Fact or Fiction: Which Mars Science Fiction Author Are You Most Closely Connected To?

Question

This week's Example Profile of the Week is Ray Bradbury, author of the Martian Chronicles, in honor of the planet Mars being in opposition to Earth this week. 

Featured alongside him are other science fictions authors who have imagined life on Mars:

• Edgar Rice Burroughs
• Isaac Asimov
• H.G. Wells
• Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
• Frederik Pohl, Jr.
• Robert Heinlein
• Sir Arthur C. Clarke
• Philip K. Dick

Who are you most closely connected to? If you're one of the 20,613,000 of us who are connected to each other on our big tree you can check with the Connection Finder.

You can also check for shared ancestors with the Relationship Finder. Are you a cousin to any of them?

Let us know below!

P.S. Help us choose and improve profiles for next week's feature: Nobel Prize-Winning Scientists.

Comments

Rather than calculate each one, I will wait for my Family News feed.  I have read very little science fiction.  Onre of my favorite quotes is from Isaac Asimov:

"Never let your sense of morality get in the way of doing what's right."

Asimov

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What about Kim Stanley Robinson?

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Hello Dan,

He's still living, so he wasn't an option. Hee'll definitely be on that list someday, though! I own the Mars series :-)

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Ray Bradbury would be a cousin I would be very proud to have in my tree... But it's not connected yet! (I think, I have never had a positive connection yet, any suggestions?)

Mary Wollestoncraft Godwin Shelley would be a nice anchor to explore.

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Ray Bradbury is my 5th cousin once removed That's the closest I get to any of them.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Stanley_Robinson

She's a he.

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Isaac Asimov and Edgar Burroughs are neck-and-neck for me: 25 degrees each.

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17 from Burroughs, but fewer marriages on the path to Clarke, Bradbury, and Heinlein.

Answer 1

I am most closely connected to Isaac Asimov at 23 degrees.

Answer 2

Ray Bradbury, of course - since he has Swedish ancestry.

My connection through a bit of sideways movement is 20 degrees, which is a shorter path than my blood relationship to him. Ray Bradbury is my 11th cousin twice removed :-)

Answer 3

I am 19 Degrees from Edgar Burroughs. He is also my 7th cousin 5 times removed. :)

Answer 4

Ray Bradbury 14 degrees 6th cousin once removed, paternal side.

Edgar Rice Burroughs 16 degrees 7th cousin once removed, maternal side.

I have read work from all except Phillip K Dick.

Answer 5

Closest is Kurt Vonnegut at 16 degrees.  I'd rather it had been one of the others.  Vonnegut is a great writer, but science is less than central to most of his science fiction.  Next up: Heinlein at 18 degrees.

Answer 6

Closest to Edgar Rice Burroughs 17 degrees; and we are 7th cousins 3X removed through common ancestor John Bent.

Ray Bradbury is 21 degrees; however, we have a distant 20th cousin relationship through Robert de Holland.

Answer 7

Edgar Rice Burroughs 18 degrees, 6th cousins 5x removed, MRCA Robert Parke b. 1654 Parke-161
Ray Bradbury 20 degrees, 12th cousins 3x removed, MRCA John Goodwin b. 1510 Goodwin-72
Robert Heinlein, 20 degrees
Kurt Vonnegut, 21 degrees
Isaac Asimov 22 degrees
Philip Dick, 22 degrees
Frederik Phol, 28 degrees
H G Wells, 28 degrees
Arthur Clarke 34 degrees

Answer 8

I am most closely connected to Burroughs at 21 degrees, followed by Wells at 22.  Clarke is a distant 36.

Answer 9

I've been a serious sci fi fan for over 50 years now and have read pretty much everything they've all written. I'd love to be related to each and every one of them but can only claim a cousin relationship with Edgar Rice Burroughs. Darn!

