With the sheer variety of literary genres, it's almost surprising that so many book lovers get stuck reading only one type of book. Some serious readers even go so far as to read only novels that have won a slew of prizes or are considered classics and they won't think about reading a 'light' genre such as sci-fi. Little do they know that many of the award-winning classics they prefer are also some of the best science fiction books in history.
Science fiction, or sci-fi as most people call it, usually describes an imaginary world where science and technology feature prominently. Sometimes they focus on that science and technology but some sci-fi books tend to focus more on the structure of the society they're about. There are many different types of novel within the genre, from space fiction to fiction set in a post-apocalyptic world. The authors come up with highly imaginative ideas but there have been instances where these books were actually predictions of the future.
Sci-fi has a long history, with authors as far back as the 2nd century already beginning to explore it. Many later sci-fi experts say that the genre really started early in the 17th century with the publication of Johannes Kepler's novel 'Somnium'. Some of the classics from the 18th and early 19th century were really sci-fi too, including Jonathan Swift's timeless adventure story 'Gulliver's Travels' and Mary Shelley's dark novel 'Frankenstein'.
The Industrial Revolution and the innovation that came with it became inspiration for many a writer. Two of the most influential were H. G. Wells and Jules Verne. They're often regarded as the 'fathers of science fiction'. Wells explored themes such as time travel and alien invasion while Verne imagined fantastic journeys into the depths of Earth.
Two famous sci-fi authors are Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov. George Orwell's thought-provoking 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' can be classified as sci-fi too, falling under the subgenre of dystopian novels. Aldous Huxley's ideas in 'Brave New World' begin to sound less like fiction and more like science when you look at advances in cloning technology.
Many writers in other genres have tried their hand at sci-fi. Even before H. G. Wells wrote about time travel, Mark Twain explored the concept in 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court'. Margaret Atwood wrote about a dystopian society in 'The Handmaid's Tale', as did Nobel Laureate Jose Saramago in 'Blindness'. Another Nobel Laureate, Doris Lessing, created an entire series of works set on other planets.
Many sci-fi novels have been made into movies. They include several film versions of 'Frankenstein', 'Planet of the Apes' and the works of Jules Verne. Other classics include 'The Andromeda Strain', the 'Jurassic Park' series, 'A Clockwork Orange', '2001: A Space Odyssey', 'Dune' and 'A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe'.
The sci-fi section of your local bookstore or library will have great novels to try. You'll also find some works in the 'Classics' section. If you don't know where to start, it's also useful to search online and read the reviews of novels that might appeal to you.
Science fiction, or sci-fi as most people call it, usually describes an imaginary world where science and technology feature prominently. Sometimes they focus on that science and technology but some sci-fi books tend to focus more on the structure of the society they're about. There are many different types of novel within the genre, from space fiction to fiction set in a post-apocalyptic world. The authors come up with highly imaginative ideas but there have been instances where these books were actually predictions of the future.
Sci-fi has a long history, with authors as far back as the 2nd century already beginning to explore it. Many later sci-fi experts say that the genre really started early in the 17th century with the publication of Johannes Kepler's novel 'Somnium'. Some of the classics from the 18th and early 19th century were really sci-fi too, including Jonathan Swift's timeless adventure story 'Gulliver's Travels' and Mary Shelley's dark novel 'Frankenstein'.
The Industrial Revolution and the innovation that came with it became inspiration for many a writer. Two of the most influential were H. G. Wells and Jules Verne. They're often regarded as the 'fathers of science fiction'. Wells explored themes such as time travel and alien invasion while Verne imagined fantastic journeys into the depths of Earth.
Two famous sci-fi authors are Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov. George Orwell's thought-provoking 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' can be classified as sci-fi too, falling under the subgenre of dystopian novels. Aldous Huxley's ideas in 'Brave New World' begin to sound less like fiction and more like science when you look at advances in cloning technology.
Many writers in other genres have tried their hand at sci-fi. Even before H. G. Wells wrote about time travel, Mark Twain explored the concept in 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court'. Margaret Atwood wrote about a dystopian society in 'The Handmaid's Tale', as did Nobel Laureate Jose Saramago in 'Blindness'. Another Nobel Laureate, Doris Lessing, created an entire series of works set on other planets.
Many sci-fi novels have been made into movies. They include several film versions of 'Frankenstein', 'Planet of the Apes' and the works of Jules Verne. Other classics include 'The Andromeda Strain', the 'Jurassic Park' series, 'A Clockwork Orange', '2001: A Space Odyssey', 'Dune' and 'A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe'.
The sci-fi section of your local bookstore or library will have great novels to try. You'll also find some works in the 'Classics' section. If you don't know where to start, it's also useful to search online and read the reviews of novels that might appeal to you.
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