How to Start a Science Fiction Book Club
Stick with space-oriented sub-genres., Make time for time., Think of the future., Escape to an alternate reality., Be a punk., Focus on technology., Determine whether you want hard sci-fi or soft sci-fi., Mix and match sub-genres., Branch into other...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Stick with space-oriented sub-genres.
Space is one of the most commonly explored themes in science fiction, but within the broad category of “space,” there are a number of different sub-genres for you to build your book list from.
These sub-genres include alien invasions, the colonization of different worlds, first contact, galactic empires, space exploration, and space operas. -
Step 2: Make time for time.
Time travel is nearly as popular as space travel.
It may be a little more difficult to find a plethora of time travel books, but you can weave one into your book list on occasion to mix things up. , The majority of science fiction books take place at some point in the future, even those books that are oriented with space or technology.
For some sci-fi sub-genres, however, thinking about the future is the main point rather than merely a setting detail.
Books that fall within the dystopian, human development, and pos-apocalyptic sub-genres are especially future-oriented. , Books are a sort of escape in and of themselves, but you can offer the members of your book group an even greater sense of escape by filling your book roster with alternate reality sub-genres.
Alternate realities include alternate histories and timelines, parallel dimensions, and virtual reality. , The "punk" sub-genres are fairly recent, but growing in popularity.
Steampunk is the most notable "punk" sub-genre, but others, like cyberpunk, have since come into creation as well.
Steampunk takes place in Victorian-esque settings but weaves fantastical steam and gear powered inventions into the story.
Cyberpunk pairs cybernetic technology with a breakdown of social order. , Technological feats are probably just as popular a theme in science fiction as space exploration.
A book club focused on technology-based science fiction has a wide range of sub-genres to choose from, including artificial intelligence, nano-technology, mind uploading, and singularity—the idea of a major but short-live technological boom. , Hard sci-fi focuses on scientific accuracy, and most hard sci-fi deals with technology.
Soft sci-fi relies more heavily on sciences that are less precise, such as psychology and anthropology. , If you only have an interest in certain types of science fiction, then you should build your club and its book roster around that interest.
If, however, you have an interest in science fiction no matter what the genre is, you can spice things up by planning a book club that will cover a range of topics. , Sometimes the boundaries between science fiction, fantasy, and horror get blurred.
For instance, some science fiction takes place in a future that has, for whatever reason, reverted back into fantasy-like sword-and-sorcery state.
Similarly, some post-apocalyptic books portray a world filled with the grotesque mutants and violence common to the horror genre.
You can really push the envelop by including a few books that could be classified within these other genres. , If you do not know where to start, consider paying homage to the classics that helped build the science fiction genre into what it is today.
The list of science fiction classics includes, but is certainly not limited to, H.G.
Wells's The Time Machine and War of the Worlds, Philip K.
Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Isaac Asimov's I, Robot, Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game, George Orwell's 1984, and Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit
451. , When all else fails, pull titles off bestselling science fiction lists.
Science fiction bestsellers usually consist of both recent titles and classics being turned into movies. -
Step 3: Think of the future.
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Step 4: Escape to an alternate reality.
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Step 5: Be a punk.
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Step 6: Focus on technology.
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Step 7: Determine whether you want hard sci-fi or soft sci-fi.
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Step 8: Mix and match sub-genres.
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Step 9: Branch into other speculative fiction.
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Step 10: Compile a list of classics.
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Step 11: Pull books off the bestseller list.
Detailed Guide
Space is one of the most commonly explored themes in science fiction, but within the broad category of “space,” there are a number of different sub-genres for you to build your book list from.
These sub-genres include alien invasions, the colonization of different worlds, first contact, galactic empires, space exploration, and space operas.
Time travel is nearly as popular as space travel.
It may be a little more difficult to find a plethora of time travel books, but you can weave one into your book list on occasion to mix things up. , The majority of science fiction books take place at some point in the future, even those books that are oriented with space or technology.
For some sci-fi sub-genres, however, thinking about the future is the main point rather than merely a setting detail.
Books that fall within the dystopian, human development, and pos-apocalyptic sub-genres are especially future-oriented. , Books are a sort of escape in and of themselves, but you can offer the members of your book group an even greater sense of escape by filling your book roster with alternate reality sub-genres.
Alternate realities include alternate histories and timelines, parallel dimensions, and virtual reality. , The "punk" sub-genres are fairly recent, but growing in popularity.
Steampunk is the most notable "punk" sub-genre, but others, like cyberpunk, have since come into creation as well.
Steampunk takes place in Victorian-esque settings but weaves fantastical steam and gear powered inventions into the story.
Cyberpunk pairs cybernetic technology with a breakdown of social order. , Technological feats are probably just as popular a theme in science fiction as space exploration.
A book club focused on technology-based science fiction has a wide range of sub-genres to choose from, including artificial intelligence, nano-technology, mind uploading, and singularity—the idea of a major but short-live technological boom. , Hard sci-fi focuses on scientific accuracy, and most hard sci-fi deals with technology.
Soft sci-fi relies more heavily on sciences that are less precise, such as psychology and anthropology. , If you only have an interest in certain types of science fiction, then you should build your club and its book roster around that interest.
If, however, you have an interest in science fiction no matter what the genre is, you can spice things up by planning a book club that will cover a range of topics. , Sometimes the boundaries between science fiction, fantasy, and horror get blurred.
For instance, some science fiction takes place in a future that has, for whatever reason, reverted back into fantasy-like sword-and-sorcery state.
Similarly, some post-apocalyptic books portray a world filled with the grotesque mutants and violence common to the horror genre.
You can really push the envelop by including a few books that could be classified within these other genres. , If you do not know where to start, consider paying homage to the classics that helped build the science fiction genre into what it is today.
The list of science fiction classics includes, but is certainly not limited to, H.G.
Wells's The Time Machine and War of the Worlds, Philip K.
Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Isaac Asimov's I, Robot, Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game, George Orwell's 1984, and Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit
451. , When all else fails, pull titles off bestselling science fiction lists.
Science fiction bestsellers usually consist of both recent titles and classics being turned into movies.
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Larry Price
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