This list is divided into the older, classic authors who had an influence on the genre, and those who are still producing valuable work today. Look for these authors on the science fiction shelves, and don't forget to check the New Books section of the library for the latest by the Current Stars.

Classic Authors:

Douglas Adams: Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is the first book in Adams’ series. Pythonesque humor overshadows the plot, but these books set the standard for humorous science fiction.

Isaac Asimov: Asimov's galaxy-spanning Foundation trilogy, consisting of Foundation, Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation, is considered by many science fiction fans to be the best science fiction series ever. His Caves of Steel masterfully mixes the mystery and science fiction genres, and has several sequels. Both series are best read in order.

Ray Bradbury: Fahrenheit 451 is an anticensorship classic, making its point in a way that sometimes only science fiction can.

Arthur C. Clarke: Although best known for 2001: A Space Odyssey, due to the movie, Clarke’s Childhood’s End is an enduring classic of science fiction literature, mixing demon-like aliens and Jungian psychology. Slightly “harder” science fiction, Rendezvous With Rama is also recommended.

William Gibson: Credited with the invention of "cyberpunk," his stories are just as fresh and suspenseful now as when they first came out. His first and best known, Neuromancer, is also available on cassette.

Robert Heinlein: Widely considered the best science fiction author ever. Starship Troopers is the classic of military science fiction, examining the responsibilities of citizenship, and Stranger in a Strange Land was a favorite of the 1960's counterculture, showing Heinlein's remarkable versatility. Most of his other books, especially those written in the 1950’s, are of very high quality as well.

Frank Herbert: Dune is the book Herbert will always be remembered by, and he wrote several sequels. Read in order, but definitely read at least Dune.

Ursula K. Le Guin: Feminist writer Le Guin is recognized as one of the finest writers in science fiction, entertainingly exploring the possibilities of biology and society among humans and aliens. The Left Hand of Darkness (also available on cassette) is a groundbreaking examination of sex roles - among a differently-sexed alien race. The Dispossessed is both a suspense story and dystopian vision, set against two contrasting but complementary societies.

Walter Miller: Miller had a short but productive career in the 1950s. A Canticle for Leibowitz was his only novel and is considered by many to be the best science fiction book ever, and has been continuously in print since its publication. The sequel, Saint Leibowitz and the Wild Horse Woman, published after his death, was completed by Terry Bisson, but shows Miller's style throughout.

Larry Niven: Niven was and is at his best as a short-story writer, and his best short stories are collected in N-Space. Niven writes hard, science-driven fiction. Niven is also capable of adding a note of whimsy to his science, as in the classic Ringworld (and sequels).

Current Stars:

Catherine Asaro: With a degree in Physics, a penchant for thoroughly working out the science in her stories, and a literary inclination for steamy romances, Catherine Asaro writes books not quite like anyone else’s. Primary Inversion and Catch the Lightning are good examples, part of her Skolian Empire saga. Also recommended is Sunrise Alley

Lois McMaster Bujold: Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan saga is remarkably varied for a series, spanning the gamut from mystery, romance, espionage, and military themes, but always with a solid science fiction foundation. Start with Young Miles, which collects the earliest novels in the cycle, or jump right into the most recent novels: A Civil Campaign, which has heavy romance elements, or Diplomatic Immunity. Unlike most series, the writing in this one has improved as the series has progressed. Some of the novels in the series, such as The Vor Game, are available in audiocasette.

Eric Flint: Many of Eric Flint’s books are written with a co-author, not often the mark of quality in a science fiction series. But Flint seems to get something a little extra out of the process of collaboration. 1632 is a gripping tale of what happens when a West Virginia mining town is suddenly transported into the middle of the Thirty Year’s War. Sequel 1633 was co-written with David Weber, and a number of other sequels, similarly numbered, are collaborations with other authors.

Ken MacLeod: A clever word smith, interested in the social ramifications of his well-imagined science fiction universe, as well as the effect a single persons decisions can have on history. His Fall Revolution series starts with The Star Fraction. Also try his alternate history 21st century novels, Cosmonaut Keep.

Jack McDevitt: McDevitt writes science fiction with an archaeological bent, as in The Engines of God, or Deepsix, while spinning thrilling adventure yarns with believable characters. McDevitt’s scientists are always especially interesting people.

Alastair Reynolds: A scientist who writes space opera, his books are all connected in a single, very imaginative universe. Read Revelation Space, which starts a series now at five novels, or Pushing Ice, which stands alone.

Kim Stanley Robinson: Red Mars won just about every major science fiction award. The sequels Green Mars and Blue Mars were also published to great acclaim, and complete this epic of human colonization on our neighboring planet. A short story collection, The Martians, explores further dimensions of Robinson's "Mars universe" in ways that contain some surprises for readers of the trilogy. The entire trilogy is available in audio.

Robert Sawyer: A writer with a great deal of appeal to mature readers. Frameshift, Factoring Humanity, and Calculating God all feature serious plots, deep characters, and well-reasoned science. His most recent series, containing Hominids, Humans, and Hybrids, concerns human evolution. Has slowed down his production a little lately.

Dan Simmons: Hyperion combines a mastery of traditional science fiction elements with a remarkably literary bent. His books are best read in pairs, since they are really novels divided into two volumes. Read Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion first, and then Endymion and The Rise of Endymion, or start in with his new series, which starts with Ilium and continues with Olympos.

Neal Stephenson: Stephenson won the Hugo award for The Diamond Age, but the epic Cryptonomicon may have made an even bigger splash. Drawing extensively on the author's knowledge of the history of cryptography, it is alternately funny, insightful, and even educational. A prequel, Quicksilver, is connected, and is part of a trilogy that continues with The Confusion and The System of the World, although classified as regular fiction in the library, as the science takes a backseat to the historical setting.

Charles Stross: Combines traditional space opera with updated, modern hard SF ideas. Check out his Singularity Sky, his first novel. One of those authors who keeps getting better, it’s always interesting to check out his newest book and see if he’s topped himself again; try the recent Glasshouse.

Vernor Vinge: An author who takes a long time to turn out a book, when he does finish one it’s usually impressive. A Deepness in the Sky may do a better job of capturing a sense for non-humanoid aliens than any other, thanks to a clever literary device, and the science is well worked out as always. A Fire Upon the Deep, and The Peace War are also great. Vinge also excels as a short story writer, as evident in The Collected Stories of Vernor Vinge.

Robert Charles Wilson: Combines deft characterization with hard-SF ideas. Especially recommended is his most recent book, Spin, but all his titles are worth reading.

David Weber: His Honor Harrington series, starting with On Basilisk Station, is an homage to the sea tales of C. S. Forester. Somehow, the future world in which spaceships fire broadsides at each other like Napoleonic ships all holds together, however. Honor is a heroine worth rooting for.

Connie Willis: Widely acknowledged to be the best science fiction short-story writer currently writing, Miracle and Other Christmas Stories is one of her short story collections. Bellwether is a brilliant short novel, marginally science fiction but well worth reading for its social satire. Time travel novels Doomsday Book, and To Say Nothing of the Dog are also excellent. Read these in any order.

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