Ursula K. LeGuin called this U.S. sci-fi/fantasy legend "our Melville." Gene Rodman Wolfe (1931-2019) was a former engineer turned prolific short-story writer and novelist who won multiple science fiction and fantasy literary awards, including the SFWA's prestigious Grand Master award in 2012. He is noted for his dense, allusive prose as well as for the strong influence of his Catholic faith. Wolfe is most famous for The Book of the New Sun (a four-book series), the first part of his eon-spanning Solar Cycle. Other popular works include his Wizard-Knight duology and The Fifth Head of Cerberus.