< Back to Famous SF/F Authors Critera for Fame, page 1

Famous Science Fiction/Fantasy Authors
Criteria for Fame and Accomlishment - Page 2
Additional Lists of Awards, Best-Sellers, Historically Influential SF, etc.


Kroll's Canonical Authors

Kroll put together a "Scientifictionally-Compiled, Perpetually-Preliminary List of Canonical Authors" (last updated 27 August 1998; URL: http://www.anaserve.com/~kroll/lemon/authors.htm). He used a scoring system to assign "votes" to various authors, based on his own criteria. The 53 authors with 30 or more points ("votes") are listed below. (We found Kroll's list on 20 January 2000, long after we compiled our own list of "famous authors". 26 of these -- one half -- are on our "famous list," indicating significant overlap):

PointsName
93 Asimov, Isaac
92 Heinlein, Robert A.
86 Clarke, Arthur C.
82 Leiber, Fritz
76 Anderson, Poul
74 Wells, H.G.
72 Le Guin, Ursula K.
71 Zelazny, Roger
65 Bradbury, Ray
63 Silverberg, Robert
62 Pohl, Frederik
61 Sturgeon, Theodore
57 Simak, Clifford D.
55 Niven, Larry
54 Bester, Alfred
52 Ellison, Harlan
50 Dick, Philip K.
49 Blish, James
49 de Camp, L. Sprague
49 Delany, Samuel R.
48 Aldiss, Brian W.
47 Dickson, Gordon R.
47 Varley, John
46 Farmer, Philip Jose
46 Vance, Jack
45 Ballard, J.G.
43 van Vogt, A.E.
43 Wolfe, Gene
42 Sheckley, Robert
42 Verne, Jules
40 Burroughs, Edgar Rice
39 Herbert, Frank
38 Brunner, John
38 Williamson, Jack
37 Anthony, Piers
37 Kuttner, Henry
35 Disch, Thomas M.
34 Kornbluth, Cyril M.
34 Miller, Jr., Walter M.
34 Norton, Andre
34 Stapledon, Olaf
33 Haldeman, Joe
33 Moorcock, Michael
32 del Rey, Lester
32 Russ, Joanna
32 Tiptree, Jr., James
32 Vonnegut Jr., Kurt
32 Wyndham, John
31 Knight, Damon
31 Smith, Cordwainer
30 Card, Orson Scott
30 McCaffrey, Anne
30 Russell, Eric Frank


Award-Winning Canadian Novelists

Authors who have won the Canadian Aurora Award for "Best English-Language Novel by a Canadian".



World Fantasy Award Lifetime Achievement Awards

YearAuthor
1975 Robert Bloch
1976 Fritz Leiber
1977 Ray Bradbury
1978 Frank Belknap Long
1979 Jorge Luis Borges
1980 Manly Wade Wellman
1981 C. L. Moore
1982 Italo Calvino
1983 Ronald Dahl
1984 L. Sprague de Camp
1984 Richard Matheson
1984 E. Hoffman Price
1984 Jack Vance
1984 Donald Wandrei
1985 Theodore Sturgeon
1986 Avram Davidson
1987 Jack Finney
1988 Everett F. Bleiler
1989 Evangeline Walton
1990 R. A. Lafferty
1991 Ray Russell
1992 Edd Cartier
1993 Harlan Ellison
1994 Jack Williamson
1996 Gene Wolfe
1997 Madeleine L'Engle
1998 Edward L. Ferman
1998 Andre Norton
1999 Hugh Cave

Jade Mountain's Top 20 Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels

Source: http://www.jademountain.com/AWR/Top20.html (23 March 2001).
(All of these are indexed in the Adherents.com literature database.)
  1. Dune by Frank Herbert
  2. The Stars my Destination by Alfred Bester
  3. The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick
  4. Neuromancer by William Gibson
  5. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
  6. More Than Human by Theodore Sturgeon
  7. Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
  8. Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen R. Donaldson
  9. Hyperion by Dan Simmons
  10. Slan by A.E. van Vogt
  11. The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson
  12. The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester
  13. Way Station by Clifford Simak
  14. A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge
  15. Expiration Date by Tim Powers
  16. The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe
  17. Little, Big by John Crowley
  18. Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
  19. Gateway by Frederik Pohl
  20. Player of Games by Iain Banks

