SF is often about thefuture. It can be about imaginary new science and inventions such asspaceships,aliens, androbots. Science fiction stories are often in a world that is very different from the real world. They can have science and tools that do not exist in reality. Science fiction stories often take place on other worlds. There are oftenalien creatures.
Science fiction is drastically different fromfantasy. Fantasy stories often have magic and other things that do not exist and are not science.Isaac Asimov was a famous science fiction writer. He once said that science fiction is possible, but fantasy is not.[2]
Writers often use SF to explain everyday questions or problems by putting them in the future. Usually they invent a very differentworld to help people notice important ideas.
Science fiction changes over time. Some authors wrote SF books before this type of writing had a name. These writers and books were not called science fiction when they were published. But, they are often called science fiction today.
Two broad genres of science fiction are Hard SF and Soft SF. Although not everyone agrees on the exact definitions of these two types, the way they use science or the type of science used in the stories is different.
Within Hard or Soft SF, there are different types, orsubgenres, of science fiction. Each subgenre is a group of stories that uses similar ideas or styles of story-telling. Publishing companies andcritics put works of SF into different subgenres to help describe the work to help readers choose which books to read or movies to watch. Assigning genres is not simple. Some stories can be in two or more genres at the same time. Other stories may not fit any genre.
In Alternate (or alternative) history stories, writers imagine how the past might have been different. These stories may use time travel to change the past. Some set a story in a universe with a different history from our own. These are some important alternate history books:
Cyberpunk began in the early 1980s.Bruce Bethke used this word as the title for ashort story in 1980[12] by putting together two words: "cybernetics" and "punk".[13] Soon, people used this word to describe William Gibson's book,Neuromancer. Cyberpunk authors can put their stories in different settings. Stories usually take place in the near-future and the settings are oftendystopian (characterized by misery). These are often societies with very advanced technology. A few hugecorporations usually control the society. Another early cyberpunk novel that has become a classic isSnow Crash by Neal Stephenson.
Military science fiction stories happen during wars. These wars can be between different countries, different planets, or between different species. The stories are told by characters who are soldiers. They include detail about military technology, rules, and history. Some Military SF may be similar to real historical conflicts. Heinlein'sStarship Troopers is an early example. Another is theDorsai novels ofGordon Dickson.Joe Haldeman'sThe Forever War is a response to the World War II–style stories of earlier military SF authors. Haldeman was a soldier in theVietnam War.[14] Important military SF authors includeJohn Ringo,David Drake,David Weber, andS. M. Stirling.Baen Books is known for cultivating military science fiction authors.[15]
Maritime science fiction is science fiction that features a maritime or marine environment and technology and/or marine lifeforms mixed with science fiction. The probably earliest form of maritime science fiction literature is20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
Superhuman stories are about humans who get special abilities that are not normal. Maybe the new powers come from nature. Two examples of this type areOlaf Stapledon's novelOdd John andTheodore Sturgeon'sMore Than Human. Sometimes scientists give people special powers on purpose. one example isA.E. van Vogt's novelSlan.Frederik Pohl's novelMan Plus is another good example from this category. In that book, government scientists make a man into a powerful cyborg (part human, part machine).
These stories usually have two main points. One is the feeling of loneliness and separation that these superhuman people feel. The other is society's reaction to them.
Space opera is adventure science fiction in outer space or on distant planets. Action is more important than the science or characters. There is usually a strong hero and a very big conflict. The action often moves to many different places. Edward E. (Doc) Smith was an early Space opera writer.Flash Gordon andStar Wars are also popular examples.
Space western takes ideas from books and movies about exploring theAmerican Old West and moves them to space in the future. These stories are often on "frontier" colony worlds (colonies that have only recently beenterraformed and/or settled) serving as stand-ins for the backdrop of lawlessness and economic expansion that were predominant in the American west. Some examples areFirefly and the movieSerenity byJoss Whedon.Anime programs likeCowboy Bebop andOutlaw Star are also Space Westerns.Han Solo from "Star Wars" is an important Space Western character.
The first important time travel novel wasMark Twain'sA Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. The most famous isH. G. Wells's 1895 novelThe Time Machine. Well's book uses a machine that allows an operator to travel to an exact time. Twain's time traveler is struck in the head and wakes up in the past. The term "time machine" was invented by Wells. Now it is the name for any vehicle that can take a rider to another time. Ray Bradbury's 1952 short story calledA Sound of Thunder is a more recent and very famous example of this genre. Time travel stories can be complicated. They have logical problems such as thegrandfather paradox.[16] Time travel is a popular subject in modern science fiction, in print, movies, and television.
Comic science fiction is a sub-genre of science fiction that is more humorous or funny.
