There can be a major difference between the best authors of a genre, my favorite authors of a genre, and the most influential authors of a genre.  While any top ten list like this will be somewhat controversial, here is a list of authors who have had a great and lasting influence on the science fiction genre.

#10 Douglas Adams: Douglas Adams may be one of the most popular authors on this list, and when his work first came out, they were very unique.  Adams is best known for his “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” series, which were ground breaking.  These works introduced a comedic and strange (maybe almost surreal) element to science fiction writing that is [...]