Books that have won an AML Award for Fiction

Not all of these are science fiction or fantasy.
YearAuthorTitle
1981 Marilyn M. Brown The Earthkeepers
1983 Douglas H. Thayer Summer Fire
1984 Herbert Harker Circle of Fire
1988 Linda Sillitoe Sideways to the Sun
1989 Judith Freeman The Chinchilla Farm
1990 Franklin Fisher Bones
1991 Orson Scott Card Xenocide
1991 Gerald N. Lund Like a Fire is Burning
Vol 2 of The Work and the Glory
1992 Martine Bates The Dragon's Tapestry
1993 Martine Bates The Prism Moon
1993 M. Shayne Bell Washed by a Wave of Wind
1994 Anne Perry The Sins of the Wolf
1999 Anne Perry Tathea
2000 Margaret Blair Young
and Darius Aidan Gray		 Standing on the Promises, Book 1:
One More River to Cross

World Fantasy Award Best Novels

YearTitleAuthor
1975 The Forgotten Beasts of Eld Patricia McKillip
1976 Bid Time Return Richard Matheson
1977 Doctor Rat William Kotzwinkle
1978 Our Lady of Darkness Fritz Leiber
1979 Gloriana Michael Moorcock
1980 Watchtower Elizabeth A. Lynn
1981 The Shadow of The Torturer Gene Wolfe
1982 Little, Big John Crowley
1983 Nifft the Lean Michael Shea
1984 The Dragon Waiting John M. Ford
1985 The Bridge of Birds Barry Hughart
1986 Song of Kali Dan Simmons
1987 Perfume Patrick Suskind
1988 Replay Ken Grimwood
1989 Koko Peter Straub
1990 Madouc Jack Vance
1991 Only Begotten Daughter James Morrow
1992 Boy's Life Robert R. McCammon
1993 Last Call Tim Powers
1994 Glimpses Lewis Shiner
1995 Towing Jehovah James Morrow
1996 The Prestige Christopher Priest
1997 Godmother Night Rachel Pollack
1998 The Physiognomy Jeffrey Ford
1999 The Antelope Wife Louise Erdrich


Amazon.com's Classic Science Fiction

Amazon.com has a brief Classic Science Fiction page with the following introduction:
The grand masters of science fiction defined the genre with these powerful stories full of grand ideas, stirring plots, and unforgettable characters. Asimov, Bradbury, and Clarke are here, of course, as are Le Guin, Heinlein, and Herbert, making up a veritable science fiction hall of fame. No science fiction fan should miss these classics.
(These books are indexed in the Adherents.com literature database.) These are the works listed when the page was checked 17 August 2000:

The Stars My Destination Alfred Bester
A Canticle for Leibowitz Walter M. Miller, Jr.
Stranger in a Strange Land Robert A. Heinlein
The Left Hand of Darkness Ursula K. Le Guin
Rendezvous With Rama Arthur C. Clarke
The Martian Chronicles Ray Bradbury
Foundation Isaac Asimov
Dune Frank Herbert
Hyperion Dan Simmons
Slan A. E. Van Vogt


Top 10 Most Controversial Science Fiction/Fantasy Writers

Note that authors may be considred controversial for a variety of reasons, such as subject matter, personal history, and merit/classification as a writer. Writing about subject matter (such as sex, racism) which would have been "controversial" in the science fiction community during the 1950s does not necessarily make a writer controversial if their work is not discussed. On the other hand, an author's subject matter or views may have nothing to do with what makes them controversial. Many would argue that the subject matter in George Lucas's work (especially the "Star Wars" films) is less controversial than most episodes of "Mr. Roger's Neighborhood." But Lucas has had such a huge impact on the science fiction genre (or at least on mainstream perceptions of the genre), that his merits and impact as a storyteller are debated endlessly.

  1. L. Ron Hubbard - Did he actually believe in Scientology? Is Scientology a religion? Does his writing have any merit? How popular are his books, really? What impact has he had on the field? What's with the new Travolta movie "Battlefield Earth"?

  2. Robert A. Heinlein - Was he a "fascist" or a "racist"? (No, but the question gets asked a lot.) What about Stranger in a Strange Land? Was it one of his best novels, or just his most popular? Was it subversive? What's with all the polygamy in his novels?

