Top Science Fiction Writers of 20 th Century Arthur C. Clarke–Clarke was a true master of hard science fiction. He received degrees in both mathematics and physics from King’s College in London. His first professional sale was in 1946 in Astounding Science Fiction magazine. Clarke’s first great work was 1953’s “Childhood’s End”but he took the Sci- Fi world by storm with 1968’s “2001: A Space Odyssey”. Spanning eons, the film was built on themes of human evolution, space travel, and the perils of artificial intelligence. 1972’s “Rendezvous with Rama” was the only sc ience fiction novel I was ever assigned to read in my High School AP English class. It is the story of massive alien spaceship that enter Earth’s solar system and the eventual exploration of the ship. The book won both the Hugo and Nebula awards for best n ovel as did 1979’s “The Fountains of Paradise”. Clarke would go on to write three sequels to Odyssey and three sequels to Rama. It’s difficult to assign just how mu ch influence Clarke h ad. You ca n trace almost any disastrous encounte r with artific ial intelligence and first contact with aliens, back to his works. In 1987, the Arthur C. Clarke Award was established for the Best Science Fiction novel first published in the UK. In 2005, the Sir Arthur C. Clarke Award was established for notable contributions in space exploration. Isaac Asimov–The Russian-born Asimov was not only a science fiction writer but also a well- regarded scientist. He earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Columbia University. Asimov was noted nearly as much for his non-fiction as his fiction. His “Foundation” trilogy in the 1950s is regarded by many as the greatest science fiction series ever written. The series influenced everything from A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Gala xy, to Star Wars, The Warhammer 40,000 universe, even to the animated TV Show, Futurama. Warner Bros. is currently developing the series for film. “I, Robot”, actually a collection of stories rather than a novel, introduced Asimov’s famous Three Laws of Robotics. Asimov wo n seven Hu go award s including Best nov el for “The Gods Themselves” and Best Novelette for “The Bicentennial Man”. He also won three Nebula awards. Robert A. Heinlein–Heinlein’s 1961 novel “Stranger in a Strange Land” may be the most important Sci-Fi novel ever written. This novel lured many readers to the genre who normally would not have read Sci-Fi. It’s mature and often controversial themes won praise from critics and fans alike. The tale of a boy raised on Mars and returned to Earth twenty years later still
