Science Fiction Subgenres
(Definitions and Examples R - X) (A - F) (G - P)
Recursive {self-referential} SF is comprised of stories that include direct references to the SF genre, and/or SF authors. A mind-bending example is the novel Venus on the Half Shell, "written" by Kilgore Trout, a pseudonym of Philip Jose Farmer. Trout is actually a fictional SF writer created by author Kurt Vonnegut. In the book, the protagonist makes frequent mention of his own favorite writer, a galactically-famous SF author. (The first edition does not mention Farmer at all!) Another example is the Star Trek: DS9 episode "Far Beyond the Stars," in which Sisko is shown as a 1940s SF author.
Retro-futurism is a subgenre that celebrates the 'pulp' SF stories of the past. Most of these depictions are in comic books, and revive the garish cover art and 'fifties' style of the past.
Robot SF tales are self-explanatory. In a sense, the concept of robots predates SF itself, and the two visions have developed in parallel. Isaac Asimov's many "Robot" stories are a preeminent example. One of the earliest such novels is Adam Link, by Eando Binder.
Science Fantasy is an interstitial subgenre comprised of stories that meld the SF and Fantasy genres, and tilt toward SF because they feature advanced technology such as spacecraft. Many of the works of Andre Norton fit this subgenre.
Science Tales are intended for children. They depict common futuristic activities such as space travel, but without so much scientific rigor. A famous literary example is the book The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Some of the "TinTin" graphic novels, by Herge, fit this category.
Scientific Romance* is an old description, primarily British, that predates the wide use of the term Science Fiction. It has seen occasional revivals, making it a subgenre.
Shapeshifting tales are a staple of speculative fiction. As an SF subgenre, this ability is explained in scientific terms. It varies from gradual cellular alteration to a near-instantaneous ability to change size and form. John Campbell's 1938 short story "Who Goes There," filmed several times as The Thing, is a stellar example.
Shrinking/Enlarging Humans (endless, episodic, giantess)
This subgenre is self-descriptive, and it has a long tradition. Lewis Carroll's novel Alice in Wonderland depicts Alice growing and shrinking in a mysterious fashion. In the short story "He Who Shrank," by Henry Hesse, the protagonist keeps right on shrinking.
Giantess stories are epitomized by the film Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, from Nathan Juran. (They often feature a sexual element.)
Social SF is a wide subgenre, which combines anthropology with futuristic themes. Its focus is on the social aspects of a distant society, rather than fancy technology. Isaac Asimov's short story "Nightfall" is a classic example.
Soft SF is cast as the literary opposite of 'hard' SF. More precisely, it focuses on the future development of the 'soft' sciences (the humanities), rather than gadgetry. Ursula LeGuin's "Hainish" novels are good examples. Isaac Asimov's "Foundation" novels feature a predictive social science called Psychohistory.
Space Opera (noir) is a huge category. This subgenre features swashbuckling action, set in a vast panorama. There are countless examples, and almost all of the most popular SF novels and films, such as Star Wars, are usually included.
Noir tales are an homage to darker-toned tales of the past, such as the Raymond Chandler's distinctive style. Ron Goulart's SF novels do this well.
Sports SF is a tiny subgenre, represented mostly (if not exclusively) in short stories. In a few stories, an alien visitor shows a love for baseball. Most of the others depict the impact of modern science (especially genetic engineering) on professional sports.
Spunky Heroine tales feature such as their protagonist, to the point they're usually referrred to "by" her, more than their plot or premise. David Palmer's novel Emergence, featuring young Candy Smith-Foster, is a great example. Another is Alexei Panshin's novel Rite of Passage, with the adventures of young Mia Havero. (Palmer's long-awaited sequel Tracking will be on the market in 2009.)
SpyFi is a descriptive category that brings espionage into the future, with clever high-tech duels. Often the technological gadgets are "over the top," in a spoofish fashion. The Daniel Mann film Our Man Flint is a fine example. (By some definitions the 'fi' means fiction, and this category is defined more broadly.)