  3. George Lucas - What impact has "Star Wars" had on the science fiction genre? Is any of it any good as art? What's with "the Force"?

  4. Orson Scott Card - Is his writing excessively violent? What's with the original "Lost Boys," in which he's a character in a story that never happened? Why is Ender's Game so popular?

  5. James Tiptree, Jr. - Is he a she? (Yes.) Did she invent feminist SF? Or set it back 20 years?

  6. Philip K. Dick - Was he completely insane? If so, when did he become that way? Is his later work some of his best, or complete garbage? Do androids dream of electric sheep?

  7. Piers Anthony - Is he a great writer, or just a much-published one? Is there any religion he hasn't written about or pun he hasn't used?

  8. Harlan Ellison -
    Harlan Ellison, the highly acclaimed and controversial science fiction writer, was once asked at a lecture he was giving (http://www.californiaaggie.com/archive/96/06/03/sacred6_3.html), "Isn't it true that you write the sort of stuff you write just to be shocking?" He paused, and then responded:

    "You are absolutely dead-on correct. I only write to shock you. What the hell do you expect me to do, lull you even further into the condition of sleepwalking you unfortunately call your life? Perpetuate all the lies and Pollyanna excuses you miserably substitute for courage and ethic and a sense of responsibility? You're right on target, kiddo, when you say I write to shock and startle and rip the curtains off the windows and let the blinding glare in. Since I can't come to your house and jab a flaming stick into your eyeball, I'll settle for getting you so pissed off you throw my book against a wall."



Books That Had Impact

English professor Dr. Linda L. Walling of the University of South Carolina a list of many particularly influential books on a curriculum page for her "Popular Materials and Programming for Adults" course (ttp://www.libsci.sc.edu/linda/755/755bookimpact2.htm). Below are the science fiction/fantasy books from this list. (These books have been indexed in the main Adherents.com literature database.)


1999 Amazon.com Best Sellers in SF/F

These were 1999's top-selling books specifically from the SF/F category.

RankTitleAuthor
1 Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace Terry Brooks
2 Cryptonomicon Neal Stephenson
3 The Path of Daggers Robert Jordan
4 Snow Crash Neal Stephenson
5 The Hobbit and the Complete Lord of the Rings, the Fellowship of the Ring,
the Two Towers, the Return of the King/Boxed Set		 J. R. R. Tolkien
6 Ender's Shadow Orson Scott Card
7 A Clash of Kings: A Song of Ice and Fire, No. 2 George R. R. Martin
8 The Diamond Age Neal Stephenson
9 Soul of the Fire Terry Goodkind
10 Timeline Michael Crichton
11 Ender's Game Orson Scott Card
12 Neuromancer William Gibson
13 Red Mars Kim Stanley Robinson
14 Wizard and Glass: Dark Tower IV Stephen King
15 Dune: House Atreides Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson
16A Crown of Swords Robert Jordan
17 Doomsday Book Connie Willis
18 The Stars My Destination Alfred Bester, et al
19 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Douglas Adams
20 Hyperion Dan Simmons
21 Children of the Mind Orson Scott Card
22 The Mists of Avalon Marion Zimmer Bradley
23 Blue Mars Kim Stanley Robinson
24 Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury
25 Green Mars Kim Stanley Robinson
26 Speaker for the Dead Orson Scott Card



Publishers Weekly Best Books 99 (Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror Section)

Source URL: "PW's Best Books 99", Publishers Weekly, 11/1/1999
URL: http://www.publishersweekly.com/index.asp?layout=article&articleid=CA167537

200 Major Science Fiction Authors (Reader's Guide, 1979)

The following list of 200 top recommended science fiction authors is from the "200 Authors and Their Major Works" section in the book A Reader's Guide to Science Fiction by Baird Searles, Martin Last, Beth Meacham, and Michael Franklin (with a forward by Samuel R. Delaney). Not that many of today's top-selling authors are not on this list because their success has come after 1979, when this book was published.

