Famous American Science Fiction Writers

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 1 
Isaac Asimov
(Writer Best Known for His Hard Science Fiction Novels and Professor of Biochemistry)
Isaac Asimov
8
Birthdate: January 2, 1920
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Petrovichi, Russia
Died: April 6, 1992

Isaac Asimov was an American writer. Best known for his science fiction works, Asimov was regarded as one of the Big Three writers along with Arthur C. Clarke and Robert A. Heinlein. Asimov is credited with influencing most sci-fi writers since the 1950s. Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman stated that one of Asimov's works inspired him to take up Economics.

 2 
Philip K. Dick
(American Science Fiction Writer)
Philip K. Dick
12
Birthdate: December 16, 1928
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States
Died: March 2, 1982

Philip K. Dick was an American writer who was known for his work that explores varied social and philosophical themes. Dick's novels have inspired films like Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report, and The Adjustment Bureau. In 2005, his novel Ubik was included in Time magazine's list of 100 greatest novels published in English since 1923.

 3 
Kurt Vonnegut
(Writer Known For His Satirical and Darkly Humorous Novels)
Kurt Vonnegut
16
Birthdate: November 11, 1922
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
Died: April 11, 2007

Science-fiction author Kurt Vonnegut is best remembered for the novel Slaughterhouse-Five, which became a New York Times bestseller. The Hugo Award-winner had also fought against the Germans in World War II and expressed his anti-war and atheist views through his works, which also include short stories, plays, and autobiographical works.  

 4 
Robert A. Heinlein
(American Novelist Best Known as the 'Dean of Science Fiction Writers')
Robert A. Heinlein
14
Birthdate: July 7, 1907
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Butler, Missouri, United States
Died: May 8, 1988

Robert A. Heinlein was an American author, naval officer, and aeronautical engineer. Heinlein is credited with pioneering a literary subgenre called hard science fiction as he was among the first to stress the importance of scientific accuracy in fiction. Robert A. Heinlein is one of the most influential science-fiction writers of all time.

 5 
Frank Herbert
(Science Fiction Author Best Known for His 1965 Novel 'Dune' & Its Sequels)
Frank Herbert
10
Birthdate: October 8, 1920
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Tacoma, Washington, United States
Died: February 11, 1986

American author, newspaper-journalist, book-reviewer, lecturer, photographer, and ecological consultant Franklin Herbert is most noted for his 1965 sci-fi novel Dune and its five sequels. Dune won the Nebula Award and the Hugo Award and spearheaded the Dune franchise. The novel is cited as the best-selling sci-fi novel in history while the series is counted among the classics of the genre.

 6 
Octavia Butler
(American Author Known for Her Science Fiction Novels)
Octavia Butler
14
Birthdate: June 22, 1947
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Pasadena, California, United States
Died: February 24, 2006

One of the finest African-American sci-fi authors, Octavia Butler was raised single-handedly by her widowed mother. Best known for the Patternist series and the short story Bloodchild, she often mingled mythology and spirituality in her work. She was the first sci-fi author to receive a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship.

 7 
William Gibson
(Science-Fiction Writer Known for His Novel ‘Neuromancer’ and a Pinoeer of 'Cyberpunk' Genre)
William Gibson
10
Birthdate: March 17, 1948
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Conway, South Carolina, United States

William Gibson is an American-Canadian essayist and speculative fiction writer. He is widely credited with pioneering cyberpunk, a science fiction subgenre. His early works, which he produced during the late-1970s and early-1980s, helped create an iconography for the information age even before the dawn of the Internet in the 1990s. William Gibson is also credited with coining the term cyberspace.

 8 
Ursula K. Le Guin
(American Author Best Known for Her Works of Speculative Fiction)
Ursula K. Le Guin
12
Birthdate: October 21, 1929
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Berkeley, California, United States
Died: January 22, 2018

Ursula K. Le Guin was an American author. In a career spanning almost six decades, Ursula wrote about political and social themes like race and sexuality. Throughout her career, Ursula had a major influence on speculative fiction. Her book A Wizard of Earthsea is credited with inspiring ideas like 'wizard school', which was later popularized in the Harry Potter series.

 9 
Andy Weir
(American Novelist Best Known for His Novel 'The Martian')
Andy Weir
7
Birthdate: June 16, 1972
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Davis, California, United States

Software engineer Andy Weir soared to fame with his debut novel The Martian, which was later made into a hit film by Ridley Scott. Born to a physicist father and an electrical engineer mother, Wier grew up interested in topics such as relativistic physics and orbital mechanics, although he didn’t graduate.