Steampunk (gaslight, weird west) is a small but popular subgenre; another spinoff of cyberpunk. They're usually set in the Victorian era, and presume that its characters have developed high-tech at that time. Some of the stories actually date from that time, while modern versions are careful to avoid backdating any current attitudes or theories. The novel Anti-Ice by Stephen Baxter is a quirky example. (This subgenre has spawned an entire artistic and cultural movement.)
Weird West tales are set in the frontier USA, and many feature inventors such as Tesla.
Stylistic (Dickian, gedanken, gonzo, etc.)
These stories comprise a broad and nebulous subgenre, defined by some distinctive or oddball style. Dickian tales are imbued with the surreal aspect of P.K. Dick's novels.
Gedanken is German for 'thought' or 'idea,' and its stories center around a nifty concept, more than any character or setting. Gonzo stories consciously embrace the literary style of Hunter S. Thompson.
Sword and Planet SF brings a medieval aspect to interstellar space. Poul Anderson's "English Empire" novels literally transport English knights into rulership of alien worlds.
Synthetic Biology stories feature artificial life forms. It's a small subgenre, and its protagonists are often biologists who crack the secret of creating life.
Terraforming SF centers around vast projects, with the characters busy altering whole planets (such as Mars) to make them more earthlike and habitable. Kim Stanley Robinson's epic "Mars" series is a good example. (The term itself was coined by SF author Jack Williamson, back in the 1940s.)
Time Travel (timepunk) is a vast subgenre, whether or not its protagonist travels in space as well. In these stories, this capability is possible, and is put to use by the characters (in secret or in public, and rarely or often). The effects of such temporal ventures vary in each portrayal. (Paradoxes, new timelines, historical immutability, etc.)
Poul Anderson's novel The Time Patrol is a prestigeous example. Neal Asher's Cowl and Paul Levinson's The Plot to Save Socrates are novels that depict the extreme complexities implicit in time travel.
As a spinoff of cyberpunk, timepunk is more outrageous.
Transhumanism is the philosophy which embues this subgenre. It depicts the possible transformations that humans beings may experience in the future, from helpful improvements to total alterations. Charles Sheffield's "Shaper and Mechanist" novels are a pioneering example.
Undersea SF takes place in such an environment, usually here on Earth. For this subgenre, Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a cornerstone. Several of Arthur C. Clarke's early novels fit this category.
Utopian (19th century visions*, ideological, New Age, etc.)
This thought-provoking subgenre got its name from Thomas More's 1516 novel Utopia, though by modern standards that eponymous country has its drawbacks. Edward Bellamy's 1888 novel Looking Backward is imaginative--and eerily prescient.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman's 1915 novel Herland is a feminist classic, and depicts a remote, ideal society comprised entirely of women. In Ernest Callenbach's novel Ecotopia, the west coast has become in independant 'Green' paradise.
Thea Alexander's novel 2150 AD is a classic in New Age circles.
(There are many other utopian novels in print, though for debatable reasons, modern SF is often more cynical and jaded.)
Voyages Extraordinaires* was a descriptive attached to the groundbreaking novels of Jules Verne, and then to several of his imitators (also French).
Wetware Computer SF is a narrow subgenre, featuring 'wetware' (living biological) technology, as opposed to 'hardware computer' devices. These stories depict the invention and/or the actions of an artifical thinking brain.
World-building {unusual solar systems} stories are exhaustively researched, and feature unusual planets as a setting. Usually exotic aliens have evolved there, and humans can visit only with difficulty, if at all. Hal Clement's novel Mission of Gravity, Robert Forward's novels Rocheworld and Dragon's Egg, and Karl Schroeder's novel Virga are prominent examples.
World Government SF features a world (usually Earth) ruled by a unified government. In many stories it's a monarchy, and often a corrupt one; however there is plenty of variety. Robert A. Heinlein's novel Starship Troopers depicts a federation governed by military veterans. (It bears little resemblance to the movie version!) In the "Star Trek" franchise, contact with aliens prompts humanity to unite at long last.
Xenofiction is a subgenre that features cultures extremely different from our familiar ones. For example, Iain M. Bank's novel Excession features huge sentient spaceships. Ian McDonald's novel The Broken Land has disembodied human heads (supported by an advanced if undescribed technology) acting as willful characters. The Star Trek canon's Borg are a popular example.