  • Mark Adlard
  • Alan Burt Akers
  • Brian Aldiss
  • Poul Anderson
  • Piers Anthony
  • Christopher Anvil
  • Isaac Asimov
  • J. G. Ballard
  • T. J. Bass
  • Barrington J. Bayley
  • Gregory Benford
  • Alfred Bester
  • Lloyd Biggle, Jr.
  • Eando Binder
  • Michael Bishop
  • James Blish
  • John Boyd
  • Leigh Brackett
  • Ray Bradbury
  • Marion Zimmer Bradley
  • Frederic Brown
  • John Brunner
  • Edward Bryant
  • Algis Budrys
  • Kenneth Bulmer
  • Edgar Rice Burroughs
  • F. M. Busby
  • John W. Campbell
  • Terry Carr
  • Angela Carter
  • Lin Carter
  • Jack Chalker
  • A. Bertram Chandler
  • C. J. Cherryh
  • Robert Chilson
  • John Christopher
  • Arthur C. Clarke
  • Hal Clement
  • Stanton A. Coblentz
  • D. G. Compton
  • Michael G. Coney
  • Edmund Cooper
  • Arthur Byron Cover
  • Richard Cowper
  • John Crowley
  • Ray Cummings
  • Avram Davidson
  • L. Sprague de Camp
  • Samuel R. Delaney
  • Lester del Rey
  • Philip K. Dick
  • Gordon R. Dickson
  • Thomas M. Disch
  • Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
  • George Alec Effinger
  • Gordon Eklund
  • Harlan Ellison
  • George Allan England
  • Ralphe Milne Farley
  • Philip Jose Farmer
  • Mick Farren
  • Jonathan Fast
  • Homer Eon Flint
  • Alan Dean Foster
  • Fraymond Z. Gallun
  • Randall Garrett
  • Jane Gaskell
  • Jean Mark Gawron
  • Hugo Gernsback
  • David Gerrold
  • Mark S. Geston
  • H. L. Gold
  • Felix Gotschalk
  • Ron Goulart
  • Charles L. Grant
  • Joseph Green
  • James Gunn
  • H. Rider Haggard
  • Joe Haldeman
  • Austin Hall
  • Edmond Hamilton
  • Charles Harness
  • Harry Harrison
  • M. John Harrison
  • Robert A. Heinlein
  • Zenna Henderson
  • Frank Herbert
  • William Hope Hodgson
  • Fred Hoyle
  • L. Ron Hubbard
  • Zach Hughes
  • John Jakes
  • Laurence Janifer
  • D. F. Jones
  • Neil R. Jones
  • Raymond F. Jones
  • Colin Kapp
  • Daniel Keyes
  • Otis Adelbert Kline
  • Damon Knight
  • Dean Koontz
  • C. M. Kornbluth
  • Michael Kurland
  • Henry Kuttner
  • R. A. Lafferty
  • David J. Lake
  • Simon Lang
  • Sterling Lanier
  • Keith Laumer
  • Tanith Lee
  • Ursula K. Le Guin
  • Fritz Leiber
  • Murray Leinster
  • Stanislaw Lem
  • C. S. Lewis
  • Frank Belknap Long
  • Sam. J. Lundwall
  • Richard A. Lupoff
  • Barry N. Malzberg
  • George R. R. Martin
  • Richard Matheson
  • Anne McCaffrey
  • J. T. McIntosh
  • Vonda N. McIntyre
  • Richard C. Meredith
  • Judith Merril
  • A. Merritt
  • Sam Merwin, Jr.
  • Walter M. Miller, Jr.
  • Naomi Mitchison
  • Michael Moorcock
  • C. L. Moore
  • John Morressey
  • Larry Niven
  • John Norman
  • Andre Norton
  • Alan E. Nourse
  • Philip Nowlan
  • Chad Oliver
  • Edgar Pangborn
  • Alexei Panshin
  • H. Beam Piper
  • Doris Piserchia
  • Frederik Pohl
  • Jerry Pournelle
  • Fletcher Pratt
  • Christopher Priest
  • Marta Randall
  • John Bankine
  • Mack Reynolds
  • Keith Roberts
  • Spider Robinson
  • William Rotsler
  • Joanna Russ
  • Eric Frank Russell
  • Fred Saberhagen
  • Margaret St. Clair
  • Pamela Sargeant
  • James H. Schmitz
  • Thomas Scortia
  • Richard Shaver
  • Bob Shaw
  • Robert Sheckley
  • Mary Shelley
  • Robert Silverberg
  • Clifford D. Simak
  • John Sladek
  • Cordwainer Smith
  • Clark Ashton Smith
  • E. E. "Doc" Smith
  • George O. Smith
  • Norman Spinrad
  • Brian Stableford
  • Olaf Stapledon
  • Bill Starr
  • Christopher Stasheff
  • Arkadi and Boris Strugatski
  • Theodore Sturgeon
  • John Taine
  • Stephe Tall
  • William Tenn
  • James Tiptree, Jr.
  • E. C. Tubb
  • Wilson Tucker
  • Sydney van Scyoc
  • A. E. van Vogt
  • John Varley
  • Jules Verne
  • Vernor Vinge
  • Ian Wallace
  • Stanley G. Weinbaum
  • Manly Wade Wellman
  • H. G. Wells
  • James White
  • Kate Wilhelm
  • Jack Williamson
  • Gene Wolfe
  • S. Fowler Wright
  • Philip Wylie
  • John Wyndham
  • George Zebrowski
  • Roger Zelazny


