11 to 07
11. Simon Stålenhag
Even if you haven’t seen the art of Stålenhag you’ve certainly seen its imitators. The mundane scene of suburban life penetrated by a single element of science fiction has become the most copied idea in contemporary illustration. A Netflix streaming show didn’t quite capture the transreal heart of Stålenhag’s storytelling, which remains best experienced in the print editions of his art books.
10. Becky Chambers
The world didn’t know it needed the space opera reinvented as delightful character portraiture, until Becky Chambers launched a Kickstarter to write and self-publish exactly that. It seems increasingly that the future of publishing is in amplifying the success of stories that have first proven themselves in self-publishing.
09. Syama Pedersen
Unreal Engine has quietly become the tool storytellers always dreamed of, a way to visualise their imagination in real-world, real-time detail. Syama Pedersen borrowed the Warhammer 40k IP to create Astartes, a mind-numbingly well realised animated series that wracked up tens of millions of views, before Games Workshop recruited its creator.
08. Adam Roberts
English novelist and academic Adam Roberts has quietly but assuredly established himself as the 21st century H G Wells. No other science fiction author working today comes close to the depth and breadth of vision that Adam Robert’s prolific output of novels encapsulates.
07. Jon Favreau
The Marvel Cinematic Universe looked doomed to mediocrity before Favreau rescued it with his first Iron Man movie. He has guided that shared universe ever since, then repeated the same miracle for Disney by resuscitating the rebooted Star Wars franchise with The Mandalorian.
Subscribe to the Science Fiction podcast
Insights and interviews on the art and craft of 21st century myth making.
Damien Walter 
My wife and I turned “Dune” off after an hour. We didn’t like it at all.
LikeLike
I went ahead and watched it. Part 2 is much better. But still, it does not tell the complete story as the previous movies.
LikeLike
Great article, you’ve fueled a half dozen Holds to be placed at my local library. I like your spread of formats/media, I feel that your fascination with technology and medium-as-message (as you put it) really enrich your insights and analysis.
I love Denis as much as anyone, but I’m sad that his new entry into Dune’s canon means we won’t see someone attempt to produce Jodorowski’s Dune for at least another decade or two now.
LikeLike