Definitions

The End of Science Fiction

I’ve seen various theories put forward as to when the first science fiction stories were written. Depending on your definition of science fiction — and that exact definition can be quite contentious, especially on this blog — the first proper science fiction tale might be Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) or William Shakespeare’s The Tempest (c. 1610) or maybe Lucian of Samosata’s A True Story (c. the 2nd century AD). Personally, I’d argue that you need to have the scientific method before … Read more

20 Ways Science Fiction and Fantasy Are Like Mozilla Firefox

It’s a sunny day here in the Washington, D.C. area. So in lieu of doing any real writing, I’ve decided to ruminate on the ways in which the science fiction and fantasy genres are like the Mozilla Firefox browser instead. 1. Both are available across multiple platforms. You can install Firefox on your Windows PC, on your Linux PC, on your Mac (though it’s called Camino there), or even on your mobile device. Likewise, SFF spreads across TV, books, … Read more

The Mutation of Genre

Genre is a twentieth century concept (or perhaps a nineteenth century one). It’s going away. (Eventually.) Historically, genre has been mostly useful as a marketing and publishing tool. Bookstores want to sell more copies of books, so they naturally group them together. After all, someone who’s just bought Ursula Le Guin’s A Wizard of Earthsea is statistically more likely to buy Michael Moorcock’s Elric of Melnibone than, say, a Rosamunde Pilcher romance or a Louis L’Amour western or a Frommer’s travel … Read more