Of all the genres of fiction, science fiction has always remained interesting and distinctive.

Science fiction is not an easy term to define. The proponents and critics of science fiction have
defined it in various ways. According to M.H. Abrams:
The term science fiction is applied to those narratives in which an explicit attempt is
made to render plausible the fictional world by reference to known or imagined
scientific principles, or to a projected advance in technology, or to a drastic change
in the organization of society.
To put it simply, science fiction is a genre of fiction which chiefly deals with imaginative
content and tells us about futuristic societies which rapid advancements in science and
technology. Set in the future, these stories often explore the consequences of new scientific
discoveries, developments and happenings on human beings in the future.
Science fiction as a genre of literature primarily deals with a wide range of imaginative and
fantastic literatures. It dwells on a fictional world which is diametrically opposite to the actual
world we live in. but while science fiction is imaginative, it does not mean that all imaginative
fiction can be categorized as science fiction. Science fiction is distinctive and is very different
from other fictions like fairy tales, surreal fictions or magic realism which also essentially deals
with the difference between the imaginative fictional world and the actual world of the reader.
The primary contrast between science fiction and other fiction is that science fiction is based on
material physical rationalization whereas other fictions are purely grounded on the supernatural
and the arbitrary. The comparison between Ian Watsons novel The Jonah Kit and Franz Kafkas
short novel Metamorphosis can better explain this difference. The Jonah Kit introduces a new
technology that enables to map the brainwave patterns of a human into the mind of a whale. This
human consciousness is then transferred to the mind of the whale. Kafkas Metamorphsis tells
about the transformation of the protagonist into a giant insect in a very short span of time. Both
these stories are highly imaginative and talks about the impossible. But the difference between
these two stories lies in the approach of the writers. Kafka never explains the transformation of
the protagonist into a bug. He is more focused on the alienation of the character and the reactions
of his family members to the new monstrosity. On the other hand, Watsons transformation of a
man into a whale is placed in a scientific context. Watson rationalizes the physically impossible
by explaining the process with the aid of a new technology. Hence the transformation is made to
happen through a scientific agency, a machine that read brain wave patterns and reproduces them

in another man. Therefore we can undoubtedly say that Watsons Metamorphosis has made the
physically impossible probable through putting it in a scientific context whereas Kafkas
transformation can only be seen as arbitrary or magical. Science fiction stands out among other
forms of fiction chiefly because of the fact that it attempts to provide a scientific backing for the
imaginative and fantastic fictions that it deals with. Through material rationalization, even the
impossible is made plausible within the structure of the text. Science fiction is chiefly guided by
this logic to have and effective blend of science and fictions.
Characteristics of science fiction
The science fiction genre has a set of few common characteristics. Some of them are the
following:
Aliens
Aliens form an important part of the science fiction genre. The introduction of aliens to earth,
human encounters with aliens and aliens on space exploration are a common feature of many
science fiction novels. The aliens are often presented as friendly as well as hostile to human
beings. Moreover aliens contribute substantially to the prophetic and improbable nature often
genre.
Futuristic Setting or Alternate History
Science fiction is often set in the future. There are also science fictions which present alternate
histories. Futuristic setting allows science fiction genre to delve into the world of fantasies and
impossibilities. There are only few science fiction novels that are set in the present.
Advanced Technology
The early science fiction writers placed more emphasis on the development of science and
technology and the creative ways to utilize the existing technology. Technological advancement
of fantastic magnitude can also be seen in science fiction novels. Dystopic narratives often talks
about the impossible scientific advancements in various field.
Dystopia
Dystopia is a recurring theme in science fiction novels. Set in the future dystopia explores
current social issues. The interesting fact is that they have very little to do with science. Dystopia
also presents impossible technological advancements to criticize the present evils of the society
as if it would happen sometime in the future. They often deal with technological misutilization
and warn the present society of its far-reaching consequences.