 10 
Anne Rice
(American Author Best Known for Her Series of Novels ‘The Vampire Chronicles’)
Anne Rice
8
Birthdate: October 4, 1941
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Height: 5'2" (157 cm)
 11 
Edgar Rice Burroughs
(Creator of Tarzan)
Edgar Rice Burroughs
10
Birthdate: September 1, 1875
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States
Died: March 19, 1950
 12 
Dan Simmons
(American Science Fiction and Horror Writer Best Known for His 'Hyperion Cantos' Series)
Dan Simmons
3
Birthdate: April 4, 1948
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Peoria, Illinois, United States

Best known for his Hyperion Cantos series, author Dan Simmons initially taught as part of an elementary school program named APEX. He has trained people in writing and has his own writing curriculum named Writing Well. He is also often found writing at his isolated cabin near Rocky Mountain.

 13 
Thomas Pynchon
(Writer, Novelist, Essayist, Science fiction writer)
Thomas Pynchon
8
Birthdate: May 8, 1937
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Glen Cove

Thomas Pynchon initially joined Cornell to study engineering physics, but changed his major to English after a brief stint with the U.S. Army. A master of black humor, he soared to fame with novels such as The Crying of Lot 49 and Inherent Vice. He is media-shy and is rarely photographed.

 14 
Brandon Sanderson
(Epic Fantasy and Science-Fiction Writer Best Known for the 'Cosmere' Fictional Universe)
Brandon Sanderson
8
Birthdate: December 19, 1975
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Lincoln, Nebraska, United States

Best known for works such as the Mistborn trilogy and The Emperor's Soul, sci-fi and epic fantasy author Brandon Sanderson had initially studied biochemistry and then switched to literature. He has also worked as a missionary in South Korea and now teaches creative writing at his alma, Brigham Young University.

 15 
Bruce Boxleitner
(Best Known for His Roles in TV Series ‘How the West Was Won’ and ‘Bring 'Em Back Alive’)
Bruce Boxleitner
18
Birthdate: May 12, 1950
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Elgin, Illinois, United States

The American actor, who shot to fame following his success in the television series How the West Was Won, Bring 'Em Back Alive and Scarecrow and Mrs King, starred in Babylon 5 films. Bruce William Boxleitner is also known for his comic roles. He appeared in video games and is credited as the author of two science fiction novels.

 16 
Roger Zelazny
(American Poet, Short Story Writer, Science Fiction Writer and Novelist)
Roger Zelazny
3
Birthdate: May 13, 1937
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Euclid, Ohio, United States
Died: June 14, 1995

Author Roger Zelazny led the New Wave of science fiction and soared to fame with his series The Chronicles of Amber. The six-time Hugo Award winner published over 150 short stories, too. He made use of anachronisms, minimal dialogue, and heavy references to Hindu, Norse, and Egyptian mythological tales.

 17 
N. K. Jemisin
(Science Fiction and Fantasy Writer Known for Her 'Inheritance' Trilogy)
N. K. Jemisin
14
Birthdate: September 19, 1972
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Iowa City, Iowa, United States

N. K. Jemisin became the first writer to win the Hugo Best Novel award thrice consecutively and is best known for her Inheritance trilogy and her Broken Earth series. The African-American author is also a trained psychologist and has worked as a counsellor in several universities.

 18 
Christopher Paolini
(American Author Best known for His Tetralogy 'The Inheritance Cycle')
Christopher Paolini
10
Birthdate: November 17, 1983
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States

Best known for his mythical series The Inheritance Cycle, author Christopher Paolini had started writing his first novel, Eragon, at 15. He also stepped into the world of adult sci-fi with To Sleep in a Sea of Stars. He holds the Guinness record for being the youngest bestselling author.

 19 
Orson Scott Card
(American Writer Best Known for His Science Fiction Novel 'Ender’s Game')
Orson Scott Card
20
Birthdate: August 24, 1951
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Richland, Washington, United States

American author, playwright and script-writer Orson Scott Card is best-known for writing the series’ Ender's Game and The Tales of Alvin Maker. First two novels of the Ender's Game series are counted among the most influential novels of the 1980s and won both the Hugo and Nebula awards, while The Tales of Alvin Maker series won the Locus Fantasy Award.

 20 
Larry Niven
(American Science Fiction Writer Best-Known for His Novels: 'Ringworld' and 'Lucifer's Hammer')
Larry Niven
7
Birthdate: April 30, 1938
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States

Best known for his iconic Ringworld series, science-fiction author Larry Niven has won multiple accolades, including the Hugo and Nebula awards. The grandson of oil magnate Edward L. Doheny, Niven had initially studied math but later devoted himself to writing. He has also penned scripts for sci-fi TV series.

