anonymously in 1818. Shelley's interest was snagged by a scientist's ability to animate frog legs with electricity. She was led to conceive of a story in which something similar was done to a human, and thus, the first science fiction story was born.

The story discusses the consequences of creating life from matter, the power of loneliness, and the clash of morality and science. Interpretations of the work still vary to this day. Don't pass this one up as cheesy - it's the common inaccurate conception of the Frankenstein monster with green with bolts in his neck that's to blame for the tackiness.

2) Jules Verne

Born in 1828 to a lawyer father, Jules Verne became nothing less than a revolutionary, writing fantastical stories about forms of travel and exploration that were impossible, and to many, inconceivable, at the time. He wrote in French, and took a while to gain popularity for English speakers due to poor translations of his books.

Along with being a great storyteller, Verne is credited with impressive predictions. His anticipations of the future included the moon landing, the jukebox, the helicopter, air conditioning, automobiles, and even the Internet!

Verne's most famous works include 'Journey to the Center of the Earth,' 'From the Earth to the Moon,' 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea,' and 'Around the World in Eighty Days.' While all of these titles may sound

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