Explore 60 New Sci-Fi and Fantasy Stories by Subgenres

Posted by Sharon on July 12, 2021


Who doesn't love a good science fiction or fantasy subgenre? If you're familiar with these categories, they can act as direct portals to stories you know you'll love. And if phrases like "space opera," "climate fiction," or "urban fantasy" baffle you, worry not! We've got your guide to ten crowd-pleasing speculative fiction subgenres below, each with recommendations for recent popular books.

Don’t forget to add any titles that catch your eye to your Want to Read shelf, and be sure to share your favorite subgenres in the comments below!


Alternate History

Characteristics of this subgenre: Witch trials but with actual witches, wars that occurred in the real world but with magic, historical timelines that look recognizably like our own but with a speculative twist.

Alternate Universes

Characteristics of this subgenre: Parallel universes, multiple universes, different versions of the same person across universes—that sort of thing.


Space Opera

Characteristics of this subgenre: Clashes between civilizations, planetary political intrigue, and governments at an interstellar scale. No singing involved (usually).


Retellings

Characteristics of this subgenre: New takes on old myths or folktales, gender-bent stories, redemption arcs for misunderstood villains, everything old is new again.


Climate Fiction

Characteristics of this subgenre: Collapsing ecologies, nature red in tooth and claw, stories of human innovation and resilience in the face of climate disaster.


Urban Fantasy

Characteristics of this subgenre: Wizards on the subway, eldritch horrors attacking apartment dwellers, magic plus a contemporary city setting equals some very cool books!


Timey Wimey Tales

Characteristics of this subgenre: Time travel, time slippage, getting stranded in time, trying to change the past or the future and often causing more issues in the present.


Astronaut Adventures

Characteristics of this subgenre: People hurtling in tin cans through empty space (and somehow these aren't horror novels?), moon colonies, murders in space (again, not horror!), the human side of space exploration.


Postapocalyptic Futures

Characteristics of this subgenre: World-changing events, dystopian landscapes, revolutions against totalitarian states, pandemic pandemonium.


Technological Advances

Characteristics of this subgenre: Robots, clones, AI, oh my! Explorations of the good, the bad, and the scary sides of humanity's relationships with machines.

Which are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy subgenres? Let’s talk books in the comments below!
 

Comments Showing 1-50 of 110 (110 new)


LectoraEstherica Jade city! By Fonda Lee, low fantasy, asian inspired and mafiosa family!


message 2: by MoonstoneOwl (new)

MoonstoneOwl Thank you for this list. I love finding new Sci-fi


message 3: by Jennifer (new)

Jennifer Rose If it's sci-fi and FANTASY week, where are the Fantasy sub genres?


message 4: by Tallyho (new)

Tallyho ....and no romance sub-genres from either sci-fi OR fantasy. It's a huge market folks.


message 5: by Whispering (new)

Whispering I love this! Thx for the new recomendations!


message 6: by Danni (new)

Danni Jennifer wrote: "If it's sci-fi and FANTASY week, where are the Fantasy sub genres?"

apparently Fantasy sub-genres are limited to Urban fantasy and Retellings. 😒


message 7: by Amanda (new)

Amanda Jennifer wrote: "If it's sci-fi and FANTASY week, where are the Fantasy sub genres?"

I was just thinking the same thing.


message 8: by John (new)

John Hobson Missing out on Time Slip novels...


message 9: by dany (new)

dany Three different subgenres relating to time/universes but a single fantasy subgenre :/


message 10: by Laurent (new)

Laurent T Danni wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "If it's sci-fi and FANTASY week, where are the Fantasy sub genres?"

apparently Fantasy sub-genres are limited to Urban fantasy and Retellings. 😒"

if you want retellings - Christina Henry - is conspicuous by her absence - read Lost boy and never ever see peter pan in intehsame light again


message 11: by Laurent (new)

Laurent T I know that what i'm going to write will inevitably annoy some people - frankly I don't give an Ulsio's arse!
I am old enough to have read most of the SCIFI greats (and some not so great) and I have to say that SciFi is in a deep and terminal decline. In fact, it would be better to call what is currently passed off on shop bookshelves "Homeopathic Scifi" - ie something that is so diluted and distant from true SciFi as to in breach of the trade description's act!
The reason is twofold
1) the quest for scientific knowledge, and any discoveries from that quest renders imagination worthless. The amount of imaginative Scif is inversely proportional to our accumulated scientific knowledge. In the past, with very little knowledge of science &/or the cosmos, we got Frankenstein, Barsoom, Dune, The Multiverse of Micheal Moorcock, Heinlein, Asimov and even HP Lovecraft. Now we have twee unimaginative happy clappy by the numbers snowflake nonsense that should probably be best thrown into a black hole - except it might make it vomit
2) the need for publishers to generate revenue (probably to fund their daughters' pony habit) by forcing authors to sub-genre to ever finer granularity untill there is nothing there. Calling Sliding Doors Scifi because it uses the parallel universe theory is like calling a cat a girafe because it has 4 limbs, a neck and an arse!

