Lit - NAQT You Gotta Know These Authors of Speculative Fiction

Asimov's "Three Laws of Robotics"

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. 2. A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. 3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First of Second Laws.

George Orwell-3

After taking part in the Spanish Civil War and growing alarmed at the authoritarian nature of Russian communism, This man wrote the 1945 novel Animal Farm as an allegory of the Russian Revolution and its aftermath.

Douglas Adams - 2

After working on Monty Python's Flying Circus, this man created the BBC radio series The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy, which premiered in 1978. The radio series became the basis of a series of novels (The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy; The Restaurant at the End of the Universe; Life, the Universe, and Everything; So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish; Mostly Harmless; and the authorized sequel And Another Thing..., which was written by the Artemis Fowl author Eoin Colfer after Adams died.

Aldous Huxley-2

Although this man depicted his own social milieu in novels such as Chrome Yellow and Point Counter Point, he is best known for writing about a dystopian "World State" in the novel Brave New World.

Ray Bradbury - 5

Another theme that recurs in this man's works is censorship and the importance of literature

Isaac Asimov - 3

Before this man, most stories about artificial life had followed the template established by Shelley's Frankenstein, in which a scientist who tries to usurp God's power to create life is ultimately destroyed by his own creation.

Douglas Adams - 3

Beside the Hitchhiker series, this man also co-authored two books offering comic definitions of British place names (The Meaning of Liff and The Deeper meaning of Liff), and wrote a pair of novels about the supernatural adventures of the private investigator Dirk Gently (Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency and The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul).

Isaac Asimov - 5

By using his "Three Laws of Robotics" in dozens of stories (some of which were collected in the book I, Robot), this man helped to promote a conception of robots as useful machines rather than inhuman monsters.

Kurt Vonnegut - 2

During World War II, this man was a prisoner of war in Germany, and lived through the Allied firebombing of Dresden.

Isaac Asimov - 2

During the 1930's and 1940's "Golden Age" of science fiction pulp magazines, this man worked closely with the Astounding Science Fiction editor John W. Campbell Jr. to create stories such as "Nightfall," which describes a rare moment of darkness on a planet with multiple suns, and "Robbie," the first of this man's many works about robots with positron brains.

Brave New World-1

Extrapolating from Henry Ford's model of industrial production and contemporary advances in biochemistry, this book imagined a world in which the fictional "Bokanovsky's Process" is used to create human clones, which are then modified to possess different intellectual abilities, and sorted into social castes named after the Greek letters Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon.

Margaret Atwood - 2

In 1985 this woman published The Handmaid's Tale, which portrays a dystopian near-future in which the United States has been replaced by the patriarchal Republic of Gilead.

Margaret Atwood - 4

In addition to her speculative works, this woman has also written historical fiction (Alias Grace and The Blind Assassin, the latter of which contains a character who is a science fiction author), novels about relations between female friends (Cat's Eye and the Robber Bride), and a retelling of Homer's Odyssey from a female point of view (The Penelopiad).

The Handmaid's Tale - 2

In an epilogue for this novel set in 2195, the archives Professor Pieixoto discusses Offred's unknown fate.

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

In this 1870 Verne novel, the narrator Pierre Aronnax offers extensive commentary on marine biology while accompanying the mysterious Captain Nemo on a voyage in the submarine Nautilus.

Around the World in Eighty Days-1

In this 1873 Verne novel, which considered the possibilities presented by new forms of transportation, describes a trip taken by the Englishman Phileas Fogg and his French valet Jean Passepartout, undertaken to win a bet with the members of the Reform Club..

The Time Machine-1

In this 1895 Wells novella, a "Time-Traveller" visits the year 802,701 A.D., and learns that humanity has diverged into two different species-the surface-dwelling Eloi, who are gentle and beautiful but intellectually limited, and the subterranean Morlocks, who resemble apes but are strong and clever enough to use the Eloi as livestock.

The Island of Doctor Moreau

In this 1896 Wells novel, the shipwrecked Edward Prendick discovers that the title vivisectionist performs painful experiments to transform animals into human-like "Beast Folk."

The War of the Worlds-1

In this 1897 Wells novel, the anonymous narrator observes a Martian spaceship that lands in Surrey, and flees the "Tripods" and "Black Smoke" that the Martians use as weapons in the conquest of the Earth.

The Invisible Man

In this Wells novel, a student of physics named Griffin plans to use his invisibility to enact a "reign of terror," but his invisibility makes it difficult for him to exist in society, and he is eventually killed by an angry crowd.

The War of the Worlds-2

In this Wells novel, the invaders easily overcome human resistance, but eventually perish from lack of immunity to Earth microbes.

The Time Machine-2

In this Wells work, the Time-Traveller speculates that the Eloi are descended from aristocrats who were once served by the ancestors of the Morlocks.

