My series on the history of science fiction was an attempt to introduce you to the best books of the past as well as tracing the development of the genre. I grew up reading Asimov, Heinlein, Clark and similar authors, and it’s still my favourite genre. But in all the years I’ve been reading and writing, I’ve never actually Googled it.
If you Google ‘science fiction’ you get some interesting results. Some definitions, opinions on the earliest writing (see my
second post on the history of science fiction), and all sorts of lists: the best authors, the best books and films, the most prolific authors, the 4/5/7 elements, and so on.
Here’s a
definition from the Encyclopaedia Britannica:
a form of fiction that deals principally with the impact of actual or imagined science upon society or individuals. Do you agree? Can you come up with a better definition?
How about this one from
hubcityspokes.com:
Science fiction is absolutely important in literature for a single reason: through its creation of alternate realities in different points of time, readers are attracted to what mirrors where we are today. In that valiant search for the future, science fiction teaches us how to handle the present.
- What if?
- An unfamiliar setting
- Innovative technology
- Relatable characters
- Themes about humanity
Would you agree with that list? Or you might prefer the 7 elements on Twinkl.com.
IGN.com has a list of the Best 25 SciFi Movies of All Time and Famous Authors.org has the 10 Best Science Fiction Books of All Time. How many have you seen or read? According to Wordsrated.com, the best selling science fiction book of all time is Dune, which means it comes top of the best book list as well.
Ann Marie Thomas is the author of five medieval history books, a surprisingly cheerful poetry collection about her 2010 stroke, and the science fiction series Flight of the Kestrel, Intruders, Alien Secrets & Crisis of Conscience are out now Follow her at http://eepurl.com/bbOsyz
