Science Fiction Sub-Genres

"Science fiction is a time-sensitive subject in literature. Usually futuristic, science fiction speculates about alternative ways of life made possible by technological change, and hence has sometimes been called "speculative fiction." Like fantasy, and often associated with it, science fiction envisions alternative worlds with believably consistent rules and structures, set apart somehow from the ordinary or familiar world of our time and place. Distinct from fantasy, however, science fiction reflects on technology to consider how it might transform the conditions of our existence and change what it means to be human. "Sci Fi" is the genre that considers what strange new beings we might become-what mechanical forms we might invent for our bodies, what networks and systems might nourish or tap our life energies, and what machine shells might contain our souls."

--Dr. Beshero-Bondar
Program Chair and Professor of Digital Humanities, Digital Media, Arts, and Technology
Penn State Behrend
https://pitt.libguides.com/scifi


Science Fiction is a vast genre involving science and technology in the future, and can be imagined or based on real science. There can often be many crossovers within the genre of SF but these are some of the most common sub-genres:

SPACE OPERA

Engines of Oblivion

Ocean's Echo

HARD SCIENCE

The Martian

Leviathan Wakes

SOFT SCIENCE

The Humans

Where the Forest Meets the Stars

MILITARY SCIENCE

Ender's Game

Vanguard

ANDROIDS, ROBOTS & AI

Robopocalypse

All Systems Red

STEAMPUNK

The Aeronaut's Windlass

Soulless

APOCALYPTIC & POST-APOCALYPTIC

World War Z

The Fifth Season

DYSTOPIAN

Fahrenheit 451

The Power

CYBERPUNK

Blade Runner

Ready Player One

PARALLEL WORLDS

A Darker Shade of Magic

The Ten Thousand Doors of January

ALIEN INVASION

The 5th Wave

Salvation Lost

SCI-FI HORROR

Dead Silence

The Girl With All the Gifts

TIME TRAVEL

This Is How You Lose the Time War

11/22/63


RDPL's book club Reader Rendezvous read UPGRADE by Blake Crouch back in November. Have you read it? Maybe you'll like these recommendations...