Quote:
Originally Posted by ebusinesstutor
Good point. Many science fiction authors write what are effectively detective stories (Asimov's Robot series), but in a futuristic, multiple star system future.
Over my long reading career, I've read science fiction that included almost every genre, inclding fantasy (Darkover, Pern), romance (Vorkosigan), historical fiction, humour and others.
I sometimes like to think of science fiction as including all other genres, but without the hobbles and restrictions. "Normal" romances, fantasies, mysteries etc. just seem like paler, less vibrant versions of the science fiction or fantasy ones. 
Of course, this is my own personal perspective. |
There's a sense in which this is true, of course, but I think that "genre" means more than just having a particular element in a story - almost everything you read - from the Kingkiller Chronicles to The Corrections has romance in it, but I wouldn't put either of them in the romance genre, since readers of that genre have certain expectations about the focus of the book.
I think the same is true of Asimov's detective stories. I like "The Caves of Steel," and its detective element is what drives its plot. But it's not really "about" solving the mystery; it's really about the future society and the relationships between overcrowded earth, the spacers, and robots.
Of course, part of me thinks that CSI should be classified as science fiction, since it doesn't bear much relationship to how crimes are solved on planet earth today.