Sub genres of science fiction

Apocalyptic, holocaust and post-apocalyptic 
This sub-genre depicts the end of civilisation, either as a sudden cataclysm or as a slow descent into chaos and disorder. Cataclysmic narratives typically depict an apocalyptic event as it falls upon the central characters and their fictional world - examples cover a wide range of scenarios including war and technological, ecological or social collapse. Post-apocalyptic fiction focuses on the after affects of an apocalyptic event, often depicting a dystopian struggle to survive (examples include the Christian "rapture" series Left Behind by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, and Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer Prize winning novel, The Road) or the inspirational story of the remnants of society rising from the ashes (a classic example of this type of SF is The Postman by David Brin).

Cross-genre
This sub-genre combines characteristic elements of science fiction with other fictional genres such the Romance or the Western. SF may be the dominant theme or elements from mainstream SF may be incorporated within another genre that the writer has chosen. These cross genres can range from the serious to the comedic. An example of a cross genre is Edgar Rice Burrough's space fantasy series, John Carter of Mars, the first of which is A Princess of Mars. Also included in this particular sub genre are the works of Spider Robinson and his Callahan's Crosstime Saloon where aliens, time travellers and ordinary folk set out to save the world.

Counter-culture 
This SF was largely written during the 1960’s and 1970’s, a period of great social upheaval. Predominantly anti-authoritarian, the sub-genre tapped into explorations of race, gender politics, drug use and many other counter culture themes of this turbulent period. Phillip K. Dick's work is an example of this style and can be found here The collected works of Philip K. Dick

Cyberpunk
A sub genre spawned by the classics Neuromancer  by William Gibson , and Islands in the Net by Bruce Sterling. It depicts a uniquely post modern take on life in the digital age, including artificial intelligences and "cyberspace" - the interface where reality and virtual worlds collide.

First contact
This sub genre imagines the various scenarios in which humanity makes contact with other civilisations. The contact may escalate into conflict such as The War of the Worlds depicted by HG Wells or the contact can be a riddle of alien paradigms such as Stanislaw Lem's Solaris or Arthur C. Clarke's Rendezvous with Rama.

Feminist
This sub genre deals with the role of gender in the reproduction and the inequality of power in society. The SF setting allows authors to explore these issues in creative and challenging ways. Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale and The Female Man by Joanna Russ are two novels that explore gender issues and the consequences of the backlash to the female struggle for power and equality.

Graphic Novels
Originating in the "pulp" world of comic books, Osamu Tezuka and his Astro Boy collection led the gradual revolution to the longer, richer format that is now known as the Graphic Novel. Graphic novels can cover all sub genres of SF, but are distinguished by their use of graphic images as a medium.

Hard science fiction
Written with an emphasis on scientific detail, this is SF at it's most technical. From Kim Stanley Robinson's meticulous depiction of the colonization of the red planet Red Mars to the genetic engineering future explored by Nancy Kress in Beggars in Spain this is a genre that strives for technical authenticity. The worlds are populated with science that is based on plausibility, logic and reasoning.

Horror: From the "birth" of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein with it's gothic tale of male reproduction, to The Infected  by Scott Sigler this sub genre combines the unsettling and frightening elements of the horrific with the classic elements of science fiction.

Humorous
Written to mock or spoof, this sub genre ranges from the charming and delightful The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams to the "comedy with a body count" of Simon R. Green's Deathstalker sequence of space opera.

Military 
Armed conflict, military personnel and action are the common elements in this sub genre - from the futility of war depicted in the masterpiece of The Forever War by Joe Haldeman and David Drake's Hammer Slammers to the celebratory space opera of David Weber's On Basilisk Station. A new voice to emerge is John Scalzi whose Old Man's War is a direct descendant of the action SF that Robert Heinlein pioneered with the controversial Starship Troopers.

Novelizations
For the fans who just can't get enough of their favourite SF film or television shows, or for the fans of shows that have been cancelled, this sub genre produces novels based on franchises like Star Wars, Star Trek, Dr Who and Red Dwarf. The works are either direct novelizations of the movie or television show's screenplays, or they are set in the same universe, or use some of the same characters from the franchise. For example from the "death" of Anakin Skywalker comes Dark Lord, Star Wars, The Rise of Darth Vader by Joe Luceno.

Near-future
This sub genre deals with the "tomorrow" that lurks just around the corner. The technology is realistic and the settings all too familiar - this is the world we may find ourselves actually living in. Jules Verne is often seen as the originator of this style with his classic undersea adventure Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. A more recent example of this style is Greg Bear's Queen of Angels.

Steam punk
This sub genre imagines an industrialised, steam powered world of advanced technology and computers. The genre ranges from the gritty Victorian "retro future" suggested by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling in The Difference Engine to the weirdly fantastic alternative reality of Perdido Street Station by China Mieville.

Soft science fiction 
Written with more of an emphasis on emotion and character than hard technology, this sub-genre is best exemplified by the Ursula Le Guin's The Dispossessed, The Left Hand of Darkness and The Lathe of Heaven. Other notable examples include Orson Scott Card's Ender's Saga and Dan Simmond's Hyperion Cantos.

Space opera 
High melodrama played out across the galaxies, this is SF on a grand scale. From the early beginnings of The Skylark of Space by E. E. "Doc" Smith, through the star spanning The Price of the Stars by Debra Doyle and James D. Macdonald to the sophisticated worlds depicted in Iain M. Banks Culture series, this sub genre is epic in it's ability to span galaxy wide technologies, cultures and civilizations.

Time travel
From the early adventures in time travel of Scrooge in Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol, time travel has proven to be one of the more popular sub genres of SF. As the name suggests this genre is about the movement of the characters through time (and space). Notable examples include H.G. Well's classic The Time Machine and Connie Willis' Doomsday Book.




Cool Andromeda
from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Images Gallery
Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech

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