Michael F. Flynn (1947–2023) was an American science fiction author and statistician known for his sophisticated hard science fiction. His work often applied scientific rigor to social sciences, as seen in In the Country of the Blind, which won the Prometheus Award. Flynn’s writing appeared frequently in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, and he was praised for his intellectual depth and stylistic precision. His major series include the Firestar and Spiral Arm sagas, and his novel Eifelheim was a Hugo finalist. He was the first recipient of the Robert A. Heinlein Medal, honoring his contributions to libertarian-themed science fiction