so R.I.P. real SCI-FI, it was a blast - now it's just bloated wind!


message 12: by Dmack (new)

Dmack Don’t see space for spiritual sci fi, not a huge market but still some good writers. Decker and Peretti to name 2


message 13: by Will (new)

Will Byrnes Under Cli-fi, Charlotte McConaghy, author of Migrations, has another out August 3, 2021, Once There Were Wolves. It is well worth checking out.


Kate (Feathered Turtle Press Reviews) This is science fantasy erasure.


message 15: by Books and Brews (new)

Books and Brews Where are all the Indie authors? Seriously, this list is crap. The Indie fantasy/urban fantasy/sci-fi scene is rich, diverse and every bit as good and sometimes FAR better in terms of quality than the carbon-copy, conservative (in terms of publishing) stuff on this list.


Seán Coireall M. More newish than new


message 17: by lady (new)

lady Laurent wrote: "I know that what i'm going to write will inevitably annoy some people - frankly I don't give an Ulsio's arse!
I am old enough to have read most of the SCIFI greats (and some not so great) and I ha..."


Somebody's triggered


message 18: by Holly (new)

Holly Laurent wrote: "I know that what i'm going to write will inevitably annoy some people - frankly I don't give an Ulsio's arse!
I am old enough to have read most of the SCIFI greats (and some not so great) and I ha..."


Agreed. I'm now using my former book buying budget to fund my own pony habit.


message 19: by Ilona (new)

Ilona Fenton Laurent wrote: "I know that what i'm going to write will inevitably annoy some people - frankly I don't give an Ulsio's arse!
I am old enough to have read most of the SCIFI greats (and some not so great) and I ha..."


You say this so much better than I could have and I totally agree that there's not enough true science fiction written today.


message 20: by Winn (new)

Winn For Sci-fi, I highly suggest The Authority Wars: Banished by T.H. Solomon. It’s a great new take on a sci-fi universe that’s has interesting sci-fi ideas (genetic engineering and its impact on society), great action, deep character development, and great world building. It’s unique enough, I’m not sure which subgenre of sci-fi it would go into. I loved it.


message 21: by Sarah (new)

Sarah G Jennifer wrote: "If it's sci-fi and FANTASY week, where are the Fantasy sub genres?"

agreed


Vanessa (The Wolf & Her Books) Okay, I want to read everything on this list.


message 23: by Daniela (new)

Daniela When the fantasy sub genres remain just a fantasy.. what a disappointing list


message 24: by Melanie (new)

Melanie Y'all should try Headspace on for size. Not really sure what sub-genre to put it into, maaaaybe urban fantasy? Whatever the category, it's a real page turner. Got to read it as an ARC and now that release date is finally here, I'm excited for other people to read it too.


message 25: by Lydia (new)

Lydia Woodward My favorite sci-fi so far is Headspace by J.D. Edwin! Its characters are well-developed, and the worldbuilding is phenomenal! I couldn't put this book down and will be reading it many more times.


message 26: by June (new)

June Love this list!!


message 27: by Isabella (new)

Isabella De Oliveira Campos I wish there were more space fantasy stories, like Gideon the Ninth, Brian K. Vaughan's Saga or the Sailor Moon franchise. Why so few stories about magic in space? Who decided space can only be explored by science and technology?


message 28: by Isabella (new)

Isabella De Oliveira Campos Tallyho wrote: "....and no romance sub-genres from either sci-fi OR fantasy. It's a huge market folks."

