This whole contest is in violation of the Clarke/Asimov Non-Aggresion Pact in which each agreed to cite the other as the Greatest Science Fiction Writer.
I went with Frank Herbert, knowing he doesn’t have a shot in hell. I can see Asimov/Clarke/Welles/Verne being argued as the greatest over Herbert, but Dune is such an awesome novel it deserves some love.
Since Asimov and Heinlein are in no danger whatsoever, I’m going to go ahead and vote for Niven. In my opinion, “Inconstant Moon” is the greatest science fiction short story ever, and that’s got to count for something.
LeGuin. Because if someone came up to me and said they’d discovered an unpublished manuscript by a well-known SF author, that’s who I’d be hoping for.
Yes, it’s entirely subjective. Sue me.
I wasn’t aware that Niven wrote that. Did the 1996 Outer Limits episode do justice to the original short story?
I voted for Asimov, though I bit my lip and stared at Clarke’s name for a while.
I was torn initially between Asimov and Clarke, but nostalgia won over and I voted Asimov. First SF I ever read.
I voted for Andre Norton. Many of the others deserve the title, as well, but Norton got me through some very bad times when I was a preteen and teen. Plus, when I was a young kid, I read one book by Norton, and then I found another book by her, and realized that I should be asking for more books by a particular author I liked. Until then, I hadn’t paid much attention to authors, just to the little symbols which indicated genre on library books…and this was a revelation to me (sue me, I was like 8 or 9 at the time).
I know Heinlein will win, but as far as re-readings and constant enjoyment go, I voted for Niven.
100 votes at this point: a tie, with 2 at 24% ie 24 votes each.
Wells is better for re-reading.
Several nominations for the Arachnid Kid, but no votes yet.
Not on there, but multiple [one of the current top winners in many categories] hugo winner Lois McMaster Bujold.
I am truly sorry about that, but the nominations had to stop sometime.
Margaret Atwood.
I’m spending a lot of time thinking about this one - I only get one vote.
And I have to say I’m very surprised that Arthur C. Clarke is so far behind Asimov and Heinlein - in my opinion, Clarke is far and away the better writer and science fiction writer of the three.
Glad to see I’m not the only fan of Zelazny here.
So, all these people are from another planet?
I guess that explains why I can’t write for crap.
I agree. My vote gets ACC into double digits.
Cherryh.
I don’t understand why only two of us have voted for her. The Alliance-Union Universe stories should be enough to place her firmly in the running.