Curated playlist

Science Fiction Hall of Fame inductees

David BowieDavid Bowie died two days after releasing his final album. He planned Blackstar as a parting gift while privately dying.
George OrwellGeorge Orwell was a pen name, chosen from a shortlist in 1932. He was born Eric Arthur Blair in British India.
J. R. R. TolkienOn his 21st birthday, Tolkien proposed by letter to a woman who was already engaged.
Steven SpielbergSteven Spielberg walked into Universal Studios without a pass, and the guard waved him in.
C. S. LewisC. S. Lewis died the same afternoon President Kennedy was shot. His death was almost swallowed by the news from Dallas.
H. P. LovecraftH. P. Lovecraft died in 1937 virtually unknown to readers. His monsters later became global touchstones.
Stanley KubrickAfter copycat crimes and death threats, Stanley Kubrick pulled A Clockwork Orange from release in the United Kingdom.
George LucasGeorge Lucas turned down a higher directing fee for Star Wars. He asked for toy and merchandise rights instead.
Jules VerneJules Verne has been the second most-translated author in the world since 1979. Only Agatha Christie ranks higher.
Mary ShelleyMary Shelley conceived Frankenstein in a waking dream after Lord Byron proposed a ghost story contest.
Hayao MiyazakiHayao Miyazaki was told as a boy he would not live past 20. He went on to found Studio Ghibli in 1985.
Kurt VonnegutKurt Vonnegut survived the bombing of Dresden by hiding in an underground meat locker.
H. G. WellsH. G. Wells described atomic bombs in a 1914 novel. Physicist León Szilárd later said reading it stayed with him.
Jim HensonJim Henson made the first Kermit from a halved table tennis ball and his mother's old coat.
Neil GaimanNeil Gaiman is the first author to win both the Carnegie Medal and the Newbery Medal for the same book.
James CameronJames Cameron dropped alone to the deepest point on Earth in 2012. He stayed more than three hours on the bottom.
Guillermo del ToroAt about eight, Guillermo del Toro filmed a serial killer potato with a Super 8 camera. It sought world domination.
Philip K. DickPhilip K. Dick died four months before Blade Runner opened. He never saw the film that made his name famous.
Poul AndersonPoul Anderson's typewriter now sits in a Berkeley bookshop. His widow donated it after he died in 2001.
Stan LeeStan Lee used a pen name because comic books embarrassed him. He wanted his real name saved for a novel he never wrote.
Edgar Rice BurroughsEdgar Rice Burroughs wrote Tarzan after failing as a mine manager and pencil-sharpener wholesaler.
John WilliamsSteven Spielberg laughed at John Williams's two-note Jaws theme, thinking it was a joke.
Jack KirbyJack Kirby was drafted in 1943 and became a scout who drew reconnaissance maps in towns.
Arthur C. ClarkeArthur C. Clarke never patented his satellite idea. He called a patent "a licence to be sued."
Ridley ScottRidley Scott once ranked 31st out of 31 in his school class. He later kept that report on his office wall.
Isaac AsimovIsaac Asimov coined the word "robotics" in a 1941 story, thinking it was just a natural term.
Michael MoorcockMichael Moorcock created Elric as a reversal of the comfort fantasy that followed Tolkien.
Roger ZelaznyA story by Roger Zelazny traveled to Mars in 2008. "A Rose for Ecclesiastes" rode on a DVD aboard the Phoenix lander.
Jack VanceJack Vance memorized an eye chart to join the Merchant Marine. He later kept writing novels after going legally blind.
A. MerrittAuthor A. Merritt was a major influence on H. P. Lovecraft. His day job was editing a Sunday magazine.
Fritz LeiberFritz Leiber is credited with coining the term "sword and sorcery".
Donald A. WollheimDonald A. Wollheim, the American science fiction editor, publisher, writer and fan, picked up a telephone in 1964 and called Professor J. R. R. Tolkien. According to Wollheim's daughter Betsy, Tolkien answered that he would never allow his…
Leigh BrackettLeigh Brackett's last draft of a Star Wars sequel was thrown out. She still received a screenplay credit.