Flights of Fantasy discussion

Here's the place to list your recommended themes and/or subgenres for the future Sci-fi polls.


ETA: Please try and include a Listopia list or something similiar to help us grok your theme suggestions. Thank you!

Would horror be considered a theme or subgenre? I guess I don't know any sci-fi horror novels to suggest so maybe not.

*nudges foot in the sand* I just like horror is all.

Something along the lines of Alien would certainly fit. Though most horror would be more of a fantasy subgenre.

I guess stuff like The Atrocity Archives or 14 would fit what you're suggesting.

I'm still interested in:

First Contact
Generation Ships
The Grandparents of SF (Shelley, Verne, Wells, etc.)
Retro Hugos
"Fifty years ago this year"
Robots and Androids
Colonization

I suggest

First Contact

Chris wrote: "Something along the lines of Alien would certainly fit. Though most horror would be more of a fantasy subgenre.

I guess stuff like The Atrocity Archives or 14 would f..."


I loved 14. That deserves a reread.

* Horror Sci-fi
* First Contact
* Generation Ships
* The Grandparents of SF (Shelley, Verne, Wells, etc.)
* Retro Hugos
* "Fifty years ago this year"
* Robots and Androids
* Colonization


What are retro Hugos?

Space Opera

SF with aliens

Retro Hugos - basically, to work that is older than the award. Wikipedia: Retrospective Hugo Awards, or Retro Hugos, were added in the mid-1990s. These awards are given by Worldcons held 50, 75, or 100 years after a Worldcon where no Hugos had been awarded, which were the conventions in 1939–41, 1946–52, and 1954, and are given for works that would have been eligible in that year, by the same process as the regular Hugos.

Links avl at the bottom of this page: http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-his...

There oughta be a Listopia but I don't see it.

Colonisation

I tend to be a big fan of good military science fiction.

Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "I tend to be a big fan of good military science fiction."


This is a good one.

Space Opera - which usually has both aliens and military action. =D

Yeah some overlap... I was thinking books and series like To Honor You Call us, Poor Man's Fight, Lost Fleet etc.

* Horror Sci-fi
* First Contact
* Generation Ships
* The Grandparents of SF (Shelley, Verne, Wells, etc.)
* Retro Hugos
* "Fifty years ago this year"
* Robots and Androids
* Colonization
* Military Sci-fi
* Space Opera

Generation anything. I'm always fascinated by generation stories, but I'm not very good at finding them.

Nyssa wrote: "Generation anything. I'm always fascinated by generation stories, but I'm not very good at finding them."

Generation ships is already an option. What other "generation" type stories are there? I'm not familiar with the genre.

Thanks.

Cyberpunk!
https://www.goodreads.com/list/tag/cy...

colleen the convivial curmudgeon wrote: "Nyssa wrote: "Generation anything. I'm always fascinated by generation stories, but I'm not very good at finding them."

Generation ships is already an option. What other "generation" type stories ..."

I was just making a general statement about my like of generation sagas of any genre (Sorry for the confusion).

Will wrote: "Colonisation"

Good one.
(Just fyi, Chad Oliver wrote some good stories on the topic.)

There's a topic I've liked but I haven't found many books about the topic (some of the military sci/fi touch on it). That's First Contact books.

In military the first contact motif is usually hostile, and that's fine but maybe there are other types of first contact books?

There's lots of different kinds of first contact

Yeah...just a thought.

Another theme:

Lost colony worlds

Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "There's a topic I've liked but I haven't found many books about the topic (some of the military sci/fi touch on it). That's First Contact books.

In military the first contact motif is usually host..."

A small press I know is preparing to release an anthology of different takes on First Contact. I'm looking forward to it, since like you, most of the work I've read is either hostile or of the 2001 A Space oddesey variety

Yeah there are books like Rendezvous with Rama where it's mysterious, books with invasion or accidental war (as in The Forever War). All can be good.

Nyssa wrote: "I was just making a general statement about my like of generation sagas of any genre (Sorry for the confusion). "

Oh, ok. No worries.