Yes, specially Catherine Asaro's amazing science fiction romances. Love stories in space/in alien planets give me life!


message 29: by Krzysztof (new)

Krzysztof Military Space Opera


message 30: by Escapist (new)

Escapist My Choice: "Alternate History" 'Ring Shout' by P. Djeli Clark.
What a Powerhouse of a novel. Read 'The Black Gods Drum' right after this and found it equally thrilling. I did not know the author before I joined Goodreads and this list is another benefit for me. Thank you for the inspiration!


message 31: by E (new)

E I'll take a good ol' "Robot Uprising" any day!!


message 32: by Lizzie (new)

Lizzie 'Kindred Spirits: Endurance'Alan's Album Archives Endurance


message 33: by Linda (new)

Linda The Unveiling by Erin Mc Luckie Moya is a brilliant new urban fantasy


message 34: by Travis (new)

Travis Why is it, that nearly every time there's a list of this sort, the entire collection of books have several things in common.
1. the ebook versions all cost as much (or more) than the hardback.
2. they are rarely (if ever) on Kindle unlimited.
I see the same trend when the reader awards are handed out, and I doubt readers *only* vote for books that cost 13 bucks a pop when the selection of books that are half that price (or less) are so plentiful.
Sorry, but this is the reason I generally ignore these events. It's nothing more than somebody's effort to sell overpriced books.
Thanks, but no thanks.


message 35: by Alistair (new)

Alistair Laurent wrote: "I know that what i'm going to write will inevitably annoy some people - frankly I don't give an Ulsio's arse!
I am old enough to have read most of the SCIFI greats (and some not so great) and I ha..."


sounding like a very unhappy pooch


message 36: by Vanessa (new)

Vanessa Dargain E wrote: "I'll take a good ol' "Robot Uprising" any day!!"

chuckle


message 37: by Classie (new)

Classie VanderMolen Tallyho wrote: "....and no romance sub-genres from either sci-fi OR fantasy. It's a huge market folks."

I was thinking the same thing.


message 38: by Megan (last edited Jul 13, 2021 07:38PM) (new)

Megan I see complaints about the lack of indie authors on this list, but nobody recommending any?

I'm open to pretty much anything, just not too keen on astronauts, please and thank you!

Edit: J.D. Edwin's Headspace looks very promising!


message 39: by Keith (last edited Jul 13, 2021 10:02PM) (new)

Keith Interesting and ultimately very biased, racist and discriminatory list. Obviously most non-north American authors aren’t any good according to good reads. Where are most of the south Asian writers, Australian, UK, Chinese, African, South American authors? Also where are people like Seanan McGuire, Kameron Hurley, Gail Carriger etc. or are their politics too awkward for goodreads to mention?


message 40: by dust (new)

dust Dorsa wrote: "where is Philip K. Dick??????"

deceased


message 41: by Cathy (new)

Cathy Dmack wrote: "Don’t see space for spiritual sci fi, not a huge market but still some good writers. Decker and Peretti to name 2"

Yes! They are fantastic! More like them, please.


message 42: by Cathy (new)

Cathy Isabella wrote: "Tallyho wrote: "....and no romance sub-genres from either sci-fi OR fantasy. It's a huge market folks."

Yes, specially Catherine Asaro's amazing science fiction romances. Love stories in space/in ..."


Check out Ghost Planet by Sharon Lynn Fisher as well as her others that you may enjoy.


message 43: by Zoey (new)

Zoey Jennifer wrote: "If it's sci-fi and FANTASY week, where are the Fantasy sub genres?"

I know right? I was wondering about the same thing!


message 44: by ☘Misericordia☘ (last edited Jul 14, 2021 10:28AM) (new)

☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣ Finna (LitenVerse #1) by Nino Cipri , Piranesi by Susanna Clarke , The Midnight Library by Matt Haig , Persephone Station by Stina Leicht , Recursion by Blake Crouch are attestablу good.

Goldilocks by Laura Lam also well worth reading.


message 45: by Leon (new)

Leon Stevens Megan wrote: "I see complaints about the lack of indie authors on this list, but nobody recommending any?

I'm open to pretty much anything, just not too keen on astronauts, please and thank you!


As an indie author of sci-fi sort stories, I would have liked Goodreads to have advertised this better (I just found out about it). If you go to Listopia and search "indie author science fiction" you do get quite a few lists such as: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...


message 46: by Leon (new)

Leon Stevens Travis wrote: "Why is it, that nearly every time there's a list of this sort, the entire collection of books have several things in common.
1. the ebook versions all cost as much (or more) than the hardback.
2...."


Goodreads is owed by Amazon, so that's more that likely the answer...


message 47: by Contrarius (new)

Contrarius Laurent wrote: "I know that what i'm going to write will inevitably annoy some people - frankly I don't give an Ulsio's arse!
I am old enough to have read most of the SCIFI greats (and some not so great) and I ha..."


Translation: "Git off my lawn, ya young whippersnappers! The world was a better place back in my day, when we slogged through hip-deep snow for ten miles uphill both ways just to get to the bookstore!"

