If you love great literature, you probably prefer reading novels that have won many prizes and are critically acclaimed. You may also prefer works that are considered literary classics. It's very possible that you've never even considered reading science fiction because you may think that this genre can't produce quality reading matter. However, the best science fiction books are often great works of literature too.
Science fiction, or sci-fi as most people call it, usually describes an imaginary world where science and technology feature prominently. Sometimes they focus on that science and technology but some sci-fi books tend to focus more on the structure of the society they're about. There are many different types of novel within the genre, from space fiction to fiction set in a post-apocalyptic world. The authors come up with highly imaginative ideas but there have been instances where these books were actually predictions of the future.
Ancient works from as early as the 2nd century started exploring themes that could be classified as sci-fi. A work from the first half of the 17th century, 'Somnium' by Johannes Kepler, is often cited as the first truly sci-fi novel. Other early works in this imaginative genre include the classic 'Gulliver's Travels' by 18th-century writer Jonathan Swift and 'Frankenstein' by 19th-century author Mary Shelley.
Toward the end of the 19th century, technological innovation inspired several writers. Jules Verne was one, with novels that explored travel into the depths of the planet or deep underneath the sea. Another writer who, like Verne, had a huge influence on later writers was H. G. Wells, author of works such as 'The Time Machine', 'The Island of Doctor Moreau' and 'The War of the Worlds'.
Two famous sci-fi authors are Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov. George Orwell's thought-provoking 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' can be classified as sci-fi too, falling under the subgenre of dystopian novels. Aldous Huxley's ideas in 'Brave New World' begin to sound less like fiction and more like science when you look at advances in cloning technology.
Several notable writers have dabbled in sci-fi. Mark Twain, for instance, explored the idea of time travel in 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court'. Nobel Prize winner Doris Lessing wrote a series of novels set in outer space. Another Nobel Prize winner, Portuguese writer Jose Saramago, used sci-fi ideas in novels such as 'The Stone Raft' and 'Blindness'. Margaret Atwood's 'The Handmaid's Tale' is a dystopian novel true to the sci-fi genre as well. Even the poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson touched on sci-fi themes in some of his poems.
The highly imaginative nature of sci-fi makes it perfect for the movies. There have been numerous film adaptations of 'Frankenstein' and of the works of Wells and Verne, or instance. Other sci-fi books that became popular movies include 'A Clockwork Orange', 'Dune', '2001: A Space Odyssey', 'Jurassic Park', 'Planet of the Apes' and Douglas Adams' comical sci-fi novel 'A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe'.
The sci-fi section of your local bookstore or library will have great novels to try. You'll also find some works in the 'Classics' section. If you don't know where to start, it's also useful to search online and read the reviews of novels that might appeal to you.
Science fiction, or sci-fi as most people call it, usually describes an imaginary world where science and technology feature prominently. Sometimes they focus on that science and technology but some sci-fi books tend to focus more on the structure of the society they're about. There are many different types of novel within the genre, from space fiction to fiction set in a post-apocalyptic world. The authors come up with highly imaginative ideas but there have been instances where these books were actually predictions of the future.
Ancient works from as early as the 2nd century started exploring themes that could be classified as sci-fi. A work from the first half of the 17th century, 'Somnium' by Johannes Kepler, is often cited as the first truly sci-fi novel. Other early works in this imaginative genre include the classic 'Gulliver's Travels' by 18th-century writer Jonathan Swift and 'Frankenstein' by 19th-century author Mary Shelley.
Toward the end of the 19th century, technological innovation inspired several writers. Jules Verne was one, with novels that explored travel into the depths of the planet or deep underneath the sea. Another writer who, like Verne, had a huge influence on later writers was H. G. Wells, author of works such as 'The Time Machine', 'The Island of Doctor Moreau' and 'The War of the Worlds'.
Two famous sci-fi authors are Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov. George Orwell's thought-provoking 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' can be classified as sci-fi too, falling under the subgenre of dystopian novels. Aldous Huxley's ideas in 'Brave New World' begin to sound less like fiction and more like science when you look at advances in cloning technology.
Several notable writers have dabbled in sci-fi. Mark Twain, for instance, explored the idea of time travel in 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court'. Nobel Prize winner Doris Lessing wrote a series of novels set in outer space. Another Nobel Prize winner, Portuguese writer Jose Saramago, used sci-fi ideas in novels such as 'The Stone Raft' and 'Blindness'. Margaret Atwood's 'The Handmaid's Tale' is a dystopian novel true to the sci-fi genre as well. Even the poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson touched on sci-fi themes in some of his poems.
The highly imaginative nature of sci-fi makes it perfect for the movies. There have been numerous film adaptations of 'Frankenstein' and of the works of Wells and Verne, or instance. Other sci-fi books that became popular movies include 'A Clockwork Orange', 'Dune', '2001: A Space Odyssey', 'Jurassic Park', 'Planet of the Apes' and Douglas Adams' comical sci-fi novel 'A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe'.
The sci-fi section of your local bookstore or library will have great novels to try. You'll also find some works in the 'Classics' section. If you don't know where to start, it's also useful to search online and read the reviews of novels that might appeal to you.
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