List of SF genres and sub-genres
A series of genres & sub-genres, with sometimes conflicting definitions.
alphabetical
- alternative history
- anthropomorphic (furry)
- Bangsian fantasy
- comic fantasy (aka humorous fantasy)
- contemporary fantasy
- cyberpunk
- dark fantasy. see also horror
- dying earth story
- dystopia
- elfpunk
- epic fantasy
- fable
- fabulation
- fabulism
- fairy tale
- fantasy
- filk
- first contact
- folklore
- folk tales
- furry
- future noir
- ghost story
- giant monster story. see also monster story.
- gothic
- gothica
- hard science fiction
- heroic fantasy
- high fantasy
- historical fantasy
- horror
- interstitial fiction
- Lost World fantasy
- magical realism
- mannerpunk
- military SF
- monster story
- myth
- mythic art / mythic fiction
- myths
- mythpunk
- new wave fabulism
- new weird
- occult story
- parables
- planetary romance
- psychological horror
- romantic fantasy
- satire
- science fantasy
- science fiction
- science fiction romance
- scientifiction
- sciffy
- sci-fi
- SF
- SF western
- slasher horror
- slipstream
- space opera
- speculative fiction
- speculative sensibilities
- splatterpunk
- steam punk / steampunk
- superhero story
- supernatural fiction / paranormal
- surrealism
- survival horror
- sword and planet
- sword and sorcery
- time travel
- urban fantasy
- utopian fiction (including dystopias)
- weird fiction
- wuxia
Based on setting
Based on earth era
Historical SF
- Alternative history (usually imagines the world as it would have been had a major event occurred differently)
- Secret history (secret conspiracy or organization or species; supposedly normal life persists. Secret history stories pop up particularly in science fiction. They are, effectively, a subcategory of alternate history; but rather than supposing some major event went another way, they suppose a group of manipulators, hidden conspirators, minor events, unknown events, that conspired to get us here, today, to the place we are.)
- Alternative universe (very similar to earth-normal but tweaked in significant, or insignificant, ways)
- Time travel
Based on plot
- Mystery
- Western
- Romance
Based on plausibility
- Speculative fiction - what if this happens?
- Science fiction - This could theoretically happen
- Fantasy - this could not happen
Based on technology
Based on a particular science/study
Based on sensibility / literary mode
- Horror
- Prose
- Poetry
Further reading
- Lee Masterson's "Science Fiction Sub-Genres"
- The Terraformer
- Nonny Morgan, "Subgenres Demystified"