Science fiction is a genre in fiction characterized by the presence of a fantastic assumption, a violation of the boundaries of reality. Elements of fiction were already encountered in the works of ancient literature. In its development, the genre went through several stages. In the XX century, the genre of fantastic literature has received special development.
Instructions
Step 1
John Wyndham's novel "Day of the Triffids" appeared in 1951. According to the plot of the novel, humanity found itself in mortal danger: as a result of a cosmic catastrophe, all the inhabitants of the Earth became blind and became easy prey for triffids, predatory plants. Wyndham's novel is imbued with faith in humanity and the strength of the human spirit. The author sincerely believes that united, humanity can cope with any disaster.
Step 2
The novel Malville by Robert Merle is an example of a post-apocalyptic novel. The heroes of the novel accidentally survived a nuclear explosion that destroyed the rest of humanity. They live in Malvil Castle and try to survive on the wreckage of civilization. The novel is psychological: it is mainly not the realities of the world after the end of the world that are described, but the emotional state of the heroes. They desperately hope for a miracle, salvation, but throughout the entire novel, one can feel the spirit of doom.
Step 3
Philip K. Dick's cult novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is one of the first examples of cyberpunk. The action takes place in a bleak world of the future, in a city poisoned by radiation. In Dick's future, the world war made the Earth practically uninhabitable, radiation penetrated everywhere. The main character hunts for outlawed androids - humanoid creatures. He constantly reflects on the meaning of his existence and comes to the conclusion that there is no meaning in human life.
Step 4
Orson Scott Card's novel Ender's Game is a fantastical parenting novel. The main character was chosen as a boy by the hope of humanity, a commander who can destroy the enemy alien race. Ender is brought up in the spirit of absolute militarism, but continues to doubt the advisability of violence. The novel is imbued with the spirit of anti-militarism.
Step 5
Lois McMaster Bujold's cycle of novels about Vorkosigan from Barrayar is multifaceted. It combines the features of a family saga, a parenting novel, a political thriller and a space opera. In Bujold's novels, there are two main components of successful fiction: a thoughtful world with its own mythology, history and geography, and bright, charismatic characters.
Step 6
Dan Simmons' Hyperion is a multi-layered novel. Simmons managed in one work to harmoniously combine several main themes of science fiction - the problem of artificial intelligence, space exploration, and time travel. The novel is built on the principle of Boccaccio's "Decameron" - the heroes fly in the same spaceship and tell each other stories about themselves. The novel contains many references to world literature, and the range of topics raised in it is very wide - from religion to love.
Step 7
Ivan Efremov's Andromeda Nebula is a utopian novel. The book describes the ideal communist world of the future. The heroes of the novel are perfect people, superpersons who are not aware of fear, doubts and dishonest thoughts.
