literature inspiration/impact:

Dan Simmons

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dan Simmons (born April 4, 1948) is an American author most widely known for his Hugo Award-winning science fiction series, known as the Hyperion Cantos, and for his Locus-winning Ilium/Olympos cycle.
He spans genres such as science fiction, horror and fantasy, sometimes within the same novel: a typical example of Simmons' ability to intermingle genres is Song of Kali (1985), winner of World Fantasy Award.^[1] He is also a respected author of mysteries and thrillers, some of which feature the continuing character Joe Kurtz.