Speculative Fiction Books and Authors Quiz

Answer: Umberto Eco

Eco was an Italian medieval historian, social commentator and semiotician (a studier of signs and symbols and their interpretation, a la Dan Brown's character Robert Langdon). "The Name of the Rose" was a historical mystery set in a 14th century monastery.

In "Foucault's Pendulum" three bored publishing house editors amuse themselves by inventing a conspiracy theory involving an alleged treasure amassed by the Knights Templar; it's all fun and games until some powerful people start taking it seriously. Eco's 1997 book "Kant and the Platypus" concerned semiotics and was so dense he warned his fans "You have to stay on every page for two weeks with your pencil.

In other words, don't buy it if you are not Einstein."

Answer: Terry Brooks

Brooks began his fantasy writing career in 1977 with "The Sword of Shannara". It was the beginning of a series that lasted through 2020. "Running with the Demon" was part of the "The Word and the Void" series which was eventually absorbed into "Shannara". Turns out that the elves, like Brooks himself, live in America's Pacific Northwest. What a coincidence! "

Child of Light" is Brooks's 2021 novel which begins a new fantasy series. He has written a fourth fantasy series and was chosen to write the novelization of the movie "Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace".

Answer: Dorothy Dunnett

"The Game of Kings" would become the first book in Dunnett's "Lymond Chronicles". It was rejected by five British publishers in 1961 before being accepted by an American company. The series eventually comprised six novels. Following those, "Scales of Gold" was part of an eight novel prequel to the "Lymond Chronicles". "King Hereafter" was Dunnett's supposition that real-life Scottish rulers Thorfinn, Earl of Orkney and Macbeth were the same person.

Answer: Stephen King

King began writing stories at a young age; his mother encouraged him by giving him twenty-five cents for each one he wrote. By high school he was sending stories to inexpensive (pulp) fiction magazines and getting some of them published. After graduating from college his stories were published in more adult magazines but not earning him much money.

The classic account of King's breakthrough concerns the novel "Carrie", about a disliked high school girl who had some supernatural powers. He had written a few pages one night, didn't like it and tossed the pages in the waste basket. His wife, Tabitha, found the papers the next day, read them, and convinced him he had a good story idea and should pursue it. Thus was born a career that now includes 60 or more novels and short story collections, several of which have been made into movies or television shows. Though known as the "Master of Horror" he has proven himself adept at writing fantasy, sci-fi and alternative history.

Answer: Karleen Koen

American writer Koen graduated from North Texas State University, majoring in English, in 1970. She edited a Texas magazine for a few years then left to be a homemaker. To pass the time at home she started writing a historical fiction about a teenaged girl named Barbara Alderly in the eighteenth-century.

She titled it "Through a Glass Darkly" and sent it to a literary agent who helped Koen finish and refine it and then sold it to Random House Publishing who paid $350,000 for it; in 1985 that was a record for a new novelist. "Now Face to Face" was a sequel of the first book and she has written others in the historical fiction genre.

Answer: John Jakes

Jakes started earning money as a writer similar to other authors in this quiz by selling stories to pulp magazines while he was in college. He has written science fiction, fantasy and western and other types of historical fiction. His eight-novel series "The Kent Family Chronicles", of which "The Seekers" is one, commemorates the 200th anniversary of America's Declaration of Independence.

The series has sold millions of copies as has his series "North and South", a trilogy of two military academy students who found themselves on different sides in the American Civil War. "Mention My Name in Atlantis" (with an exceptionally long subtitle) is a humorous fantasy tale about the sinking of the continent of Atlantis.

Answer: Ray Bradbury

Bradbury originally wanted to be a stage magician; writing just kind of happened. Though regarded as one of the deans of science fiction he resisted that label. Science fiction, he said, was "the art of the possible" so while he considered "Fahrenheit 451" as a science fiction book, he thought of "The Martian Chronicles" as a fantasy story. "Chronicles" is about people leaving earth following a nuclear war, landing on Mars and interacting with Martian people.

His writing beginnings are a familiar story: selling stories to pulp magazines.

His break came in 1947 when his story "Homecoming", which he had submitted to "Mademoiselle" magazine, was noticed by one of the magazine's editorial assistants, Truman Capote (who would go on to make a name for himself), and was published.

In later years he wrote mystery and detective novels.

Answer: Isabel Allende

Allende, who is from Chile, has been called one of the world's most widely read Spanish-language authors. Her works are often based on her personal experiences and historical events and contain myth and magical realism. Her early career was as an editor and children's book author. Pablo Neruda, a Chilean poet, convinced her to be a novelist. Following a coup in Chile she escaped to Venezuela. While there she received word that her grandfather was dying. She started to write him a letter which turned into the novel "The House of the Spirits", a book which traced four generations of a Chilean family through social and political upheavals; elements of magical realism in the story blurred the line between realism and fantasy. "Daughter of Fortune" is a reimagining of life in Chile in the mid-nineteenth century.

Allende has been much-awarded; in 2010 she received Chile's National Literature Prize and U.S. President Barack Obama awarded her the 2014 Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Answer: Diana Gabaldon

Diana Gabaldon has a bachelor of science degree in zoology from Northern Arizona University, a master of science degree in marine biology from the University of California, San Diego and a doctorate in behavioral ecology, again from Northern Arizona University - so she became a fiction novelist!

Actually, after earning her doctorate she became a professor at Arizona State University. To become a better writer she decided to try writing a novel, just to see how it was done. As a researcher she decided a historical novel would best suit her. While working on it she saw the "The War Games" episode of "Doctor Who". The Doctor's companion was an 18th century Scot. Gabaldon changed her novel-project into a time travel story. It was so well-received that she and her publishers envisioned a series of books, called the "Outlander" series, to eventually total 10 books. It has been turned into a television series. Her novels often borrow from several genres to tell their story.

Answer: Isaac Asimov

Asimov came to America from Russia in 1923 at age three. In what seems to be a common thread of the men in this quiz he started reading pulp fiction magazines at a young age. After completing his college years, including a doctorate in chemistry from Columbia University, he joined the faculty of the Boston University School of Medicine. Within three years, though, he was earning more from writing than from teaching.

Many of his science fiction books became parts of the "Foundation", "Galactic Empire" and "Robot" series. He was responsible for the "Three Laws of Robotics", first introduced in his 1942 short story "Runaround" and which have guided many authors of science fiction over the years since. Although his name is very familiar to science fiction fans he wrote more books of nonfiction, including such weighty subjects as chemistry, astronomy and religion. He is credited with coining the terms "robotics" and "positronic".