# Who's the most famous {living} writer of science fiction? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [July 6, 2024, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796 "2024-07-06T01:37:20Z")\ **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:** [July 6, 2024, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/81 "2024-07-06T14:43:41Z")
Forget I said anything! ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2024, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/82 "2024-07-06T14:45:13Z")
It may be a separate topic but I’m trying to think of how many SF authors are actually famous and not just famous for a SF author. Those who are known beyond just those who read their books. Of the dead Clarke and Asimov were famous. King certainly is. To a lesser extent I think Gaiman is. He gets interviewed on subjects beyond his own books. He’s appeared in _The Simpsons_ and _Big Bang Theory_ as well as in some of the product based on his own works. I can’t think of any more that are famous beyond their niche. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2024, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/83 "2024-07-06T14:46:04Z")
Margaret Atwood? _The Handmaid’s Tale_ is SF, and has been on cable. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2024, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/84 "2024-07-06T14:52:06Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > It may be a separate topic but I’m trying to think of how many SF authors are actually famous and not just famous for a SF author. Those who are known beyond just those who read their books. Of the dead Clarke and Asimov were famous. King certainly is. To a lesser extent I think Gaiman is. He gets interviewed on subjects beyond his own books. He’s appeared in _The Simpsons_ and _Big Bang Theory_ as well as in some of the product based on his own works. I can’t think of any more that are famous beyond their niche. I think you’re right. Looking at the list of Hugo Winners and Nebula Winners for the past twenty years, I’m not seeing any names that I would expect non-nerds to know. > **[Hugo Award for Best Novel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Award_for_Best_Novel)** > > The Hugo Award for Best Novel is one of the Hugo Awards given each year for science fiction or fantasy stories published in, or translated to, English during the previous calendar year. The novel award is available for works of fiction of 40,000 words or more; awards are also given out in the short story, novelette, and novella categories. The Hugo Awards have been described as "a fine showcase for speculative fiction", and "the best known literary award for science fiction writing". > The Hugo ... > **[Nebula Award for Best Novel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebula_Award_for_Best_Novel)** > > The Nebula Award for Best Novel is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) for science fiction or fantasy novels. A work of fiction is considered a novel by the organization if it is 40,000 words or longer; awards are also given out for pieces of shorter lengths, in the categories of short story, novelette, and novella. To be eligible for Nebula Award consideration, a novel must have been published in English in the US. Works published in English elsewhere ... ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2024, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/85 "2024-07-06T14:53:39Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > Margaret Atwood? _The Handmaid’s Tale_ is SF, and has been on cable. I do know her name even though I haven’t read the book or watched the show. But I have no idea what she looks like. That’s a level of notoriety but I’m not sure if that’s true fame. All in how you define it. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2024, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/86 "2024-07-06T15:00:47Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > But I have no idea what she looks like John Grisham and James Patterson are two of the best selling authors in the country and I have no idea what they look like. Speaking of James Patterson he has written some science fiction himself but I doubt most people think of him as “science fiction” writer considering most of work is outside the genre,. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2024, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/87 "2024-07-06T15:10:29Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Card has also written plenty of fantasy - the Alvin Maker series, for instance. So is he a Science Fiction writer or a Fantasy writer? I’ll admit to not knowing the whole Card bibliography. I also don’t personally worry about “who is a REAL sci-fi only writer” so I was just spitballing for sake of the OP > [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](#): > > Also know his name partially due to his marriage to Amanda Palmer, a heavily hyped musician I’m sure many here will brag about never having heard of either. I like Dresden Dolls but I’d be shocked if more than one person out of five has heard of them and would guess closer to 1-in-10 if that. It’s pretty niche stuff. Wiki says that US sales for their second/last studio album were 19,000 copies. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2024, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/88 "2024-07-06T15:25:03Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Now, if there were still bookstores, science fiction would take up as much or more shelf space as any other literary style. There were 43,100 American bookstores in 2023, a 0.5% increase from 2022. It’s hard to tell what the most popular categories are. They are split up in various ways. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2024, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/89 "2024-07-06T15:56:24Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I also don’t think anything he wrote ever got a non-book adaptation, His short story “The Soft Weapon” was converted into an episode of _Star Trek: the Animated Series_, and “Inconstant Moon” was adapted for an episode of the 1996 version of _The Outer Limits_. He also co-wrote 3 episodes of _Land of the Lost_. A few non-SF fans saw those, though not many. I would say Alan Dean Foster. His movie novelizations are mostly within the genre, but he has novelized enough blockbusters that I think some people in the mainstream probably know his name. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2024, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/90 "2024-07-06T15:56:37Z")
