Science Fiction
Science fiction is a genre marked by time travel, aliens and virginity. Fans want the genre to be taken seriously, but undermine their own wishes by gathering in convention centers to wear rubber costumes and speak in made-up languages.
Just The Facts
- The first work of science fiction was arguably "Frankenstein" written by Mary Shelley in 1818.
- Today, science fiction is often a commentary on some aspect of society or human nature.
- Indeed, many major works can be reduced to one or two sentences about why humans suck.
- Science Fiction is 80% more likely than other genres to take place in space, and that's awesome.
Cracked on Science Fiction
Author Robert A. Heinlein defined science fiction as "realistic speculation about possible future events, based solidly on adequate knowledge of the real world, past and present, and on a thorough understanding of the nature and significance of the scientific method." Most people agree that that definition is boring and lame, and prefer to think science fiction as "having space ships or robots or cloning or something".
Some of our greatest cultural artifacts fall under the science fiction (or sci-fi or SF) catagory. The Terminator, ET, Star Wars, Star Trek, Alien, Mad Max, Firefly, Doctor Who, Battlestar Galactica and Benji could all be considered sci-fi for some reason or another. Just kidding, ET doesn't really have that much to do with science.
Pictured: Science Fiction
There are also some bad things that have come of science fiction. Waterworld, Syfy (previously Sci Fi) channel original movies and Star Trek fan fiction are just a few examples. Still, the genre has millions of fans, and as long as Michael Bay continues to combine hot women, explosions and giant robots, that's probably going to continue.
Science Fiction Fans
The science fiction genre captures a wide audience, from lonely, nerdy, basement dwellers who watch Stargate to lonely, nerdy basement dwellers who watch Stargate AND Heroes. Below are some of the more typical SF fans.
The 12 Year Old Boy
Most 12 year old boys are SF fans. They love explosions and space ships, they don't hate Jar Jar Binks yet, and they'll read/watch anything with "Star" in the title.
The Middle Aged Man
Though rarer than the 12 year old boy, a middle aged fan of science fiction usually shares the same hobbies, interests, and emotional maturity as the above catagory.
The Fanboy
The fanboy is a SF fan that gets fixiated on a single title or series (ex. Star Wars, Star Trek, Dr. Who). They often dedicate their entire life to that fixation, proving that sometimes, it really is wrong to follow your heart.
The Girl
Those boobs must be photoshopped in. Though female fans of SF have long been rumored, there has yet to be a confirmed sighting.
Popular Science Fiction Authors
Below is a list of some of the more popular science fiction authors of our day. Next to each of their pictures is a short blurb about them, as well as a one sentence summary of their body of work.
As about half the other comments have pointed out, Sci-Fi-loving females do exist. Heck, I'm one of them. I'm a gamer and a huge fan of Doctor Who, Stargate, Star Wars, etc etc. And yet I still manage to have a successful social life.
ReplyPlease open your eyes and look around a bit. Girl gamers/SF fans aren't some sort of rare exotic thing.
If you left the house once in a while you'd meet plenty of girl gamers/sci-fi fans... Honestly the whole "girls don't like that!" thing is getting a little tired ;)
ReplyI agree. In fact, there are plenty of girls around that love sci-fi stuff, and aren't even a bit nerdy.
You're article is OK, DNASnatcher, but really dude, crawl out your mom's basement sometime, it will be worth it! Cheers :D
Agreed. The 'Girls don't like SciFi' thing is a stereotype - and one of the most false, annoying ones I know. I'm a girl. I read as much SF as I can get my hands on. If you left your mother's basement on occasion, you would know that this is possible.
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I went to Dragon*Con last year (and plan to go again this year), and I saw quite a number of female sci-fi fans (unless Dragon*Con is the world's largest Tranny convention, as well as being the largest sci-fi convention). And big ups to ED209 for pointing out that sci-fi was invented by a girl. *smiles*
ReplyFemale sci-fi fans represent!
ReplyThere are seriously more of us than you think, but many are afraid to come out of the closet because the the rumour that we don't exist makes us feel kinda self-conscious about it. (PS- as you point out, sci-fi was INVENTED by a girl)
I am a female SF fan.
ReplySee, we do exist. Also, I don't live in my mother's basement.
I second NerdyNinja, and would call it a draw between those two books. I'd also add Starship Troopers as one of the greatest SciFi novels, but thats an aside.
ReplyAlso where's my boy Arthur C. Clarke? Arguably he's the most influential writer of this past century.
So where are Orson Scott Card and Douglass Adams on this list? Really, nerds are locked in eternal debate over whether "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" or "Ender's Game" is the best sci-fi book ever written.
ReplyOr so I heard....
Michael Crichton...
ReplySad now that he's dead. He was one of the few authors I thought probably had a very normal life.