Mary Shelly-5

In this author's 1826 novel, The Last Man, Lionel Verney attempts to survive a 21st-century plague that devastates human civilization.

Brave New World-5

In this book, John grows disgusted with "civilization," and after the World Controller Mustapha Mond forbids John from living on an isolated island with the aspiring writer Helmholtz Watson, John unsuccessfully tries to retreat from society, and eventually hangs himself.

Brave New World-4

In this book, John is initially delighted to meet the World State residents Bernard Marx and Lenina Crowne, and excitedly quotes the "Brave New World" speech from Shakespeare's play the Tempest.

Frankenstein-3

In this book, Mary Shelley wrote about the Swiss scientist Victor Frankenstein, who reanimates dead tissue and creates a monster.

Frankenstein-4

In this book, the monster murders the title character's brother William, his friend Henry Clerval, and his wife Elizabeth before fleeing to the Arctic.

Brave New World-3

In this book, the shallow pleasures of the World State are contrasted with the ideals of John the Savage, a young man who grew up on a New Mexico Reservation.

Jules Verne-2

In this man's 1864 novel Journey to the Center of the Earth, Professor Otto Lindenbrock explains contemporary theories of geology and paleontology as he leads and expedition that travels beneath the Earth's crust from Iceland to the Italian volcano Stromboli.

Around the World in Eighty Days-2

In this novel, Phileas Fogg falls in love with an Indian woman named Aouda, and is pursued by the the Scotland Yard detective Fix. Fogg ultimately wins his bet to return to the Reform Club within eighty days of his departure, with the help of of an an extra day gained by crossing the International Date Line.

Animal Farm-2

In this novel, Snowball is ousted by his fellow pig Napoleon, who exploits the other animals, sends the horse Boxer to be slaughtered, and degrades the principles of Animalism to "all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

Animal Farm-1

In this novel, barnyard animals revolt against their owner, and try to create a more equitable society under the leadership of the pig Snowball, who developed the principles of "Animalism," such as "four legs good, two legs bad."

Cat's Cradle - 1

In this novel, ice-nine was created by the atomic scientist Felix Hoenikker, whose life is researched by the narrator John.

Nineteen Eighty-Four - 1

In this novel, set in in a future Britain (known as Oceania) under the harsh rule of "Big Brother," Winston Smith and his lover Julia try to rebel against Big Brother, but are tortured into compliance in the Ministry of Love.

Frankenstein-5

In this novel, the title character pursues his creation, and tells his story to the explorer Robert Walton before dying.

The Hitchhiker Series - 2

In this series, Arthur and his friend Ford Prefect travel on a starship named the Heart of Gold, along with the "paranoid android" Marvin, the two-headed galactic president Zaphod Beeblebrox, and the human scientist Trillian.

The Hitchhiker Series - 3

In this series, Arthur discovers that the "answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything" is 42 (although the question itself remains unknown), and characters in this series sometimes consult the title reference work, which offers the advice "Don't panic," encourages hitchhikers to carry towels at all times, and provides the recipe for a drink called the "Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster."

Slaughterhouse-5

In this work, Billy Pilgrim travels between the present, past, and future as he is captured by the German army, witnesses the destruction of Dresden, becomes a prosperous optometrist in the town of Ilium, is kidnapped by aliens and placed in a zoo along with the actress Montana Wildhack, and is eventually assassinated.

Fahrenheit 451 - 2

In this work, Montag begins to question his profession after meeting the free-spirited Clarisse McClellan, and secretly preserves books to read, leading to a rebuke from Fire Captain Beatty.

Fahrenheit 451 - 3

In this work, Montag is eventually pursued by a robotic attack dog called the "Mechanical Hound," but escapes to join a community of rebels who memorize classic works of literature.

Cat's Cradle - 2

One thread in this novel concerns the "bittersweet lies" of the prophet Bokonon, who lives on the Caribbean island of San Lorenzo, and comments on human stupidity after an accident that occurs during the funeral of the San Lorenzan dictator Papa Monzano causes ice-nine to fall into the ocean, destroying almost all life on earth.

Kurt Vonnegut - 4

Slaughterhouse-5 contains a number of elements that recur in some of this man's novels, including the veteran Eliot Rosewater, aliens from the planet Tralfamadore, the unsuccessful science fiction writer Kilgore Trout, and members of the wealthy Rumfoord family.

Ray Bradbury - 3

Small towns on Earth and Mars are the setting of many stories in this man's 1950 collection The Martian Chronicles, which is made up of loosely connected works about the expeditions of human astronauts, the displacement of indigenous Martians as human settlers arrive, and a nuclear war that destroys most life on earth.

Ray Bradbury - 2

The Illinois community of Green Town is the setting of this man's novels Dandelion Wine and Something Wicked This Way Comes.

Frankenstein-1

The idea for this work came to Shelley while she was taking part in a friendly writing competition at Lord Byron's villa on Lake Geneva.