Answer 10

Burroughs - 18 degrees - 12th cousins twice removed

Asimov - 21 degrees

Wells - 28 degrees

Vonnegut - 23 degrees

Pohl - 27 degrees

Heinlein - 23 degrees

Clarke - 36 degrees

Dick - 24 degrees

Answer 11

The "closest" for me is Isaac Azimov, at 21 degrees. At the other end is Clarke at 37 degrees. I note that they are almost all American (and the other two are English), and all male :-(

Comments

Hi Isabelle,

There was only one woman mentioned, and she didn't have any Mars novels (searched through all her work and though sci fi, didn't see Mars referenced; I've only read le Guin's fantasy). I depend on what people suggest in the G2G post, and there wasn't a lot of variety in authors. We've got the list of scientists related to Mars on a list for future use, though. That has more variety in location, though still not many women or ethnicities.

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Oh, it's quite alright :-)

This is just a week that is a bit "less interesting" in terms of connections for me. Not to worry, next week will be different!

Answer 12

Ray Bradbury:

"Ray and Julie are 11th cousins twice removed"

Answer 13

We really should have put Douglas Adams in that list. =) 

Anyway, I appear to have a close connection with Isaac Asimov. by 21 degrees. Cool. 

I also have a connection with Ray Bradbury which is funny because I once did a book report on Fahrenheit 451. 

Comments

Chris, I probably did a book report on each of them as part of the college English class Science Fiction (in the early 70s).

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It was college for me as well. Good writers. I think Isaac was a consultant on a little show you might have heard of. Created by some guy named Gene. Gene....Roddenberry. =)

Answer 14

I am

-13th cousin twice removed to Edgar Burroughs Relationship

-15th cousin twice removed to Ray Bradbury. Relationship

Answer 15

Isaac Asimov 19 degrees

Ray Bradbury 21 degrees 17th cousin MCRA Robert Puleston (1358-?)

Edgar Rice Burroughs 18 degrees 14th cousin twice removed (uncertainty, my side) MCRA Richard Greville (1431-?)

Arthur C. Clarke 34 degrees

Phillip Dick 20 degrees

Robert Heinlein 21 degrees

Frederick Pohl 29 degrees

Kurt Vonnegut 20 degrees

H. G. Wells 25 degrees

Comments

Ray Bradbury - 16 degrees

Actually, also 22nd cousin 2x removed through Alexander Stewart (1214-1283). I love my Scots!

Answer 16

• 23 degrees from Isaac Asimov
• 22 degrees from Ray Bradbury
• 21 degrees from Edgar Burroughs
• 37 degrees from Arthur Clarke
• 26 degrees from Philip Dick
• 23 degrees from Robert Heinlein
• 29 degrees from Frederik Pohl
• 23 degrees from Kurt Vonnegut
• 28 degrees from H G Wells

As an old SF fan I am almost disappointed I am not closer to any of these folks!

Comments

I am a decendant of the Hubble family.

Answer 17

• 22 degrees from Isaac Asimov
• 18 degrees from Ray Bradbury
• 18 degrees from Edgar Burroughs
• 37 degrees from Arthur Clarke
• 22 degrees from Philip Dick
• 19 degrees from Robert Heinlein
• 27 degrees from Frederik Pohl
• 22 degrees from Kurt Vonnegut
• 26 degrees from H G Wells

Answer 18

I am most closely connected to Edgar Burroughs at 21 degrees.

• 21 degrees from Edgar Burroughs
• 22 degrees from Robert Heinlein
• 22 degrees from Kurt Vonnegut
• 23 degrees from Ray Bradbury
• 24 degrees from Isaac Asimov
• 26 degrees from Philip Dick
• 30 degrees from Frederik Pohl
• 31 degrees from H G Wells
• 36 degrees from Arthur Clarke

Answer 19

No direct relationship to any of them.  The closest connection is to Kurt Vonnegut at 21 degrees.

Answer 20

Issac Asimov  20 degrees

Ray Bradbury  19 degrees  10th cousins  Edward Jowett Jowett-84

Edgar Rice Burroughs  18 degrees  16th cousins once removed  Richard (Venables) de Venables  Venabes-32

Sir Arthur C Clarke  26 degrees

Philip K Dick  21 degrees

Robert Heinlein  21 degrees

Frederick Pohl, Jr.  26 degrees

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.  20 degrees

K.G. Wells  27 degrees

Kelsey Jackson Williams  23 degrees  10th cousins twice removed  Johannes Theodorus Polhemius II  Polhemius-3