# Who is the greatest science fiction writer of all time? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 22, 2010, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-science-fiction-writer-of-all-time/561586 "2010-11-22T21:50:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-science-fiction-writer-of-all-time/561586/81 "2010-11-23T10:17:01Z")
Vance, Zelazny and Wolfe have been listed, so I’ll offer Dan Simmons. He’s relatively new, but his best science fiction is perhaps the best science fiction ever written. > [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > ETA - I haven’t read anything by Zelzany, but Delany likes him a great deal, for what it’s worth. _Lord of Light_ is his best, _Creatures of Light and Darkness_ is the one you’ll enjoy the most, but like many listed here, his best stuff was his short stories. Look for any of the anthologies. Oh, and avoid the \*Amber \*series. It’s highly overrated. ---
**Author:** ![Sevastopol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@Sevastopol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sevastopol)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-science-fiction-writer-of-all-time/561586/82 "2010-11-23T11:47:07Z")
Poul Anderson, Vance & Clarke edges in. He doesn’t write people, in common with Heinlein and Asimov, but escapes it by the depth and value of his scientific imagination. They’re the moderns, with apologies and omissions. Verne and HG Wells, but also Mary Shelley and yes, Arthur Conan Doyle. Horror and Detective Fiction, they’re branches off the same tree. Must read this Cryptonomicon (?) guy. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-science-fiction-writer-of-all-time/561586/83 "2010-11-23T11:57:45Z")
Another anti-Heinlein vote here. I’d vote for either Cherryh or Le Guin. Then Banks, Lovecraft, Clarke, Herbert, Asimov in decreasing order. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-science-fiction-writer-of-all-time/561586/84 "2010-11-23T12:15:50Z")
[Cyril Kornbluth](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyril_M._Kornbluth) and Mary Shelly deserve at least a pity nomination. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-science-fiction-writer-of-all-time/561586/85 "2010-11-23T12:17:20Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > The original _Dune_ was the single greatest science fiction novel I have ever read, by leaps, bounds, and light years. I’m going to have to vote for Frank Herbert. Been lurking in this thread - fun to think this stuff through; it’s been a while. I have to go with Dune, too - my first epic, and with such a layered world of politics, religion, culture and empire. Heinlein and many others mentioned are great - I dug in deep with a lot of them. But Dune still holds up to me. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-science-fiction-writer-of-all-time/561586/86 "2010-11-23T12:21:59Z")
Larry Niven, with Heinlein a close second. And a shout-out for Jerry Pournelle. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-science-fiction-writer-of-all-time/561586/87 "2010-11-23T12:33:09Z")
A lot of my favourites have already been mentioned but I’ll throw _John Brunner_ and _Kim Stanley Robinson_ into the mix as well! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-science-fiction-writer-of-all-time/561586/88 "2010-11-23T12:38:52Z")
I gotta go with Fredric Brown. ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-science-fiction-writer-of-all-time/561586/89 "2010-11-23T12:39:06Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I’m an enormous fan of Verne, who, despite his iconic status, is still underappreciated. Although Verne acknowledged his debt to Poe (who also belongs among the greats, but usually isn’t listed), he’s the one who brought science fiction really to life by dint of his prolific output, most of which is unknown and unread even by fans. But he really did exemplify the hard-sf ideal of extensive research and extrapolation, wedded to a superb imagination. Verne’s voyages cved the entire Earth, as well as under the sea and inside the earth (in more than one volume), both Poles, the Moon, and a trip to the gas giants. > > In addition to a highly advanced submarine, his writings included a heavier-than-air flying machine built of composites, a trip to the moon very reminiscent of the real one a century later, rubber survival suits for people thrown overboard, Health Maintenance Organizations, the first story where “Supernatural” elements are created by projectors, televisions, telephones, and electromagnets, the use f electric lights in cave exploration, the first fictional use I know of of electrical triggering of gunpowder bombs, the first Guided Missile in literature, and other such things. Polar explorers modelled their paths after those of his Captain Hatteras, and two Arctic submarine expeditions were in submarines named after his Nautilis. > He had as heros people from all nations – not only his native France, but also England, America, Germany (at least until France lost the Franco-Prussian War), Indians, Chinese, Turks, Canadians, Russians, Italians, Scots, Australians, and others.His characterization was often poor, and he had a tendency to over-explain, but I can forgive him those faults. > > Others wrote science fiction at the same time, and are even less recalled, but Verne was successful onstage as well as in the books, and wrote prolifically, publishing a book or two each year. For his work in popularizing and founding so many conventions of the genre, I’d rate him the greatest. Great post. Also, what a lot of people overlook when checking Verne’s contribution to literature is that he was extremely badly translated in English originally. And while he’s considered a serious author in France, whose books make nice gifts for young boys, in England he was often considered as a hack writer because of the lousy translation. I think he has been retranslated recently, if you ever go for a Verne book in English, you definitely need to check out the status of the translation. So, my pick would be between Verne, because, almost all by himself, he defined the genre, and his stuff still compares well to all the “recent” authors (Im talking about the SF craze of post WW2). And Philip K. Dick, in my opinion one of the greatest writers ever even if he mostly wasted his talent. P.S: I have to add a small salute to Pohl and Kornbluth whose numerous short stories proved that you could write SF and still have a wonderful sense of humour. Definitely not a common trait among SF writers. ---
