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Local community organisations, clubs, courses and programmesScience fiction and fantasy
Many of these authors write both science fiction and fantasy novels so we have broken them into three main groups - sci-fi, fantasy and cross-over authors.
- Science fiction
- Fantasy
- Cross-overs: writers of both sci-fi and fantasy
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Subscribe to our e-list newsletters: fantasy comes out monthly and sci-fi is bi-monthly.
See also:
- If You Like… Harry Potter
- If You Like… Star Wars books
- If You Like… Time-travel and alternative history writing
- The Nebula Awards - science fiction and fantasy
- The Hugo Awards - science fiction writing
- Sir Julius Vogel awards - science fiction, fantasy and horror writing by New Zealanders
- Internet Gateway > Science Fiction for more web links
Science fiction
Also in our collections
- Brian W Aldiss
- Author of the short-story Supertoys last all summer long that became the movie A.I. and Nebula Grand Master awardee.
- Buzz Aldrin
- One of the orginal Apollo mission team that first landed on the moon.
- Kevin J Anderson
- Writing for the Star Wars and X-files series and some Dune books.
- Catherine Asaro
- Saga of the Skolian Empire
- Neal Asher
- Isaac Asimov
- One of the greats of science fiction: Nebula Grand Master awardee.
- Kage Baker
- Novels of The Company: Dr. Zeus Incorporated.
Iain M Banks- Writes science fiction as Iain M Banks and fiction as Iain Banks.
- John Barnes
- Stephen Baxter
- Greg Bear
- Multiple Nebula award winner.
- Gregory Benford
- Ben Bova
- David Brin
- Author of the Uplift sagas - also some non-fiction.
- Lois McMaster Bujold
- Winner of the 1988 Nebula for Falling free and several Hugo awards.
- Octavia E Butler
- Xenogenesis series. Won 1999 Nebula Award for Parable of the Talents.
- Pat Cadigan
- Richard Calder
- Arthur C Clarke
- Most famous as the author of 2001: a space odyssey Nebula Grand Master awardee.
- Philip K Dick
- Wrote the stories that became the movies Bladerunner, Minority Report and Paycheck.
- Greg Egan
- Harlan Ellison
- 2006 Nebula Grand Master awardee
- Philip Jose Farmer
- Nebula Grand Master awardee
- Eric Flint
- Alan Dean Foster
- Richard Garfinkle
- Anne Gay
- Kathleen Ann Goonan
- Nanotech Quartet
- Joe Haldeman
Peter F. Hamilton- Robert Heinlein
- Nebula Grand Master awardee and Nebula awards for Starship troopers, Stranger in a strange land, and The moon is a harsh mistress
- Thomas Harlan
- M John Harrison
- Brian Herbert
- Continuing his father's Dune series
- Frank Herbert
- author of Dune, 1965 Nebula Award winner
- James P Hogan
- L Ron Hubbard
- Author of Battlefield Earth and reknowned scientologist
- Nancy Kress
- Gentry Lee
- includes a number of collaborations with Arthur C Clarke
- Paul McAuley
- Jack McDevitt
- Ian McDonald
- Vonda McIntyre
- Ken MacLeod
Elizabeth Moon- Author of Speed of Dark, Nebula Award winner 2003
- Chris Moriarty
- James Morrow
- Larry Niven
- author of the Nebula Award winning Ringworld books
- Jeff Noon
- Patrick O'Leary
- Frederik Pohl
- Nebula Grand Master awardee
- Michael D Resnick
- Alistair Reynolds
- Adam Roberts
- Keith Roberts
- Kim Stanley Robinson
- author of the Mars series, winner of the 1993 Nebula Award for Red Mars
- Carl Sagan
- wrote Contact which was made into a movie, and a lot of non-fiction
- Nick Sagan
- Post-apocalyptic trilogy. Son of Carl Sagan
- Melissa Scott
- William Shatner
- Tek novels and of Star Trek fame
- Bob Shaw
- Robert Sheckley
- Charles Sheffield
Robert Silverberg- Alison Sinclair
- Cordwainer Smith
- Allen M Steele
- Two-time Hugo Award winner
- Neal Stephenson
- S M Stirling
- some alternative history
- Charles Stross
- Author of Accelerando, winner of the Locus Award 2006
- Tricia Sullivan
- Michael Swanwick
- Sheri Tepper
- Joan Vinge
- novelisation of Lost in Space
- Ian Watson
- Peter Watts
- David Weber
- H G Wells
- author of The Time machine
- Walter Jon Williams
- David Wingrove
- Chung Kuo series
- Wilson, Robert Charles
- Author of Spin, winner of the Hugo Award 2006
- Jack Womack
- John Wyndham
- author of The day of the triffids
- Timothy Zahn
- includes Star Wars novels
Sci-Fi Humour
Douglas Adams- Author of the cult-hit Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. We have a number of his books as talking books.
- Harry Harrison
- Author of the Stainless Steel Rat novels among others.
- Phil Janes
- The Galaxy game
- Search for more humourous science fiction
Cyber-punk
- William Gibson
- Winner of the 1984 Nebula Award for Neuromancer
- Jon Courtenay Grimwood
- Arabesk trilogy
- Katharine Kerr
- Polar City books
Jeff Noon- Vurt
- Dan Simmons
- Hyperion
- Neal Stephenson
- Snow Crash
- Bruce Sterling
- Writes interesting non-fiction as well.
- Search for more cyberpunk fiction
Fantasy
Also in our collections
- Tom Arden
- Sarah Ash
- James Barclay
- Clive Barker
- Mostly writing horror.