Brave New World-2

The inhabitants of this book's World State enjoy a prosperous existence, immersive entertainment known as Feelies, and drug soma, but lack family connections and spiritual fulfillment.

Ray Bradbury (1920-2012) - 1

This American's science fiction and fantasy stories often contain nostalgic elements related to his Midwestern childhood.

Isaac Asimov (1920-1992) - 1

This American, along with Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke, was one of genre science fiction's "Big Three" writers.

Fahrenheit 451 - 1

This Bradbury work where "firemen" burn books includes Guy Montag, a fireman whose wife Mildred is deeply depressed and addicted to television programs that she watches on large "parlor" walls,

Herbert George Wells (1866-1946)

This British author used speculative fiction to explore the social issues of his day from a left wing perspective.

Mary Shelly (1797-1851)-1

This British author was the daughter of the philosophers William Goodwin and Mary Wollstonecraft (who wrote A Vindication on the Rights of Women).

Douglas Adams (1952-2001) - 1

This British author wrote comic science fiction and fantasy novels that poked fun at genre tropes and the quirks of British culture.

George Orwell (1903-1950)-1

This British author, whose real name was Eric Arthur Blair, condemned the totalitarian government of Joseph Stalin in the fantasy Animal Farm and the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Jules Verne (1828-1905)-1

This French author offered a brighter version of technological progress in his novels of adventure, many of which doubled as works of popular science.

Aldous Huxley (1894-1963)-1

This author belonged to a prominent family of British intellectuals that included the Victorian evolutionist Thomas Henry Huxley.

Mary Shelley-4

This author's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or the Modern Prometheus helped to lay the groundwork for modern science fiction by contrasting Enlightenment ideas of progress with a Romantic conception of nature as an untamable force.

Ray Bradbury - 4

This man also wrote about Mars in several stories that appear in his collection The Illustrated Man, whose title character has tattoos that foretell the future.

Kurt Vonnegut - 5

This man also wrote the novel Cat's Cradle, which describes a substance called "ice-nine" that instantly turns liquid water into a solid.

Isaac Asimov - 4

This man challenged the ideas portrayed in Frankenstein, and created the "Three Laws of Robotics," which robots in his stories are obliged to follow.

Isaac Asimov - 7

This man eventually linked his Robot and Foundation series into a far-reaching "history of the future," which also includes his novels The Caves of Steel, Pebble in the Sky, and The Stars, Like Dust.

Isaac Asimov - 6

This man is known for his Foundation series, which was inspired by Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.

Kurt Vonnegut - 3

This man's experience as a POW was the basis for his novel Slaughterhouse-5, in which the soldier Billy Pilgrim becomes "unstuck in time," and perceives his life in a non-linear fashion.

Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007) - 1

This man's fiction provides a darkly humorous response to the absurdities and violence of the twentieth century.

George Orwell-2

This man's speculative fiction was part of a wide-ranging body of work that also included attacks on British colonialism (the essay, "Shooting an Elephant," and the novel Burmese Days), first hand accounts of war (Homage to Catalonia) and poverty (Down and Out in Paris and London, The Road to Wigan Pier), and works of cultural criticism, (the essay "Politics and the English Language).

Nineteen Eighty-Four - 2

This novel describes the distortion of the English language for political purposes ("Newspeak"), and introduced many words and phrases that are still used with reference to oppressive governments (thoughtcrime, doublethink, memory hole, "we've always been at war with Eastasia," "war is peace," "Big Brother is watching you").

Frankenstein-2

This novel was inspired by Luigi Galvani's experiments in "animal electricity."

The Foundation Series

This series begins when the "psychohistorian" Hari Seldon realizes that the Galactic Empire will soon fall, and creates the title organization to limit the length of the ensuing Dark Age.

The Hitchhiker Series - 1

This series focuses on Arthur Dent, and ordinary Englishman who becomes one of the last humans in the universe after Earth is destroyed by the alien Vogons.

Margaret Atwood (1939-present) - 1

This woman is one of Canada's most prominent authors literary fiction, having written multiple works that combine speculative elements with psychological realism.

Mary Shelley-3

This woman was a product of both the Enlightenment and the Romantic eras.

Mary Shelly-2

This woman was the wife of the poet Percy Bysshe Shelly.

Margaret Atwood - 3

This woman wrote a trilogy set in a post-apocalyptic world where corporations have created bioengineered diseases and people (Oryx and Crake, The Year of the Flood, and MaddAddam).

Robot

This word was introduced by the Czech author Karel Capek in the 1920 play R.U.R., which depicts the worldwide uprising of "Rossum's Universal Robots.

The Handmaid's Tale - 1

This work is narrated by Offred, whose role as a "handmaid"is to bear children for the "Commander" and his wife Serena Joy. Offered flees her oppressive existence with the help of Nick, a chauffeur who claims to be a member of the underground Mayday resistance movement.