SANTA FE, N.M. - Writer Roger Zelazny, who helped pioneer "New Wave" science fiction by delving into the psychology of his characters and won some of the genre's most prestigious awards, has died at age 58.

Zelazny, who had cancer for several months, died Wednesday at St. Vincent Hospital of kidney failure associated with the cancer, said a friend, Susan Parris.

Zelazny, a 20-year resident of Santa Fe, won many awards for his work, including six Hugos, which are awarded by science fiction fans; and two Nebulas, which are awarded by the Science Fiction Writers of America. He also won honors from France and Japan, and one of his novels, Damnation Alley, was made into a movie.

"He was the finest writer of his generation in science fiction. He changed the whole field," said George R.R. Martin, another science fiction writer who lives in Santa Fe. "And he was one of the nicest guys I've ever known."

He first had a story published in 1962, and he went on to publish more than 150 short stories and 50 books.

The beginning of his career coincided with the rise of science fiction's "New Wave" movement, and Zelazny was considered a leader of that school.

He and others of the movement used new ways to tell stories, with an emphasis more on the psychology of characters in often nightmarish futuristic settings.

Some of his best known novels were based on mythology of various cultures. His Lord of Light, 1967, was based on the Hindu pantheon. Egyptian gods and goddesses populated his Creatures of Light and Darkness in 1969, while his Eye of Cat in 1982 featured elements of Navajo religion and folklore.