Zelazny, Matheson and Butler inducted into Science Fiction Hall of Fame this weekend

/Home/Science Fiction and Fantasy Awards

Zelazny, Matheson and Butler inducted into Science Fiction Hall of Fame this weekend
June 23, 2010
by DAN COXON
Culture Mob

It may not enjoy the high profile visitors of Cooperstown, but Seattle’s Science Fiction Hall of Fame has its own share of accomplished luminaries.

Featuring the likes of Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick, H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, its list of members reads like a who’s who of speculative literature and movies – and this Saturday, June 26, will see the addition of Roger Zelazny, Richard Matheson, Octavia E. Butler and special effects visionary Douglas Trumbull to its celebrated members.

Roger Zelazny received a total of six Hugo Awards and three Nebula Awards during his career, making him one of the most decorated science fiction writers ever. Best known for his Amber series and the critically acclaimed novels This Immortal and Lord Of Light, Zelazny died in 1995 after a battle with cancer, aged 58. The books Donnerjack and Lord Demon were left unfinished at his death, and were published posthumously with additional material by Jane Lindskold.


Richard Matheson's I Am Legend, recently made into a hit movie
Richard Matheson is just as familiar to moviegoers as he is to readers, having had several of his novels and short stories reach the big screen. In recent years Stir Of Echoes, I Am Legend and The Box (based on the short story ‘Button, Button’) have achieved international box office success, and he also wrote several memorable episodes for The Twilight Zone. Matheson’s most recent novel, Woman, was published in 2006.

Octavia E. Butler is slightly less well-known than her fellow inductees, but fans of the genre should be certain to check out her work. Mixing science fiction themes with issues of gender, race, religion and class, she developed into a powerful and distinctive voice in the genre. Her Patternist series investigates concepts of gender, power and enslavement, and her novelette Bloodchild won Butler her first Hugo and Nebula Awards in 1984. Butler was also a Seattle native, moving to the city from California in 1999. She passed away in Lake Forest Park, WA, in 2006, aged 58.

Tickets for the induction ceremony are available via the Locus website, and the event will form part of the Science Fiction Awards Weekend (June 25-27, 2010). The Science Fiction Hall of Fame has been located at the Science Fiction Museum - part of the EMP building at Seattle Center - since 1996. For more information on visiting the museum please visit the EMP/SFM website.