;-)


message 48: by Contrarius (last edited Jul 14, 2021 06:45PM) (new)

Contrarius Keith wrote: "Interesting and ultimately very biased, racist and discriminatory list. Obviously most non-north American authors aren’t any good according to good reads. Where are most of the south Asian writers,..."

Seriously? Did you pay any attention AT ALL to the books and authors on the list, or do you just get a kick out of making up nonsense? I mean, seriously -- I really had to laugh at your quip about politics.

Let's take a look at a few actual facts about this list. Naturally it's essentially made up of English-language authors, since Goodreads is by far mostly an English-language site. But the list is far from exclusionary.

Of all the authors listed, as best I can determine:

33 female/23 male/4 nonbinary or genderqueer
48 white/12 non-white
41 US American/19 non-US American

Of the non-white authors:

4 black, 2 Chinese-American, 1 Vietnamese-American, 1 Asian-Australian, 1 Lebanese-Canadian, 1 Filipino-American, 1 Japanese, 1 Indian

Of the non-US authors:

9 UK
3 Australia
2 Canada
2 New Zealand
1 Zimbabwe
1 Sweden
1 South Africa

Alix E. Harrow -- female, white, American
P. Djeli Clark -- male, black, American
H.G. Parry -- female, white, New Zealander
Sylvain Neuvel -- male, white, Canadian
Helene Wecker -- female, white, American
Matt Haig -- male, white, British
Nino Cipri -- nonbinary, white, American?
Micaiah Johnson -- female, biracial, American
Susanna Clarke -- female, white, British
Karin Tidbeck -- nonbinary, white, Swedish
Tim Pratt -- male, white, American
Arkady Martine -- female, white, American
Christopher Paolini -- male, white, American
JS Dewes -- female, white, American
Stina Leicht -- female, white, American
Everina Maxwell -- female, white, British
Aimee Ogden -- female, white, American
SL Huang -- female/genderqueer, Chinese-American, American
Heather Walter -- female, white, American
Genevieve Gornichec -- female, white, American
Jennifer Saint -- female, white, British
Nghi Vo -- female, Vietnamese-American?, American
Shelley Parker-Chan -- female, Asian-Australian, Australian
Andrew Krivak -- male, white, American
Charlotte McConaghy -- female, white, Australian
Kim Stanley Robinson -- male, white, American
Octavia Cade -- female, white, New Zealander
Diane Cook -- female, white, American
Jeff Vandermeer -- male, white, American
NK Jemisin -- female, black, American
Sarah J Maas -- female, white, American
Ben Aaronovitch -- male, white, British
Jim Butcher -- male, white, American
Sam J Miller -- male, white, American
TL Huchu -- male, black, Zimbabwean
Amal El-Mohtar -- female, Lebanese-Canadian, Canadian
Max Gladstone -- male, white, American
Blake Crouch -- male, white, American
Simon Jimenez -- male, Filipino-American, American
Rysa Walker -- female, white, American
Adrian Tchaikovsky -- male, white, British
Natasha Pulley -- female, white, British
Laura Lam -- female, white, dual American/British citizen
Max Barry -- male, white, Australian
Mary Robinette Kowal -- female, white, American
Kate Hope Day -- female, white, American
Kali Wallace -- female, white, American
Andy Weir -- male, white, American
Gish Jen -- female, Chinese-American, American
Ilse Hugo -- female, white, South African
Lawrence Wright -- male, white, American
Marissa Levien -- female, white, American
Andrew Kelly Stewart -- male, white, American
Benjamin Rosenbaum -- male, white, American
Sarah Gailey -- nonbinary, white, American
Dan Frey -- male, white, American
Kazuo Ishiguro -- male, Japanese, British
SB Divya -- female, Indian, American
Sarah Pinsker -- female, white, American
Sara Flannery Murphy -- female, white, American

If you think more non-white/non-American authors should be recognized, then name some of them! Whining and moaning doesn't do anyone any good -- let's see the names!


message 49: by Contrarius (last edited Jul 14, 2021 06:43PM) (new)

Contrarius ☘Misericordia☘ wrote: "Finna (LitenVerse #1) by Nino Cipri, Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, Persephone Station by Stina Leicht, Recursion by Blake Crouch are attestablу good.

"


:-)

Piranesi was one of my two favorite books from last year. And I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Recursion.


message 50: by Kevin (new)

Kevin This is all "old" genres; what about newer (sub)genres like LitRPG?


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