**Author:** ![MilTan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@MilTan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MilTan)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-science-fiction-writer-of-all-time/561586/90 "2010-11-23T14:10:21Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Heinlein. Not just for his writing, but for his influence. Other writers wrote good books that people enjoyed, but Heinlein changed people’s lives. Something about his writing touched people right in their hearts. > > Heinlein is responsible for an awful lot of kids going into science and engineering. That guy was Asimov for me, so he gets my vote. ---
**Author:** ![howye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9adbd/32.png) [@howye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/howye)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-science-fiction-writer-of-all-time/561586/91 "2010-11-23T14:32:59Z")
Bester? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-science-fiction-writer-of-all-time/561586/92 "2010-11-23T14:41:32Z")
> [@](#): > > Great post. Also, what a lot of people overlook when checking Verne’s contribution to literature is that he was extremely badly translated in English originally. And while he’s considered a serious author in France, whose books make nice gifts for young boys, in England he was often considered as a hack writer because of the lousy translation. I think he has been retranslated recently, if you ever go for a Verne book in English, you definitely need to check out the status of the translation. True. There’s been a Verne Renaissance going on since the 1960s, with works being re-translated, and especially in the past ten years, when first-time-ever english translations appeared of **The Kip Brothers** , **The Invasion of the Sea** , and **The Mighty Orinoco**. In addition, works that had never been published in any language before (along with their English translations) have appeared – **Paris in the 20th Century** , **Journey Through the Impossible** , and the editions of **The Meteor Hunt** and **The Golden Volcano** with Michel Verne’s lengthy additions excised. I strongly recommend Walter James Miller’s annotated editions of **20,000 Leagues Under the Sea** and **From the Earth to the Moon**. (I think the only Verne novel not yet translated into English is **Bourses En Voyage**. now.) ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-science-fiction-writer-of-all-time/561586/93 "2010-11-23T14:57:37Z")
It’s not a question that admits of a satisfactory answer, at least to me, but I’ll certainly give my nomination for the most _original_ science fiction author, although he’s little known today other than by hardened SF addicts. After the publication of the story _A Martian Odyssey_ in the July 1934 issue of _Wonder Stories_ science fiction was never the same again. Its author was a young man called Stanley Weinbaum and his death the following year robbed SF of one of its true titans. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-science-fiction-writer-of-all-time/561586/94 "2010-11-23T15:32:27Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > I also disagree, very much, that all the problems in the world or universe can be solved by getting high/stoned and screwing. Robinson can write well, but he won’t inflict damage on his darlings, much less kill them. You must not have read _Callahan’s Con_–I think that was the last one I read. Hated it for several reasons, but he does kill off a major character. For no particular reason, apparently. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-science-fiction-writer-of-all-time/561586/95 "2010-11-23T16:18:54Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > You must not have read _Callahan’s Con_–I think that was the last one I read. Hated it for several reasons, but he does kill off a major character. For no particular reason, apparently. Even _that_ death was a painless joke. ---
**Author:** ![unwashed\_brain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a9adbd/32.png) [@unwashed\_brain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unwashed_brain)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-science-fiction-writer-of-all-time/561586/96 "2010-11-23T16:21:48Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Gene Wolfe. Ditto. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-science-fiction-writer-of-all-time/561586/97 "2010-11-23T16:22:02Z")
Robert Anson Heinlein ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-science-fiction-writer-of-all-time/561586/98 "2010-11-23T16:28:56Z")
I don’t really care for her but people (feminists) seem to like Ursula K. Le Guin. Orson Scott Card And Ray Bradbury is wrong, his stuff is Science Fiction, everything in The Martian Chronicles is as plausible as The Foundation series. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-science-fiction-writer-of-all-time/561586/99 "2010-11-23T16:32:23Z")
Asimov. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2010, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-science-fiction-writer-of-all-time/561586/100 "2010-11-23T16:49:24Z")
And if we’re playing ‘might have been’ nominations… H. Beam Piper He got ‘blood and thunder’ SF before most anyone else and in a way that was entertaining and fun. A great author cut short by suicide. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-science-fiction-writer-of-all-time/561586.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-science-fiction-writer-of-all-time/561586.md?page=6)