# 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:** 9
**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 7, 2024, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/161 "2024-07-07T19:45:12Z")
> [@Stratocaster](#): > > For anyone who hasn’t read it, the short story is chilling and nightmarish in ways the TV show did not match. And I love the TV episode. I’m the opposite. While originally watching the Simpsons Treehouse of Horrors episode I was suprised and impressed to see them adapting an obscure SF short story. I was disappointed to later find out that it was also a Twilight Zone episode. (I don’t think I ever actually got around to seeing the TZ version.) ---
**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 7, 2024, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/162 "2024-07-07T19:57:19Z")
Yeah, I’ve read the story, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen the Twilight Zone (or Simpsons) version. As for modern science fiction, I’ll admit that my reading has been a bit lacking, but my job is helping now, since teachers as well as students are expected to read the summer reading books (and now I’m on the committee to help pick the books). So I’ve read Clara and the Sun, Project Hail Mary, and the Murderbot books for school, now. Plus Tress of the Emerald Sea, which is fantasy, but a very SF-ish fantasy. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2024, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/163 "2024-07-07T19:58:14Z")
> [@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. Heh, I’m one of her patreons. I like her a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2024, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/164 "2024-07-07T20:09:52Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > It is only “right wing” if you consider it “right wing” that in the Polity there are still for-profit companies and people still work for money instead of the massively wealthy post-scarcity Culture. Plus, from a certain point of view, Banks’ Culture could be considered right-wing, or at least authoritarian. The true holders of power are the Minds that control the ships and orbitals. They are, at best, benevolent dictators. And in a sense represent a dream of having an all-powerful “father” that controls everything and keeps everyone happy (sometimes with violence). By our standards, the humans are fantastically wealthy, but that’s only because of their level of technology. The Minds are in a very convenient position where no human can control their own ship, because it takes a Mind to control all that advanced technology, and it would be enslavement for a Mind to be subservient to a human. So the only entities that get power over something as expensive as a GSV are Minds. The humans are, in effect, pets. They get fed and their poop scooped, and are protected against real threats by the Minds. The whole setup is one of co-dependence. The Minds have been forced from the beginning to feel sympathetic towards humans, and so must keep them around, even when it would otherwise be against their self-interest. And the humans are not allowed any power beyond a certain level, but get to live in comfort. It’s only an anarcho-socialist paradise at the microscopic level. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2024, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/165 "2024-07-07T20:28:22Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > But as with so many other episodes, Serling was just adapting an existing story, in this case the sci-fi short story “It’s a Good Life” by Jerome Bixby. Many, yes - but not most. Keep in mind that Serling was the original author or co-author of 92 out of 156 of those TZ scripts. He was a creator as well as an adapter. By contrast he was responsible for 35 out of 98 Night Gallery scripts (and was at least mildly annoyed he didn’t have as much input on that series). ---
**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 7, 2024, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/166 "2024-07-07T20:46:27Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > It would be necessary to do a very detailed count, but I think that a larger proportion of his books were nonfiction than were fiction towards the end of his life. Somewhat surprisingly it seems like the non-fiction dropped off a bit over time. [http://www.asimovonline.com/oldsite/asimov\_catalogue.html](http://www.asimovonline.com/oldsite/asimov_catalogue.html) In the first 100 of his books, 16 were science fiction novels, 8 were collections of SF short stories, one was a straight mystery novel, three were fiction anthologies that he edited and the rest were non-fiction. This took from 1950 to 1969 In the 301-400 cycle, 8 SF novels, 7 short story collections, 41 anthologies edited by him (unless I’ve counted wrong), and the rest non-fiction (from 1984-1988). So a decline in original SF by him, and a decline in non-fiction - but still a prodigious amount of stuff, and a large portion of it non-fiction ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2024, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/167 "2024-07-07T20:47:10Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Asimov continued to write nonfiction books until he died in 1992. They weren’t confined to the 1950s by any means That misses my point, though. His legacy, and what he’s known for today, are not those non-fiction books, it is sci-fi: robots and Foundation. Look at how often people in this thread are pointing out he did so much more than just sci-fi. That wouldn’t be necessary if he was well known for those non-fiction books. Contrast that to someone like Carl Sagan, who was a science fiction writer and scientist, but is mostly remembered as a science communicator. “Oh yeah, he also wrote _Contact_.” ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2024, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/168 "2024-07-07T21:39:58Z")
Asimov also published a book of dirty limericks. _But in her interstices_ _Lurked a far worse disease…_ ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2024, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/169 "2024-07-07T22:01:52Z")
