Space opera, cyberpunk, hard SF: a short sci-fi glossary
Do you mix up space opera and hard SF? Not sure whether Blade Runner belongs under cyberpunk or dystopia? This short guide sorts out the main families of science fiction: for each one, a definition, a little history and a few works to start with. Science fiction is less a genre than a continent. Galactic sagas, neon-lit noir, engineers' novels and green utopias all live under the same label. Subgenres work as a compass. They say less about what a story tells than about the promise it makes to its audience: escape, scientific wonder, a warning or a reason to hope. Here are the four families worth knowing, and a few of their cousins.
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