Josh Rhodes answers “Would you really consider this book...”

Lisa asked this question about Outlawed:

Would you really consider this book historical fiction? To me it seems more to belong to dystopian or post-apocalyptic fiction. They live in a wild west world, but yet it's really not the same world as the one in our history. (Surviving the "big flu" and everyone worshipping the Baby Jesus) It feels intentionally misleading to say it's historical fiction.

Josh Rhodes "Alternate historical fiction" seems as good an answer as any.

I don't think speculative fiction entirely fits...it has no fantastical or science ficti…more"Alternate historical fiction" seems as good an answer as any.

I don't think speculative fiction entirely fits...it has no fantastical or science fictional type elements. Someone more obsessed with the hallmarks of "genre" than me could perhaps set us straight on whether that's actually a requirement of speculative fiction, but, besides the part where it massively diverges from what really happened, it feels pretty realist.

Post-apocalyptic, dystopian...these are decent descriptors too. Another day, another alternate historical postapocalyptic feminist Western. (Ahem: ha ha.)(less)

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