John Brunner (September 24, 1934) was a noted British author of science fiction novels and short stories. His first work, Galactic Storm, was written in 1951 under the pseudonym Gill Hunt, and most of his early work consisted of traditional space opera. Starting in the late 1960s, however, Brunner began turning towards more experimental forms of science fiction. His 1968 New Wave novel Stand on Zanzibar appropriated the narrative style pioneered by John Dos Passos, with a mixture of traditional story and large portions devoted to exploring his world's culture and society through advertisements, snippets from books and songs, overheard bits of conversations, and other cultural fragments. The book, which won the 1969 British Science Fiction Award for Best Novel, the 1969 Hugo Award for Best Novel, and the 1973 Prix Apollo, tells the story of a 21st century Earth plagued by problems relating to overpopulation.

Other significant works by Brunner include: The Jagged Orbit (1969), which won the 1970 British Science Fiction award and was nominated for the 1970 Nebula for Best Novel; The Sheep Look Up (1972); The Shockwave Rider (1975), in which Brunner invented the concept of a computer 'worm'; and The Infinitive of Go (1980). Infinitive, which was published by Ballantine/Del Rey in 1980, concerns the development of a type of transportation technology that leads to the inadvertent creation of alternate realities.

Brunner died on August 25, 1995, while attending the World Science Fiction Convention in Glasgow, Scotland.