 21 
Neal Stephenson
(Novelist)
Neal Stephenson
11
Birthdate: October 31, 1959
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Fort Meade, Maryland, United States
 22 
Samuel R. Delany
(Author and Literary Critic Best Known for His Novels: 'Babel-17' and 'The Einstein Intersection, Hogg')
Samuel R. Delany
7
Birthdate: April 1, 1942
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Harlem, New York, United States

Known for his science-fiction novels such as Dhalgren, Babel-17, and the Nèverÿon series, author Samuel R. Delany often touches upon themes of sex, race, and language. A descendant of civil rights activists, he dropped out of college to write. Though gay, he was once married to lesbian poet Marilyn Hacker.

 23 
Ted Chiang
(Science Fiction Writer Known for His Short Stories: ‘Division by Zero’, ‘Tower of Babylon’ and ‘Exhalation’)
Ted Chiang
7
Birthdate: April 20, 1967
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Port Jefferson, New York, United States

Born to Chinese immigrant parents, author Ted Chiang is a qualified computer scientist and works as a technical writer. The Hugo- and Nebula-winning writer is best known for his short stories, novelettes, and novellas such as Tower of Babylon and Seventy-Two Letters. He is also known for his signature ponytail.

 24 
Richard Matheson
(American Author and Screenwriter)
Richard Matheson
5
Birthdate: February 20, 1926
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Allendale, New Jersey, United States
Died: June 23, 2013
 25 
Piers Anthony
(Author Best Known for His Long-Running Novel Series Set in the Fictional Realm of 'Xanth')
Piers Anthony
13
Birthdate: August 6, 1934
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Oxford, England

Best known for his Xanth novels, such as Well-Tempered Clavicle and Esrever Doom, bestselling science fiction and fantasy author Piers Anthony was born to Quaker parents in Britain, who later settled in the U.S. He lives with his wife in a remote forest area in Central Florida.

 26 
Kim Stanley Robinson
(Writer)
Kim Stanley Robinson
9
Birthdate: March 23, 1952
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Waukegan, Illinois, United States
 27 
George R. R. Martin
(Author of Epic Fantasy Novels 'A Song of Ice and Fire')
George R. R. Martin
8
Birthdate: September 20, 1948
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Bayonne, New Jersey, United States
George R. R. Martin wrote the epic fantasy series of novels, A Song of Ice and Fire, which inspired the iconic Emmy-winning HBO series Game of Thrones. Also known as the "American Tolkien," he was featured on TIME 100. He has earned the Hugo, Nebula, and Bram Stoker awards, too.
 28 
Henry Darger
(Novelist, Artist, and Writer)
Henry Darger
7
Birthdate: April 12, 1892
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States
Died: April 13, 1973
Henry Darger was an American novelist, artist, and writer. He achieved posthumous fame when a 15,145-page fantasy novel of his was discovered after his death. Along with the novel, watercolor illustrations and several hundred drawings for the story was discovered. Henry Darger's artwork is now considered a fine example of outsider art.
 29 
J. Michael Straczynski
(Screenwriter, Film producer, Novelist, Journalist, Writer, Playwright, Science fiction writer)
J. Michael Straczynski
7
Birthdate: July 17, 1954
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Paterson

The son of a manual laborer, J. Michael Straczynski grew up to graduate in psychology and sociology. Best known for writing the Marvel Comics series The Amazing Spider-Man, he has written for both TV and films, apart from authoring his own books and creating the sci-fi TV show Babylon 5.

 30 
Marion Zimmer Bradley
(Writer)
Marion Zimmer Bradley
7
Birthdate: June 3, 1930
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Albany, New York, United States
Died: September 25, 1999
 31 
Robert Anton Wilson
(Writer, Novelist, Philosopher, Essayist, Playwright, Psychologist, Science fiction writer)
Robert Anton Wilson
5
Birthdate: January 18, 1932
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Brooklyn
Died: January 11, 2007
 32 
Harry Turtledove
(American Author Best Known for His Works: 'Southern Victory', 'Worldwar' and 'Crosstime Traffic')
Harry Turtledove
9
Birthdate: June 14, 1949
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States

An expert in Byzantine history, author Harry Turtledove is known for his historical fiction and science-fiction books, such as How Few Remain and the Opening of the World series. Regarded as the “Master of Alternate History,” he has also won awards such as the Hugo Award for the Best Novella.

 33 
Jack Vance
(American Mystery, Fantasy, and Science Fiction Writer Famous for His 'Dying Earth' Series)
Jack Vance
7
Birthdate: August 28, 1916
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: San Francisco, California, United States
Died: May 26, 2013

Jack Vance initially dabbled in a variety of subjects, such as mining engineering, physics, and journalism. The Hugo- and Nebula-winning science-fiction and fantasy author, known for works such as The Man in the Cage, later went blind but wrote with the help of a software. He was also an amateur sailor.

