Speculative fiction is often used as an umbrella term for science fiction, fantasy and horror genres. Writers in this genre though, will tell you that while they are grouped together, each has its own unique elements and style.
Science Fiction
Science fiction utilizes settings that tend to be outside of our ‘reality’ and that explores and encourages discussion of new, often controversial ideas. Science fiction usually asks the question “What if?” and delves into moral and technological possibilities.
Settings and plots of science fiction novels ask the reader to suspend disbelief for a while, explaining fictional elements of the story using scientific fact or theories. Themes include science, space travel, and alien worlds or life forms. Popular and classic science fiction authors you might want to read include H.G. Wells (War of the Worlds and The Island of Doctor Moreau), Ray Bradbury (Farenheit 451), Isaac Asimov (Foundation Trilogy), and Ursula Le Guin (The Left Hand of Darkness).
A science fiction plot would typically include elements like future settings, alternative timelines or historical settings that depart from known historical facts. Most science fiction writers use existing technology or principles and spin them so that they contradict what we know to be possible or use the principles of scientific discovery to push the boundaries and question what we can create and should we do so just because we can.
Most stories in this genre focus on plot and action rather than characterization. In other words, stories are plot driven. The essence of the science fiction genre is to inspire thought and questions about the world we live in and modern science. Because of this, many authors of science fiction novels have broken the commercial genre stereotype, leaning more toward literary works.
Science fiction frequently crosses over into other genres, so it’s difficult to define it with one generic definition. Authors are constantly experimenting with different elements creating original genres to add to the list. Some common science fiction subgenres include hard or soft science fiction, space westerns, historical, apocalyptic and post apocalyptic, dystopian, and utopian. This list is by no means complete. Science fiction continues to expand and grow, its authors breaking formats previously defining this genre.
Horror
Horror fiction is written with the intention to scare reader, inducing feelings of terror and dread. Supernatural horror (one of the most popular horror subgenres) is rooted in folklore and religious myth and ends to focus on death, the afterlife, and the principle of evil. These traits produce harrowing tales of witches, vampires, werewolves and ghosts and demonic pacts like selling your soul for beauty or love or power.
Not all horror is supernatural in theme; some authors choose to focus on very real horrors within our world, taking their inspiration from headlines or from our worst nightmares.
Horror writers have a wealth of themes to choose from but all horror has a common element; an overwhelming darkness or evil in human or supernatural form. Horror novels must provide a feeling or sense of unease and dread and evoke an emotional, psychological or physical response from each reader. Many writers rely on a cornerstone of horror fiction which is the ‘unexpected’ or the unknown terror. H.P. Lovecraft once remarked; "The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown."
Other genres of fiction require a payoff for the reader, or a happy ending. This is not a guarantee in horror novels. Endings may be vague or leave the reader feeling as though the menace that terrorized the characters in the novel still lurks in the shadows waiting for its next victim.
Horror fiction has many subgenres, and often crosses over into its speculative fiction siblings; science fiction and fantasy. Some of the most popular horror subgenres include slipstream (cross genre), dark fantasy, extreme/splatterpunk, gothic, Lovecraftian, noir, quiet (soft), supernatural, and body/biological horror. This is not an exhaustive list as there are many more subgenres of horror with writers creating even more each day.
Fantasy
Fantasy uses magic or other supernatural elements as a primary theme in plot and setting. It differs from most speculative fiction (science fiction and horror) in that it tends to avoid scientific or horrific themes, although the three genres do overlap.
Fantasy authors gain inspiration from history, society, mythology and folklore. Settings range from real world; using witches or vampires that exist alongside humans, or the writer may create a fictional reality where magic or other supernatural elements are accepted as part of that world or society. Time is a flexible element in fantasy novels, which range from historical to futuristic settings. Some writers create parallel worlds that are connected to Earth through portals or magical objects.
Although fantasy novels are made up of fictional worlds, languages and characters, they are characterized by internal logic. This means that while the events of the story may not be possible in our world, they follow a set of laws or rules and the setting is internally consistent. For example, in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, Hogwart’s exists in a fictional wizard’s world but those within that world must follow a predetermined set of laws or rules, (the laws of magic) and is a living and breathing world full of mythical creatures, laws, beliefs and prejudices. Rowling combined all of these fictional things to create an illusion of a real place that allows the reader to willingly suspend disbelief.
More simply; if a character says a phrase like ‘hocus pocus’ to cast a certain spell, then every spell caster must use the same words for that spell to work. Or, if a wizard could not perform magic without a wand while closing his eyes and turning around three times, then he better do that every time he casts his spells.
Like most fiction genres, fantasy has many subgenres and those expand every day as writers test the boundaries of fiction and genre. Some common and classic fantasy subgenres include Arthurian, Dark, Epic, Sword and Sorcery, High Fantasy, Magic Realism, Romantic and Historical (which encompasses many subgenres like Medieval, Celtic, and Steampunk) and urban.
Speculative fiction is a huge category of fiction that encompasses more genres than most of us can remember. Writers of these subgenres constantly push boundaries recreating unique tales from age old themes. An excellent resource for new speculative fiction writers is the Online Writing Workshops, which provides a community of speculative fiction authors offering critiques, advice and more.
Renee Miller - Co-author of Writer's Companion, a reference manual for creative writers, and freelancer/fiction writer.
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