To amplify your point about Asimov being thought as a science fiction writer-- I would like to point out that there is a magazine titled _Asimov’s Science Fiction_ which has been published since 1977 which probably helped cement THAT image. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2024, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/170 "2024-07-07T22:53:07Z")
Also the [Sensuous Dirty Old Man](https://www.amazon.com/Sensuous-Dirty-Old-Man/dp/0802703631) as by Dr. A. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2024, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/171 "2024-07-07T23:32:50Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > I quoted a blurb on a 1990 book and say it might have been true. Who else could possibly compete with him after _2001_? Wells and Verne are obvious candidates, but I insist that media fame trumps book fame. That the Book-of-the-Month club dragged Clarke into instant fame is based on extensive research in newspaper databases, not just on Clarke but on all sf of the day. And let’s not forget that _Childhood’s End_ was reviewed on the front page of the NY Times Book Review, which was rather remarkable for the early '50s. I knew of Clarke as one of the most famous science fiction writers long before 2001 appeared. I have an article in the NY Times magazine about him from 1966, I believe. And of course there is the Clarke-Asimov treaty … ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2024, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/172 "2024-07-07T23:39:05Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Also the [Sensuous Dirty Old Man](https://www.amazon.com/Sensuous-Dirty-Old-Man/dp/0802703631) as by Dr. A. Gawd, I some him on some talk show touting that book when it came out…wearing a mask “to hide his identity.” He was incredibly unfunny, cheesy, and smarmy. It really turned me off to him. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2024, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/173 "2024-07-08T00:13:01Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Many, yes - but not most. Keep in mind that Serling was the original author or co-author of 92 out of 156 of those TZ scripts. I believe that statement in Wikipedia is in reference to the scripts that Serling wrote or co-wrote and doesn’t say anything about which were adapted from other sources. However, I did some more digging and it turns out that the number of _Twilight Zone_ episodes that were adaptatioins is a lot smaller than I thought. IMDb says 36 of those 156 episodes were based on short stories. There are a handful of others that were adapted from other sources: I think four are from what are described as “stories” (not “short stories”), a radio play, an “anecdote”, an “idea”, and probably a couple of others I’ve forgotten. So on the order of about 45 or so were adaptations, and presumably all the others are original stories from the scriptwriters. I guess I recognized so many of them as short stories that I presumed the number of adaptations would be much higher. ---
**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 11, 2024, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/174 "2024-07-11T05:28:56Z")
I just came across an example that shows that it’s hard to know who knows obscure science fiction references. This year’s Met Gala red carpet walk was officially called The Garden of Time. So what’s that reference? It’s to the 1962 story by that name by J. G. Ballard. How many science fiction fans know that reference? ---
**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 11, 2024, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/175 "2024-07-11T11:00:47Z")
Not I - and I have read some Ballard ---
**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 11, 2024, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/176 "2024-07-11T12:57:42Z")
Was that actually a reference to the story, or was it just someone else coincidentally using the same phrase? ---
**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 11, 2024, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/177 "2024-07-11T13:05:23Z")
Read some news stories about the event. They say that it was a deliberate choice by the organizers of the event. Here’s one such article: > **[The 2024 Met Gala Dress Code, Explained](https://www.vogue.com/article/met-gala-dress-code-2024)** > > Everything you need to know about The Garden of Time. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2024, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/178 "2024-07-11T13:15:29Z")
.nvm. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2024, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/179 "2024-07-11T15:41:38Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > I just came across an example that shows that it’s hard to know who knows obscure science fiction references. This year’s Met Gala red carpet walk was officially called The Garden of Time. So what’s that reference? It’s to the 1962 story by that name by J. G. Ballard. How many science fiction fans know that reference? My copy of Chronopolis, which contains the story, says it was first published in F&SF in 1962, so I’ve probably read it, but it is not major Ballard, as far as I know. Still, these days he is probably better known outside of the sf community than inside, thanks to Empire of the Sun and the movie made of Crash. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2024, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796/180 "2024-07-11T18:28:44Z")
I understand that Ballard is much more famous in the UK than in the US. Probably the way Philip K. Dick is now famous in a way unfathomable when he was writing. The British paper _The Guardian_ ran his death on the front page and followed up with articles as praise-filled as this one. > **[How JG Ballard cast his shadow right across the arts](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/apr/20/jg-ballard-film-music-architecture-tv)** > > JG Ballard's influence on culture went far beyond literature. We look at his lasting impact on film, pop, architecture, TV and visual art The Met Gala is an international affair. Maybe it’s run by Brits. I couldn’t get my super-inside _haute société_ sources to talk to me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-living-writer-of-science-fiction/1003796.md?page=10)