 34 
Junot Díaz
(Best Known for His Novel 'The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao')
Junot Díaz
9
Birthdate: December 31, 1968
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Junot Díaz is a Dominican-American writer who works at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a creative writing professor. He is also known for his association with the quarterly political and literary magazine Boston Review, where he works as a fiction editor. In 2017, he was made an inductee of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

 35 
Nora Roberts
(Writer, Novelist, Screenwriter, Science fiction writer)
Nora Roberts
21
Birthdate: October 10, 1950
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Silver Spring

An author who has penned over 200 romance novels, Nora Roberts is also known by her pseudonyms such as J. D. Robb and Jill March. Apart from writing New York Times bestsellers such as Hideaway and Under Currents, she has also penned the suspense series In Death.

 36 
Jeff Vandermeer
(American Science Fiction and Horror Novelist Known for His 'Southern Reach' Trilogy )
Jeff Vandermeer
7
Birthdate: July 7, 1968
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, United States

Jeff Vandermeer is an American author, literary critic, and editor. Dubbed the King of Weird Fiction by The New Yorker, VanderMeer's works are renowned for eluding genre classifications as he often incorporates elements of postmodernism, New Weird, eco-fiction, and post-apocalyptic fiction into his writing. He has won many prestigious awards like World Fantasy Awards, Locus Award, and Nebula Award.

 37 
Brian K. Vaughan
(Comic Book Writer)
Brian K. Vaughan
5
Birthdate: July 17, 1976
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio, USA
 38 
Vernor Vinge
(Computer scientist)
Vernor Vinge
6
Birthdate: October 2, 1944
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Waukesha, Wisconsin, US
 39 
Anne McCaffrey
(American-Irish Writer Known for the 'Dragonriders of Pern' Science Fiction Series)
Anne McCaffrey
7
Birthdate: April 1, 1926
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
Died: November 21, 2011

Anne Inez McCaffrey was an American-Irish writer, whose unpretentious down-to-earth style made her popular with children and adult alike. A prolific writer, she had around 100 titles to her credit, several of which were written in collaboration with her son. Best known for her juvenile fictions, including her Dragonriders of Pern series, she had been honored with many distinguished awards.

 40 
James Rollins
(Journalist)
James Rollins
7
Birthdate: August 20, 1961
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, USA
 41 
John Scalzi
(Science Fiction Writers)
John Scalzi
7
Birthdate: May 10, 1969
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Fairfield, California, USA
 42 
Gene Wolfe
(Writer)
Gene Wolfe
7
Birthdate: May 7, 1931
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: New York City
Died: April 14, 2019
 43 
Jim Butcher
(Novelist Best Known for His Series of Novels 'The Dresden Files')
Jim Butcher
9
Birthdate: October 26, 1971
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Independence, Missouri, United States

Hugo Award-nominated author Jim Butcher soared to fame with his bestselling urban fantasy series The Dresden Files and Codex Alera. He is an avid gamer, too, and often uses his pseudonym Longshot for a lot of his online writings. The Dresden Files was later adapted for TV audiences.

 44 
Alan Dean Foster
(Writer, Novelist, Screenwriter, Science fiction writer)
Alan Dean Foster
5
Birthdate: November 18, 1946
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: New York City

Popular author of fantasy and science fiction, Alan Dean Foster has so far penned down eleven standalone novels apart from several book series. He is also known for novelizations of many film scripts, taking credits for most of them except Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker, a novel that he ghostwrote, leaving the credit solely to George Lucas.

 45 
Michael Chabon
(Writer, Essayist, Screenwriter, Novelist, Columnist, Science fiction writer)
Michael Chabon
11
Birthdate: May 24, 1963
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Washington, D.C.

Best known for his Pulitzer-winning novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon is known for dealing with themes such as nostalgia, divorce, and Jewish identity. He has also contributed to TV and film projects, such as the Star Trek series. He is married to novelist Ayelet Waldman.

 46 
James Dashner
(Novelist)
James Dashner
7
Birthdate: November 26, 1972
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Austell, Georgia, United States
 47 
Chris Metzen
(Artist, Comics artist, Novelist, Writer, Screenwriter, Voice actor, Visual artist, Author, Computer scientist, Science fiction writer)
Chris Metzen
9
Birthdate: November 22, 1973
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: United States of America
 48 
V. E. Schwab
(Writer)
V. E. Schwab
7
Birthdate: July 7, 1987
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: America
 49 
Theodore Sturgeon
(Writer)
Theodore Sturgeon
6
Birthdate: February 26, 1918
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Staten Island, New York, United States
Died: May 8, 1985
 50 
David Brin
(Scientist)
David Brin
6
Birthdate: October 6, 1950
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Glendale, California, United States