Tag: essay

Updated: The History of Science Fiction Literature

As part of the complete overhaul of this website, I just finished updating my essay on The History of Science Fiction Literature. Learn what science fiction is, explore the past of this massive genre, and speculate on where it’s going from here.

A short excerpt from the essay:

Exploring all that is encompassed by the name science fiction can be a daunting proposition. Like daring explorers setting out to discover uncharted worlds, this essay takes the first steps into the beyond by first delving into the past. After all, they say you can’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been.

Read the full essay here!

More Subgenres of Fantasy Literature

Our five-part exploration of fantasy literature is now complete! Originally presented five years ago as a three-part exploration, I’ve gone through and completely revised and rewritten most of the series and greatly expanded on it. In this part, you’ll find short descriptions and examples of eighteen different subgenres of fantasy literature! This includes dark fantasy, grimdark fantasy, military fantasy, flintlock fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal romance, gaslamp fantasy, and more! Below is a snippet of the introduction to this new essay, along with a link to the full piece:

One of the fascinating things about fantasy literature is how many different types of stories fall under this massive umbrella genre. Everything from elves and goblins in a medieval setting to witches and vampires in the modern day can be considered fantasy. This has led to a plethora of subgenres that help us communicate and identify what kind of fantasy a story is. The number of these is growing all the time, so it’s hard to even count them all. In this essay, we’ll take a closer look at some of the most enduring, popular, and interesting of these.

Click here for the full essay!

Or, if you want to start from the beginning and read through the whole series in order, you’ll want to head over to The History of Fantasy Literature.

The History of Speculative Fiction

I’m excited to share that I have a new article appearing on Campfire Learn: “The History of Speculative Fiction and How to Write It“.

Image (C) Campfire Technology, LLC, 2023

From the article’s introduction:

A multiverse of possibilities may spring to mind when considering the term speculative fiction, from dragons soaring over verdant meadows to massive starships exploring the cosmos.

By contemporary reckoning, it comprises many genres and has a lineage that far predates its name.

To better understand speculative fiction, let’s go on a journey through its rich history and discover what its exciting future may hold.

Be sure to check out the full article here, and discover more amazing writing and worldbuilding advice on Campfire Learn!

Cosmic Horror: A Study of the Unknowable

As part of this week’s celebration of the launch of Parting the Veil, I wanted to expand on my genre studies series and share my own research into the genre of cosmic horror. In this article I explore not only the definition of the genre, but take a deep dive into its origins with the life and work of H.P. Lovecraft. We also get a glimpse of what the genre stands for today, and the lasting social and literary impact of Lovecraft’s creations.

Read the full article here!

Find out more about
Parting the Veil!

Science Fiction Genres – Part One

Interstellar space travel, alien invasions, nuclear holocaust, and futuristic computers; what do all of these thing have in common? They are all elements found within science fiction literature.  We looked at the history of science fiction in our last installment.  Many works of science fiction fit nicely into a well established set of sub-genres, while others defy classification in their uniqueness.  We already looked at several types of science fiction in our article on the ‘Punk genres (such as Cyberpunk,) but there are many more to discuss.  In this installment in our genre studies series, I will be covering some of the broad classifications used to define works of science fiction literature.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL ARTICLE

Image result for science fiction art

The Fantasy Genre: Part 2

The second part of our series exploring the fantasy genre is now available!

In this second section of a three-part journey, I’ll be examining each of the major sub-genres of fantasy more closely.  In the first part, we looked at the history and evolution of the fantasy genre as a whole.  This time, we will be focusing more on the content and differences of the four major sub-genres of fantasy literature.  In the third part, we will explore the more niche sub-genres and sub-sub-genres that tackle very specific themes.

Image result for fantasy art boat

Join me next for part three of The Fantasy Genre, where we will continue to explore the sub-genres of fantasy literature.  This next installment will look at the more specifically defined subgenres such as urban fantasy, flintlock fantasy, and dark fantasy.  See you again soon!