March 30, 2020

There Are Actually Multiple Types of Science Fiction

By Alex Smith Doe

Outer Space

When most people think of science fiction, they imagine the setting to be in outer space. This is fair given the substantial amount of work published concerning space travel and aliens. This type of work is sub-categorized as cosmic fiction. The discovery of alien life and the form it might take is a rich exercise in imagination for fiction writers, as well as the many ways deep space travel could be achieved.

Futuristic

Isaac Asimov, an icon of science fiction, describes the genre as literature that deals with the reaction of humans to changes in science and technology. Many novels explore the direction that technology might take in the near or distant future, and how that technology might effect society. For example, if cloning were to become regular practice, or if robots were to become sentient.

Alternate Universe

Some science fiction explores the way the world might look today if an event in the past was altered, or the trajectories of technology were changed slightly. One popular example of this is steampunk, which creates a world in which steam-powered technology powers everything in the world, rather than electricity. Sometimes authors write about worlds where wars or political movements turned out differently, as well.

Science fiction is a huge genre that has something for just about anyone. Even if you aren’t into aliens, there are many other types of books you can sample. Don’t forget, just because a major theme is technology, stories of love, power, friendship and struggle still guide the narratives of these otherworldly novels.

The genre of science fiction is difficult to define and extraordinarily expansive. It is known for exploring many diverse topics and themes. If you are interested in trying out science fiction for the first time, you may like to first get a feel for some the general motifs used in the genre. Some science fiction explores the way the world might look today if events in the past were altered, or the trajectories of technology were changed slightly. One popular example of this is steam punk, which creates a world in which steam-powered technology powers everything in the world, rather than electricity.

Many novels explore the direction that technology might take in the near or distant future, and how that technology might affect society. For example, if cloning were to become regular practice, or if robots were to become sentient.