Hardness scale
Edit
| Hardness | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Hard | meticulously probable | traveling between stars takes a really long time |
| 2 Medium | explores one improbable physics change or technology | planck constant is localized, multiverse, |
| 3 Soft | breaks laws of physics in subtle ways, or for plot convenience. | common movie issues; breaking glass, fighting in the air, cars exploding when hit with lead slugs, faster than light travel, time travel or communication, tiny unlimited power source (iron man). |
| 4 Fantasy | blatant disregard for the laws of physics | telekinesis, ghosts, magic |
AuthorsEdit
| Author | Max Hardness | Min Hardness | Born | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adam Roberts | 4 Fantasy | 1965 | ||
| Alastair Reynolds | 1 Hard 1 | 2 Medium 1 | 1966 | |
| Alice Bradley Sheldon | 1915 | |||
| Alice Mary Norton | 1912 | |||
| Arthur C. Clarke | 1917 | |||
| Barrington Bayley | 1937 | |||
| Ben Bova | 1 Hard | 1932 | ||
| Bruce Sterling | 1 Hard | 4 Fantasy 1 2 | 1954 | |
| Catherine Asaro | 4 Fantasy 1 | 1955 | ||
| Charles Sheffield | 1935 | |||
| Charles Stross | 4 Fantasy | 1964 | ||
| Chris Moriarty | 3 Soft 1 | 1968 | crippled tech 1 | |
| Dan Simmons | 3 Soft 1 | 1948 | ||
| David Brin | 3 Soft 1 | 1950 | ||
| David Geddes Hartwell | 1941 | |||
| Eric Nylund | 3 Soft 1 | 1964 | ||
| Frederik Pohl | 1919 | |||
| Geoffrey A. Landis | 1 Hard 1 | 1955 | Dystopian 1 | |
| Greg Egan | 1 Hard 1 | 3 Soft 1 | 1961 | |
| Greg Bear | 3 Soft 1 | 1951 | ||
| Gregory Benford | 1941 | |||
| Hal Clement | 1922 | |||
| Iain M. Banks | 3 Soft 1 | 1954 | ||
| Ian McDonald | 3 Soft 1 | 1960 | inconsistent 1 | |
| Isaac Asimov | 1919 | |||
| James Blish | 1921 | |||
| James P. Hogan | 1941 | |||
| James White | 1928 | |||
| Jay Lake | 4 Fantasy | 1964 | ||
| Joan D. Vinge | 1944 | |||
| John Varley | 3 Soft 1 | 1947 | ||
| Karen Traviss | 4 Fantasy 1 | 1960 | ||
| Ken Liu | 4 Fantasy 1 | 1976 | ||
| Ken MacLeod | 3 Soft 1 | 1954 | ||
| Kim Stanley Robinson | 1 Hard 1 | 4 Non 1 | 1952 | |
| Kristi Brooks | 4 Fantasy | 1980 | ||
| Larry Niven | 1938 | |||
| Linda Nagata | 1 Hard 1 | 1960 | ||
| Liz Williams | 4 Fantasy 1 | 1965 | ||
| Megan Lindholm | 4 Fantasy | 1952 | ||
| Michael Harrison | 1945 | |||
| Michael Swanwick | 4 Fantasy | 1950 | ||
| Nancy Kress | 3 Soft 1 | 1948 | ||
| Neal Asher | 3 Soft 1 | 1961 | ||
| Neal Stephenson | 1 Hard | 1 Hard | 1959 | |
| Paul J. McAuley | 1 Hard 1 | 1955 | ||
| Peter Crowther | 4 Fantasy 1 | 1949 | ||
| Peter F. Hamilton | 3 Soft 1 | 1960 | ||
| Poul Anderson | 1926 | |||
| Ray Bradbury | 1920 | |||
| Richard Morgan | 4 Fantasy | 1965 | ||
| Robert A. Heinlein | 1907 | |||
| Robert Jordan | 4 Fantasy | 4 Fantasy | 1948 | |
| Robert L. Forward | 1932 | |||
| Robert Reed | 1935 | |||
| Robert Silverberg | 1935 | |||
| Samuel R. Delaney | 1942 | |||
| Sara King | 4 Fantasy 1 | 1982 | ||
| Stanislaw Lem | 1921 | |||
| Stephen Baxter | 3 Soft 1 | 1957 | ||
| Stephen King | 4 Fantasy | 1947 | ||
| Tobias S. Buckell | 4 Fantasy | 1979 | ||
| Tom Godwin | 1915 | |||
| Vernor Vinge | 1944 | |||
| William C. Dietz | 1945 | |||
| William Gibson | 1 Hard | 1948 | ||
| Jérôme Cigut | ||||
| Cory Doctorow | 1971 | |||
| Peter Watts | 1958 | |||
| Paul Raven | ||||
| Gareth Powell | 1970 | |||
| Allen Steele | 1958 |