Nora Roberts (under her pen name of J. D. Robb) might be the most famous science fiction writer alive (and certainly the best-selling) - but her books (about a near future detective using technology that doesn’t exist at the moment) aren’t sold as science fiction as far as I know, so she probably doesn’t count. Back when Greg Bear was alive, he managed to get an interview on the Daily Show, but Asimov was on Carson, Letterman, the Mike Douglas show (several times), etc., when those shows had really high ratings. John Scalzi was internet-famous even before he was an SF writer for his bacon-cat photo and got NYT coverage for his big book contract, but that hasn’t translated to anywhere near Clarke or Asimov fame (Heinlein never was as famous in the outside world as A or C). David Brin was in the pilot episode of a program about SF writers trying to fix real world problems - but it was not a hit. I’d say George R. R. Martin is the most famous SF writer living today (even if he’s currently known for his fantasy work). He’s got a distinctive look, too, which helps with fame. > [@eburacum45](#): > > Yea, Larry Niven is still alive; he should be more famous than he is, although (like Orson Scott Card) I have a feeling I wouldn’t enjoy his company. Larry’s a bit shy, actually, which is not my impression of Card. You could probably have a decent conversation with Niven ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2024, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/91 "2024-07-06T15:56:43Z")
> [@eburacum45](#): > > Yea, Larry Niven is still alive; he should be more famous than he is, although (like Orson Scott Card) I have a feeling I wouldn’t enjoy his company. Too bad. He’s really a very nice person. Every interaction I’ve had with him over the years has been memorable, at least. > [@dorvann](#): > > John Grisham and James Patterson are two of the best selling authors in the country and I have no idea what they look like. Watch _Castle_ sometime. IIRC Patterson shows up a couple of times at Rick’s poker night. My selection would be Martin. Sure, he’s more famous for fantasy, but his SF was top-notch. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2024, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/92 "2024-07-06T16:09:11Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > Back when Greg Bear was alive, he managed to get an interview on the Daily Show, but Asimov was on Carson, Letterman, the Mike Douglas show (several times), etc., when those shows had really high ratings. I remember watching an episode of _Tomorrow_, the late-night NBC talk show, hosted by Tom Snyder, in the early 1980s, on which the three guests were all well-known science fiction authors: Asmiov, Harlan Ellison, and Gene Wolfe. It was a fascinating discussion, though much of it seemed to be Asimov trying to poke at Ellison to get a reaction. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2024, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/93 "2024-07-06T16:11:27Z")
Cool! I’d have liked to have seen that. ---
**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:** [July 6, 2024, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/94 "2024-07-06T16:11:35Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > My guess’d be Seth McFarlane, because of _The Orville_, or maybe Matt Groenig for _Futurama_. The OP specified _book_ writer. Otherwise it’d be Kojima. ---
**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:** [July 6, 2024, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/95 "2024-07-06T16:15:20Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > It was a fascinating discussion, though much of it seemed to be Asimov trying to poke at Ellison to get a reaction. Who did Asimov think he was, Frank Sinatra? ---
**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:** [July 6, 2024, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/96 "2024-07-06T16:16:54Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > My selection would be Martin. Sure, he’s more famous for fantasy, but his SF was top-notch. In that case, I’d nominate Michael Moorcock. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2024, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/97 "2024-07-06T16:20:10Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Michael Moorcock I have a number of friends who are still big fans of his Elric books, but I don’t think he has much, if any, name recognition in the U.S., outside of the speculative fiction community…plus fans of Blue Oyster Cult and Hawkwind. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2024, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/98 "2024-07-06T16:20:36Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > His short story “The Soft Weapon” was converted into an episode of _Star Trek: the Animated Series_, and “Inconstant Moon” was adapted for an episode of the 1996 version of _The Outer Limits_. He also co-wrote 3 episodes of _Land of the Lost_. A few non-SF fans saw those, though not many. Ah, true, but individual episodes don’t really count for what we’re looking for, here. The only people who ever know who wrote an individual episode of a TV show are folks who are already fans of that writer. It won’t expand their fame. And while there are definitely authors who write both science fiction and fantasy, most specialize in one or the other, and write either very fantasy-ish science fiction, or very science-fiction-ish fantasy. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2024, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/99 "2024-07-06T16:29:30Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > To a lesser extent I think Gaiman is. He gets interviewed on subjects beyond his own books. He’s appeared in _The Simpsons_ and _Big Bang Theory_ as well as in some of the product based on his own works. He had two appearances [on Craig Ferguson](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kPFWBsHmgjw), but Ferguson was probably the most intellectual late night talk show host there has been in a long time. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2024, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/100 "2024-07-06T16:37:51Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > > [@Loach](#): > > > > But I have no idea what she looks like > > John Grisham and James Patterson are two of the best selling authors in the country and I have no idea what they look like. > > Speaking of James Patterson he has written some science fiction himself but I doubt most people think of him as “science fiction” writer considering most of work is outside the genre,. I know what both of them look like. Grisham was famous enough for mainstream media to seek him out for interviews. James Patterson I’ve probably seen more than any other author despite the fact that I haven’t read any of his books. He does his own commercials on tv. There were times I couldn’t get away from them. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/U4aGX71LYQ8/maxresdefault.jpg "Mistress Commercial - James Patterson") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4aGX71LYQ8) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796.md?page=6)