I think....Roger Zelazny. What do you think?

Depends on your tastes no doubt. Zelazny was always to childish for me.

Gibson
Banks
Dick

Ray Bradbury. Just for Fahrenheit 451. I've not read any of his others.

Note to self: 'read some of his others'.

Heinlein
Asimov
Tolkien
Piers Anthony

just to name the ones that haven't been named yet :D

Tolien is not a Sci-fi author! That's funny, yesterday draqon was saying that Asimov was a fantasy author.

Alastair Reynolds -- Revelation Space series is EXCELLENT!

- Heinlein is tied with Asimov in my opinion. Both are the grand masters of Science Fiction; although I'd give the nod to Isaac for being better rooted in science fundamentals.
- Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle are a couple of favorites. Although I haven't seen any really new original concepts from them in the past few years.
- Ray Bradbury is another master.
- C.J. Cherryh writes very well in a SF environment, even though she minimizes the science part to just having the settings in space or other worlds. Her focus is more on human - alien psychology and social relationships. (I'd definately have her on a first contact team if we ever needed one.)
- Michael Crichton is practically everyone's favorite, especially for SF movies. And he does a good job of continually trying out new forms of "What if...?"
- Philip K. Dick and Gibson are both good.
- David Weber has built consistent and logical future universes and is still in ascendency.

J.R.R.Tolkien was definately not science fiction, and Piers Anthony just barely.

Is science fiction the same as science fantasy?
Science Fiction-- Hienlin--Herbert--Asimov
Science Fantasy- Robin Hobb--Ian Irvine--Tolkien

Gibson. I especially liked his short story "Dogfight". For Gibson fans, there's a DVD bio on him. I think it's called "No Maps for These Territories". It's been out for a few years, but if you haven't seen it, it's typically Gibson.

HG wells, unique, one of the fathers of sci-fi. really interesting and intense storywriting, though i haven't read his novels in some time.

Arthur C. Clarke, one of the greats. his novel 2001 a space oddysey, even though it was in part by stanley kubrick, remains one of, if not the greatest sci-fi adventure of all time.

Zelazny is awesome, one of my favorites. i love his almost poetic way of writing; it paints beautiful and detailed pictures in my mind. i was in awe over his short story, 'for a breath i tarry.'

heinlein, of course. door into summer was mind-boggling the first time. my favorite would have to be 'moon is a harsh mistress'.

asimov as well. he has such a way of building something up until it bursts in a brilliantly astounding and unexpected climax.

carl sagan, just for writing contact, which is probably the most scientifically accurate sci-fi novel ever written. but it wasn't just that, it was the masterful way he invokes a sense of awe regarding space.

frank herbert, even though his dune novels were more phi-fi (philosophy fiction ;) ) than sci-fi. but the sophisticatedly sublime concepts and vast epicness of his creation had me hooked from the first novel to the last.

I have to agree with Red Army...

Fahrenhiet 451 was an incredible read. It has a place on my self.
There was also a book which I can neither remeber the name or title. It was like"Brain Child" About a ship that had crashed in the ocean. That's kind of vague...but it too was a good read...

The Author of the The Wizards' First Rule Not sci fi I know
Timothy Zahn
Michael and Julan Reeves-Stevens
Ann McCaffery for the Dragon Riders series-

to just name a few.


Christopher L Bennett deserves an honorable mention. As well as Christe Golden, R A DeCandido, Diane Carey...(yeah I know)

Orson Scott Card has great sci-fi books His enders game, enders shadow, and the homecomming saga are great.

Good list. The only great ones I've read that I haven't seen mentioned (apologies if I missed them):

Frank Herbert
John Wyndham
Robert Silverberg

Maybe Jack Williamson, althoug I've never read any.

Stanislaw Lem
Douglas Adams
Arthur C. Clarke
L. Ron Hubbard
Strugatsky brothers <-- if anyone cares to read their work "Monday begins on Saturday" http://home.freeuk.net/russica2/books/mond/1.html

Would Mary Shelley count? Would you consider Frankenstein sci-fi?

Not just sci-fi... superb sci-fi. It's a shame the story was screwed over so much by film and popular culture.

How about Michael Crichton? Does he rate a mention among the greats?

Some he does well thoughtout books...his research is expansive on things normal writers would blanche at...but I wouldn't call him a great story teller.

That's Orson Scott Card. I haven't read Speaker of the Dead yet...But I read Xenocide first then Enders Game and the latter is certainly one of the greatest books in history.

What abouth Jules verne

What abouth Jules verne

was that the last civilization's writer?...how long ago was that...

This (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_Verne) Jules Verne? He died in 2105...

Jules Verne is perhaps the original sci-fi author. H.G. Wells is the next oldest, I think.

Hugo (Hugo award) Gernsback is ofgten mentioned with those two as a father of sci-fi, but his contribution was more as the publisher of Amazing Stories. I've never read his stuff, but I read about him after reading Gibson's Gernsback continuum (a brilliant short story).

I think Mary Shelley(Frankenstein) is older especialy with the frankenstein/golem link altough old golem tales can hardly be called sci-fi because the little sci.
Anyway both writers are very interesting to read

Jonathan Swift wrote some fantasy stories which had a strong scientific element, though they were largely satirical in intent. I recommend the Voyage to Laputa (http://www.jaffebros.com/lee/gulliver/bk3/chap3-2.html), where Swift foretells the discovery of Phobos and Deimos by an amazing concidence.

Edgar Allen Poe wrote some sci-fi of sorts as well, such as Mellonta Tauta (http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/eapoe/bl-eapoe-mell.htm), though it is a very ephemeral piece.
Not untill Jules Verne and H G Wells do we get true science fiction; these two count among the greats for me.

In chronolgical order, my next favourite is Olaf Stapledon; he established many of the ideas which are still used by writers of grand scale science fiction. He greatly influenced Arthur C Clarke, who is next on my list.

Meanwhile a number of excellent Sci-fi writers from across the pond were emerging from the pulp fiction tradition; Heinlein, Asimov, Silverberg, Bradbury are my favourites there. And in Poland; Stanislaw Lem; way ahead of his time.

Slightly later came Harlan Ellison and Ursula LeGuin; some very good stuff.

More recent writers I like very much are Greg Bear and Stephen Baxter; joining them a little later are Iain M Banks, David Brin and Alistair Reynolds. These days I tend toward the hard end of the Moh's scale in SF, as you might guess.

Oops; forgot Larry Niven. Can't leave him offf the list...

does kim stanley robinson count. Red,blue and green mars weren't that bad.

He bored me.

Had anyone ever seen this film?

It is as reading a book...so much imagination that it is as though I am sleeping...

See:

Its called fantastic planet

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3064984200803032304&q=genre%3Aanimation


Dont be too hasty to judge it schizo...its not.

Definitely Douglas Adams

Ray Bradbury. Just for Fahrenheit 451. I've not read any of his others.

Note to self: 'read some of his others'.
My favourite also.

I like 'The Emissary'.

Well yeah Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 is a masterpiece...but its not much of a sci-fi...more a historic piece in an alien setting...

Anyone read Kir-Bulychev?
I love his books...of course the imagination wonders off to far there...but anyways his sci-fi books have ascended into so much notion for Russian sci-fi culture...coalescending in his ‘Mystery of the Third Planet’ and ‘Guest from the Future’.