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 |
Authors
Edit
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 | ||
Brandon Q. Morris | 1 Hard | |||
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 |