Explorations of Popular Societal or Cultural Issues

Science fiction is not merely a genre that deals with the impossible and he imaginary. It also
explores popular societal and cultural issues in a science fiction setting. These issues include
class struggle, misuse of technology, worlds destroyed by war, authoritarian governments,
worlds in which generic experimentation has gone terrible way etc. Thus science fiction serves a
vital purpose by closely observing and responding to the problems and menaces of the world.
Space travel
Space travel is one another common element of science fiction. It becomes integral to a science
fiction novel as the narratives often dwell with another planets, creatures from space and aliens
exploration of the space etc. Space travel becomes a recurring element as humans always wanted
to conquer the impossible world of the space.
Time Travel
Time travel has always been a popular topic for science fiction. Science fiction novel feature
protagonists who do not adhere to time and often changes events in a short not time with the help
of advanced scientific developments. But most of the time travel is often facilitated by scientific
agencies like the newly developed gadgets for that purpose.
Science Fiction Follows Scientific Rules
Though mere fictitious and partially scientific, science fiction novels follow scientific rules to
some extent. The point is that science fiction most often talks about impossible futuristic
technologies and its application. But it always attempts to give material rationalization for the
impossible that has happened. They often facilitate it through the newly developed technology.
Categories
Hard Science Fiction
It is one of the major categories of science fiction. Hard science fiction is primarily
characterized by the accurate depiction of the futuristic world that advance technology may make
possible. The writers of this type of science fiction generally bank on technological
advancements in areas like physics, astrophysics, chemistry etc. The golden age of science
fiction witnessed the production of a number of hard science fiction works. The notable hard
science fiction authors include Isaac Asimov, Arhtur C. Clarke, Larry Niven, Kim Stanely,
Robinson, Grey Egan. Of all these, the contribution of Asimov in popularizing the hard science
fiction has been remarkable.

Soft Science Fiction

Soft science fiction deals with social sciences such as psychology, political science, sociology
and anthropology. The writers of this category focus primarily on character and emotion rather
than complex technological devices and improbable advancements. Noteworthy writer of this
category include Ray Bradbury, Urusula K. Lesuin, Philip K. Dick etc. Of these Ray Bradbury is
known as the master of this art. The writers of the East also contributed substantially to soft
science fiction through a good numbers of works. The works of Stanislaw Lem, Janusz Zajdel,
and Ivan Yefremov are some of the finest examples in this regard. The utopian and dystopian
stories are also part of the soft science fiction category. The works of these sort feature futuristic
societies caught up in the onslaught of technological advancements. Utopia presents perfect
societies which mostly have least probability to get materialized. George Orwells 1984, Aldous
Huxleys Brave New World and Margaret Atwoods The Handmaids Tale are some of the best
examples. Some of the satirical novels with fantastic setting such as Gullivers Travels by
Jonathan Swift may also be considered as science fiction or speculative fiction.
Apart from two major divisions as hard and soft science fiction, science fiction has various other
sub-genres. They include cyberpunk, Time Travel, Alternate history, Military science fiction,
superhuman, Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic, space opera, space western and social science
fiction. Cyber punk has dystopian settings and is characterized by misery. Recurring themes in
cyber punk includes advances in information technology, cyber space, artificial intelligence. The
common elements are nihilism, post-modernism etc. Time travel genre has antecedents in 18th
and 19th centuries. The most famous novel of this type is H.G. Wells Time Machine. Time travel
continues to be a popular subject in modern science fiction.
The genre of Alternate history has stories on the premise that historical events might have turned
out differentially. These stories may use time travel to change the past. Classics in this genre
include Bring the Jubilee by Ward Moore, The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick etc.
Military science fiction is set in the context of conflict between national, interplanetary or
interstellar armed forces. The stories include details about military technology, procedure ritual
and history. John Ringo, Drake, David etc are some of the notable authors of the genre. Super
human stories deal with the emergence of humans who have abilities beyond the norm. This may
either stem from natural causes or as a result of scientific advances. These stories usually focus
the alienation of these being as well as the societal reaction to them.