Feminist science fiction asks questions about society. How does society makegenderroles? How does having children define gender? Does having children change the political and personal power of men and women? Some well-known feminist science fiction stories useutopias to answer those questions. The stories explore a society in which gender differences or gender power imbalances do not exist. Alsodystopias can explore worlds in which gender inequalities are stronger. Those dystopias explain that feminist work should continue.[17] SeeUrsula K. Le Guin,Margaret Atwood
Libertarian science fiction is written from a political point of view. This subgenre uses fiction to explore ideas fromlibertarian political philosophy about government and social organization. A classic example of libertarian science fiction isThe Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein.[18]
New Wave is science fiction writing with a lot of experimentation. Writers try new ways of writing and new story ideas. It may feel more intellectual. New Wave seems more like important "literature" or art.
Biopunk is like cyberpunk, but instead of focusing on cybernetic technology, it focuses onbiotechnology.
Mundane science fiction is science fiction set on a fiction Earth and not involving any space travel or extraterrestrial elements.Jurassic Park is considered and example of mundane science fiction.[19]
Speculative Evolution (Spec Evo) is a subgenre of science fiction, that hypothesizes theevolution of life, often following one planet and branching species.
Science fiction fandom is the "community of the literature of ideas... the culture in which new ideas emerge and grow before being released into society at large".[20] Members of this community, "fans", are in contact with each other atconventions or clubs, through print or onlinefanzines, or on the Internet using web sites,mailing lists, and other resources.
SF fandom emerged from the letters column inAmazing Stories magazine. Soon fans began writing letters to each other, and then grouping their comments together in informal publications that became known as fanzines.[21] Once they were in regular contact, fans wanted to meet each other, and they organized local clubs. In the 1930s, the firstscience fiction conventions gathered fans from a wider area.[22] Conventions, clubs, and fanzines were the main fan activities, or "fanac", for decades, until the Internet improved communication among a much larger population of interested people.
There are two very important science fiction awards: theHugo Award and theNebula Award. The Hugo is presented by theWorld Science Fiction Society at Worldcon each year. The Nebula is presented by SFWA and voted on by the community of authors. One important award for science fiction movies is theSaturn Award. The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror movies gives this award each year..
Conventions (in fandom, shortened as "cons"), are held in cities around the world, catering to a local, regional, national, or international membership. General-interest conventions cover all aspects of science fiction, while others focus on a particular interest likemedia fandom,filking, etc. Most are organized by volunteers innon-profit groups, though most media-oriented events are organized by commercial promoters. The convention's activities are called the "program", which may include panel discussions, readings, autograph sessions, costume masquerades, and other events. Activities that occur throughout the convention are not part of the program; these commonly include a dealer's room, art show, and hospitality lounge (or "con suites").[23]
Conventions may host award ceremonies.Worldcons present theHugo Awards each year. SF societies are a year-round base of activities for science fiction fans. They may be associated with an ongoing science fiction convention, or have regular club meetings, or both. Most groups meet in libraries, schools and universities, community centers, pubs or restaurants, or the homes of individual members. Long-established groups like theNew England Science Fiction Association and theLos Angeles Science Fantasy Society have clubhouses for meetings and storage of convention supplies and research materials.
The first science fiction fanzine,The Comet, was published in 1930.[29] Fanzine printing methods have changed over the decades, from themimeograph and theditto machine, to modernphotocopying. The number of copies was usually not enough to use commercial printing. Modern fanzines are printed oncomputer printers or at local copy shops, or they may only be sent asemail. The best known fanzine (or "'zine") today isAnsible.David Langford is the editor and it has won several Hugo awards.[30] Artists working for fanzines have risen to prominence in the field, including Brad W. Foster, Teddy Harvia, and Joe Mayhew; the Hugos include a category forBest Fan Artists.[30] The earliest organized fandom online was theSF LoversArchived 2006-12-23 at theWayback Machine community, originally a mailing list in the late 1970s with a textarchive file that was updated regularly.[31] In the 1980s,Usenet groups greatly expanded the circle of fans online. In the 1990s, the development of theWorld-Wide Web made the online fan community much, much larger. Fans created thousands and then millions of web sites devoted to science fiction and related genres for all media. Most of these websites are small,ephemeral, or about very specific topics. Though sites likeSF Site andRead and Find Out give readers a broad range of references and reviews about science fiction.
Fan fiction isnon-commercial fiction created by people who love an SF story or world. Fans write stories that take place in the setting of an established book, movie, or television series. Some people call it "fanfic".[32] In some cases, the copyright owners of the books, movies, or television series have instructed their lawyers to issue "cease and desist" letters to fans.
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