RateItAll - The Opinion Network

Source URL: http://www.rateitall.com/topic.asp?i=5B77FDD1-0779-47BE-8536-14FA81C17C83&N=0&Fa=0&Fg=B&S=0

This web site's extensive user ratings ranked science fiction/fantasy authors as follows (as of 14 May 2001):

RankNameRatingNumber of RatingsNumber of Comments
1 Orson Scott Card 4.25 153 47
2 Robert Jordan 4.24 583 209
3 J.R.R. Tolkien 4.06 309 61
4 George R.R. Martin 3.96 118 30
5 Frank Herbert 3.91 58 11
6 Isaac Asimov 3.91 124 13
7 Douglas Adams 3.88 113 21
8 Roger Zelazny 3.88 40 5
9 Tad Williams 3.87 86 9
10 Robin Hobb 3.82 39 8
11 Raymond E. Feist 3.81 159 39
12 Steven Brust 3.8 15 1
13 Terry Pratchett 3.79 77 22
14 David Gemmell 3.78 9 2
15 Guy Gavriel Kay 3.77 22 3
16 J.K. Rowling 3.76 70 28
17 Stephen Donaldson 3.74 46 7
18 David Eddings 3.72 107 18
19 Terry Brooks 3.67 169 42
20 Ray Bradbury 3.65 60 7
21 Michael Moorcock 3.64 36 4
22 Robert Heinlein 3.63 65 9
23 Arthur C. Clarke 3.61 54 8
24 Anne McCaffrey 3.59 85 16
25 Katharine Kerr 3.58 12 3
26 Terry Goodkind 3.58 90 24
27 R.A. Salvatore 3.57 54 8
28 Carl Sagan 3.56 45 11
29 William Gibson 3.56 27 3
30 Timothy Zahn 3.52 42 9
31 Ursula K. Le Guin 3.52 54 6
32 Marion Zimmer Bradley 3.51 39 9
33 Brian Jacques 3.49 37 10
34 J.V. Jones 3.48 21 7
35 Katherine Kurtz 3.48 29 5
36 David Brin 3.47 17 1
37 Philip K. Dick 3.47 32 2
38 Iain M. Banks 3.46 13 3
39 Harry Harrison 3.44 9 1
40 Robert Silverberg 3.41 29 2
41 C.J. Cherryh 3.4 35 6
42 Joe Haldeman 3.4 15 4
43 Piers Anthony 3.37 51 12
44 Mercedes Lackey 3.31 32 6
45 Margaret Weis 3.29 7 1
46 Tracy Hickman 3.29 7 1
47 Edgar Rice Burroughs 3.28 25 2
48 Fritz Leiber 3.2 10
49 Neal Stephenson 3.19 16 2
50 Melanie Rawn 3.18 22 8
51 John Wyndham 3.17 6 2
52 Sheri S. Tepper 3.17 12
53 Octavia E. Butler 3.13 8
54 Mark Anthony 3.11 9 2
55 Mervyn Peake 3.11 9
56 Tim Powers 3.11 9
57 Spider Robinson 3.08 12 1
58 Alfred Bester 3 10
59 Robert E. Howard 3 11 1
60 Lisanne Norman 2.83 6 1
61 David Feintuch 2.67 6 3
62 Vernor Vinge 2.5 10 2
63 Ricardo Pinto 2.43 7
64 L. Ron Hubbard 2.03 38 9
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Web page created 16 April 2000. Last modified 28 September 2005.