Sci-fi's not really my jam, so most of these themes are new to me.

* Horror Sci-fi
* First Contact
* Generation Ships
* The Grandparents of SF (Shelley, Verne, Wells, etc.)
* Retro Hugos
* "Fifty years ago this year"
* Robots and Androids
* Colonization
* Military Sci-fi
* Space Opera
* Lost colony worlds

Does Alternate History fall under Sci-Fi?

Felina wrote: "Does Alternate History fall under Sci-Fi?"

I'm not sure. I'd probably file it under Fantasy. Of course, it depends on the content.

Yeah, it depends.

It's sort of like Steampunk. If it's mostly tech related and time travel changes and things, I'd call that sci-fi.

If it has any magic or anything, then it would be fantasy, obvs.

Yeah, most alternate history would be sci/fi I think. I've read some I love. Steam Punk might be a separate topic or heading as it's not always alternate history as it can be in totally different worlds. That could be 2 headings.

colleen the convivial curmudgeon wrote: "* Horror Sci-fi
* First Contact
* Generation Ships
* The Grandparents of SF (Shelley, Verne, Wells, etc.)
* Retro Hugos
* "Fifty years ago this year"
* Robots and Androids
* Colonization
* Milita..."

Is that a no on the Cyberpunk, then, or did my post just get overlooked?

* Horror Sci-fi
* First Contact
* Generation Ships
* The Grandparents of SF (Shelley, Verne, Wells, etc.)
* Retro Hugos
* "Fifty years ago this year"
* Robots and Androids
* Colonization
* Military Sci-fi
* Space Opera
* Lost colony worlds
*Cyberpunk

Klynn wrote: "Is that a no on the Cyberpunk, then, or did my post just get overlooked? "


Just got missed. I honestly thought I'd added it, but I think I mixed it up with Steampunk in the other thread.

All these punks getting intermixed...

colleen the convivial curmudgeon wrote: "Klynn wrote: "Is that a no on the Cyberpunk, then, or did my post just get overlooked? "


Just got missed. I honestly thought I'd added it, but I think I mixed it up with Steampunk in the other th..."

Thanks! It's my favorite sub-genre, so I would have been bummed if it wasn't included. :)

Chris wrote: "All these punks getting intermixed..."

Fucking punks.

Get off my jawn!

Afrofuturism/Black speculative fiction: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7... https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7...

* Horror Sci-fi
* First Contact
* Generation Ships
* The Grandparents of SF (Shelley, Verne, Wells, etc.)
* Retro Hugos
* "Fifty years ago this year"
* Robots and Androids
* Colonization
* Military Sci-fi
* Space Opera
* Lost colony worlds
*Cyberpunk
* Afrofuturism/Black Spec Fic (not fantasy/magical realism, etc)

Sinistmer wrote: "Afrofuturism/Black speculative fiction: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7... https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7..."

Some of the books on that list look fantastic! But IDK about all of them falling under Sci-Fi. I don't consider a good handful of the Butlers as Sci-Fi (Kindred? No. And I have feelings about the Sower series.) Nor the Ellison or the Jemisin.

Some of the books on this list appear to have been added purely based on author vs genre.

But I do like the category. So the question I have is: Do you want to focus on the Sci-Fi aspect or the author aspect?

I rather like the look of some of those. My TBR is going to expand.

Will wrote: "I rather like the look of some of those. My TBR is going to expand."

Me too!

MrsJoseph wrote: "Sinistmer wrote: "Afrofuturism/Black speculative fiction: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7... https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7..."

Some of..."

Sorry for the delay! I am more interested in the science-fiction aspect. I figured the two lists could just give people ideas.

* Horror Sci-fi
* First Contact
* Generation Ships
* The Grandparents of SF (Shelley, Verne, Wells, etc.)
* Retro Hugos
* "Fifty years ago this year"
* Robots and Androids
* Colonization
* Military Sci-fi
* Space Opera
* Lost colony worlds
*Cyberpunk
* Afrofuturism/Black Spec Fic (not fantasy/magical realism, etc)