Apocalyptic fiction is concerned with the end of civilization. It may be through war, pandemic,
astronomic impact, ecological disasters or some other general disaster. On the other hand postapocalyptic fiction deals with the aftermath of apocalyptic fiction to anywhere in the future.
Apocalyptic science fiction is a popular genre in video games. Space opera is adventure science
fiction set entirely in outer space or on multiple planets. The term space opera is sometime
used pejoratively to describe improbable plot, absurd science and cardboard characters. The
pioneers of this subgenre are Edward E. Smith, with his Skylark and Lensman series.
Space western uses themes of the American Western books and film to a backdrop of futuristic
space frontier. Examples of space western works include the Sean Connery film Outland,
Hienlein, Farmer in the Sky and Firefly television series. Social science fiction is a subgenre that
focuses on themes of human society and human nature in a science fiction setting. It focuses
more on the speculation of humanity rather than scientific accuracy. It generally comes under the
category of soft science fiction.
Evolution and development
The critics of science fiction hold different views about the origin of the genre. Some of them
argue that science fiction elements have been present in literature ever since the ancient times.
But the majority of the critics agree to the opinion that it emerged in the 19th century. As a means
of understanding the world through speculation and storytelling, science fiction has precursors in
literature. Lucians True History, Epic of Gilgamesh, Arabian Nights Tales and Thomas Moores
Utopia are some of the ancient examples. The 18th century, the age of reason witnessed the
publication of better science fiction works. They include Jonathan Swifts Gullivers Travels,
Voltaires Micromejas and Johannes Keplers Somnium. These works are regarded as scientific
fiction stories. With the development of novel as a literary form, the early 19th century witnessed
the publication of science fiction novels which defined the form of the genre. Mary Shelleys
Frankenstein and The Lost Man gave the initial impetus to science fiction novels. Brian Aldiss
argued that Frankenstein tells the story of a strange new form of life created by science. It has
been a work of enormous appeal and it presence is felt even today. The success of the work lies
in the detailed manifestation of the beautiful strangeness of the monster, its central character.
Later Edgar Allan Poe and many other came up with other works of science fiction.
H.G Wells and Jules Verne were two towering figures in the 19th century science fiction. The
works of these two celebrated writers triggered of the actual growth of science fiction as a

meaningful category. Jules Verne was particularly interested in stories of fantastic voyages. His
work Voyage to the Centre of the Earth is about the protagonist journey to a hallow space
journey to a hollow space at the earths core. Other works of Verne are grounded in a rationalist
perspective on the virtues of technology. This is evident in works like Twenty Thousand Leagues
under the Sea, The Nautilus and From Earth to Moon. All his books are set in a version of the
present and he was always interested to work with existing scientific principles. He made well
use of the emerging technologies such as electricity, telegraph, new forms of powered
transportation etc.
H.G. Wells is regarded as the pivotal figure in the evolution of scientific romance into modern
science fiction. The works of Wells as well as Jules Verne were extremely popular among the
broad cross-sections of the society. Wells had great skill in generic combination and he dealt
with a wide range of themes like time travel, the alien invasion, biological mutation, the futurecity, the anti-utopian etc with extraordinary mastery. He had great fascination for encountering
difference and nearly all his stories concern men meeting strange life forms. The Stolen Basilles,
The Flowering of Strange Orchid and Aepyornis Island are some of his stories that narrate
encounters with strange life forms. He also wrote about the balance between civilization and
bestiality in human kind. His stories often feature beast-men based on dogs, pumas, pigs,
monkeys etc.
Wells most famous novel and one of the best in science fiction genre is The War of the World. It
is regarded as a seminal work depicting the alien invasion of earth. The reason for the
overwhelming success of the work is nothing but the way that Wells has transformed the
material into a sort of wrought, mournful beauty. It is about the arrival of aliens from mars that
eventually plans to destroy earth. The Martian aliens who come out of a cylinder create panic but
finally succumb to earthly bacteria against which they had no natural defense. But the story is
rendered effective because of Wells sense of the familiar and the strange. He considers the
aliens as imperialists who use their superior technology to invade England. The Martians and
their mechanisms actually serve as symbols. He actually criticizes the British for the violence
that the empire unleashes in different parts of the world as part of empire building. He also
wanted to warn that a racially distinct, ruthless military threat could destroy an underprepared
Britain. He was pointing towards the imperialist excesses as well as the eastern threat to Europe
imperialism. Science fiction always bears the key concerns of the society and culture of which it

is produced. In such a way Wells The War of the World is not a just a narrow mapping of the
imperialist anxieties into a symbolic form but it lays bare the paradox of imperialist ideology.
The British science fiction experienced a burst of inventive creativity during the time of Wells,
Bram Stoker, Olaf Stapleton and Rider Haggard.