New Mexico is a genuine science fiction capital: George R.R. Martin writes A Song of Ice and Fire from Santa Fe, Roger Zelazny lived and wrote there, Grand Master Jack Williamson taught in Portales, and Walter Jon Williams and Daniel Abraham (co-author of The Expanse) round out a remarkable community. Anchored by Santa Fe and Albuquerque, the long-running Bubonicon convention, and the Jack Williamson Special Collection at Eastern New Mexico University, the state has hosted one of the densest concentrations of SF and fantasy talent in the country. This is a reader's path into it. For the collecting view, see the New Mexico science fiction collecting guide; for the full canon, Best Books Set in New Mexico.
Published June 2026 · Curated by Josh Eldred, New Mexico Literacy Project
A Song of Ice and Fire — George R. R. Martin
The most famous fantasy series of the era, written from Martin's longtime home in Santa Fe — where he also restored the Jean Cocteau Cinema. Begin with A Game of Thrones. Martin's Albuquerque-rooted Wild Cards shared-world anthologies, co-edited with Melinda Snodgrass, are the other essential strand of his New Mexico work.
Lord of Light — Roger Zelazny
One of the great stylists in the field, Zelazny lived in Santa Fe for the latter part of his life. Lord of Light won the Hugo Award, and his Chronicles of Amber remains a fantasy landmark. A central figure of the New Mexico SF community until his death in 1995.
The Humanoids — Jack Williamson
The "dean of science fiction" and an SFWA Grand Master, Williamson taught for decades at Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, which houses the Jack Williamson Special Collection. His career spanned the pulps to the modern era; The Humanoids and the story "With Folded Hands" are the classics to start with.
Hardwired — Walter Jon Williams
A Nebula Award–winning New Mexico author with a wide range, from the cyberpunk classic Hardwired to the space-opera Dread Empire's Fall series. One of the most accomplished living SF writers based in the state.
Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse) — James S. A. Corey
The hit space-opera series and basis for the acclaimed TV show, written under the pen name James S.A. Corey by Albuquerque's Daniel Abraham with Ty Franck. Abraham — also a major fantasy author in his own right (The Long Price Quartet) — is a cornerstone of the contemporary Albuquerque SF scene.
A Very Large Array: New Mexico Science Fiction and Fantasy — ed. Melinda M. Snodgrass
The book that documents the phenomenon: an anthology of stories whose only common thread is that every author lives in New Mexico — Williamson, Zelazny, Martin, Snodgrass, Walter Jon Williams, and more. The single best way to grasp how deep the state's SF bench runs.
The New Mexico SF community
The talent here isn't a coincidence — it's a community. Writers drew other writers; Bubonicon (Albuquerque's SF convention) and the shared-world Wild Cards project knit them together, and the Jack Williamson Lectureship in Portales has brought the field's biggest names to eastern New Mexico for decades. The full speculative-fiction shelf, including the state's deep fantasy and horror catalog, is gathered in the New Mexico speculative fiction collecting guide.
Frequently asked questions
Which famous science fiction authors live in New Mexico?
George R.R. Martin (Santa Fe), the late Roger Zelazny (Santa Fe), Grand Master Jack Williamson (Portales/ENMU), Walter Jon Williams, and Daniel Abraham (Albuquerque, co-author of The Expanse).
Why is New Mexico a science fiction hub?
A dense, decades-old community of SF writers, the Bubonicon convention, and the Jack Williamson Special Collection at ENMU — captured in the anthology A Very Large Array.
Where should I start?
With A Game of Thrones, Zelazny's Lord of Light, or Williamson's The Humanoids.
Cite This Guide
Eldred, J. (June 2026). Best New Mexico Science Fiction & Fantasy. New Mexico Literacy Project.
https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/best-new-mexico-science-fiction-fantasy
Original curation by Josh Eldred. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.