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What are the different types of sci-fi books?
What types of Technology are in sci-fi novels?
What are the different types of science fiction plots?
How many types of science fiction book subgenres are there?
Apr 11, 2023 · An alternative classification system proposed by Isaac Asimov in 1953 suggests that each science fiction plot exists in one of three categories: gadget, adventure, or social. A “gadget” story revolves around the invention itself. The invention is the end result of the plot. An “adventure” story uses the invention as a prop.
- Greg Beyer
Jul 8, 2023 · Sci-fi books can delve into a wide range of themes, including artificial intelligence (AI), dystopian societies, genetic engineering, virtual reality, interstellar travel, and the ethical and moral...
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to SF or sci-fi) is a genre of speculative fiction, which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel universes, and extraterrestrial life.
- Alien Invasion
- Alternate Worlds / Parallel Universe / Multiverse
- Androids, Robots, and Artificial Intelligence
- Apocalyptic and Post-Apocalypse
- Cyberpunk
- Dystopian
- Military Science Fiction
- Space Opera
- Sci-Fi Horror
- Steampunk
This science fiction subgenre is just what it sounds like. Aliens invade Earth. The alien invasion subgenre goes way back. For as long as humans have understood the cosmos, they’ve speculated about what might be out there — and whether or not it’s friendly. One of the most famous works of “alien invasion” sci-fi is The War of the Words, the 1897 no...
Science fiction authors often explore the concept of parallel or alternate worlds. This sci-fi subgenre goes by many different names — parallel dimension, alternate universe, alternate reality, multiverse, etc. But the overall concept is the same. The characters discover some kind of self-contained plane of existence that co-exists with their own. ...
Science fiction stories often involve androids, robots, and artificial intelligence (AI). More importantly, they also show how humansinteractwith these artificial entities. In case you’re wondering: Androids are machines made to look and act like humans (like Bishop from the Aliensmovie). Robots, on the other hand, look like machines. Artificial in...
The world as we know is falling apart (apocalyptic). Or it already has fallen apart, and we’re living in the aftermath (post-apocalyptic). These sci-fi subcategories thrill readers by speculating on what the world might be like if society collapsed. Doomsday scenarioshave appeared in science fiction for decades, and they seem to be enjoying a resur...
Cyberpunk is another popular subcategory of science fiction books. These stories often take place in a futuristic, dystopian setting. They paint a stark contrast between “high tech and low life.” That is, they reveal worlds with futuristic technology juxtaposed with societal collapse or decay. As a subgenre of sci-fi, cyberpunk books sometimes over...
Dystopian novels can be a subgenre of sci-fi, or they can fall under mainstream fiction. Again, it depends on the story’s theme and premise. 1. Dyscomes from the Latin for “unfavorable or bad.” 2. Topiacomes from the Greek for “place.” Put them together and you have an unfavorable or bad place — and that’s exactly what dystopian novels deliver. The...
Soldiers and weapons. Space travel. Aliens. Epic battles. These are common ingredients of military sci-fi novels, a popular subgenre of science fiction. When done well, these books give readers the best of two genres. We get the danger and excitement of military fiction, along with the otherworldly settings and futuristic themes of science fiction ...
Moving on to one of the most popular types of science fiction, we have space opera. This sci-fi subgenre usually involves futuristic and/or otherworldly space warfare. Extraterrestrial beings often make an appearance in space opera novels. You might think of them as “outer-space adventures.” Space opera stories are often epic in scope. That is, the...
Ah, sci-fi horror. My literary love. My muse. My reason for getting out of bed in the morning. (Okay, that last one went hyperbolic. But I truly love this subgenre.) Science fiction horror delivers the thrills and chills of the horror genre, along with the big ideas of science fiction. I like to think of as a kind of intersection. You start off dri...
Steampunk reimagines the past while speculating about possible futures. It’s sort of a cyberpunk genre set in the age of steam power — hence the name. The Oxford Languages dictionary defines steampunk as “a genre of science fiction that has a historical setting and typically features steam-powered machinery rather than advanced technology.” Steampu...
Mar 8, 2021 · Much like how fantasy has two main broad categories–high and low–so does sci-fi. But the two overarching categories in sci-fi are hard and soft and does not refer to the texture of anything in the story ;). Hard science-fiction is for the science-lovers and nerds :).
Science fiction itself comes in two main types: hard sci-fi and soft sci-fi. Hard science fiction is based on scientific accuracy and known facts and logic. Put another way, it tells stories rooted in the concepts of natural science.
Nov 5, 2023 · If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer: Science fiction incorporates speculative scientific concepts as a key storytelling element, differentiating it from fantasy, horror, and other speculative fiction genres.
