Why Are Science-Fiction and Fantasy Novels So Popular?

Science fiction goes back centuries, but started becoming popular in the 19th century with the rise of technology following the Industrial Revolution. However, the idea of science fiction as a genre began in the pulp era, with Hugo Gernsback’s Amazing Stories, the first magazine to focus on science fiction. More pulps followed, such as Analog Science Fiction and Fact and Weird Tales, the latter also featuring fantasy and horror. Popular on the radio, with serials such as Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon airing in the 1930s, the crowning moment for science fiction was Orson Welles’ infamous War of the Worlds, broadcast in 1938.

Fantasy as a genre goes back as far as storytelling, to early mythology. Some key eras of fantasy include the Arthurian legends of the Middle Ages and early 19th-century Gothic novels, with writers such as Edgar Allan Poe producing fiction that highlighted the supernatural later that century. Fantasy grew in popularity in the early 20th century and became a serious genre when J.R.R. Tolkien published The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings (1950), which are the templates for heroic fantasy, and which brought fantasy into the mainstream. These works became particularly popular around the world in the 1960s and led to the rise of the sword and sorcery genre of fantastic fiction.

Today, science fiction and fantasy are everywhere. From fiction to film and television, from comics to video games, the fantasy and science fiction genre is one of the staples of modern storytelling. And sales are growing regularly. While the two are separate genres, there can be a lot of overlap, and are generally grouped together in publishing.

The escapism of fantasy and science fiction

No genre offers more escapism than fantasy and science fiction. Traveling through strange lands or warping through space to visit new planets; encountering mythical creatures and people with extraordinary magical powers; these are the thrills of fantasy and science fiction novels. While this sort of fiction is influenced by other genres - adventure, mystery, westerns, etc. - the importance of setting is what sets science fiction and fantasy apart. Whether it’s the magical realms of Harry Potter or the otherworldly landscapes of Star Wars, these stories take us far beyond the world we know and give our imaginations free rein.

Science fiction and fantasy often examine complex and thought-provoking themes. They can be an engaging way to explore societal issues, philosophical questions, and futuristic possibilities. Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars Trilogy - Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars - combine hard science with an exploration of how colonists survive and interact in a new form of society. And George Orwell’s 1984 is the classic examination of how a society can control its citizens, and what happens when citizens try to rebel.

Science fiction and fantasy are perfect for film and TV

Science fiction and fantasy have always been popular on film and on TV, and in the past couple of decades, with the improvement of CGI (computer-generated imaging), this sort of story works perfectly on the screen. Whether it be planets with unique biomes, mythical creatures, or advanced technology, these genres are highly visual.

Science fiction and fantasy novels are often written in trilogies, and there are many long series, such as Robert Jordan’s 15-volume Wheel of Time, George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones, the Expanse novels by James S. A. Corey, and classic science fiction series such as Frank Herbert’s Dune and Isaac Asimov’s Foundation. It’s no surprise that all of these have been made into TV series or movies, along with many others.

Fantasy and science fiction have a plethora of sub-genres

Back in the golden age of science fiction, most stories involved space exploration. This expanded as authors discovered how versatile science fiction could be, exploring new or imagined technologies, and adding such sub-genres as post-apocalyptic fiction, military science fiction, and later steampunk and cyberpunk. Science fiction became a broad church, with some speculative fiction, such as that of J.G. Ballard, dealing with the near future instead of the distant future.

The same is true of fantasy. From high fantasy, such as The Lord of the Rings, to sword and sorcery, with authors like Robert E. Howard’s Conan series, fantasy branched out into many sub-genres. There is now urban fantasy, dark fantasy, historical fantasy, and even magic realism as a sub-genre of literary fiction: novels such as One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez feature fantastic elements.

These two genres cover such a wide range of sub-genres that readers have an embarrassment of riches when looking for new authors and novels. These are two of the most vibrant genres in popular fiction, and there is a lively cross-pollination between the two.

Literary fiction today sometimes flirts with fantasy and science fiction. Novels like The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro, The Road by Cormac McCarthy, Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, and Piranesi by Susanna Clarke blend these genres with literary fiction, providing a fertile ground to allow the ideas that make up science fiction and fantasy to infiltrate mainstream fiction.

As vehicles for escapism, allowing readers to explore different worlds and civilizations, science fiction and fantasy have become staples of literature. With their presence in film and TV, these genres expand their readership and offer a combination of literature and audio-visual entertainment that goes beyond the confines of most fiction. The popularity of these genres is increasing as the imagination of authors takes new leaps into the unknown.