What Genre of Fiction do you read most often?

[Dazrin]

Originally Posted by Geralt

Sci-fi IMO. More so than Fantasy.

Originally Posted by crich70

It has a flavor of alternate history about it though there is also a bit of science fantasy in it as well I think.

Originally Posted by Geralt

I agree with you.
If you take Jules Verne for example, he could be considered as writing in steampunk, but for him it was probably science fiction. However, real science turned out differently, so those kind of works totter between historical science fiction and fantasy.
I like that category of alternate history, but if you wanted to be really general about it, I think sci-fi is more encompassing of the steampunk genre.

I think it really depends on the author and book. Quite a few have zombies, vampires or other "fantasy" monsters in them. Others have magicians/magic of some form. Sometimes "explained" by the use of some previously unknown substance, sometimes not. Many just have much more advanced steam powered technology and lots of big trains and airships. Because of the variation I tend to lump it under "speculative fiction" rather than calling it specifically SF or F. I haven't read a lot of it either way though, just 8 books over the last 3+ years.

[drofgnal]

Historical Fiction is my preferred genre.

[mgbino]

Originally Posted by Dazrin

I think it really depends on the author and book. Quite a few have zombies, vampires or other "fantasy" monsters in them. Others have magicians/magic of some form. Sometimes "explained" by the use of some previously unknown substance, sometimes not. Many just have much more advanced steam powered technology and lots of big trains and airships. Because of the variation I tend to lump it under "speculative fiction" rather than calling it specifically SF or F. I haven't read a lot of it either way though, just 8 books over the last 3+ years.

Agreed. Steampunk is so difficult to place in a certain genre because of how the authors treat it. Writers like George Mann and Cherie Priest fall somewhere into the fantasy/adventure/Lovecraftian horror side of things, whereas I dare anyone to suggest that Schroeder's Vigra series is anything but extremely hard science fiction/steampunk.

[Nothingness]

My favorite types of fiction are mystery/crime, fantasy and horror. I add too dark fantasy like the vampire chronicles by Anne Rice and similar books.

As for scifi, while I love watching scifi movies and tv shows, and reading scifi mangas, I have trouble reading scifi fiction. I really like cyberpunk.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I think this thread needs to be closed and a new one started with a much more comprehensive list of categories. As it is, too many are missing and thus, the poll is invalid.

Breaking News

Jon has made a pronouncement that something is wrong/invalid. Oh, well then. Sorry for wasting everyone's time with this thread.
Because if he said it, it must be true.

And that's rather harsh, saying this thread should be locked because someone thinks it isn't "general enough".

[Nothingness]

His thread does not allow for multiple choices unlike this one so I ignored his.

[John F]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I think this thread needs to be closed and a new one started with a much more comprehensive list of categories. As it is, too many are missing and thus, the poll is invalid.

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Breaking News

Jon has made a pronouncement that something is wrong/invalid. Oh, well then. Sorry for wasting everyone's time with this thread.
Because if he said it, it must be true.

And that's rather harsh, saying this thread should be locked because someone thinks it isn't "general enough".

Yeah, but he used "I" and "think", so cut him a little slack.

Also, can we change the thread title and add "+ discussion"?

[CharredScribe]

Mystery/crime fiction, and historical fiction are definitely my favourite - when they overlap, I am in heaven (many books by Robert Goddard would be an example)

[Gronk]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

I secretly suspect that everyone prefers Sci-Fi/Fantasy.

Even if they don't admit it!

Well, I would prefer Sci-Fi/Fantasy over a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. In that sense you may be correct.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by John F

Yeah, but he used "I" and "think", so cut him a little slack.

Also, can we change the thread title and add "+ discussion"?

I'm thinking that would be a job for the mods as I have no idea how to do it and I was the one who started the thread. Certainly there don't seem to be any edit tools that I've been able to find. Aside from the one for individual posts that is.

[John F]

Originally Posted by crich70

I'm thinking that would be a job for the mods as I have no idea how to do it and I was the one who started the thread. Certainly there don't seem to be any edit tools that I've been able to find. Aside from the one for individual posts that is.

It was a joke, in reference to the Kobo Discount thread.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by Gronk

Well, I would prefer Sci-Fi/Fantasy over a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. In that sense you may be correct.

Well ... I'd have to think long and hard about making a choice between the two.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by John F

It was a joke, in reference to the Kobo Discount thread.

Ah ok. Sorry for the misunderstanding. I could see where someone might argue that it could fit though as there has been some discussion about this and that regarding the genre's.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Well ... I'd have to think long and hard about making a choice between the two.

I've heard the argument that they are two sides of the same coin. i.e. If you lift off the ground using an anti-gravity platform it's SF, but if you do the same thing with a flying carpet it's fantasy. Certainly publishers lump the two together for ease of shelving in traditional brick and mortar book stores. Of course in the larger sense you could say that pretty much all fiction is fantasy fiction as they structure events in a way that real life can't be structured. Even a novel like War and Peace ties up neater I would wager than real life does despite the fact of where and when the novel is set.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by crich70

I've heard the argument that they are two sides of the same coin. i.e. If you lift off the ground using an anti-gravity platform it's SF, but if you do the same thing with a flying carpet it's fantasy. Certainly publishers lump the two together for ease of shelving in traditional brick and mortar book stores. Of course in the larger sense you could say that pretty much all fiction is fantasy fiction as they structure events in a way that real life can't be structured. Even a novel like War and Peace ties up neater I would wager than real life does despite the fact of where and when the novel is set.

Actually, I mean it would be hard for me to choose between a poke in the eye and SF/fantasy!

Though, to be serious, I do occasionally enjoy fairy tale retellings, and I suppose that's fantasy. And I do like Twilight Zone-type stories, which I suppose are SF. But I generally run screaming from anything set in the future or on another planet, or involving space creatures or fantastic beasts or magic. Just ... no.