- Peter S Beagle
- Carol Berg
- Alice Borchardt
- Historical, fantasy and arthurian.
- Jonathan Carroll
- Fantasy and horror novels.
- Mark Chadbourn
- Age of Misrule books integrate Celtic mythology.
- David Coe
- Glen Cook
- Chronicles of the Black Company.
- Hugh Cook
- New Zealand author of Chronicles of an age of darkness series.
Sara Douglass- Writes fantasy in historical settings.
- David Eddings
- Best known for the Belgariad, Elenium and other sagas.
- Kate Elliott
- Steven Erikson
- David Farland
- Raymond Feist
- Riftwar sagas that began with Magician
- Jasper Fforde
- Author of the Eyre Affair
- David Gemmell
- Terry Goodkind
- Sword of Truth series
- Simon R. Green
- Barbara Hambly
- also writes historical fiction
- Elizabeth Haydon
- Mike Jefferies
- Diana Wynne Jones
- Much of her work is written for young adults: Howl's Moving Castle was made into an animated film in 2004.
- J V Jones
Guy Gavriel Kay- Paul Kearney
- Katharine Kerr
- Deverry saga and the Westland cycle.
- Garry Kilworth
- Known for his animal stories but has also written a polynesian fantasy series: Navigator Kings.
- Katherine Kurtz
- Author of the Chronicles of the Deryni.
- Ellen Kushner
- Mercedes Lackey
- Books of the fantasy world Valdemar - young adult fiction.
- Tim LaHaye
- Christian fantasy fiction.
- Tanith Lee
- Both adult and young adult fantasy fiction.
- Ursula Le Guin
- Author of the Earthsea series and 2002 Nebula Grand Master awardee.
- Valery Leith
Holly Lisle- Elizabeth A. Lynn
- Patricia McKillip
- John Marco
- George R R Martin
- Rand Miller
- Books based on the computer game Myst.
- L E Modesitt
- Michael Moorcock
- Author of Dancers at the end of time.
- Philip Pullman
- Known for His dark materials series for young adults - the first book, The golden compass, is to be made into a film.
- Katya Reimann
- Tielmaran chronicles
- Michael Scott Rohan
- Winter of the world series
- Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
- Collaborated with Anne McCaffrey on the Acorna novels
- Jan Siegel
- Judith Tarr
- Fantasy and historical fiction
- J R R Tolkien
- Author of The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit
- Harry Turtledove
- Aternate history and time travel.
- Jo Walton
Margaret Weis- Wrote several of the DragonLance novels.
- Martha Wells
- Tad Williams
- Memory, sorrow and thorn and Otherworld series.
- Philip G Williamson
- Janny Wurts
- Collaborated with Raymond Feist on the Daughter of the Empire trilogy in the Riftwar sagas.
Fantasy Humour
- Neil Gaiman
- Has done a number of co-authoring efforts with the likes of Terry Pratchet and Douglas Adams as well as books for young adults. Won the 2002 Nebula award and the 2002 Hugo award for American Gods.
- Tom Holt
- Terry Pratchett
- Author of the Discworld books. We have a large number of his books as talking books (cassette or CD).
- Robert Rankin
- Even the titles are funny e.g. The hollow chocolate bunnies of the apocalypse.
Arthurian
Search our catalogue for...
- Marion Zimmer Bradley
- Best known for the Arthurian-saga-from-the-women's-perspective Mists of Avalon.
- Robert Holdstock
- Merlin Codex.
- Steve Lawhead
- Pendragon cycle and other celtic themes.
- Haydn Middleton
- Mordred Cycle.
- Irene Radford
- Merlin's descendants series.
Cross-overs
- Poul Anderson
- mostly science fiction but Mother of kings is based in a Viking setting. Nebula Grand Master awardee
- Piers Anthony
- A A Attanasio
- John Barnes
- Co-author of some books with astronaut Buzz Aldrin plus his own fantasy and sci-fi books.
- James Blaylock
- Fantasy, sci-fi and horror.
- Ray Bradbury
- Nebula Grand Master awardee
- Terry Brooks
- Best known for the fantasy series Shannara and Landover, but also writing Star Wars novels.
- Orson Scott Card
- Winner of two Nebula awards for books from his Ender series.
- C J Cherryh
- 1989 Hugo award for Cyteen.
- Storm Constantine
Stephen R Donaldson- Author of the sci-fi Gap series and the fantasy series Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever.
- Eric Flint
- Alan Dean Foster
- Mary Gentle
- Thomas Harlan
- Gwyneth Jones
- Katharine Kerr
- Well known for the Deverry books but has also done science fiction and cyber-punk.
- J Gregory Keyes
- Fantasy and spin-off novels for Star Wars and Babylon 5.
- Anne McCaffrey
- Famous for the Dragons of Pern and Talents of Earth series.
- Sean McMullen
- Phillip Mann
- New Zealand author.
- Julian May
- Sagas of pliocene exile and Rampart Worlds trilogy.
Andre Norton- 2005 Nebula Grand Master awardee. From 2006, SFWA presented the inaugural Andre Norton Award for an outstanding young adult science fiction or fantasy book.
- Kristine Rusch
- The Fey series and also Star Trek and Star Wars novels.
- R A Salvatore
- Star Wars and fantasy novels.
- Brian Stableford
- Sheri S Tepper
- Jack Vance
- Gene Wolfe
- Roger Zelazny
- Sarah Zettel
- David Zindell
